Superb! Unlike any Japanese restaurant I've been to in the US. The food is sublimely good and the service is wonderful. The handrolls bowled me over with their incredible depth of flavor and the yakatori have no match in New England. read more

What a "hidden" gem. Probably not really hidden but in an upcoming zone in Portland. Food was amazing, drinks were amazing, server was awesome and Loved the look and feel of the restaurant. If you're in Portland this spot should be jumping to the top of your lists to visit. Also, get the beer they made with Cushnoc Brewy! read more

Aomori - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Maine

Love this place , amazing food , cool amphitheater , very relaxing and chill. Friendly staff and great service. Good range of drinks and teas The Duck udon was the standout for me Can't wait to go back and try everything else read more

As a local, this was nothing short of one of the best dining experiences I've ever had in Portland. Our supper club did the oysters, temaki, buta kakuni, yakitori soba and the whiskey pork. The buta kakuni was melt-in-your-mouth level and deliciously savory. I would go back for this dish alone. The next popular item on the menu was the yakitori soba with the grilled chicken thigh, which was seasoned well and enjoyed the soba noodles. The potato salad was surprisingly so good that a guest ended up going back the next day to the conbini to purchase for takeaway. It was the creamiest potato salad I've ever had and will be looking into how to make this at home. Our server reviewed our menu choices for the evening and was able to recommend dishes that complemented our experience. Very friendly and well-timed between courses. We had a party of 10 folks (mix of bench seating and chairs), anything more than that would not be comfortable! Cool bar seating to watch the kitchen. read more

Oh my goodness. This place is to die for! The vibes are so amazing with such friendly waitstaff! My favorite thing we go was the chicken thigh yakisoba, so many flavors that blended so well together. Food arrived at perfect times, a very large but gently curated menu, can't really go wrong with any of it! read more

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What a charming spot! I didn't even know that I needed Japanese fine dining, but I was so happy to have the experience days after Aomori opened. I love the creativity of the menu and the option of pre-fixe dining in a small, intimate space. I thought the Temaki was lovely. I could've easily had just the two rolls I ordered - Crunchy Toro and Hamachi Negi - and left very happy. Unfortunately the onigiri I tried was unsatisfying - way too much rice and indiscernible filling - and the $12 lemon Sour cocktail was boring and tasteless. Service was also inconsistent. The hostess was amazing, but my assigned server was completely inattentive. When I spilled soy sauce on my table, she took my napkin to wipe it up and left me with hands dripping and no napkin. I literally sat like that for a a few minutes looking around for how I could get a napkin when thankfully another server noticed it and took care of me. I ordered my rolls 10 minutes apart. Both came at the same time 45 minutes later when I asked the server about them. Hopefully the kinks will get worked out soon as I certainly plan on coming back for the tasting menu. read more

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Had a chance to try Aomori and really enjoyed the experience. We arrived a little early - they don't open until 5pm (this should really be posted on the outside of the restaurant to be honest). Anyway, we left and came back and were seated right away. The menu is very short and the dishes are on the esoteric side, which was exciting for me but limiting for my partner. I had a lemon sour and my partner a whiskey highball. Both were fine, though not especially unique. I ordered a salmon kyu temaki/hand roll and the kani-zosui, a crab & rice egg drop soup dish. My partner got the oyako don, which is chicken thigh, onion, and egg over rice. I don't think I've had temaki before, and I'm not really sure I ate it correctly, but it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. The crab soup was warm and invigorating on a cold evening, though the crab and mushroom sort of got lost in the overall egginess of the dish. My partner enjoyed her food. I tried it and liked it as well - much more flavorful than similar dishes I've had before. The rice was very moist - almost like a risotto. Service was super-friendly and inviting and I'm looking forward to coming back sometime soon. read more

Aomori - kani-zosui, crab & rice in egg drop soup - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Maine

WOW! What a fantastic new spot in downtown Portland. My husband and I came two nights in a row for the Tuna rib special, which is a giant chunk of tuna rib, covered with excellent bluefin tuna, which you go in and scrape out with a spoon. I mean....honestly...want to meet up there tonight! read more

Cute new Japanese soul food restaurant in Bayside area. They have a long bar and a few tables. It's smaller and cozy vibe. Our server was very friendly and helpful with the menu. Large menu with lots of different great options. My favorite dish we got was the Maguro Zuke Don which was a bluefin tuna dish. We also got the special bluefin. The fish was so fresh and bluefin is my favorite. Overall pricey but worth it for a fancy meal with some great options. I'll be back to try some different things! read more

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Welcome back Masa Miyake! The previous gem that he sold is still fabulous, but this one is unique in that it focuses on Japan's Tohoku Region. Masa Miyake is from Aomori that's had a relationship with Maine since the Cheseborough from Bath, Maine, crashed there in 1889. We had to wait almost an hour for a Tuesday night (!) but it's easy since Wilson County is across the way to grab a drink and wait for the text. The new building space is smartly designed and the service is welcoming. The only downside are the small portions for the rolls and non-sushi items. So overall it's a bit pricey. But worth it! A seasonal special, 3 cuts of Maine bluefin, was a standout, as was the Maine uni, of course. The one dessert, a super light yuzu mango "cheesecake" was superb. Definitely check it out! read more

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Cool vibe, clean, decent pricing, great service, and yummy food. Stopped in on a Monday night and it was relatively quiet. Good variety of options. I selected the katsu bowl, and it was delicious. Will definitely come back and try other items on the menu. read more

