Amu

One of the best restaurants I’ve been to. Its Japanese style tapas with many authentic dishes. You must have a party of at least 4 to sit down in one of their tables in the back, served community style. The tables are lower set into the ground and everyone must remove their shoes. We decided to do the Omakase style where the server picks special dishes for the table within whatever price range you decide. We told her a few different things we like and she went from there. There was not one dish that disappointed us! If you come with just two people, then you must sit at the bar area. There is only one community table in the back, so be sure to call ahead and make a reservation.

Sorry Colorado, you have no idea what izakaya food is. The interior is nice and is like an izakaya, but the food is no where near the quality it should be.
The wait was long and when my girlfriend and I were seated the waitress completely ignored us for 10 minutes. Yes, it was busy but she could have at least acknowledged us and told us she would be with us momentarily. I also found it unprofessional that she was drinking on the job; which perhaps explains why we had such a horrible experience.
The food is overpriced for the quantity and quality. We paid $ 12 for 6 pieces of salmon sashimi cut into tiny pieces that all had gaping holes in the middle. I’ve never in my life had sashimi served to me in this way, and I was appalled that the chef could even send something like this out.
The rest of the food was equally as disappointing including: tempura calamari, crab croquettes, and yaki onigiri. We left some of these unfinished because they were so disgusting. Sadly we were so hungry after waiting forever that we ate what we could stomach. We went to another restaurant to eat afterwards because we were still hungry. Stay away from this trap and Unilocal something else.

Everything, I mean, everything there is to die for. My recommendations would be Grilled Fat Salmon Belly, Grilled Beef Tough (if you are lucky), and mussels. Definitely try there fresh sashimi cause they are all great.
All staff are super helpful. I have been to this place for many times and I never felt I had enough of it.

Don’t know why I haven’t reviewed my favorite Japanese restaurant in Colorado. But away we go!
Amu is something very special. There is a large amount of tradition, care, and sourcing going on with regards to the ingredients. The ambiance is authentic. The customer care is very warm and professional. The recipes are absolutely amazing.
There isn’t anything negative to say about Amu in my opinion. It’s about the only time I’ve felt that about a restaurant. When people from out of state are in town and appreciate Japanese food, I often convince them to go to Amu. It’s probably my most recommended dinner spot. The prices are fair (I would almost give it a $$ as opposed to a $$$, but to each their own) here.
My favorites are the Okonomiyaki, Mochi Kakiage, and Chawan Mushi. Definitely try these out for an authentic and tasty experience!

Continues to be our favorite restaurant IN THE COUNTRY! Had miso soup, shumai, burdock root, lotus root, mountain yam, Kobe beef, and an indescribably delicious dessert called macha moose. Actually every bite of everything we had was simply amazing. We sat outside with our dogs and had a wonderful experience. Again.

It’s a small place so you may have to wait to get seated but it’s totally worth the wait. You check your shoes before entering the dining area. The menu items are reasonable priced but the portions are fairly small so you may want to order 2 – 3 items for a wholesome meal. I highly recommend their Maguro Avocado!

The environment, the service, the food — all of it was impeccable! I went here for my birthday, basing my birthday dinner restaurant choice off of two requirements: Japanese cuisine and Unilocal reviewers rating it high. Let’s just say, Unilocal reviewers have always been correct in my experience, and this is now my new favorite restaurant!
Like I said, it was my birthday, and I casually brought it up to our server, and I was surprised with a very sophisticated dessert, a candle, and a restaurant full of strangers singing me happy birthday by the end of our night. This occurred without anyone from my party requesting it. Now that’s exemplary customer service!
Some cool aspects:
The servers were all speaking fluent Japanese to each other, whether it was their native tongue or not.
We take our shoes off before entering, a traditional Japanese practice.
They offer ‘OMAKASE’, which translates to «I’ll entrust it to you», and your server will put together a meal that highlights some of their offerings within a customer’s budget. I sent this route, and was so worth it!

This is such a lovely experience. It’s intimate, delicious and relaxing. I love the Mr. Miyagi of Sushi who works here — he’s the sweet bald Sensei in the robe behind the counter — super friendly, knowledgable, down to earth — and he always makes the best recommendations. I love when authentic restaurants like Amu hire friendly, open-​hearted people. It’s 51% of the experience for me.
The fish specials are REAL specials — very rare to see some of these types of fish in Boulder, let alone Colorado. You can’t even get some of this stuff at the nicer restaurants in California!
The miso soup is prepared fresh — imagine that — NOBODY does this! I love that they take the time to do this. The sauces are flawless. The sushi is fresh and melts in your mouth.
It’s a tiny place filled with soul … and lots of other kinds of fish :)

Some of the freshest and most delicious sashimi I’ve had in a long time. But stick to the sashimi, since everything else here was pretty good but not as outstanding.
The rice is just plain white rice– if you’re going to charge an extra $ 3 for it might as well have some of the quality and care you usually see in rice at an upscale sushi place.
The house-​made kimchi was very salty and not that flavorful aside from the salt. The roast salmon was a a bit dry and overcooked.
I’m still giving it four stars for the quality of the raw fish and the great service. I was also charmed by their practice of keeping a personal bottle of sake/​soju for you, which you pay for once and can keep savoring on subsequent visits.

