Unpretentious and friendly? Ama upends traditional cocktail bar vibes

Allow me, if you will, to digress for a moment.

I recently visited Threefold—the East Powell brewery and tasting room run by Slow Hand, Temporal, and Boombox in the former Andina space—and the guy behind the bar was so wildly and inexplicably rude that I’ll probably never go back.

It’s a shame, because the beers were decent, and I love to support small, local businesses. But I’m also not going to spend money at places where I’m made to feel like a raging idiot for asking a very simple question about one of the products on tap. Boy, bye.

I was reminded of this experience after talking with Ama Raw Bar’s Dylan Riches and Sean Yuen. 

Because if there was ever a place that I’d expect to be served by a pretentious guy with a mustache, it would be Ama. Hear me out: the vibe is undeniably sexy, with dim lights, plush surfaces, and an orange-and-red colour scheme. The food is playful and delicious, with its focus on Japanese-inspired dishes with quality ingredients. And the drinks are simple and elegant, with plenty of familiar flavours mixed up in interesting ways. This Fraser Street hideaway—quite literally tucked above Nammos, and owned by the same brother restaurateur duo of Yianni Kerasiotis and Petro Kerasiotis—could easily veer into pompous territory. 

But, somewhat magically, it doesn’t.

“There’s a lot of atmosphere and fun,” says Riches, who joined the team in November 2024 and acts as beverage director across all four of the Kerasiotis brothers’ Vancouver restaurants. “It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also doesn’t sacrifice quality. I think that is a really nice intersection.”

This, he says, is in large part thanks to the employees.

“It comes from the people, first and foremost,” Riches offers. “You can build a room to look like anything. You can build a bar or a restaurant anywhere, within reason. Anything can be hidden, and anything can be cool and feel upscale or fancy, or very low-brow, too. But I think the heart and soul of every place is the people. It’s about having the right people to carry that energy and that friendliness.”

It’s evident in every host and server who comes to my table on a recent evening; everyone is laid-back, attentive but not overly so, and eager to answer any questions (hallelujah). But it’s also evident in the menu, which is succinct but thoughtful, and extremely fun. 

“We try to deliver really good food, but nothing too pretentious,” says Yuen, who is the restaurant’s executive chef. “We’ve got to make sure we’re still using quality ingredients. We’re not sacrificing our principles on that, but still making it approachable.”

That shows up in some interesting ways. There’s the Salmon Hako Sushi ($23), which sees the rectangular pieces of sushi topped with housemade aioli, chili, and torched sockeye—a new-age classic, done well.

Or there’s the Wagyu Burger ($26): a six-ounce Wagyu-Angus blend of beef that is cooked thin, and served simply with chewy bacon, cheddar cheese, and house burger sauce that incorporates Japanese vinegar and black garlic—comfort, but with an elevated twist.

The restaurant also has a raw bar, with fresh fish including otoro, king salmon, and hamachi flown in weekly from Japan. Guests can choose between cones, sashimi, or nigiri, or go for the “AMA”kase experience that sees the sushi chef take the reins in choosing a selection of seafood prepared as either sashimi or nigiri.

Yuen, who previously worked at the now-closed Forage in the Listel Hotel, says he was drawn to Ama because of its ethos both in front of and behind the scenes.

“It’s a whole different direction than what I’ve previously done,” he says. “But it is really, really great that we get to use all this fresh, imported seafood. And with the cocktail and food program, it’s just a really nice place to be and work at.”

Over on the bar side, cocktails like the Scenic Route ($25) offer Ama’s take on a martini, with a house gin blend, Yellow Chartreuse, shochu, and a hint of sesame—dry, herbaceous, booze-forward. I also try the Nutty By Nature ($19), which sees bourbon paired with vanilla, browned butter, Amaro Montenegro, and walnut for something rich, layered, and sweet.

For Riches and his team, it’s all about restraint.

“Having an interesting drink doesn’t mean it has to be a weird drink,” he says. “You don’t have to use a whole bunch of science. Sometimes science is great, but sometimes it’s just a collection of nice ingredients showcased in a unique way.”

He references the timeless Coco Chanel advice of looking in the mirror and removing one item from your outfit before heading out the door. His cocktail philosophy is much the same.

“As we’re workshopping new drinks, we’re analyzing, ‘Does everything in the drink need to be there?’ And if it doesn’t, could we just pull it out?” he says. “Sometimes a less-is-more approach goes a long way, and that can make it very approachable and familiar: you’re not reading a library list of two dozen different ingredients, but only tasting three. I think it makes it a little bit more accessible for everybody.”

That accessibility is key to the mission. Ama might look a little intimidating at first, but that’s just a byproduct of good branding and design. Trust me: this is a place for friends, and it’s one I’ll be returning to again and again.