Café Amano

I stopped in on a whim and was happy to sit at the bar with Laura the bartender. Not only did she suggest a great dish, Mediterranean Sea Bass. but it was done to perfection. I have to say that she was such an interesting person to talk to, she kept my attention without being overbearing. I had a great time tonight while we all waited out the storm. Kudos to the Café Amano team!!!

My friend and I were looking to try a decent restaurant in close proximity to the Elmhurst Metra station. This place far exceeded our expectations. Service was excellent, but that also may have been influenced by us being the first and only people in the restaurant (earlier than the early birds thanks to our work hours). Drink prices are on par with the city, but we didn’t mind because the quality is high. For something refreshing, try the Mastic Tree or the Pink Rose.
As for the food itself, we were impressed. To start, we split the Brie puff pastry and the Caprese salad. The Brie appetizer was a much larger portion than we expected, but it was so delicious that we had no trouble finishing it. The Caprese read more like mini-​crostinis, but at least the flavors didn’t disappoint. My friend ordered the shrimp cocktail as well, which at $ 3/​piece I didn’t think was a great value (then again, I’m vegetarian, so what do I know).
For our entrees, we each ordered ravioli. My friend ordered hers with Maine lobster and I ordered mine with mushroom. Some modification was necessary since the dish is advertised with a veal sauce. The kitchen was able to replace this with the homemade tomato-​basil sauce, which I was thankful for.
Given how much food we ordered (on top of the bread with that addicting pesto butter), we were not in any place to order dessert. Considering how every other aspect of our experience impressed us, I’m sure their options wouldn’t disappoint.

I went into Café Amano with high expectations and walked out disappointed. The service was okay, but slow given the small number of diners in the restaurant. The lack of side choices is definitely a negative and the fact that the only available sides are not cooked well is another negative. There is no way to describe the potatoes other than awful and undercooked. They have no taste. Although the vegetables were tasty, they also seemed undercooked. After a disappointing meal, the desserts were surprisingly good.

On the spring menu, the scallops wrapped in bacon with a cinnamon sauce, or exquisite. The salad with the Michigan cherries was very good and the beef tips were delicious. The cream Brulé was also very good. The bread and the scallops were by far our favorite part of the meal. Our waitress didn’t excellent job. We sat at a small round table and it was very intimate. This was a great find.

Went here for the first time couple months ago. I need to go back soon! It’s so good. Had their special-​menu Lobster spicy pasta, smoked salmon tartare appetizer (excellent and a great portion) and crab cakes. Excellent service as well. Thank you!

We had dinner here last night and the staff was very nice. The layout is nice, clean and recently updated. We were one of only two customers in the restaurant so it was a quiet dining experience.
The only disappointment was the food quality. This was our second visit and I waited to write a review in case the kitchen had an off night the first time (which was about 3 months ago).
I had the rib eye and my wife had a chicken dish. My wife loved the chicken, my ribeye was cooked correctly but the cut of meat wasn’t good quality.
We both thought the potatoes were awful — almost like they were cooked earlier in the day, or previous frozen (think shoe leather). The veggies were not exciting — kind of tasted like they had been on a warmer too long.
For the price point, I would expect a stronger showing from the kitchen.
Overall I give the staff 4 stars but the kitchen 2 stars — hence my 3 star rating.

Great décor, made you excited to be there. Bartender, Olivia made killer drinks for us and had good dialog. She filled us with anticipation for dinner. We were early diners, one of the first, 5:30 reservations. I tell you this because I do not get how you run out of your special for the night! Joseph our waiter made it sound so good! He came back to tell me they ran out of a part of the dish? Scallops? You ran out of scallops at 5:30 on a Saturday night and it’s on your special? Still puzzles me. The sea bass was good, the other entres were good. The gnocchi was so delicious. The desserts were good, carrot cake, chocolate cake, id say work on that Apple pie alittle. Hubby says we don’t need to go back. There are too many restaurants to try. Id go back to sit at the bar.
Ambiance/​décor– five stars
Olivia — five stars
Food– four stars
Joseph– three stars– don’t think he knew the menu, he definitely did not know the wine menu. Kept pronouncing my Bordeaux, «bore ducks»
Overall would be four stars, but running out of food… Bad.

They definitely deserve the best business in Elmhurst award for 2015! The owner and Chef Marco is an astonishing person with amaxing skills in the kitchen. I love it here and will always return! The new location is so beautiful and breath taking!
I love Café Amano!