Wow. Y’know, now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve ever reviewed a Boulder place on Unilocal before. If I did, it sure was a long time ago… anyway, I’m here to remedy that shortcoming with an overview of one of the city’s tastiest dining destinations, Amu.
As its full name, Izakaya Amu, might suggest, the restaurant is indeed modeled after the Japanese establishments known as Izakaya — cozy, low-​key venues where small plates can be communally enjoyed in a mellow atmosphere. Start things off with Hourensou no Goma-​ae (lightly cooked spinach in a robust sesame dressing) or maybe a helping of Mozuku (a type of viscous sea vegetable, here drizzled with soy sauce and vinegar). Speaking of sea items, you also can’t go wrong with the red chili-​treated cod roe called Mentaiko, or a bit of Tako Sumiso-​ae (octopus, cucumbers and green onions bathed in a mustard/​miso sauce). You could even try your luck with gooey, stringy fermented soybeans (Natto)! Oh c’mon, they’re perfectly fine, and anyway, you have to eat them at least once don’t you? Well, OK, I guess you do want to save some space for a larger dish or two…
And on that very note — Amu has quite the selection of bigger items as well! Okonomiyaki is a now-​legendary type of pancake which traditionally is assembled by customers themselves from an assortment of ingredients. In keeping with the eatery’s service-​focused ambience, here it’s prepared for you, with pork, squid and mixed veggies — but it’s still mighty tasty! The textural juxtaposition of Ebi Renkon (soft shrimp paste sandwiched between wheels of firm lotus root) is also a possibility for you, as is Kani Kurimu Korokke — or, if you prefer, creamy crab croquettes! If you just can’t bear the thought of skipping a more traditional dish such as grilled beef (Yakiniku), or yellowtail hotpot (Sakana Shabu-​Shabu), these are naturally available too, so don’t despair. In sum, Izakaya Amu will scintillate, educate and titillate you all at once — and you can’t say that about too many places these days!

Boyfriend and I came here for dinner after a long hard at work day. Looking for some comfort grub, decided on Amu since we were also just generally craving Asian.
The spot is intimate, long narrow space, seats at the bar and then a separate seating area in the back, manned by a few servers and what I’m assuming a Japanese husband and wife team, please observe the shoe rule when you enter. We snagged two seats at the bar and were totally entranced by the wife who was preparing the dishes. Fluid, elegant movements as she sliced the fish, deliberate and clean presentation, it was a joy watching her.
BF and I ordered the spicy cod roe with side of rice, okonomiyaki, green tea soba with duck broth. Spicy cod roe a distinct taste of the sea, mitigate with a mouthful of rice. The green tea soba with duck broth was out of this world. The broth rich and flavorful without heaviness, use your chopsticks to find the slices of duck lurking along the bottom of the bowl. The okonomiyaki was surprisingly refined for a snack food, crunch from the charred sides, chew from the octopus, generously topped with bonito flakes.
It was really lovely for us to discover place so comfortable and confident in its offerings that it doesn’t have to bend to current trends or whims. You won’t find some trendy ramen dish with foie gras here, only a couple humbly serving Japanese pub food. We will most definitely be back to try the other dishes.

If you have ever been to Japan — you will giggle with delight when you walk in. Hands down, the best food in Boulder. Amazing, simple izakaya (if you like sake selection, it’s heavenly). Very reasonably priced for the quality of food and drink. Friendly and personable staff — outstanding service all around.
This was my first time dining here. My wife and I landed in the late afternoon, returning from a 6 week business trip. We were dying to get home and relax — but neither of us wanted to cook. It just so happened that we were early enough to get a table and totally scored a spot at the bar.
If you can get a seat and are ready for an outstanding traditional Japanese experience — go to Amu. Seriously.

Great experience, this is not a sushi bar. If you want sushi go to their other restaurant sushi tora and try the real wasabi or zanmai for a less expensive option.
Amu is a traditional Japanese restaurant where each person orders 3 – 4 dishes. The waiters know the menu and will recommend different options based on your preferences. The sake was amazing. We ordered sobo sobo with yellowtail. This is a longer dinner experience and I highly recommend making it visit.

