You will see the negative ones towards the front here and then as you wade into them they are solidly positive ( I had to cut off the number of reviews because they go on and on and on)
Hey Mambo Restaurant
487 Amsterdam Ave
(between 84th St & 83rd St)
New York, NY 10024
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
(212) 595-5050
(between 84th St & 83rd St)
New York, NY 10024
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
(212) 595-5050
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
86 St. (1, 2)79 St. (1, 2)81 St. - Museum Of Natural History (A, B, C)
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 8 am - 11 pmFri-Sun 8 am - 2 am
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Intimate, Romantic
- Has TV:
- Yes
38 reviews for Hey Mambo Restaurant
Review Highlights What's this?
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"...get better than this cute, modern little gem on the Upper West Side." In 3 reviews -
"I had the scallops and they were absolutely delicious." In 9 reviews -
"The grilled octopus was cooked to perfection, the scallops were..." In 2 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
38 reviews in English
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Review from Stephanie H.
Financial District, Manhattan, NYI live in the UWS and had passed by here many times without stopping by. Finally, when a girlfriend came into town, we decided to try it out. Although there was plenty of seating throughout the restaurant, (and also a cute patio out back), we perched ourselves at the bar. We couldn't have been treated with better service! The bartender Sal, was attentive and sweet, not to mention an amazing mixologist (not sure if that's a term he'd prefer!). He shook up some of his own specialty cocktails that weren't even on the menu that were beyond delicious! We munched on some olives and zucchini chips that were divine.
I also loved the atmosphere of the place, its very unlike what you'll find in the Upper West Side. It's a great spot for classy dining without worrying about a steep bill. And, (as this matters to some people) the bathroom was clean and cute! Though the moving zebra around the corner nearly gave me a heart attack.
The five stars are for the cocktails and the service. I will have to go back to explore the menu, but everything was well priced and the place smelled amazing. -
Review from Izabella G.
New York, NYWe had a lovely brunch here but I don't have much to write home about.
We had the Lobster Eggs Benedict and a Mushroom and Gruyere Omelete. Both dishes were okay but nothing special.
The service was very very nice!Comment from Jose T. of Hey Mambo Restaurant 9/6/2013
I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed your brunch overall,… More » -
Review from Scott L.
I have walked by Hey Mambo so many times in the last 6 months wondering about so many things. What does Hey Mambo mean? What kind of food is this? How formal is this place?
I finally walked in and took a seat at the bar tonight. I was greeted with the best service I've received in Manhattan.
The food was something special. The French fries are addictive - covered in Parmesan cheese!!! The lamb burger is so tender - but I gotta recommend that you ask for that basil mayo on the side. It is awesome. But the cocktails are the clincher.
I told the bartender, Sal, I like spicy tequila drinks and he made me an amazing jalapeño margarita. Oh, and it was on fire. Literally!
I can't wait to return for brunch. I hear the French toast is decadent. -
Review from c h.
New York, NYgreat restaurant with a dumb name and sign that confused people. too bad because the food and patio were fantastic. sorry to see it go. -
Review from Alice M.
Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYMy friend & I were looking for a bite to eat and visit. Early July I was greeted by the hostess at HEY MAMBO who graciously described their recently opened restaurant and welcomed us. They had just opened their lovely garden in the rear of the restaurant. We chose to enjoy the air conditioning due to the heat wave.
We were treated to a complimentary Mimosa. Delicious Panini and salad were served. We lingered while enjoying delightful tea and our visit. Service was attentive and the atmosphere appealing. Returned again with two of my grand nieces. -
Review from Paula C.
Manhattan, NYWe stopped by to check out a new place on the UWS. The menu is somewhat limited but I went for the chicken panini and it was phenomenal. Very big, and good to share. It seems like this is a good spot for happy hr, so I may come back to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised with the nice garden in the back. -
Review from Brittany H.
New York, NYItalian/French? outdoor seating? why, hello, you got me curious and sucked in.
not a fan.
we were seated in their back patio. lovely.
while cocktails were good.... it took forever to get our food. i was stoked for my seafood pasta....but it turned out to be bland. none of us were impressed with what we ordered.
and that means i won't be back here. sorry mambo. you had potential. -
Review from Lauren P.
New York, NYCame on a Sunday night in May. It was a little chilly outside, but you get a free mimosa or bloody mary on the patio, so we decided to try it out.
