Amber Restaurant

Back in the day the amber used to be one of the big dogs on the Chinese restaurant food scene in Glasgow. It «seemed» to be doing good authentic food that tasted a step above the normal takeaway fare you got elsewhere.
After many years of not visiting I recently got takeaway from them and to be frank I was pretty appalled by the food served up. The Kung po beef was bland and tasteless, the meat itself was tough and chewy. The rice was fine, but the other side of battered salt and chilli chips (yes I know it’s not authentic Chinese) were awful. Again to me they were pretty tasteless and lacked spice and salt… Making them not salt and chilli chips.
The food was bad and with so many amazing Chinese restaurants in Glasgow these days you really should ignore this imposter that is living off an old reputation. I can’t seem myself ever going back.

Too pricey but they have 50% discount on main dishes which are great hence making it more affordable for us students. Portion is so little, since I expect chinese cuisine restaurant to serve a bigger portion. It doesnt taste that awesome for its price, or maybe my expectation for chinese food is quite high Anyway, I would not recommend people to eat here, especially if there is no 50% discount.

Came here for Valentine’s Day, the food was great. Sweet and sour chicken was so good and tasted so fresh. Try the chicken dumplings!

Had several meals here and never been disappointed by either the food or service. 1^st place I head for a chinese. Prices I feel are fairly reasonable as portions are fairly big.

The Amber is located on super cool Byres Road, being surrounds by what can only be described as a plethora of restaurants in various cuisines from around the world restaurants have to be really good to stand out in this area. As far as take away is concerned The Amber definitely had the potential to stand out in the crowd.
The interior of the restaurant is modern, clean and fairly unremarkable, it is mostly decorated in neutral earthy tones with hints of dark wood. It was comfortable and not at all over crowded or noisy.
So here is where is starts to go seriously down hill and resulted in me nearly walking out before I had even sat down — without going into major detail the manageress (or at least that is who I presumed she was because she was the only one dressed in an orange waistcoat) made an incredibly insulting remark to my Dad on our way to our table. Now I believe the comment was made in jest however it was hurtful and actually shocking to greet a new customer in this way to your restaurant. I wanted to leave at this point but my Dad decided he was hungry and just wanted to get something to eat.
So as you can imagine it was not a great start to my evening meal — it is worth mentioning that the other members of staff were fine, not particularly friendly but at least they weren’t insulting.
The menu was pretty much what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant with all the usual favourites making an appearance. For my starter I choose the duck spring rolls which arrived pretty quickly along with a basket of prawn crackers. Now in case you didn’t know I have a thing for prawn crackers and managed to munch my way through a good 60% of the bowl myself. When they arrived the 4 spring rolls were small but were very tasty, the filo was golden and crunchy, inside there were plenty of chunks of delicious duck and crisp spring vegetables.
For my main course I ordered the chicken breast chow mein and a side order of salt and chilli chips, I always order a side of salt and chilli chips with my take away so I was curious to see if they were better when served fresh. The food arrived in mammoth portions and tasted absolutely delicious, the chow mein had lots of chicken strips and wasn’t overly greasy. The chips which are served topped with fried onions and small slithers of chilli were even better when eaten fresh in the restaurant, they were SO moreish.
We decided not to look at the dessert menu and instead popped next door to Peckhams and buy a tasty cake to eat at home. When the bill arrived my Dad very kindly paid it and I thought no more about it until I got home and my Dad mentioned how much it had cost. The bill came to £116 — now this isn’t that expensive for 4 people on a Saturday night, however I am sure it can’t be right because my Mum and Dad both ordered from the Evening Special menu which was £14.95 for 2 courses. Which would mean that for 2 started, 2 main meals, 2 sides & 5 drinks (which only 2 were pints of lager) the cost was £86…really? By the point it was too late to do anything about it.
I am sure that despite both my Mum and Dad pointing out to the waitress who took our order — which incidentally was also the woman who insulted my Dad they have both been charged full price for their dishes rather than the special deal price.
These two huge giant niggles means it almost doesn’t matter that the food was delicious because the over all experience was really pretty bad. If it was on food alone The Amber would easily be a 4 star review but taking these 2 big issues into account I have awards The Amber 2 stars which is purely for the food alone.
I feel so disappointed about this because I genuinely love the food here and will definitely continue to get take away from here but probably wouldn’t use the restaurant again.

