Mambu

10/17/08

Service can be iffy

by bigcitymama at Citysearch

Two friends and I went to eat at Mambu two nights ago. The place was dead when we walked in. It took a minute for anyone to notice we were there, and then we were told by a waiter that "she" would be right with us. We waited. And waited. Meanwhile, noticing again that most of the tables were empty, I began to wonder what the hold-up could be. I got the attention of another waiter, asked, "Could you..." He said, "Just a minute," went to speak with "her," came back and said, "She'll be with you in just a few minutes. She's in a meeting." We were incredulous. We looked at each other, and quickly decided to take our business elsewhere. By the time we got to the car, the waiter came out of the restaurant and called for us that we could be seated. Of course, we just got in the car and went to Amerigo, where we were attended to properly.

In the past, I have been to Mambu with two other friends and we waited a ridiculous amount of time for menus and a waiter's (ANY waiter's) attention. We finally had to flag down a waiter and ask if we had one.

In this economy, and in a town heavy-laden with restaurants trying to survive, service makes the difference. I hope Mambu can get it together because I'd hate to see it close. They have great food and great atmosphere, but disregard for the customer renders it all meaningless.

• Pros: great atmosphere, unique food, valet parking,
• Cons: service is unreliable

04/27/08

Food below par.

by rio6 at Citysearch

My girlfriend and I went to Mambu's expecting to taste some amazing food (at least good enough to justify its prices and live up to some of these reviews). I have to say the atmosphere was great, and the staff very friendly. However, we were very disappointed with the food. We started up with the vegetarian fried wontons as an appetizer. Some of these were FROZEN in the middle, and the others just plain, not flavorful at all. For our entrees we had the "Mariscada" (which they describe as a "paella"), and a tofu-vegetable stir-fry. The peanut-sauce-based stir-fry was pretty tasty, but got boring after a few bites. The so-called "paella" was a tomato-based broth with some rice in it and seafood (shrimp, scallops, mussels... also chicken and sausage but we had it without them). Obviously nothing like a real paella if you've ever had one (it's not meant to be a soup!). This plate actually resembled one they have a Rumba's, but did not taste nearly as good.

Overall very disappointed.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Staff
• Cons: Food!

02/01/07

Go Easy on the Sugar!!

by bananaf1sh at Citysearch

Everything we tried at Mambu was way too sweet. Actually, everything was except for the service. Our server was pushy about ordering an appetizer (even though nothing on the appetizer list sounded very, well, appetizing. I mean, who wants to have fried calamari at an "eclectic fusion cuisine," especially when the said calamari is tiny pieces of whatever pretending to be seafood, served with overly sweet marinara sauce?), and never asked us if we wanted freshly ground pepper even though he offered it to the table next to us. When we asked for pepper (as well as salt--the food was very bland), he brought us a pepper shaker. The host kept calling us honey/sweetheart even though she had no smile on her face. The place seemed very phony and poser-ish (evidenced by the "art" in the front dining room). For a place that boasts of being "chef-owned," I definitely expected more. Even the paella was too sweet & had sprinkled shredded candied coconut on top! If you're looking to treat yourself to a gourmet meal, go elsewhere.

• Pros: friendly & speedy valet parking
• Cons: phony service staff, overly sweet & bland food

06/30/06

2 HOUR wait after reservation time.

by bemusic at Citysearch

We had reservations at 7:15PM, we were sat at 9:00PM. There were no chairs to sit in while we were waiting because there were so many people waiting to be sat. After we finally sat down at a table. The waiter was then rude to my husband and I. It completely ruined our Valentines Day. They offered us a free dessert the next time we came to eat there. Yeah right, whatever!!!! It was our first and last experience with them.

07/26/05

Not Worth It

by broadway at Citysearch

My husband made reservations here for our 1st Anniversary because it was rated as a romantic restaurant. I don't agree. We sat in a spot in the front of the dining area where several other loud groups were seated. There was nothing romantic about being beside a loud bar and around loud groups of people. The menu did not have many choices and the overall quality of the food was not worth the money.

The wait staff was very knowledgable and attentive, but we will probably never go back to the restaurant. It was not worth the money we paid to eat Pad Thai and seafood and rice.

I would recommend going elsewhere if you want a great meal.

• Pros: convenient parking, attentive waitstaff
• Cons: Not romantic, Ambiance, menu choices

02/08/04

Over-Rated

by sarahandmike at Citysearch

The food was about average, but not worth your money. It was over-priced and we definitely were not blown away by the atmosphere. A decent experience but there are better options out there.

• Pros: Unique food, Valet parking
• Cons: , Cramped

09/20/03

snottyhostess

by tep at Citysearch

If you don't mind having the hostess role her eyes at you because you have never been here before. If you don't mind having a less than attentive server, or waiting an exceptionally long time to get your meal, then this may be the place for you. Snobby restaraunt can take lessons from Mambu. Now about the food. The dinner may not have been worth the wait but it was definately delicious. The martinis may be the best in the state if you don't mind the wait. I doubt that I will ever want a martini that badly that I can't just make it at home.

• Pros: food, drink
• Cons: service , hostess, wait

08/21/03

I will never be back...

by chocobot at Citysearch

Ive been twice now. First time was nice, second was a disaster. We even invited 6 friends. From the snotty middle aged hostess to an inattentive waiter, to very poor food (compared to what we had before), my girlfriend and I felt bad having suggested we go there. Being in the 22-25 age crowd, I guess we did not belong there, even though our bill was $400. Of course we got stuck with the standard %18 gratuity, so maybe that is why she did not pay attention: work the other tables. I was a server in a good establishment for about 4 years, and this is not how you treat your customers.

• Pros: ok parking, downtown
• Cons: service, some food items, decor