Aomori - Chicken Katsu Don - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Maine

All of the food we had here was really good! Some of the best oysters we have had- they were dressed perfectly:) really cute vibe at the sushi counter and everyone working was so nice read more

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Love this place! I stopped by for lunch and had a really nice meal. Beautifully designed interior, deliciously fresh sushi, and lovely staff. Highly recommend the potato salad as well! read more

I really wanted to like it, but I can't call it much more than "fine". The service was really scattered -- the servers seemed quite uncomfortable. I could see a lack of chemistry between the kitchen and waitstaff having sat at the bar. The pacing of dinner made no sense. We ordered: oysters, 2 small plates, 2 hand rolls, and 3 large plates. We were delivered 6/7 dishes within 3 minutes and didn't know where to go next. It made us feel rushed and like the courses weren't planned to be enjoyed in a meaningful way. The food itself wasn't special. Oysters -- 3 tobikos didn't do anything interesting for the dish. It's worth ordering so much as ... yeah, it's oysters. The small salads were light and bright, but $7 for a lump of carrots feels silly The gyoza was flavorful, we enjoyed it The duck (Kamo) was nicely cooked, but the potato dumplings had a very unpleasant texture and were gluey The braised vegetables were the worst offender -- basically al dente vegetables in watery sauce. The dashi base was functionally invisible to the vegetable's flavor. It was quite expensive and not much food. I can't see why I wouldn't go to one of our other restaurants -- for value, flavor, and novelty. read more

I wanted to love it but, based on my DoorDash order it was just "meh." It sounds like the location is charming, so that may add to other reviewer's experiences. The potato salad was essentially unseasoned cold mashed potatoes with few a cucumber slices. The goma-ae tasted fresh but blah. Avo cuke roll was kind of tatesless and the rice tasted old. Huh. read more

Nice cafe hidden away. You have to really look to find this place. Really nice and beautiful selection of desserts including a cold brew coffee jello with whipped cream. Thank you for providing another top place to eat and spend time here in Portland read more

Was so excited to go here after reading the reviews but the food was meh!!! We got the 2 different misos and the cold tofu-everything was lacking flavor-tofu was fresh but no sauce just a few scallions. Both soups lacked flavor and depth to the broth and were full of large undercooked potatoes. Sushi/sashimi was nothing special. Wanted to like it here but something was missing!! read more

My husband and I sat at the bar, and both ordered the prix fixe menu for $65 each. It consisted of: agedashi daikon (A- grade), 7 pieces of sashimi (A+ grade), fried flounder (A grade), bites of short rib (A+ grade), salmon sushi roll (C- grade...it had a weird crunchy green vegetable), and matcha mousse cake (F grade...tasted like leaves, but I'm not a matcha fan anyway). The portion sizes was quite small. The service was great! Overall, we had a nice experience, but I didn't think it was a good value. We left unsatisfied, and went across the walkway to Wilson County BBQ for a biscuit to fill us up. read more

This place is amazing! I never usually write reviews but this place is worthy of a review! We've been there twice and both times everything we ordered was so delicious!! You can tell that a lot of thought and love went into each dish. A few of our favorites were the Niku Dofu, Kaisen Katsu, and the Carpaccio. Our girls loved the rice balls. Definitely not a place you will leave disappointed!! read more

Aomori - Niku dofu - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I have only been to the market, and can't wait to dine here! The Buns filled with Red Bean Paste are absolutely addicting. The grab and go sushi was perfect for my train trip south, so delicious! I LOVE the natto they source, it is from Hokkaido and the best natto I've found in the US. Staff is friendly, and the shop could not be cuter! I love that they have water and real glasses in the back of the store. Even the water glasses are darling! So glad this store is here. I live 3 hours north but will stop in every time I travel south. read more

The Market serves very fine tea and sweets and also offers takeout. This is pretty authentic Japanese food and goes way beyond sushi and tempura. Have been back more than once. read more

Do NOT go to Aomori in West Bayside, Portland Me. This fabulous restaurant will quickly become one of the most popular places to eat in the city and I don't want to share! Every single dish was prepared to perfection by the expert chefs. From the small and medium plate options to the large, the tastes was exquisite. We did not try any of the fresh seafood offerings available, that will come on our next visit. Incredible banchan, to start, divine veggie hand roll for snacking, and yummy smokey/spicy yakisoba noodles with either swordfish or chicken. It's a rare kitchen that can create individual dishes that go so well together no matter what you order. Delicious, original and potent cocktails, authentic Japanese beer and whiskey with an expert mixologist at the bar. We were thrilled to be able to experience the variety of options of food and drink and the lovely space that is Aomori. Waitstaff are attentive, professional and charming, especially our waiter Sam. Thank you for such a heavenly dining experience. read more

Food, drink, and restaurant were all perfect. Friendly staff and quick service. Best Japanese food in Portland!

Best hand rolls in the city. Super authentic Japanese cooking. The atmosphere is perfect casual fine dining and the service is attentive.

What an amazing spot! The hand rolls and yakisoba were delicious. The service was terrific, and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. Next time I'll try the prix fixe menu for a taste of everything! read more

service was awesome!..beautifully presented food ... as expected!... everything was super fresh and delicious! Pricing was about as expected compared to everything else around town... from casual to high-end... beautiful atmosphere! read more