So what do a bunch of cray lushos want to do after being out galavanting? They want to drink and have some lovely desserts!
Went here with a group of 8 of us… looking for some lovely liquid libations and some treats to satisfy our sweet tooth! Café Amano delivered!
Definitely ask for drink specials – which we did and the cupid’s kiss was to die for — –definitely could’ve drank a vat of it! They had over 10 different desserts and our table ordered a bunch of them:
DARK CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER CREME BRULEE
DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY POT de CREME
LEMON CURD TARTLET
DARK CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE
FRENCH DEEP DISH FRESH APPLE TART
VANILLA CREME BRULEE CHEESECAKE
We had a bunch of spoons and went to town trying all of them. Highly recommend the first 3 on the list, the last 3 were just ok, and would probably take a pass on next time.
Will have to go back next time to try the food LOL – but the dessert and drinks are fantastic!

Who would’ve ever thought the western suburbs had a such great restaurant? Upon taking the porn star parking, I open the door to the restaurant to find a very classy décor and the nice bar in front of me. Pretty extensive menu, considering it’s considered one of the high end restaurant in western suburbs. I opted to go with Brazilian Old Fashioned and my date had a glass of red wine which she enjoyed.
For starter, we shared pan seared sea scallops which were perfect. Perfect sear and the natural sweetness with lemon beurre blanc sauce and asparagus matched perfectly. For the main course, I ordered Spanich & Ricotta Gnnochi and the date ordered Idaho rainbow trout, Gnnochi was soft, creamy and with oyster mushroom, it was perfect texture. Sweet and salty combination of ricotta cheese and basil cream sauce was great. Fish was also cook perfectly, perfect amount of seasoning and all the bones were taken out prior to cooking so you don’t have to worry about picking out bones while eating. No complaints here, great restaurant, and it was rather cheap for the amount of food we’ve gotten. I would love to try the chef’s table which has 7 course meal.
A definite gem in the western suburbs!

My husband and I wanted to enjoy a nice romantic dinner alone and we chose Café Amano. We definitely got exactly that. The restaurant is nicely decorated with lovely chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a mirror collage wall, which is right up my alley. Why the 3 stars??? Well I think we could have ordered better, but when you are not satisfied with how you ordered and then you get slapped with a $ 135 bill (not including tip) it’s a not easy walking away completely satisfied. So heres what we ordered:
1^st course: Scallops– These were actually very lovely. Perfectly seared simply plated, but in a good way. If you are craving scallops, then yes, go for it!
2^nd course: Onion Soup (we split) — This was perfection! It was one of the most perfectly balanced soups that I have ever had. It is a very thin cream like texture and I didn’t realize how good it was on the first spoonful. After the 3^rd taste I realized that this soup was not loaded with corn starch or flour and most importantly, it was not SALTY! Restaurants love loading their soups with too much sodium and this was so nice and smooth and flavorful without a pound of salt. Well done!
3^rd course: Amano Salad (we split) — pears, pine nuts, gorgonzola, balsamic …meh…nothing not to like about it, but I have had some awesome salads and I think I make a better one at home.
4^th course: Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi (my meal) — This was stellar! Yes, yes, yes! The little fluffy pillows I picked up on my fork and squashed in my mouth made me smile over and over again…
Rib eye Au Poivre (his) — Okay so listen people, if you are the typical Chicago steakhouse lover… DO NOT order a cut of red meat at a French/​Fusion restaurant… you will not be happy. I do always warn my husband to not order steak unless we are at the staples of Chicago i.e. Gibsons, Joe’s, WildFire.etc. Buuuttt… he didn’t listen and yes, he was very disappointed :-(
It really didn’t resemble a rib eye so he is even doubtful it was a rib eye, but the very light mushroom sauce was almost a bit sweet, which totally turned him off. He had about ¼ of it and helped me eat my Gnocchi’s. The server took ½ off the charge of his plate… really a great restaurant would have just taken it off the bill… I have been a server for 15 years and I immediately take their dish off if it was not enjoyable for them. This would have given them 4 stars, really it’s the little things especially when paying these prices.
5^th course: Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier Crème Brulee– This was good, not great. It was served in 3 small dishes, which I prefer on larger round dish. I actually think Bone Fish serves a better chocolate brulee.
So the wine was great, the atmosphere lovely, servers attentive and the Gnocchi out of this world good! We will try this again and stick with the Gnocchi and maybe do a chicken dish; I bet they do chicken well. Walking out paying $ 165 for two people. ya better love it. and we only loved parts of it, but the parts we loved were good enough for us to want to try it again, and next time we will take a different approach.

Outstanding! Everything, food, drinks, servers and atmosphere. You won’t regret it.