Service was a little slow, but the waitress topped off our drinks AND brought us lobster paella. Needless to say, we didn't mind the slow service.
I really enjoyed my octopus salad. Several of my friends had the steak and fries which were delicious.
Would definitely return. -
Review from Laika W.
Washington, DCTruly the worst service I have had in NYC or anywhere. Avoid this place. It's a tourist trap with cynical management. The food is 2.5 stars and the service 1 star. It's difficult to explain the positive reviews for this place. The owner even seemed to be there, which makes the situation all the more incomprehensible.Comment from Jose T. of Hey Mambo Restaurant 8/28/2013
Please accept my apologies that we didn't provide you with… More » -
Review from Stephen H.
Manhattan, NYFirst let me preface by saying we were very excited to try out Hey Mambo. It's in our relative neighborhood and we had heard great things about it. It also looked like a lot of fun whenever we walked by. So when my wife's birthday arrived, we thought it would be a great place to have her birthday dinner with friends.
We probably should have seen it coming when we were asked if we wanted tap or bottled not once, not twice but three times. Sure those things can happen but it was rather odd, especially as quick as they came in succession.
Regardless, we ordered our drinks and food with excitment. The first thing negative was the scotch our friend ordered. It was a very small pour, almost like he'd been sipping on it for a few minutes. Our waiter had offered to take it back to the bartender, mainly because he wanted "a really good tip" (his words), but our friend declined and enjoyed what he had.
The bread was good, and the appetizers were okay. The ceprese salad was serviceable, though not fantastic, mainly from tomatoes that were a little bland. The leek special was again okay, combined with manchego and a cured meat that was a solid idea but still not really flavorful.
Our entrees consisted of braised short ribs, a skirt steak special, the special leg of lamb, and the braised swordfish. My short ribs were probably the best, and my wife's skirt steak was decent. Our friend's leg of lamb was also deemed okay though her portion was on the small side, especially with her haricort verts. Unfortunately, our friend's sword fish was over cooked.
It really felt their timing was off the entire night. We ordered a round of drinks while finishing up the appetizers, and although quite a bit of time passed before our main course appeared, we had to ask a couple times for the drinks. Now, I want to say that I totally understand when service slows down when a restaurant is jammed. But it didn't look like Hey Mambo was even half full, so it was surprising when things took as long as they did.
Interestingly enough, I am horrible at providing negative feedback. Our friend, Dan, however, is a master. After the main course, the waiter asked how everything was. Dan explained why he didn't like the sword fish, and though the waiter listened, he didn't provide much feedback beyond a quick sorry and then going into the dessert menu.
This is where the evening went south. For her birthday, my wife ordered berries with cream. It sounded good to her, and it also sounded like it should be pretty quick to put together. Unfortunately, not so much. We waited well over twenty minutes for the dessert. Dan checked a couple times, then as a group, we decided to cancel the dessert order and pay our bill.
While waiting for the bill, a manager came over and asked how everything was. Once again, Dan explained our disappointment with the food and having to wait so long for dessert. To his credit, the manager strongly apologized, and even brought over a couple complementary desserts. But that point, we were ready to leave, so we declined, just asking for our checks.
The couples decided to split the check, each paying with a credit card. We paid, signed our receipts, and departed. As we stood outside saying our goodbyes, our waiter came out and exlained that he had accidentally swiped my card twice, rather than both cards. It was just a surreal ending to a strange night. We said we would figure it out between us and left.
We have to give them credit for a few things: they did offer free desserts, and when we declined that, took two cappucinos off our bill. But ultimately, we felt they fell far short of providing a good meal and fun evening. Fortunately for us, it was really comedic in how bad things turned out, otherwise I probably would have been upset that it was my wife's birthday dinner.
In the end, it boils down to this: would we recommend Hey Mambo to a friend? Unfortunately, based on that evening, we would have to say no. -
Review from Arlene G.
Manhattan, NYHi
Am a tuff cookie but I rate this a TEN [of ten], an A+
PLUS it has a small pleasing well appointed outdoor GARDEN
= no street sounds or smells!!
Food excellent
Food Presentation "
Decor "
Staff "
Sanitation "
Prices normal--on lower side
What more could one want?
Enjoy! NOTE Wandered in by accident--I've NO connection to any one there -
Review from Julie A.
