izanami

A wonderful girlfriend's brunch in the outdoor pavilion rewarded us with superb, timely service, a wonderful menu that satisfied each spoiled gal, and a beautiful day in a gorgeous landscape. Thank You.

One of the best vacation meals I've had in my life.

5 of us went to Izanami during a girls trip to Santa Fe and had such a fantastic dinner. My favorite dishes were the kabocha udon, tuna tostada, very green salad, chicken meatballs, and the crispy spicy tuna but honestly everything we tried here was delicious and unique. The space was beautiful and the service was 10/10 too.

A must try!

Great cocktails. Had a margarita which I asked for up vs on the rocks. Waiter had to ask bartender, but got it done. They did miss the salt on rim after they had asked if I wanted, and I had replied in the affirmative. I let that slide as it was really a nice hand made margarita vs the pre mix abomination at Coyote Cantina.

Food was decent at first. We had the gyoza which were fine. Also had spicy tuna hand rolls which were pretty decent as well. We ordered the chanterelle mushrooms which had an odd texture and there was an oddly strong fermented flavor to the broth of this dish, but maybe it was just not to our liking. We ordered fried chicken which had a very bland breading and the chicken was quite rubbery so really a miss there. We also ordered fries which came out cold. We sent them back and received another plate of equally cold fries. We just left them and they were taken away without a mention or ask if they were satisfactory. Overall, quite a bill for a less than stellar experience.

Hope our next days in SF improve on the food score.

Great place with a high-end east coast vibe and quality. We had the famous ribs along with the sea bass, mushrooms, sake and chocolate dessert.

The ribs melt in your mouth, bass was served in a beautiful bowl on a bed of bok choy on a bed of bok choy in a delicate miso sauce.

Considering we had 2 mains, sides, drinks and dessert I was surprised the bill was only $100.

I accidentally booked the wrong night but the staff graciously seated us right away anyways, the service was great all night. We'll be back

After a delightful spa experience at Ten Thousand Waves, we worked up an appetite and thankfully Izanami was right there to welcome us.

From the gorgeous wildflower landscape to the high-ceiling interior (with some surprising artwork), Izanami thrilled the senses.

There were a few vegan options including the shichimi dusted fries and Agedashi tofu. But the stellar item was an appetizer noodle dish that was unctuously rich and ethereally light on the palate. I could've eaten the entire bowl by myself! But, alas, I had to share with my dining companion.

Our waiter was exceptionally knowledgeable and presented each dish with flair. The busboy, however, kept trying to take our dishes before we ate every last bite. Lol.

All in all, a wonderful dining experience in Santa Fe and one I would love to repeat!

Happy hour was great! I heard they just started this recently. I would go here again for HH, but would only go to the restaurant for special occasions.

We ordered the wagyu beef ishiyaki of the regular menu, and it was so cool! I had never had traditional Japanese Wagyu, so it was a very cool experience. Expensive, but we still enjoyed it as our first time.

The zucchini was perfectly crisp and delicious.

The Karaage was good. I thought it was going to be crispier, but I would still order this again.

The fries were good, but nothing special.

The black sesame noodles are actually creamy. I was expecting them to be "lighter" with a predominantly sesame oil sauce. However the sauce was a creamy mayo(?) based sauce? I think others may like it, but it just wasn't for me.

This is a special day and this is a special Yelp review. Not only because I am marinating in my delightful memories of having dined not once but twice at Izanami over this past weekend, but this is my 1000th review I have written on Yelp. Happy to be marking this Yelp milestone for myself with a restaurant my husband and I find most special.

We discovered Izanami during our first visit to stay at the Ten Thousand Waves Health Spa about two years ago. Izanami is located in a separate building from the main spa area, but is on the same property and owned by the same person. who owns to resort/spa. In our two visits to enjoy long weekends at Ten Thousand Waves, we have had the privilege of dining at Izanami four times.

In each of those times, including last night with John as our server and Amara as his support, we feel so welcomed, appreciated and valued as customers. Servers are thoughtful, detailed, educated in their food and drink options, make eye contact when talking with you and simply put, are decent. They reflect the vibe of the people of Sante Fe in their down to earth kindness. And did I mention Kaz, who I believe is the manager, what a great ambassador of the Izanami brand with his welcoming spirit, interest in our happiness and appreciation of our repeat customer status.

Izanami is open for lunch and dinner, but we have only had dinner in the four times dining here. They have tables for groups, they have booths, they have bar seating, they have outdoor seating with heaters (even in December when the temps are in the 30-40's!), they have traditional Japanese floor seating options as well. The ambiance is easy, uncomplicated, warm. They have items like sake glasses, tea cups and Japanese cook books for sale as well. They take cash, credit card and also Apple Pay as well (which we discovered to our delight when after arriving last night from the spa in kimonos all juicy and relaxed from an afternoon of tub soaking and massages with no form of payment other than our cell phones...maybe one day we will have the option of charging to our room, a perk to repeat guests like us?).

