AMANO Info
Amenities
From the business
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Identifies as Latino-owned
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Identifies as women-owned
Service options
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Curbside pickup
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Delivery
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Takeout
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Dine-in
Highlights
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Great beer selection
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Great cocktails
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Great dessert
Popular for
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Lunch
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Dinner
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Solo dining
Accessibility
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Wheelchair accessible entrance
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Wheelchair accessible parking lot
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Wheelchair accessible restroom
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Wheelchair accessible seating
Offerings
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Alcohol
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Beer
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Cocktails
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Coffee
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Comfort food
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Happy hour drinks
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Happy hour food
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Hard liquor
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Healthy options
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Small plates
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Vegetarian options
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Wine
Dining options
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Breakfast
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Brunch
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Lunch
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Dinner
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Catering
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Dessert
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Seating
Amenities
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Bar onsite
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Gender-neutral restroom
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Restroom
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Wi-Fi
Atmosphere
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Casual
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Cozy
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Romantic
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Trendy
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Upscale
Crowd
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Groups
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LGBTQ+ friendly
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Tourists
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Transgender safespace
Planning
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Dinner reservations recommended
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Accepts reservations
Payments
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Credit cards
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Debit cards
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NFC mobile payments
Children
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Good for kids
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High chairs
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Kids' menu
Parking
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Free parking lot
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Free street parking
Other
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LGBTQ+ friendly
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Identifies as women-owned
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Identifies as Latino-owned
Best WLM Reviews
This is not your typical Mexican cuisine. And I mean this in the best way possible. I love authentic Mexican food, and enjoy many of the Mexican restaurants in and around the area. This is on another level though. It’s Chef Ramsay level of cuisine. Unbelievably good on all accounts. I’ve now eaten here on two different occasions, one time was take out, the other I dinned in. The food was excellent both times and the atmosphere of the dine-in experience was top notch. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants a fine dining experience. Be prepared to spend some money though as the meals are quite expensive, worth every penny IMO.
Have been 3 times now, two years in a row for my birthday. The quality of food and service is so high, whenever we are wanting a special dinner we are willing to spend money on, this is the place that comes to mind! Last year for my birthday the service was phenomenal, they took a cute instant picture of my husband and I, a card, and a complimentary dessert. This year we did not make a reservation and instead walked in as soon as they opened. Decided to take a table with an hour time limit due to a reservation and still had a great time!
Amano “Happy One Hour” is one hour before and one hour after dinner.
702 Main Street and 7th, downtown Caldwell near Indian Creek
Amano is located in a previous bank setting. Street parking without meters has come back to the downtown area, there are also parking lots on the Indian Creek Steakhouse side, north of the restaurant and on the south side just over the passenger bridge.
The restaurant has received numerous awards and mentions in the press for creative, authentic cooking and this September celebrated its 5-year anniversary. They will be moving to a new spot of their own in 2025 at the Indian Creek Plaza, so it was a pleasant surprise to find the original location will still be open till the end of 2024. I’ve been here only on a couple of occasions; one time was a special event where the chefs and mixologists showed off their talents to other corporate chefs. At that time, the short rib and lavender cake were over the top and still in my memory bank from years ago. A version of the cake is currently on the menu at $16. It’s indulgent, you should experience it. It’s also light, as a friend once described the taste, “It’s like angels dancing on your tongue.”
The full menu is also available, but I decided to try the specific tastes not downsized from the regular menu with a refreshing drink called the La paloma cocktail $10. It’s a combination of tequila, lime, agave, cucumber and grapefruit plus grapefruit soda. This is a perfect summer drink, a little sweeter but not syrupy, compared to the traditional margarita. A Taco de papa $5 was my favorite, the taco was a little spicy, the mashed potato so delicate and flavorful. The Taco de Carnitas, $6 left me wanting another one, was very well balanced, the meat extremely tender. The Bean & Cheese Burrito at $10 when it came to flavor and texture was perfect. Beans not mushy, melted cheese just right. Of course the flour and corn tortillas are made in house. The blue corn version I’ve had before with different dishes is outstanding.
Just a quick note on the staff. While sitting at the bar, I had one person bring over the silverware, napkin and water, another took the order, the bartender made the drink and food was brought out piping hot by different individuals. You get a sense that each placed the customer first, keeping the flow of food and drink a priority.