Stands above all in its category in quality, service, and sake. Great date night restaurant. This place will tantalize your taste buds from their homemade miso soup, the perfected combination of flavors with their yellowfin, to the succulent kobe bbq beef and eel! The prize winning dish there is without a doubt the fatty salmon belly! Everything we tried was a success and we will be returning.

Excellent in every way
The server was told to bring the best of all they had
Every bite was exceptional
Highly recommended

A friend recommended Amu as a «must try» in Boulder, and while I trust this friend, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive.
Until I had my first bite of the eggplant with miso. Oh my goodness, it melted in your mouth into this savory puddle of amazingness. That dish was a true star, but our other favorites were the tuna sashimi with avocado (so rich!) and the fried mochi in broth. (Sorry I’ve forgotten all the Japanese names for everything.) We also had some pickled and fermented veggies (both delicious), broiled mackerel and peppers stuffed with shrimp. The peppers, a special, were the least interesting thing we ordered, but would have been great had we not had other such delicious dishes first!
The dishes are small, kind of like tapas, so you want to order 2 – 4 per person. We had 7 which ranged in price from $ 6 (the mochi) to $ 14 (the tuna) reaching a total of ~$ 60 for two people before drinks and tip. You could easily spend more or less depending on your budget.
We sat at the bar (there was a ~10 minute wait, they’ll give you a call when your seat is ready) where I think they generally put smaller groups. It was great to watch the chef prepare the sashimi dishes, she sliced things so thin and so fast! The server was friendly and helpful. We’d come with suggestions from our friend, but the servers are happy to help you choose dishes.
This place is very small — a few tables and a bar — and you have to take your shoes off. Just something to know in advance!
This place was phenomenal. I can’t wait to go back to Boulder to go here again!

This place is HELLA yummy. Their food is really unique, combining elements that you would never think to put together but that just work so well. However, brace yourself for small portions and steel prices.
I arrived promptly five minutes after opening to get a good seat without a wait. I sat at the bar, and could see the chef constructing my food, which was pretty cool! They make you take your shoes off upon entry, in line with Japanese tradition. I ordered uni bruschetta, hamachi carpaccio, and green tea soba with duck broth. The uni was probably my favorite bite of the evening, but there was just so little of it! It was fresh uni piled atop toasted baguette slices, and there was another warm, buttery substance topping the baguette as well. Not sure what it was… possibly more uni? But it was delicious! The green tea soba was exquisite. I absolutely love green tea, and the flavor was definitely strong in these mossy green noodles! The noodles came separate from the broth, with was very strong. The broth overpowered the flavor of the noodles when I dunked them in. The carpaccio was nothing too special, just standard yummy sashimi. Although, it was well-​paired with the creamy sauce and the thin-​sliced onions.
This place is probably one of the best in Boulder, and definitely worth a try! Just be prepared to pay the hefty price!

I began coming here when it first opened with my sister. It’s the most authentic Japanese restaurant in town, and the only one of it’s kind here too. It’s right next door to Sushi Zanmi (same owners), right around the corner from the Boulderado Hotel.
Incredibly knowledgable staff.
Small plates are their specialty.
The food and service are both outstanding. One of the few places in Colorado I’ve been able to find lotus root, which I love.
It’s very, very small and very well patronized, so make a reservation or be prepared to wait.
Oh, and they are only open for dinner, which is shame. However, if you really want to impress a date, friends, family, or other, you should try Amu!

Very unique Japanese restaurant. It is a cute small restaurant that would seat about twenty. You take your shoes off at the entrance. The staff was very knowledgeable and passionate about Japanese culture. The agedashi tofu, crab cream croquette, monkfish sashimi, miso soup, and grilled eggplant were all very good. If I had not been too full, I would have ordered another plate of the croquettes. You need 2 – 3 small plates and the range from 8 to 25 $ each. I had a nice dinner with tofu, croquette and miso for about 20 $.

Visite este japones con mi hijo y sus amigos, no soy amante de los rest japoneses pero siempre sabes complacer. El sitio es unico. Llegas y te quitaslos zapatos, por parte de la casa te dan un appetizer de pulpo excelente. Todo lo que pedimos estaba rico

Impressive izakaya. Plenty of sochu and sake to go around. They even feature a sake flight and knew their stuff. They lined up my drink from dry to sweet.
You will have to take off your shoes. So be aware before coming.
I sat at the bar and let Yuki-​san take control of the order. I started with some awesome Kinpira, followed by Seabream, duck with special miso and hamachi kama. Portions are good sized. I only wished I could eat more.
The seabream was aged in kombu and was torced prior to service. I liked the concetrated flavor of the sea bream. The duck in special miso was heavenly. Just so savory and the miso brought the complexity. Hamachi kama is prepared the traditional way. Over a grill and fire. It was huge.
I will be back and I will bring friends. This place knows their stuff. Expect a good meal and authentic japanese fare in an izakaya.