Sant Ambroeus

Staying at the Mark and wanting a close lunch place. This fit the bill. Excellent Pannini sandwiches. We had the duck, chicken and the carpaccio. All were tasty not cheap but worth the price

Forever my favorite place for afternoon coffee and dessert. Expensive but seriously the best cappucino in NYC. Do not levae without taking a box of melt in your mouth cookies home!

This is our favorite restaurant in the city. Excellent service, the staff have impeccable manners, and you will always manage to get a table reasonably early despite their popularity. The same can’t be said for many trending restaurants in Manhattan. Their signature dish is the escalope, which is divine, but my personal favorite is the penne arrabiata. It’s the best Italian food in New York.

Okay food — wait staff seemed a little too busy to be bothered with my table unfortunately. I asked if we could be seated in the main room but was put against a wall in the café. Then, they sat two 15 year old (loud) girls next to us who were rather obnoxious. I understand that you can’t control the your clientele but maybe place adults in the dining room and children (who are not with adults) in the café. We did however get rescued at the end of our breakfast by a kind gentleman who worked there. He took over our table, told our waitress that we wanted the check, and then made sure that my to-​go drink order was filled by the time we stood up to leave. A secondary waiter was far more attentive than our primary waitress. I’d go back for a coffee before the park, but not to sit down to a $ 20 plate of eggs.

Was meeting my friends afternoon tea but they wouldn’t let us have a table for coffee/​tea and cake. Said we had to stand at the bar. We left and went around the corner to Lady M instead. Lady M has much better cakes and is less uptight than San Ambroeus.

This place is super cute! Love the ambiance and European feel. Not to mention I’ve never seen so many handsome men in such a small space! Not sure if there was a man model meetup taking place or if this is an upper east side hott spot! Pun intended! I digress, back to the gelato. I was really disappointed that the ice cream was so melted. As if it needs any help with the NYC heat. My mint chip couldn’t even be served on the cone I asked for and was literally soup by the time we walked to the next block. I ended up tossing mine. Though this may be a blessing in disguise as I will be in my swimsuit for the next few days. I’d definitely try this place again as I hate to leave them 3-​stars as the place is really charming!

I thought Unilocalers would like to see how management responds to a negative review… by opening up a phony Unilocal account and private messaging me. How ignorant of them to try and hide behind the curtain of anonymity but its obvious it’s management by the response… and By the way San Ambroeus, even the low end people that you say are in Staten Island deserve not to be refused the public restroom as your staff did to me, a paying customer. Very despicable and unclassy of you to reach out to me this way. May the bad karma go right back to you as I see is in your other negative reviews. What you write is totally ignorant and of an uneducated small minded person.
This is exactly what I copied and pasted that they wrote to me in private message:
As I went to write a review about one of my favorite local spots I noticed the bizarre reviews you wrote. Then, I noticed, you were from Staten Island; so it all made sense. Manhattan restaurants are primarily for Manhattan residents and on weekends, those less fortunate from the «other» boroughs can come by. So please do us a favor and instead of writing unnecessary and untrue reviews, stay in Staten Island where you belong. There’s plenty of eateries there that service lower end clientele. We do not want or need your business. Cheers.
PS I did go to this exact location recently since I was with friends. We had breakfast and all thought it was not good. The eggs were very bland just like the staff. Yuk! needless to say not returning here either.

Always a great treat. They have a nice breakfast and their pasta and meat sauce is delicious. Fresh baked goodies too!

Looking for a nice coffee shop and I found this close to Apple Store so I went while I was waiting for my turn in Apple. Place is very nice and cappuccino is fabulous! End up having 2 cups! I like this place it’s just too pricey. $ 7/​cup of cappuccino.
I have been back here several times and I enjoyed it each time. Although cappuccino is expensive the ambiance is pretty cool.

Really nice and clean place. I had only a dessert TO GO, so I can’t say that much about it. Staff behind the counter was a bit busy. We need reservation.

The level of decadence is palpable from the moment you step through the door. Hands down, the best Nocciola cake, fruit tart, and cup of espresso anywhere on the Upper East and thus far one of my favorite Go-​to Italian dessert destinations in NYC. The ambiance, the presentation, the beautiful wrapping/​packaging… Just getting a treat and a coffee to-​go here is a European dining experience. It’s all very «Madison Avenue, dahhling.»

