Great food and drinks!We had lunch on Saturday and it was so good that we went back for dinner and took a guest on Monday night. The whole fried snapper and the Hemingway was incredible. Highly recommend! The Cuban sandwich and grilled fish platters were so good too. The strawberry batido with milk is highly recommended. Outside seating was very comfortable. Just like all restaurants right now staffing is an issue so be prepared for food to take a little longer than normal. Remember to be kind to your servers and enjoy the experience and enjoy the great food!

This gem has been popping up on my suggestions for a long time.. ive had it my places to go for just as long.. truly reminds me of home growing up in Miami you have a taste for home cooking.. these guys check all the boxes. The service was outstanding, the food was incredible. Will definitely be back and recommend to everyone except my cousin..

If you're looking for an excellent meal in Downtown Melbourne, with fast, friendly service and a view of the river, look no further. El Ambia was fantastic! I'm vegetarian and was able to choose from a variety of options. I had the veggie plate with a fresh salad, fried plantains, cheese croquette, yellow rice and black beans. The rice was perfectly prepared, very fluffy and flavorful. We started with the Yuca Frita with garlic and onion sauce. I highly recommend that, it was perfectly fried, not greasy at all. The food came out fast and the atmosphere is delightful. They had big fans on the covered outdoor patio which kept it cool. We really enjoyed the authentic Cuban food and it was so reasonably priced! We will definitely be back.

My first visit, but not my last. The food was great. The atmosphere was cozy. I like the mom and pop businesses and this restaurant has that feature.

Fantastic authentic Cuban food served on an inviting outside patio. By noon the place was packed. The pork was some of the best I have ever had.

I tried El Ambia Cuban restaurant the first time later on a Monday night and they took us in even though they would be closing in about 45 minutes. The staff was friendly, helpful, efficient got our drinks out quickly and kept them coming as we looked forward to the fabulous Cuban food. I had the Cuban Style Roasted Pork which was very flavorful with beans, rice, and sweet plantains. The restaurant is not fancy but the decor is fun and it is next to the river so great location. I highly recommend El Ambia.

Delicious Cuban food, nice atmosphere with reasonable price. Loved the yuca frita, the beef empanadas with home flavor and the maduros. Refreshing mojitos. Espectacular flan with cafecito!

We hosted a company dinner there last night and everything went perfectly. The sangria and mojitos were excellent. The chorizo appetizer was really good. Everyone got the Pollo Asado and loved it! At the end, people were so content that they didn't want to leave. I have been coming back here for 11 years now and highly recommend it!

I really like it, if you want to eat autentic cuban food this is the place, also the vibe that this place have is amazing. I recommend sitting outside so you can have the full cuban experience. The desert are amazing I recommend trying the flan and the upside-down pineapple. The piña colada is one of the best that I've tried. I also liked the contra Fidel. Loved it.

El Camaron Exiliado was amazing!!! Tasty and exquisitely cooked. And my husband loved his Hemingway Rice loaded with lobster, shrimp and fish. The Sangria was very nice as well.

Pluses: nice patio, decent Mojito, and delicious maduros. Minuses: lackluster service (almost the only one in the dining room and after server brought my food I never saw him again until I flagged someone else down to get my check), under-seasoned black beans, and pork was almost room temperature, not nice and hot. All in all, disappointing. Better Cuban choices available in the area in my opinion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐El Ambia is always consistently delicious! Excellent live music by two female vocalists made for a wonderful atmosphere. The staff was very accommodating for our party of six and the weather was perfect. This restaurant is very well run and it is apparent the staff is truly a team. 10/10 and I always recommend El Ambia in downtown Melbourne to any newcomers or visitors to the area. 🏆

El Ambia. This is the Cuban restaurant I wanted to try. The pork was seasoned perfectly, the black beans were good. Rice is rice. All in all very good food. Sangria was good although it looked like a can of fruit cocktail was the fruit. Not like Spain with nice chunks of fresh fruit. The plantains were amazing, please someone send me a good recipe on these. Though high in calories they were delicious.

Absolutely wonderful. Authentic delicious Cuban food. It’s not a huge restaurant but they were able to accommodate our group of 11 inside this afternoon and they have indoor or outdoor dining. We really enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is half the fun! Great service. Highly recommend.