I finally had dinner at the new location on Schiller in Elmhurst and I have to say it was delightful. The food is still amazing and the new location is absolutely stunning. If you are looking for a wonderful dining experience in the heart of downtown Elmhurst that upscale and elegant then you need to head over to Café Amano. All the waitstaff and managers are very attentive and make sure everything is to your liking. This has to be my favorite restaurant in all of Elmhurst. And Marco Conte the owner is absolutely a delightful person.

My Husband and I took our daughter there last night and had a lovely time. She is in a wheelchair and they were absolutely terrific!
The Food was fantastic. I can’t wait to go back again!

Café Amano never disappoints, the service is top notch from the front of house, the wait staff (shout out to Pablo), the bartender (sorry, I forgot your name but I do remember that Manhattan you made was great), the chef who creates consistent and amazing tasting dishes.
Drinks:
Beer Selection — They usually have Bells 2 Hearted on Tap
Wine Selection — Very good, most options are $ 10+
Liquor/​Mixed Drinks — Good assortment, you can get a very complicated drink, or keep it classic and simple, either way you’ll be satisfied.
Apps/​Small Plates:
Brie Log — Puff pastry, cheese, caramelized onions
House Soubise — sweet onion soup, it’s creamy and delicious
Entrees:
Gnocchi — It’s all good here, they offer a few options for sauces
Chicken Piccata — Very tasty, good lemon flavor (recommend with side of veggies)
Australian Lamb Chops — Hint of garlic and red wine reduction, sign me up!
Specials — Café Amano typically has 4 specials each day, your server will mention them to you, good luck deciding!
Desserts:
Anything and everything is excellent here. The minute you leave you will be thinking of what you’ll be getting next time. If the excellent service, apps, entrees didn’t make you want to come back the dessert will make you come back.
Keep up the great work Café Amano, see you soon!

Very cute place, nice décor and ambiance– esp for the burbs.
Service was kinda awkward– the poor girl didn’t know what she was doing. She was sweet though, felt bad for her– they def need some extra training…
Some of the food was eh, but some was amazing– The spinach and ricotta gnocchi was amazingggg… and that dark chocolate grand marnier crème brûlée– I have no words– just WOW. I would skip the lobster bocadillo, wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be :(
Overall– def a great place to try– and do not skip dessert!

We’ve enjoyed Café Amano on many occasions and so we decided to host our daughter’s wedding dinner there on Saturday night. Marco was such a pleasure to work with and went above and beyond with the food, flowers, candles and overrall support. Our guests raved about the gourmet food, about the service of the wait staff, and about the ‘vibe’ and beauty of the restaurant. There’s even free parking next door in the city garage.
We can’t say enough about Café Amano and highly, highly recommend it for your own dining pleasure and for any special events you may be celebrating.

Marco the chef never disappoints, food is always fresh and delicious, and he is known to frequent the dining room and mingle with his guest. Always a nice concerning touch in my book.
Mateus who attends the bar shows the same concern in getting your drink order just right, and was quick to bring my friend some club soda for her pants when a wine drink was accidentally spilled.
Christina our lovely server was very attentive to our every need and made for an enjoyable dining experience.
I have never had an unpleasant visit to the Café, perfect ambiance for a date night or quiet conversation with your friends.
Have attended a baby shower and a catered event at the Café with all expectations met.
Oh, and don’t forget to enjoy that complimentary warm crusty bread with pesto oil that goes so well with your favorite glass of wine while you await your entrée.

My boss had her baby shower here and we had the best time! The wait staff was attentive and fantastic. We had the French onion soup which was decadent and delicious; a little different than what you’re traditionally used to since it’s cream based but so delicious none the less. We all also got something different so we could try a little bit of everything. My one friend got their gnocchi which was to die for, another got the filet and that was amazing. It was seasoned really well, you could cut it with a fork and it was cooked to perfection. I ordered the salmon which was light, flavorful and filling. Definitely recommend this restaurant :)

My in-​laws suggested this restaurant when we were trying to find somewhere to hold our rehearsal dinner. And I am happy they did. The food was super yummy, the space is beautiful, Marco had great suggestions, and the service was awesome. We did have an issue getting a hold of Marco sometimes and when we first booked the restaurant whoever we talked to did not get it on the calendar which could have turned into a huge issue but luckily everything turned out great

Such a lovely restaurant that I was lucky to find on my business trip! Cozy yet upscale décor, friendly and helpful staff. Great menu with so many choices! We started with the baked Brie appetizer which was savory and not too filling. I had the ravioli with meat sauce and it was fresh wonderful pasta, rich and hearty sauce. Huge portions. My friend had the lobster ravioli and fell in love with the Crème sauce! We had to save room for dessert because they have so many delicious ones to choose from. I had the vanilla bean gelato and it was so rich and creamy — delicious! We also has the vanilla bean Crème brûlée — perfect crust and flavor! We enjoyed a couple glasses of merlot and my only slight pause was they were out of the first two wines I chose from the wine list. Overall, this is a wonderful restaurant and I will return next time I’m in town.

