"I reserved Ambriza based on location, menu, and reviews for a pre-theater dinner birthday celebration. We came at 5:30 on Saturday. We ordered some street corn and two children's meals for my nieces. The street corn was too spicy for the 9 and 10-year old girls who like spicy food. One of the kid's meals came out with chicken instead of beef fajita. Both were a bit bland and cold, and the replacement beef was rare. The extra rice ordered did not come. My husband did not order the burger because it only comes with chorizo. The chicken Swiss enchiladas were okay, not special. I tasted the soups and found the Caldo too salty and the poblano soup too bitter. My friend and I ordered the cooked vegetables that included napolitas and mushrooms. It was a lot of vegetables, but they were astringent and bland. The cucumber serrano margarita took a long time to come and had big hunks of chile with too many seeds. If the use of chile had been more restrained the cocktail would have been excellent. The restaurant did bring homemade tortillas and they were good. At the end of the meal we were running late for our show due to kitchen wait times, so we had to ask for the check. The waiter did not offer my niece the birthday dessert even though he acknowledged her birthday earlier. In general, the menu is promising, but the execution and seasoning/flavors need fine-tuning to make this a restaurant that I would frequent. I had thought about ordering something like red snapper, lamb, or duck. I am glad I kept my order simple. While the restaurant is packed now, Ambriza will have to improve its recipes, execution, and speed to keep its spot as the trendy new place in Vintage Park. In terms of cuisine, service and ambiance, it does not begin to approach Hugo's in Houston."
Fajita Chicken