Ah the simply deliciousness of the Amber Chinese. Smell them ribs coming at ya! Noms!
Ian and I tend to go here often as I would say Amber is one of my favourite West End Chinese take aways and restaurant. I absolutely love the mandarin sticky ribs, especially the sauce that they use. I love dipping in my prawn crackers and scooping up lashings of the stuff and making them crackers crackle. Munch!
I always tend to get a chicken dish, usually sweet and sour or lemon/​orange. I love chillaxing on a weekend night, getting a film in and tucking into our Chinesey goodness.
The restaurant is pretty good too, I remember when it was the big freeze a couple of years back and I was snowed in the West End and there was no public transport back to the Tyre (Blantyre that is, for the foreigners). We headed in for a lunch dish and it was sooooo cold, as I believe temperatures were about –12 then. We got the lunch time special deal and a wee heater for our booth, to keep us warn. It was so cosy and the service was excellent. I’ve also been on a busier evening but I do prefer to have the meal at home. Sticky ribs does get a bit messy.

Good food. Little cramped as so busy everyone squashed in but don’t mind as food good

Glad to have found another great Chinese restaurant in Glasgow!
My partner and I went in for an early dinner around 5:30 after noticing that all main dishes were ½ price between 5−7pm. We ordered three mains to share: the Singapore chow mein, Szechuan tofu with mixed vegetables and the salty deep fried squid. The food came quickly and was really delicious, although the portions seemed a bit small (compared to other Chinese restaurants). We wondered if the portion size was reduced because they were ½ price mains.
We noticed they also do takeaway and delivery. We will definitely eat at Amber again!

I remember dining in Amber years ago when the interior was decorated in that dated red and gold style all Chinese restaurants used to have. Back then, the service wasn’t too hot either. So when I popped in again a few days ago, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the place had undergone a complete transformation.
Gone were the gold dragons and cramped tables. In their place was a bright airy space with smart wooden tables and floor to ceiling windows. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier, rushing over to attend to us with a smile. The food was also very good and a special menu offering two courses for £14 every day of the week is great value for money.
The only negative part of the dining experience was when our party was overcharged for a starter we didn’t have. However, the staff were very apologetic and immediately rectified their mistake.
All in all I was very impressed with Amber and will definitely be back.

The Amber has been a staple on Byres Road for many years, and it’s not hard to see why. After all this time in business, it rarely disappoints.
It used to look like a traditional Chinese Restuarant, all dark and broody and heavily laden with floral wallpaper. Recently it’s had a revamp to fit in with the cosmopolitan coda of Byres Road, and is now sporting booths with stripey chairs and deep mahogany tables.
The menu has nevertheless stayed almost exactly the same, if not a bit more up to scratch. The Amber caters for most palates, with an extensive meat and veggie menu that’s methodically split into various flavoured categories. There are some western dishes available if you’re taking out a fussy eater, and sauces ranging from mild to spicy. The menu features the usual suspects — kung po chicken, sweet and sour etc etc. The food is fresh, tasty and the portions don’t leave you feeling like a bloated balloon. Prices are very reasonable, especially considering its posted on the zipping, most affluent strip of Hillhead.
Not groundbreaking or famous for a particular dish, but this restuarant runs with regularity and efficiency. It also has quite possibly the speediest takeaway service in the land, which is handy to know on a Friday night!

One of the best Chinese meals I’ve had in a long time. Situated on the fashionable Byres Road, very close to Hillhead Subway Station and a bevvy of gorgeous bars and cafes, Amber makes for a delicious, and very affordable evening out (they gave us so much food we even had some to take home for dinner the following day!) The staff were lovely and made us feel really welcome. The food is heavenly and I highly recommend the Hot Crispy Shredded Beef and Sweet Chilli and Garlic Chicken… nom nom nom. I will definitely come here again!
P. S. Check out their flowering green teas; they’re stunning!

