Amano is committed to honoring our past and embracing our future through masa and mezcal experiences hechas a mano.
We are dedicated to uplifting the food and beverages of the Mexican diaspora through ancestral cooking methods, sustainability, and support of indigenous communities that are guardians of the agave. We strive to create an inclusive community through the P’urhepecha’s guiding principle of Kaxúmbekua.
Featuring —
Masa
Tortillas, tostadas and tlayudas are made from heirloom Oaxacan nixtamal (corn). Ground in house with lava rock. Each tortillas is made to order by hand.
Sunnyslope Wine Region
The Snake River Valley is home to one of the AVA’s in the Northwest that produces wines with higher acidity and ripe fruit flavors. Local varietals include Rieslings, Bordeaux Blend, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and ice wines.
Craft and Mexican Beer
We have 12 rotating beers on tap that feature local and regional breweries.
Mezcal
Mezcal is a distilled spirit made from agave that means “oven-cooked agave” in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. Mezcal is the godfather to tequila, and dates back hundreds of years. Because of it’s distillation process, it embodies a smokier flavor and is named by the type of agave plant that was used such as Espandin and Tobaziche. We are proud to feature 20 varieties of the spirit that made Oaxaca famous, including artisanal, small-batch varieties.
Tequila
Tequila, Mezcal’s relative, also comes from the agave plant. While mezcal can be made with a variety of agave plants, tequila is made with only 100% blue agave. Like mezcal, we are proud to carry 20 varieties that stand alone or pair well in cocktails.
View Our Menu —
Nuestra Historia
Chef/Owner
It all started when…
The owner was born and raised in Michoacan, Mexico. When he was five years old, his family moved to Santa Ana, California where he spent the majority of his adolescence.
At a young age, he became captivated by his mother’s cooking. He was amazed at how the plants cultivated by his father’s hands could be used used to make the salsas and tortillas he enjoyed everyday. He carefully watched his mother’s hands move quickly with the food, chopping, peeling, dicing, boiling, as if it was second nature, all with a smile on her face. These experiences at his mother’s side always stuck with him and became the propellant to starting his own culinary journey.
When his family moved to Homedale, Idaho, he visited frequently and eventually moved to Boise after meeting his future wife. With his mind set on opening a restaurant one day, he started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to Executive Chef within a three year period. Since then, he has worked as the front of the house manager and kitchen manager for many well-known, established restaurants in Boise such as Whole Foods Market and Eureka!. When the opportunity presented itself to open a restaurant, he took it. He spent many months carefully crafting a menu that takes into account his influences of SoCal, Michoacan, and Oaxacan style Mexican food.
El dueño nació en Michoacán, Mexico. Cuando él tenía cinco años, su familia se mudó a Santa Ana, California donde él pasó la mayoría de su adolescencia.
Cuando era joven, él fue cautivado por las habilidades culinarias de su mamá. Le llamó la atención cómo las plantas cultivadas por las manos de su papá podrian servir como ingredientes para salsas y tortillas que él disfruto todos los día, hechas por su mama. El se fijo mucho en las manos de su mamá. Las manos de ella estaban flotando sobre la comida cortando, picando, pelando como si fuera nada y con una sonrisa en la cara. Él siempre recordó las experiencias de estar al lado de su mamá y eventualmente fue el propelente de empezar su propio aventura culinaria.
Cuando su familia se mudó a Homedale, Idaho, él la visito frecuentemente y se mudó a Boise después de conocer a su esposa. Con ganas de hacer su propio restaurante, el empezó como lavaplatos y gracias a Dios, entre tres años llegó su primer título de Chef Executivo. Desde entonces, el ha trabajado en muchos restaurantes bien-conocidos, establecidos en Boise. Cuando había una oportunidad de abrir su propio restaurante, la tomo. Después de muchos meses, él creó un menú que tiene una mezcla de sus influencias de California Sur, Michoacán, y Oaxaca.
A collaborative video in partnership with Matador Networks and Visit Idaho documented the stories of four Treasure Valley restaurants including Amano.