Loved the decor - clearly, they went for the eclectic vibe, and that was reflected everywhere. The table setup is a bit weird, though. We were seated at an angled, oval table that was pretty close to another group. After some awkward chair- and table-shuffling, our crew of four managed to wiggle in to peruse the menu.
Bangin' cocktails.
Service was good - a bit on the slow side. The entrees came out somewhat staggered, too, so my dish wasn't quite as piping hot as I'd prefer by the time everyone else got their food.
The primary bummer: Tiny scallops. Size matters! There were four scallops, but they were the teeniest, tiniest little scallops I've ever seen! A few quarter-sized scallops and a pile of fava beans do not an entree make. Either call it a small plate, or get bigger scallops, s'il vous plait! -
Review from Allison C.
New York, NYI'll be honest: I wanted Jacob's Pickles. While strolling up Amsterdam, I stopped to look at the menu of Hey Mambo, which looked NOTHING like its former occupant, Blue Donkey. A friendly host came outside and started chatting us up: They just opened in January, the cuisine was a fusion of French, Italian, and Mediterranean, and the first round of drinks was on them! Wow! Sounded great, but we walked up to Jacob's Pickles. Then...we turned right back around and headed back to Hey Mambo. Ha!
Dark yet bright, with orange-yellow circles glowing from the wall and intricate glass globe chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, the atmosphere is something else. Hell, even the bar has gorgeous, encompassing bar chairs surrounded by fake (I'm guessing!) cowhide. Gorgeous! Table space is a bit tight, but space is at a premium in too many places in NYC. (That should come as no surprise...)
Many things in the menu appealed, and some looked simple: your half a roasted chicken with au jus, spinach, and mashed potatoes; your steak with mashed potatoes; your basic penne pastas. I wanted to go a bit bold: I went for the Bocotini with shredded short ribs, onions, and a bolognese sauce. GOOD CHOICE. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the meat just fell apart in my mouth. Adam got the grilled sirloin steak, perfectly peppered, with excellent pomme frites.
Backtracking a bit, the rosemary focaccia bread with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and olives pre-meal? Scrumptious! The balsamic was thick and sweet, almost honey-like. Unreal!
Thumbs up to the tunes playing in the background. As our busboy filled out glasses with water upon arrival, I got a little too giddy when I recognized a Thievery Corporation song playing over the speakers. He told me how he picked the playlist, but was mad that not all of his songs were on there. Too bad! I give him props for when Zero 7 popped up over the speakers as well.
Finally, and the most important part of this review: the salt and pepper shakers were multicolored in pink, yellow, and blue. WINNING.
I'm glad the hostess managed to lure us in. Especially when the patio in the rear opens up in the spring, I'm looking forward to being a repeat customer. -
Review from Abbey V.
I was SO happy when I saw a new restaurant opening up right across the street, and even more excited to find that it was, yes, ITALIAN, my FAVORITE! Within days of the opening, the hubs and I found ourselves there. He ordered a fish dish that was incredible, and I ordered the risotto which, also, was out of this world. Never one to resist dessert, I ordered what was dubbed "the chocolate cake", by the waiter. But it is SO much more than that. Part lava cake part heaven; now my evening was complete.
They have a wonderful selection of wines, and start you off with complimentary focaccia and a fantastic assortment of olives.
It doesn't get better than this cute, modern little gem on the Upper West Side. -
Review from Amriel K.
We tried to come here a little while ago, but I think they were affected by the water main break in the area (I could be wrong). Glad that we were finally able to make it.
My wife had a portobello sandwich that left a little to be desired. It was definitely light on the mushroom and heavy on the roasted red pepper. A short time later she overheard someone from the kitchen telling the waitstaff they were out of portobello, so maybe the sandwich is usually more mushroomy.
I had a lamb burger which was too small for the bun, or the bun was too big for the burger, depending on your perspective. The meat was well seasoned and it came with a harissa mayo which was a good accompaniment.
We also had Bloody Marys, which were well made, and the espresso was also really good.
We would come back here for sure, even just for drinks. It would have been nice to sit in their outdoor space in the back, and the hostess was going to seat us there, but one of the servers said it hadn't been cleaned. So we settled for a table inside which was fine. There's always next time.
This place has really good potential and I hope it sticks around. -
Review from Erum R.
Hey Mambo! I love this place! So glad it opened right in my hood.