No questions asked. If we’re having Chinese, we call Amber. It started because it was the closest one to the flat but our relationship with this place has become so much more than that!
When it comes to food I try everything and anything… except when I go here. They do a really good Chicken Chinese Style and I’m a man who is firmly now set in his ways (how boring!). Though my flatmates usually opt for something different everytime and are never disapointed — they’ve hoovered every dish up to date!
I’ve never sat in here for a meal but the restaurant looks lovely and the staff are very friendly. Once the woman on the other end of the phone couldn’t understand my street name and kept getting it wrong, and both of us were crying with laughter! It was so funny when I went to pick up the order! I really need to stop mumbling.
All in all this is a winner for Chinese food in the West End, you can’t go wrong.

The word «institution» can be banded about a bit too regularly on Unilocal,but given the transitional nature of Byres Road, any business which survives in the area for over 20 years can rightly lay claim to the title.
The ever-​reliable Amber has been keeping the masses happy with its authentic Chinese cuisine during this time and remains, to this day, one of the most popular eating out choices despite increased competition.
Given its close proximity to the University, many ex-​students who enjoyed takeaways or sit down meals back in the day, simply cannot see past this place and flock back here, particularly those who no longer live in Glasgow.
With a reputation for friendly, knowledgeable staff and a recent makeover to boot, the Amber’s popularity is showing little signs of diminishing any time soon.

I can remember my very first trip to the Amber, I was about 5 years old and had just come from the SECC Ideal Homes exhibition. Over the next few years it would become my favourite place to eat, and at one point in time an almost weekly family dinner venue.
Though it’s recent refurbishment is admittedly a couple of decades late, I don’t think it could ever have been considered a dive. Even if the old décor did look a bit naff it’s always been busy and in both price and quality, towards the higher end of the scale as far as Chinese places go.
Personal favourites from the menu include paper chicken and stuffed crab claws to start, then schezhuan beef or roast duck chinese style. Having recently discovered the authentic delights of Asia Style I’ve perhaps developed a taste for a different style of chinese food, but I’ll always hold this place dear.

One of the classier chinese restaurants about, Amber used to be a bit of a dive but has recently been totally renovated and is looking fantastic. Although competing with a rival chinese less than half a block away, Amber is always bustling and lots of room, and even a seperate area for the take-​away, preventing you from that nagging feeling that you are ruining other punters evenings while you hang about waiting for your order a stones-​throw from their table.
A long time favourite of mine, the chicken fried rice is to die for and is worth every penny of it’s £4.95. They have available pretty much any chinese or cantonese request you can imagine and food is always top notch and piping hot. Perfection on a platter.
Service is excellent, even on occasions the staff have followed me home to give me an order of rice or chips that I left behind by mistake. Quality service, if bordering on stalkish.

As a Chinese I can attest the food here is not as authentic as it bills itself to be. A good gauge of any chinese establishment is their sweet and sour fish or pork (if you see chicken on the menu, westernisation has struck early): if there is an especially strong ketchupy or vinegary taste, you know for sure the rest of the chinese food is not going to be up to scratch. The sweet and sour fish here is middling, our fried noodles had a distinctive msg-​ed «chow mein» like quality to it, again not a great harbinger of cuisine.

Recently refurbished (I believe), the Amber Restaurant is definitely a delectable gem.
I’ve only ever been for the half price specials (between 5−7pm), which was pretty yummy as between four of us we paid under £20 for 2 courses each… score!
Has all the usual catonese/​chinese foodstuffs — I can recommend their chicken and sweetcorn dish. Fantastic. The fortune cookies will give you a few laughs, especially as they are in German — we spent a considerable amount of time trying to translate them, before we realised the english is on the back, doh!

the amber is a chinese resturant