Amaru

Came here for dinner with my sister on a Sunday and had a pleasant experience! We made reservations in advance which wasn't necessary because it wasn't too busy. Service was super friendly and the ambiance was casual yet intimate. We ordered a few things from the botanas and medianos categories:- yuca frita - Guatemalan ribs- jerk pollo- mole y leon - pulpo a la planchaEverything was delicious and the portions were perfect for the two of us. The mushroom dish was a standout because it was so creative and flavorful. I also could not stop snacking on the yuca frita - I love them more than regular French fries!

Busy place, even for a Monday night. Wife and I opted for the bar seating and were greeted warmly by the bartender.Opted for:Piononos - savory bacon wrapped around plantains, can't go wrongGuatemalan ribs - the green sauce coating the ribs was phenomenalPulpo (charred octopus) - was average; the octopus was very thick and not as tender as I've experienced in some other placesCoconut Fried rice - amazing coconut flavor, couldn't get enough of itMatambre (short rib) - probably one of the best short ribs I've had, very soft with great flavor, the plate was gone within 5 minutes of hitting the tableChocolate tres leches for dessert - great end to the night.We also ordered the Spicy Girl cocktail - I pretty much enjoy anything with mezcal these days.Would definitely be back, ambience is great as well

I saw Amaru on a tv segment today so I decided to order food from here. I ordered the sweet plantains, pulpo and tres leches chocolate cake. Everything was DELICIOUS!!!! The portions were small but full of flavor.

Cute place to grab dinner. Came on a Saturday evening with some girlfriends. Reservation was made in advance for our party of three. Paid parking located on North. Started out with a shot of Mamajuana which is a spiced alcoholic beverage made by infusing a mixture of rum, red wine, and honey with tree bark and herbs. Thanks for the birthday shot!!! Remind me of my trip to Punta Cana. For drinks we ordered three very different cocktails. I had the passion fruit caprihina which was good. The best cocktail was the Pina Colada. It was a very refreshing take on a drink I usually associate with the pool. The good here is served family style tapas and available in small, medium or large. I enjoyed the jerk chicken and the oxtail special. All in all a cute spot. Left slightly hungry which always happens with tapas.

Definitely enjoyed my time here. Amaru has a beautiful ambiance and open kitchen. The seating is lovely and great space between other tables. My girls and I chose this place as our monthly meet up. We chose three dishes and some drinks. For food we ordered the mole y Leon, Cuban oxtail special and jerk pollo. I can't say I had a favorite dish but there were pieces from each dish that I appreciated. From the jerk chicken I appreciated the grilled chard dark thigh meat. Nice pieces and flavorable. The oxtail meat was tender and so amazing. The ravioli dumplings were alright but clearly used as fillers. The mushroom dish I felt had more potential that wasn't reached. The mole was alright. Our beverages were delicious but I think they put mezcal in my drink rather than the brugal. I should've spoken up but didn't. I would return to try other meals

We came here for our YES Girls ladies night! We were actually celebrating our trio's respective birthdays - we're all within a month of each other :) Service and ambiance were on point. The service was attentive, friendly, and shared some info about the restaurant (he also gave us a special birthday shot to kick off the evening). The ambiance was carefully curated, quirky, and inviting. We ordered 3 items, though we could've/should've ordered more.Definitely recommend the oxtail raviolis- delicious! I liked the Lions mane mushroom mole. We also had the chicken skewers. Portions are on the smaller side, so make sure to order more than 1 per person. As for cocktails- order the pina colada, it's not what you're expecting! I'll let you be surprised! But it was a favorite.

I absolutely loved everything I tried, the food, the drinks. Delicious! I will definitely be back, soon!

I've been wanting to try Amaru for a while and so stopped by around their happy hour to try some food. The happy hour prices are such a good deal - if you want to get some of their food and drinks, I absolutely recommend it because the prices are like half off. The service was also very friendly and lovely when we were there. It's also cute inside so solid place for a date or cute friend hang.Onto the food - we ordered the piononos, requeson, lion's mane mushroom mole, and the Cuban frita burger. I would say we both liked the apps (the piononos and requeson) the best and in that order. Plantains and bread are delicious and they do a fun job with it. The lion's mane mushroom mole was interesting and fun to try as well. The cuban frita burger was the least exciting to us because we have both had much better versions of this burger (for cheaper, in Miami lol where they are delicious) but still solid. Generally, I would say it was fun trying their food but nothing was Amazingly delicious to me in a way that stood out or would make me want to order the same items. They changed their menu recently and took off stuff I had been wanting to try, so it might be a while until I come back. But a fun meal experience, even if not outstanding.

Honestly, I loved everything that I got from here. The pan latin flavors and quaint eating space make this a unique and must-try restaurant in Chicago. The stand-out dish we got was definitely the pulpo a la plancha (octopus). Now I'm not one that typically enjoys octopus, as it can easily be overcooked and become rubbery. But this octopus was cooked perfectly. It melted in your mouth. The other dishes we got were also very good and extremely flavorful. We got the empanadas and plantains, which are both great vegetarian options. We also tried the jerk pollo which was cooked perfectly. The chicken was not dry at all, though I wouldn't say it tasted like jerk seasoning (maybe more bbq?). To end the night, we tried the espresso tres leches at our waiters recommendation. The cake itself was not as soft as I would have expected. But the flavor combination was exquisite with the abuelita chocolate on the bottom. Pro tip: take home the espresso tres leches and heat it up! It gets nice and soft and soaks up all the chocolate at the bottom... so good!

Service is fantastic! Ambiance is a bit loud and hip for my taste but I can't throw shade. The food was competent but not fantastic. A lot of the dishes felt like interpretations of the authentic version. They were good but all missed the mark a bit. Anyway, it's solid. I'd go back but am certainly in no hurry to.