Bambara Salt Lake City

I would like to ‘bambara’ in the toilet. Pretty good service by Branden (although he didn’t ask why we were sending some of our food back) and the space is beautiful. The menu looks good but the grease! Grease and oil are… everywhere. In the spread for the bread. In the beet tartar on my salad. On the calamari (inedible). On the lettuce leaves. Everything was so heavy. The only good thing were the brussels sprouts, even my husband’s gnocchi was doughy and would spread out like a pancake (too much oil?).
We were totally stoked to try this place. Now, we are both sick on our stomachs and taking pepto bismol.

Glad we were finally able to make it to Bambara for lunch. Great menu items, pleasant servers with great tasting food.
Loved how friendly and outgoing the employees are and how open the kitchen is to see how clean they keep it.
Can’t wait to try their Sunday brunch. Can’t complain of a single thing here, loved the free cookie for dessert!

Salt Lake City, UT-​Food was very good. We got the breakfast sandwich and burger. The bacon jam on the burger was delicious. Would definitely recommend this place as a nice lunch spot.

Came in for a meal with my boss, and our waitress looked desperate and on drugs. Cassie? She smelled terrible and food off the floor would have tasted better. We miss Art! New chef seems arrogant and uninterested. Won’t be coming back.

There were items that were great — and some that were a total pass. Let’s start with great — THEIR FRIES. Awesome, great flavor, could eat them daily (if I wouldn’t die as a result). What missed — their duck breast was tough and unenjoyably. The calamari, not worth getting again. Staff was A+ and very attentive, unfortunately, I don’t feel there were enough «wow’s» to warrant a return.

Bambara is definitely one the more upscale restaurants. The ambience is classy and elegant, it was a little dark inside, the noise level wasn’t too bad. Our waiter was great and very attentive.
Ok now let’s get going on the food. I was surprised I was actually full and enjoyed my food. The bone marrow had so much flavor and was perfect but don’t get that as an entrée because you will stay hungry. The stuff peppers were amazing, my steak was perfect, medium rare was what I ordered and that’s exactly what I got. The menu is definitely on the pricey side but it shows in the quality of the food. It’s must try at least once but it’s not a place where I’m all «omg I want Bambara sooo bad» in typical Utah girl voice but I would come again if someone wants to take me here for dinner ;) haha I hope you enjoy

Liked this place but did not love, the food is very good but in my opinion over priced! I recommend as a last minute thing but I rather hit a high end steak house for a better experience. Although I only order sea food my husband has the steaks and filet it was good but not worth the price!

Bambara is an upscale restaurant located in the Hotel Monaco and features new American cuisine. The ambiance is classy and elegant, but also gets very loud. My last visit was for a private event, so we were in our own closed off dining room away from the noise.
The bone marrow, duck liver pâté, and calamari were all delicious starters if you have an adventurous pallet. For my appetizer, I had the corn bisque and it was very tasty with some spice and nice bits of crab meat. The filet of beef served Rossini style and topped with foie gras was decent. If it weren’t for the foie gras, the steak would have been too dry and under seasoned for my taste. My favorite part of the meal was dessert. I had the flourless chocolate cake, and it was super decadent and rich but the vanilla ice cream helped balance it out.
Service was mostly good. There were times when the servers were absent and didn’t refill glasses as frequently as needed. Also, there were a couple people in my party who received their dishes way after everyone else was finished. I get that with large groups it can be difficult to keep the timing on point, but a little acknowledgement/​explanation from the waitstaff would have been appreciated.

I needed to run a 15 person dinner meeting for work. I consulted with some of my local peeps and backed it up with Unilocal.Since we have compliance issues to deal with, I worked with the group bookings staff to create a menu that ensured a great event, while staying inside our limits.
I got some great reviews on the entrees but alas, can only speak to my experience. We started with some of the house chips with blue cheese. Nice crispy, salt and savory flavored mixing together. The corn bisque was at the top of my list and did not disappoint. Since I planned the event, I struggled with what to select. The scallops looked great but I didn’t fly all the way from New England to have Maine scallops (sorry). Carbonara has been something I’ve been making in my kitchen recently and wanted to see the chef’s take on it. Nothing like I would have expected but an amazing interpretation. House made pasta and well woven flavors and textures.
The meeting was an incredible success and we are grateful to our hosts for making it so. The only downside was we were in the chairmen’s room and couldn’t enjoy the open kitchen. Well, a reason to come back I guess.
Bravo!

Read the reviews and decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. Had a nice glass of Malbec, wonderful calamari, and the Treviso and pear salad. Can’t wait for a return trip to SLC.

My neighbor called me and asked me to pick a very special restaurant for his wife’s 50^th birthday. I haven’t been to Bambara for-​years. I looked at the reviews and it still looked good. It was a perfect evening! everything turned out delicious. We started off with the blue cheese chips. They were delicious even if you don’t like blue cheese. We all ordered different menu items and sampled each other’s a little bit. The ravioli was great the scallops were tender. My husband had delicious juicy salmon. I tried the grilled filet of beef. Prima!