One of the best restaurants in town. The pasta is amazing for instance the cacio e pepe as well as the risottos. The desserts and coffee is also fantastic.

Absolutely delicious. Almost the best lasagne I’ve ever had. Delicate homemade spinach pasta with a delicious veal tomato base sauce. Seafood risotto excellent. Tight seating. Excellent service

My new favorite brunch spot. Located right by the Carlyle hotel in the upper east side. Very pleasant staff. We came here twice on our stay because the food, ambiance, and staff were so spectacular. We had breakfast on Saturday and brunch on Sunday. The iced mocha coffee and bellinis are a must. We even got dessert after brunch and the cheesecake was like no other cheesecake out there. I can’t say enough nice things about this spot. Go try it!

Cute little place with really great coffee and coffee drinks. I’m sure the breakfast pastries are delicious but we just needed the caffeine boost so stuck with drinks.
The space is divided into two areas. The front is nice and bright, next to the front windows and serving as a perfect place to peoplewatch. Lots of UES characters and their dogs.
In any case, the prices here shocked me at first. The only regular coffee they had was $ 7. However I was desperate and got it anyways. My friend got their specialty coffee drink with chocolate. His was delicious with cocoa powder on top.
My coffee was indeed a pot of coffee. It didn’t look that big but filled my coffee cup 4 times! I figured that the coffee was on par with other places. Coffee is freshly roasted and delicious. Just what I needed!
We sat at one of the small tables in the front. The back section was larger and away from the take out area but didn’t have windows. We started chatting with a very nice lady from Paris who was having coffee and a pastry there. It was all very New York.
I really did like this place and the ambience.

My boyfriend brought me here for Valentine’s Day and I was very pleased with the experience. The restaurant was set up beautifully with rose petals and candles on the table.
The staff was so kind, polite, and accommodating all night. We both were both pleased with our pasta dishes we ordered for dinner and the desserts were delicious as well! I ordered the chocolate mousse heart with a raspberry outside and he had the chocolate mousse cake.
It was definitely a pricey evening, but it was well worth it.

The coffee is the star here. Several notches above Starbucks. Breakfast menu very traditional Italian and excellent.

Great coffee — heads above all other coffee spots. Authentic Italian café. The breakfast was excellent as was the service & atmosphere. A gem on the upper east side

It’s a coffee shop so what a big deal! Got cappuccino and croissant, not impressed at all. With a rude barista with a heavy accent like you’re in Italy by saying «buon giorno», she doesn’t even smile taking an order nor she cares. What a scam!

i’ve been slowly (but surely) reading donna tartt’s «the goldfinch» (i’m reading it so slowly, because i don’t want it to end!) and she’s great about using actual NYC locations as scenes in the book. sant ambroeus is one of them.
after some research, i realized that i had actually been to this madison avenue location once before, when i was oblivious to the majestic history of this place or, at least, oblivious to the majesty that ms. tartt, in her well-​written novel, so wonderfully, eloquently describes.
i recalled having an amazing cappuccino during my first sant ambroeus visit and was eager to bring my boyfriend in. .. especially since he’s italian.
so, this past weekend, on our way to the met, we stopped by this adorably classy spot and we each had a cappuccino along with a biscotti or two.
lemme just say — the froth is pure perfection. the place, for as lovely as it is, does not come off as pretentious as one might imagine. in fact, one of the barkeeps asked my boyfriend where he got his super kitschy penfield jacket from.
friendly. sweet. classy. not too touristy — in fact, very local. we can’t wait to return for a meal!

If your Aussie or Kiwi and are in search of a coffee, you know just a real flat white like from home your looking is done. Real barista coffee here. My pastry was a little dry but still tasty. Worth a visit.

Pricey, but worth it if it’s one of those nights. The waitstaff were attentive without being pushy, the food was delicious, all the way through to dessert, the wine was great, and the ambiance was very welcoming and pleasant, although it could’ve been quieter. I left very satisfied.

