This Idaho restaurant made the NY Times top 50 ‘Restaurant List.’ Now it plans to move
When acclaimed Caldwell restaurant Amano announced Monday that “a new location is brewing,” it caused a bit of a stir. Even panic.
“After traveling throughout Mexico the last few years, we came to the realization that we wanted a permanent home for Amano,” the restaurant wrote on social media. “One where we could grow, continue to develop, and be able to realize some of the dreams we have to push more culinary boundaries ... .”
“Oh no!! You are moving to Mexico?!!” one Facebook commenter exclaimed.
“Fingers crossed you will consider opening a second location in the Boise area,” wrote another.
Realizing that clarification was in order, Amano trotted out a few online replies.
And here’s the deal: The restaurant isn’t moving far.
Amano will stay at 702 Main St., where it opened five years ago, through the end of 2024, it says. After that, it plans to relocate to an undisclosed building nearby — still in Caldwell’s Indian Creek Plaza.
The restaurant also hinted that lunch service will return at the new operation.
Why Amano’s original location in a former bank lobby isn’t suitable long-term wasn’t clear. But the restaurant plans to share details about its move in the coming months.
As one person wrote: “We will follow you wherever y’all go!”
Since opening in 2019, Amano has built an enthusiastic following. Chef and co-owner Salvador Alamilla was nominated for James Beard Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Last September, the upscale Mexican dining destination was named to the third annual New York Times Restaurant List, a guide to “50 places in the United States that we’re most excited about right now.”
“Alamilla,” the Times wrote, “… was born in the Mexican state Michoacan and raised in Orange County, Calif. He brings the spirit of both of those places to the menu.
“The corn is nixtamalized and made into tortillas in house (by Mr. Alamilla’s aunts), and dishes like the tartare tostada and chile Colorado are well complemented by a cocktail of mezcal, ancho verde and coconut. In a nod to Southern California, the L.A. Birria Tacos have a particularly rich consommé. The short rib with mole negro is a dark, rich, monumental piece of meat, and afterward, it may be difficult to face the dulce de leche adorned with burnt-corn husk cream, but it’s the right decision.”
Want to try Amano yourself? Reservations are available through resy.com. Or check out the menu at amanorestaurante.com.