I ordered 2 appetizers thinking they would be perfect for the evening but it was more than that. I wish I could’ve finished it all because it was so good. The tuna & hamachi poke was more like a tartar but was delicious with the togarashi wonton crisps. The bone marrow was perfectly prepared with all the flavor and fat sealed in.

Had a good experience here last night. The pork shank was delicious and rich I really enjoyed it. We also got the mussel appetizer and it was super yummy. I wish they would have brought the bread out sooner so we could have dipped the bread in the tomato and wine broth from the mussels. We also ordered the duck confit pasta carbonara, which had homemade pasta but was extremely rich. We went home with some heavy doggie bags. I do highly recommend this place for dinner or brunch. The back bar is really cool too!

Came with friends for a great New Years Eve meal. I was able to sample the Blue Cheese Chips (Great), Lobster Bisque (Great), Buckwheat Blini (Good), Three Little Pigs (Great), Ahi Tuna Poke (Great), Goat Cheesecake (Good) and Turtle Sandwich (Great). Great place to eat!

«Too Long; Didn’t Read» below, my lovelies.
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With every Utah December comes the cold, (sometimes) the snow, angry drivers, and the constant swearing into the inversion that is the Salt Lake sky… but most importantly, December also brings my annual Holiday Company luncheon at Bambara.
Bambara is seriously a rarity for me — I stop in about once a year, give or take, but it holds such fond memories. My work is fairly small, about 9 people attend our luncheon each year, and they are all wonderful, and I love spending 3 – 4 hours at Bambara with them.
This is the usual agenda for our Holiday dining:
–Order bottles of wine (this time we drank upon 2 bottles of a delicious Riesling)
–Decide on appetizers — usually always their House made blue-​cheese chips and Fried Calamari.
–A lot of discussion and talking, leading the waiter to come around few times before we actually figure out what we are ordering.
–Side Soups/​Salads
–A delicious entrée
–A post dinner cappuccino and dessert (upon occasion)
It’s an agenda that’s easy, predictable, and provides great food with great conversation. We stuck to this agenda for 2015 as well.
About two years ago for our lunch, I had one of the best high-​end meals I’ve ever had in Salt Lake City. This was Bambara’s amazing house-​made gnocchi with squash and additional veggies. This is the dish that I have looked forward to for two years now… but it seems that they have since removed it from their menu. A real tragedy, and a constant personal heart breaker.
For this 2015 trip, after talking with our waiter, I decided to go with the house-​made veggie burger as my entrée, and was very much NOT disappointed. I am a sucker for any veggie burger that is house-​made, and Bambara’s is up there for amazing flavor, presentation and taste. It may have to be a restaurant that I start patronizing more often — the veggie burger (on a ciabatta roll) is one I will think about before going to bed.
I will be the first person to admit aloud to anyone… that I despise Blue Cheese. It’s at the very bottom of my cheese list… and yet… I find Bambara’s Blue Cheese Potato Chips to be amazing. Go figure. My coworker, who also hates blue cheese, really enjoys these chips as well. Go figure times 2. They are definitely worth a try if you stop in.
Bambara is a pricey place, but definitely worth it. Most everything is made in-​house, and I always leave extremely full, happy and looking forward to a future visit in the next year.
But please, Bambara! Please tell me this: Can I special order the gnocchi dish? If so, you’ll forever have my patronage, my love and all of my money. Seriously. I’ll be in tomorrow.
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TL;DR:
Bambara is a December holiday treat that I thoroughly look forward to each year. I’ve been spoiled with the full experience of Bambara, but as a special dinner? I suggest going all out. You really won’t be disappointed. The Gnocchi… if you ever see it on the menu, snatch it up as quickly as humanly possible, give me a ring, and I’ll come down and pay for your dinner as well as mine. Whether you’re a blue cheese fan or not, the Blue Cheese chips are a must-​try. Be fancy for a night, and go for an after-​dinner cappuccino. You’ll feel great, and it’ll perk you up just in time for the hellish outside Utah cold air you’re about to experience when you walk out the door.

We have been here, with pleasure, for lunch and dinner but I’d like to extoll this as one of the nicest places to have breakfast/​brunch in Salt Lake. Menu has some items not usually found on A. M menus like Croque Madame. As prepared here unlikely to win points from traditional cardiologists but very appealing on a cold morning. Not sure I had ever had french fries this early before I discovered this offering, but we manage to eat nearly all of them.
Also notable as one of the few serious local restaurants with carpet, white tablecloths and other signs of glamour, well upholstered comfort, and bearable noise level. Entrance within the hotel keeps drafts at bay when temperatures are single digit. Professional service.

Stayed at the Monaco and decided to try the «best in Salt Lake» restaurant. The hotel staff claimed that it is the best food around and would be worth our time.
My husband ordered the dark kale ravioli and I ordered the bacon wrapped chicken with gnocchi. We both loved mine and decided to order lobster bisque and the blue cheese potato chips as an appetizer. We ended the meal sharing a goat cheese cheesecake.
Total cost $ 106 not including tip.
We left full and satisfied.