The setting does not remind you of a bank, look forward to seeing what this family and team does in a new place close by. As a side note, Chef Owner Sal Alamilla, has been nominated for the James Beard Awards in this region, for 2022, 2023 and 2024. This restaurant should be at the top of your list for experiencing the direction downtown Caldwell has been taking as a destination, and the nearby plaza is an attraction for people gathering to have fun together.
Amano came highly recommended by friends and family. The chef has been awarded the James Beard Award, and for good reason. All the food is made "by hand" amano and tastes exquisite. Although I appreciate a good deal of heat and spice in my food, this may not prove true for everyone as all our dishes had a good amount of kick to them. Just something to be mindful of. Drinks were mixed perfectly and complimented the food well. I would not hesitate to return here next time I'm in Caldwell.
You know sometimes how you eat at a place and it’s so delightful that you don’t need to eat everywhere else to declare it the best? That’s AMANO. It’s the best Fine Mexican in Boise. It’s the best fine Mexican in Idaho. There’s a reason its chef was a James Beard finalist. I felt like I was eating at an Enrique Olvera restaurant like Cosme in NYC or Pujol in Mexico City. Really a special place. You’ll pay for it. So don’t go here thinking you’re just grabbing quick delicious cheap tacos. You’ll spend $50 a person easy with no drinks. But it’s worth it and a great place for special occasions or with friends.
I hate when people say “it’s all good, you can’t go wrong.” While that’s general true here at Amano, here’s the order for what to get:
1- Carne Asada Tacos - don’t dismiss this. I almost would never consider carne asada at a taco shop like this. There would usually be so much better to get. But that’s how good the carne asada is here. Get it.
2 - Conchinita Pibil Tacos - when they tell you they’re spicy, surprisingly they mean it. The habenero hits you pretty good.
3- Verde Mole Cauliflower - this dish comes with fresh homemade blue maize tortillas and they’re fabulous. The green mole and pistachios together is really fun and full of flavor.
4 - Birria Tacos - I love birria, but I wouldn’t prioritize it here over the tacos above because it’s so easy to find cheap, delicious Birria today. These are great, but aren’t worth $28 when you can get just as good of Birria for 1/2 the price.
The guac is divine. Must get with their homemade blue corn chips which are perfectly salted and perfectly crunchy. The corn app was also good, not great, but good especially considering that it isn’t corn season.
Finally, the pudding dessert with the gray corn husk pudding was really fun, but a little too sweet. But it has a taste that reminded me of the corn husk meringue at Cosme.
Such a shockingly upscale winner of a restaurant in a small, unassuming town. Bravo chef!
Amano is insanely good. Everything is so flavorful and just perfect. The wait staff is very knowledgeable and kind. I had the guacamole con hierbas and the carne asada tacos. 10/10 would recommend. Can’t speak too highly of this place! Can’t wait to come back!!
Food was great, service was great, only issue was the temperature. It was pretty hot inside and we all felt sweaty (before we ate the awesome/spicy food).
Dining at AMANO’s is an experience. In-between your appetizers, meal, and dessert, your utensils will be replaced and the table wiped clean. At the close of the experience, they will provide a steaming hot towel. The inside is decorated very well, it’s surprising to see images of the place from just two years ago and how it looks now. Very elegant, but with a touch of coziness. The guacamole appetizer was very good, be sure to try it. They place many fresh herbs on the guacamole and you spread it on newly fried chips. I ordered the carnitas which came with fresh homemade tortillas. It was very good. I was also able to try the mole verde which was such unique a dish. They sautéed a large piece of cauliflower and place it on the mole sauce. It’s very hard to describe the taste. I recommend that you need to try it yourself and be prepared to experience many flavors you’ve likely never had before. I was also fortunate enough to try the chile relleno, which was my favorite item. The chile relleno was in a broth that’s was so delicious with large chucks of fried potato. Pro tip, place a chunk of the potato in a fresh homemade tortilla and eat it while occasionally dipping this impromptu taco in the broth. The chile relleno was good too, but the papas and the broth were the best. The corn pudding was amazing. This dessert had such a blend of mild sweet flavors that all jostled for your attention as you tried the different parts of this dish.
I recommend AMANO.
Quick Facts About AMANO
Today
Opening Hours
| Monday | Closed |
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| Tuesday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Thursday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Friday | 02:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM - 02:00 AM |
| Sunday | Closed |
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