Great place to have coffee. Clean and service is wonderful. I’m taking a star off for the restaurant at the back of the coffee shop because the food is overpriced. And the food is dull. Otherwise the coffee is great. The restroom is always clean and the general décor is comforting and somewhat cosy.
A tad pricey for a coffee however worth it.

Best cappuccino I’ve ever had in the US! I make sure to have one whenever I’m in the UES area.

Had butternut squash soup, good. Wanted breakfast but it doesn’t stay open late. Tom cruise ate next to us so place got noisy? Not sure what the big deal was! Lol. Had some lunch munchies which were ok but not outstanding. I’ll try this place another time. Maybe because of holidays? Oh well.

Always pleased with my experience at SA. Authentic Italian in NYC or the Hamptons with an upscale elegant atmosphere is perfect for any occasion.
Service is quick and the food is to die for. The meduina and the prosciutto mozz mini sandwiches are some of my favorites. Your wallet won’t be happy when you leave, but your stomach sure will be. Must try on the UES

Expensive, tasty small portions. very European good service cappuccino was Ok nothing especial about it.

Once found, now our go-​to neighborhood place for almost all things yummy & sweet. Panettone, palmier, scones, coffee cookies, hot chocolate, cappuccino, etc.
Dinner menu is excellent as well. Comfort foo.

Another view or wrote «the best cappuccino this side of Milano». I concur… And add Roma as well. As soon as I walked in, I was transported back to morning time in Italy. Molto Bene

Damn, talk about class divides… this place — not just the fellow patrons but also the staffers — makes you feel egregiously underfunded with the crazy prices and underdressed with the seemingly formal dress code and unintelligent with the haphazard layout. Really average gelato to boot.

The food was fantastic, but very very expensive. If you’re willing to pay over $ 20 for a salad, this place is great.

Sant Amrboeus, when only the best will do. Enough said. Want more?
I swung by for lunch with newfound friends and a colleague. I ordered the beef carpaccio with white truffles. We ordered kale salad, salmon tartare, and squid ink pasta with sea urchin and prosciutto with reggiano for the table. A couple of bottles of great Italian wine and many laughs later, we were ready to go. But not before a round of Lavazza dupio machiatos infused with Molinari sambuca.
Wait, is that Christine Turlington at the other table? It is! Dessert for the eyes…

Rude and unhelpful. Would not even answer a basic question about my order without getting defensive. I’ve been in busier places with more polite staff. I would not recommend ordering at the bar at all. I would have to assume sit down service is better, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Classic Italian. I mean verrrry classy Italian from the region of Milan. It is a bit uptight and «stuffy» but I don’t find it to be as pretentious as people make it out to be. The food and service are both impeccable. I’ve only had their breakfast and dessert.
The last time I visited, they had a white truffle brunch special — so if you have money to blow on brunch, do it here! I usually get the Crostino Milanese. Eggs scrambled, Parmesan cheese, roasted potatoes and tomatoes, with quinoa.
For dessert, I don’t remember the names of the pastries and cakes we had, but they were damn good. And the to go packaging is so cute!

The food and wine is delicious albeit overpriced for what it is (it’s the UES though so I’ll let it slip). One of their cocktails (a negroni made with prosecco) was delicious and so refreshing. In general, I really liked this menu so four stars there.
However, the environment is WAY too stuffy and only a couple of the waitstaff that I interacted with made it seem like they appreciated your business. The hostesses could relax a little but the waiters were quite nice and attentive.
One man, however (maybe a manager or owner, he was older and was hovering over all the tables) even went so far as to question my wine choice. I ordered a glass of prosecco and he made it seem like I had committed a sin, «oh, you should order a red.» No thanks man, I’m getting dessert and red most certainly does not pair with peach. Minus one star.
All in all, don’t think I’d go out of my way to go back here again.

Yummy wholesome food. They have amazing waitstaff service, everyone was really helpful and friendly and knowledgeable. The food is tasty and clean. It doesn’t involve too many sauces and spices trying to mast the true dish. I had a simple tuna tartar that was fresh and zesty, and a Bronzino fish. The waiter took apart the fish for me aside the table and made sure I was happy. Fished the meal with a plum tart and cappuccino ! Coming back for sure for a tasty delicious light meal !