Decor is beautiful. They def invested a lot into this place. Considering how nice it is I would think it'd be more expensive (but I'm glad it isn't!). A good place to take friends and family to impress them without spending tons of $$$.
We went one night to grab a drink at the bar and watch some football. The service was awesome, the people are so nice, and the bartender was super sweet! Really loved how they run their restaurant.
We shared the cheese plate which was delicious and generous. They knew how to put it together. We didn't eat dinner there but I definitely want to go back at some point and indulge in something yummy since we had such a good experience.
I'm going to regret writing this review now since it's going to get packed and I'll never get a table again, aren't I? :-) -
Review from Joanna S.
New York, NYWhat a great local spot. We sat at the bar for dinner and Jenna, the bartender was amazing. They have great customer service and their scallops and drinks were great.
Looking forward to the Summer when we can eat outside! -
Review from Jasmine S.
New York, NYHad such a fantastic time! The staff is friendly, warm and knowledgeable - also very attentive. Went with a girlfriend and had two cocktails in the outdoor back porch (I highly recommend the Amsterdam!) We snacked on steak tartar and salmon carpaccio - both were delish...
Will definitely be returning to this gem :) -
Review from Alejandro C.
Manhattan, NYWent there for brunch. Nice ambient, especially the garden, beautiful, peaceful & lively. The service was excellent, our waitress (Jana), treated us like royalty, she was bubbly and nice 2 talk 2 (= hot (as indicated by my GF)). We had the crab cake benedict, prob the best I've had: the crab cake was chunky, and the bearnaise sauce wasnt over-powering. We asked to replace the dessert from the prix fixe for a drink, and they accommodated us. The mimosas had the proper amount of booze. Overall, a great find! 4 stars... -
Review from Michelle S.
Manhattan, NYI passed Hey Mambo walking back to my apartment one day and figured I'd have to try it. Lets just say, I was not disappointed! When my sister and I arrived they greeted us and sat us right away. We were then welcomed with a complimentary plate of bread, olive oil, balsamic and an array of olives. It was so great! For our entree my sister had the scallops, which are to die for! I had the swordfish special which was was moist and delicious. We loved it so much that we brought our parents a few weeks later. They loved it as well! The prices are also very reasonable for the quality. My only complaint was that they seem to run out of the swordfish very quickly and my parents weren't able to order it. But overall, a truly great addition to the UWS. Welcome to the neighborhood Hey Mambo, we hope you stay awhile! -
Review from Geoff G.
Manhattan, NYGreat food, great experience. The first time my wife and I tried Hey Mambo, it was for brunch with our two-month old baby in tow. The crowd was light and we had the back patio to ourselves but for one other couple which turned out to be Tuvia, the owner, with his fiancee. He welcomed us warmly, bought us lattes at the end of our meal, and made us feel like it had always been our neighborhood joint. It has since become that for real. We've been back twice more for brunch and once for dinner, and Tuvia always comes over to say hello if he's there. He's a hands-on owner who cares about his product and his customers.
The food is excellent. Brunch is great, and a great deal, with a good drink and his excellent coffee included (they roast their own at Noi, Tuvia's coffee shop just down the street). Between the two of us, we've had most of the egg dishes, all delicious (in fact, the crabcake benedict is off the charts), and the French toast, a nice spin on the original. For dinner, the grilled octopus is a delicious appetizer and the mushroom risotto is so full of flavor, it tastes like all the mushrooms in the world have been reduced down into that one dish. Others here have reviewed the scallops, and I agree -- they're out of this world. There are some negative reviews here and I suppose it's impossible to be perfect, but I would encourage those people to give it another shot. We've been there four times just in the month since we first tried it -- three times for brunch and once for dinner -- and they're four for four. We'll be back, probably tomorrow. -
Review from Jonathan S.
Brooklyn, NYMy wife and I had a delightful meal here! The ambiance was warm and friendly with a lively music mix in the background, but not so lively that we couldn't have a nice conversation. The waitstaff were welcoming and attentive and the guy behind the bar looked like he was having so much fun that we had to order a couple of his specialty cocktails - which we enjoyed with our appetizers. The meal was fabulous as was the dessert and we plan to bring the kids next time. We're thinking that a trip to the Natural History Museum followed by a meal at Hey Mambo would be a perfect family outing!
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