The entire experience is delightful. Delightful in a way that we expect for a Japanese restaurant attempting to be spot on and authentic. Delightful in the superior quality of fish flown in almost daily or close to that. Delightful in the extensive sake menu that I believe would rival one of the most extensive you would find anywhere in the United States. Delightful in that we personally find the price points to be actually inexpensive to what we have in Las Vegas, NV (we had two massive meals including sake and desert and before tip it was $220-$250). And delightful in that the staff has been trained in such a way that would mimic the warm attentive care we feel when dining in Japan itself (we love it there and never miss a chance to go).

The quality of the fish and meat is impeccable. Highlights from last night and also two nights prior include Kaki Fry (fried oysters...quality oyster, delicious batter, delivered hot to the table with great accompaniments of sauce, mayo like dip and salt), Tako Plate (grilled octopus "leg" served whole with a delicious side of fingerling potatoes and onion in gochujang aioli and olive oil) and Wagyu Beef Ishiyaki (thinly sliced wagyu beef -A5 and also Nebraska- to cook at our table on the 500 degree stone they provide...a great presentation with delicious results, according to my red meat eating husband). The roasted Japanese mushrooms deserve a shout out as well, in addition to the sashimi we ordered (scallops and salmon were our favorites this trip).

Some random tips: Portions are not large and restaurant concept is Japanese tapas, so things are designed to be shared. This place is always busy when we are here, so reservations are absolutely recommended. Know that anyone in a blue canvas kimono like ourselves is a hotel guest staying the night on property. If you do not finish your sake, they will seal up your bottle in a plastic bag to be taken home. There is a courtesy property shuttle that circles around and can drive you to the upper lot where the restaurant is located if you find yourself at the lower lot to park or simply know the hoof up and down the hills are going to be too much for you (just call them). We have always been seated at a booth although we did not state a preference. But know before you go in the event sitting on the floor or outside is going to be a problem for you. I am certain they will be happy to accommodate when they can, based on their business levels that day.

For the land locked area in which Izanami is located, we continue to be impressed by the quality fish product offered. This spot is truly a gem located on a spa property that we adore...lucky us. We already look forward to returning and will plan on doing so again soon.

Second time visiting. Sat in outdoor pavilion, which is fine, but not great. Would sit inside if possible. Server was great. Knowledgeable, attentive, and service oriented. Overall, like last time, food was excellent. The black sesame noodles were wonderful, as was the tuna and octopus. I didn't love the kale salad--just felt wet and lacking in taste--and the broccolini looked like it had sat under a heat lamp for a bit. I think also, it is a much funner place to visit with 4 and share lots of plates. Still, it was a wonderful meal and we would go back--just not quite as heavenly as our first visit.

Fabulous food. Great service. Beautiful grounds and outdoor heated pavilion for dinner.

We had an early Christmas Eve dinner at Izanami, and Chef Kiko and his team hit it out of the park! Truly! The service was attentive, without being intrusive. Our server, Sarah, helped us navigate the extensive list of sakes, and drinks, as well as the holiday menu and the regular dinner menu. My husband got a bottle of hot junmai sake, while I sipped on a delicious Negroni that dismissed my "inner angry, bitter, Italian old man" and instead I was charmed by the light citrus flavors, with only a hint of bitter. Yum!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Japanese-Spanish-Veracruz fusion but this izakaya meal was excellent!

The grilled avocado with tamari and furikake was simple yet delicious. I can't wait to try this at home. We also ordered the Kaki fry, and learned that Kaki is the word for persimmon as well as oyster! They are written differently though in Japanese script. (I don't know enough to say whether it's hiragana or katakana.) But, again, delicious! Without realizing it, we ordered a second fried dish: lotus root with chicken, also very tasty. We rounded off our dinner with the ahi tuna tostadas that came on black sesame corn tostadas. The miso mole aioli was interesting and the pickled red cabbage so good! It had avocado on top so it was a good thing that we had ordered just half of the grilled avocado.

A yuzu cheesecake from the special holiday menu was the perfect way to round off the meal. The passion fruit meringues were the best baked egg-whites and sugar that I've had to date! The strawberry sake sorbet and the cheesecake were really good, too!

The restaurant packed our sake bottle for us to take with us. What a wonderful experience! My first izakaya meal, and something I will look forward to doing again at Izanami, and not just on Christmas Eve!