Café Amano is wonderful. I made reservations online and mentioned that my husband and I were celebrating our 3yr anniversary. The staff REALLY went above and beyond to make the night special even though we did not request anything in particular. They knew who we were right away and the host greeted us warmly. Our server seemed somewhat new but he was very friendly, attentive, and had obviously been well trained in how to interact with customers. The table and atmosphere was perfect for a romantic dinner but we saw families and what looked to be work colleagues enjoying themselves as well.
We had a drink at the bar before dinner. My husband LOVED the Twin Peaks he ordered. for dinner I ordered one of the seasonal specials, butternut squash gnocchi, and my husband had the lobster ravioli. Everything tasted extremely fresh and was well seasoned. The pricing is on point for this type of restaurant and menu quality.
This was out first time at Café Amano and we would definitely return. Thank you!!!

Dined here on a Saturday night for the Lobster Fest! This place was packed, was a hot summer night, and first impression of the resturant was super clean, super fresh and very modern. I started off at the bar, and the bartender made me an awesome fruity martini, very delcious. Our group was sat near the kitchen door, and it was so hot in the restaurant, something wasn’t working right with the vents in this place. But overall our experience was really good. The food was amazing! I had the chicken mustard dijion and it was outstanding, full of flavor and just really really good. My husband had the special which was a grilled pork chop, it was full of flavor. We just felt really bad for our waiter, because he was a one man show. He took our order, had to refill our waters, was the buser and kinda the only server on the entire side of the restuarant it seemed. He was running around so much and really doing a great job to keep up with the busy night. I would recommend this restaurant.

Finally, something nice that’s close to home!
I came here for Valentine’s Day weekend, with my fiancé. The new location is so chic and romantic, just beautiful.
Food:
I had the gnocchi pasta and my fiancé had the lamb chops. We had their Valentine’s Day special for dessert, which was a brownie, cheesecake, and two flavors of crème brûlée.
We had a few glasses of wine, I might have had rose, and everything was perfect.
A quick thank you to them — I did lose my diamond bangle that evening ($ 1,800) and one of their servers found it and quickly took it to the host. I was able to recover it– after much panic. That was so kind and professional — I am very thankful!
I am looking forward to coming back!

Always great food, and friendly faces. New specials are always delicious. Some great bar specials going on now as well.
DONT FORGET DESSERT!

Café Amano is an Elmhurst institution and the new location in the heart of City Centre is even more elegant and beautiful than the previous location across the tracks. Featuring the same delicious soubise and lunch specials you know and love, as well as some of the most delicious (not to mention beautiful) salads, entrees and more.
I came here recently for a going-​away party and the food was presented beautifully. I had a massive chicken salad that was almost too pretty to eat, as well as the aforementioned soubise which you HAVE to try.
The food is not my absolute fave, but it’s never bad. Prices are kind of all over the place. Higher than some, but less than others. But the ambiance and staff make this an excellent dining destination. Come here for a special occasion because you know you’ll be treated to a wonderful feast.

Café Amano is perhaps the finest dining experience in Elmhurst. The prices reflect this — so we ventured there for lunch. They have a few «Pick 2 Lunch Specials» that only run $ 10. I ordered the «Nicoise» sandwich, which if you can pronounce that correctly should garner you a free one. It’s a tuna sandwich, which, to be honest, I wouldn’t order again. I guess I was expecting all white tuna, which it wasn’t, and I wasn’t sold on the flavor. That’s it for my complaints. The atmosphere, service, and other items were great. Although, a cheap lunch it wasn’t. We ordered a piece of the «Vanilla Crème Brulee Cheesecake» for about $ 8, but OMG it was awesome!
As of this writing there are ninety-​six restaurants in Elmhurst. I plan on eating at, and reviewing, every one. Follow me on Unilocal

My two girls, my wife and I all have a cold so we ordered take out for the New Year. I spoke with one of the managers, Kristen, who was not only extremely polite and helpful, but read the entire menu slowly to us so we could make a selection.
The food was outstanding! My wife and I each had a filet and our daughters split the meat raviolis. Thank you so much for a delicious New Year!