Our most favorite restaurant in all of central Florida. We loved coming here when we lived in Melbourne and now we try to make the hike from Orlando as often as possible. Amazing food. Incredible service. Feel-at-home atmosphere. And the live music is a definite plus!!

Excellent food and coffee. Limited indoor seating, there's more seating outside under shade and it's decorated very authentically. Great experience, would eat here again.

This place is delicious!! I love their authentic food, the people are so nice and genuine. Their cuban coffee is To DIE FOR!!!! I absolutely recommend this to everyone and anyone. You neeeeed to come here if you see this review! I typically take food pica but this time i ate it too quick. Came in today, Leah was my waitress, she was extremely nice and a pleasure to work with! Definitely had a great experience! Ask for Leah!!

Super tasty! Loved the Cuban sandwich and the pumpkin soup. The beans are also amazing. I only wish I had more time in the area to try more things from the menu, but will likely be back!

Festive atmosphere. The staff are friendly, inviting and polite. The food was good. They had some singers on a Saturday night and the music was fun, not so loud to impact conversation and enjoyable. Prices were reasonable for the quality of food

We flew in from New York and we were looking for delicious rice dishes and we found it thanks to all of these 5-star reviews. The servers were gracious. The food was yummy. My mom had the pork dish and I had the vegetarian dish. Delicioso! The ambience was family-friendly. Wonderful place to dine!

The roast pork was done very well. Good experience. Empanadas were crisp. Black beans had good sofrito base.

El Ambia Cubano felt like a true genuine experience. While @ the restaurant for a friends birthday, we got to enjoy amazing live music and they went out of their way to make sure we were having a great time. The food was delicious! Authentic Cuban sandwiches and first class service. Will be returning again soon!

So I came here bc I wanted to compare it to Nini’s. I’m a little disappointed. My rice was so overcooked it was just one solid clump. The black rice got better as I ate it but it just seemed to be missing something. The palomilla was pretty good. I’m glad I came here to try another restaurant but this isn’t the Cuban restaurant I would frequent when I’m the area.

One of the best restaurants in the Melbourne FL area. I make it a must to have dinner there each and every time I travel to Melbourne. The food is authentic and delicious. The price matches the quality and experience. All of this combined makes for 5 stars. I recommend starting your meal with empanadas and ending with a coffee. I don't think I have ever been so happy after visiting a restaurant.

Bien, Bien, Bien great Cuban comida. Everyone was super friendly, and the service was speedy. The food was delicious and flavorful. I ordered the traditional pernil with rice and black beans. My hubby ordered the classic Cuban sandwich and Papa rellenas. The mojito was so good, finally an authentic mojito. The music was beautiful, and it made the atmosphere.

Nice little place in downtown Melbourne. Good food. They were busy, so the service was a bit slow. All in all, it was a ok experience. Live entertainment was very good. We were seated behind the up on the stage, which was kind of weird, so we only saw the back of the violinist performing. The place has lots of trinkets to look at with a nice atmosphere. I doubt we will be back. My wife's chicken tasted sour. My pork was good. What seemed to be a mashed potato ball was burnt, and the empanadas were hard to chew.

I ordered the croquetas as it is always a way to take the pulse on both Spanish and Cuban restaurants. The ham croquetas swere good, they weren't excellent but they passed. As an entree I had the ropa Vieja which was also ok. The meat was good but the beans were missing some flavor, the fry bananas were a bit green. My boyfriend had the Hemingway rice which he really enjoyed . Now the flan was excellent!

Absolutely the best Cuban sandwich!! Amazing flavor and texture. Perfectly grilled, only draw back is it’s so good you want to eat it all in one setting, but plan on taking left-overs cos it’s a lot of meat on this sandwich. Also, served with fried plantains, so it cos with a side of desert!

5 stars all the way around!! This restaurant has absolutely delicious food. The staff is very friendly. Pretty views outside and lots of things to walk to and see if you’re a visitor. The menu is unique with humor added.

Came with a huge PoSSUM group and we were serenaded, all night, by the owner, himself. I highly recommend the yucca and chicken leg. The plantains were so soft yet crisp in all the right places. Delicious food and great atmosphere.

Everything was perfect! Red snapper 100% recomended. Lemonade with mint delicious. Cafe con leche Excellent!. The Attention Exceptional!