My first time coming here was for Mother’s Day Brunch in 2015. It was delicious, the service was great, but I felt it was pretty pricey. Of course, all Mother’s Day Brunches are, but I didn’t have any strong desire to go back to Bambara. However, my mom LOVED the Mother’s Day Brunch. She claims it’s the best Mother’s Day Brunch we’ve ever taken her to (and we’ve taken her to a lot). And her opinion is the one that counts, right?!
Well, my mother’s love for this place is what brought me back here a couple days ago. I work one block from this place so my parents came down and had lunch with me. Okay — WOW. I’m a believer now. I had a grilled cheese with tomato soup. Hands down Top 3 Best Tomato Soups I’ve ever had (it could even be the best, but I’m not sure I can give it all that glory yet). Grilled cheese was also excellent. This was $ 11 which isn’t too bad. I love how they support local too. The grilled cheese was made with Eva’s Bakery Bread (delish) and local cheeses. They brought out hummus and bread that also included Eva’s Bakery Bread. My dad had the burger and fries and they were both amazing. The burger is expensive ($ 16), but it was good! Can you find cheaper and delicious burgers elsewhere? Sure you can. But I still think Bambara’s burger is a solid option. My mom had a mixed green salad ($ 8) with salmon ($ 7). And of course, she loved it. I didn’t try it; I was too busy eating my food and my dad’s fries. However, my mom raved about all of our food. She doesn’t eat bread, but she had to try the burger and grilled cheese and she also continued to rave about that.
Needless to say, I still think Bambara is pretty pricey, but they definitely have a few affordable options which are well worth it. The food was great, service was good although slow. I’d be happy to come back here. I’m happy I gave it another try.

Great ambiance right in the city center; however, 3 stars for service. It was way too slow! My fiancé and I got the tiniest cheese board ($ 16) after 25 minutes of waiting, which is unacceptable. After finally receiving it, we were shocked at the size and price. It left us completely underwhelmed. It came with too many cheddar options, exactly one crisp cracker, and 2 pieces of grilled bread. No fruit, and about 12 pieces of cheese– not sure how this balance of grains and cheese pairs up. I ordered the bacon wrapped chicken, and my fiancé the filet. Both were good, but nothing to write home about! Too pricy for the taste and speed of service.

A date took me to Bambara and I’m sure glad he did.
To begin, the location and atmosphere are amazing. It is right in the middle of downtown in the most charming area, and the restaurant itself has been designed and decorated with no detail left out. From the upholstery to the lighting to the artwork — it is really a beautiful space.
We had a reservation and were seated right upon arrival so that is always nice. The wait staff was very pleasant.
We started with the Apples & Romaine salad and the bread they brought out. Both were quite nice.
Main dish — I ordered the Seared Scottish Salmon, he had one of their steak choices. These dishes were divine. I don’t eat at these types of restaurants too often but when I do and I am paying a pretty penny for the food it needs to be perfect — both of these dishes were PERFECT.
The plating was nice, the servings were filling and I even had some to-​go.
I don’t recall the name of our dessert but it was something with salted caramel and home made ice-​cream — it was awesome. The perfect size for sharing and really a nice final touch on a great meal.
I will return to Bambara for a really nice special meal any time.

Was invited to this restaurant by a vendor. They raved about it.
All of the raving was right! The food here was excellent. I really enjoyed the Arugula Salad with puff pastry. Everything here was melt-​in-​your-​mouth delish. I ordered the Chicken and Shrimp dish. Compliments to the chef.

A wonderful surprise, and one of the best meals I have had in Salt Lake City. The atmosphere was formal, but not stuffy. The service was prompt, but not overdone.
My husband had the lamb, which was one of the most expensive entrées at $ 41. He proclaimed it the best lamb his taste buds had ever beheld.
I opted for the gnocchi, as all gnocchi holds a special place in my heart and stomach and I can rarely resist it. At $ 25 it was the cheapest entrée. Served with a crème sauce and accompanied by mushrooms, carrots, and braised short ribs that were fork tender — it was blissful.
We began the meal with an exceptional ahi tartaee and two house salads with beautiful greens and light pomegranate dressing.
The resaurant was extremely accommodating to my husband’s dairy allergy and offered to make any entrée of his choosing dairy free — a rare find in the allergy world.
The meal was pricey, but exceptional and I would definitely reccomend it for any special occasion.

Only ate breakfast while staying at the Hotel Monaco on business trip. A little pricey, but has the convenience factor, if you’re staying at the Hotel Monaco.
I had the Buttermilk Biscuit with Spicy Utah Elk Sausage Gravy, Fried Egg, Breakfast Potatoes
(
). Overall pretty good. Biscuit was a little dense. They were happy to bring more gravy.
We also came to the Vault for drinks in the evening. Mixed drinks were up and down (perhaps depending on the bartender?) so beer seemed like a more consistent choice. One night it was packed and the staff was overwhelmed so we rarely saw our waitress and even trying to get a drink at the bar took forever.