6 Restaurants in Boise, ID You Have to Visit

Boise is the most populous city in Idaho, with 236,000 residents, so it’s no wonder we have a lot of unique and enjoyable restaurants here. You’ll find many right in downtown. 

Let’s take a look at six of our favorites.

Alavita

Enjoy an upscale atmosphere and delicious Italian food at ÁLAVITA in downtown Boise. This restaurant is open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. You’ll want to try their pasta, which is handmade daily. Their pasta dishes include ravioli, gnudi, tagliatelle, and more. You’ll also find a variety of salads. Meat dishes include roasted chicken, pan seared sea bass, and porterhouse steak, and for dessert, try the vanilla budino or your favorite flavor of gelato. There’s also a selection of cocktails, beer, and wine.

Barbacoa

Another fantastic steak and seafood spot you’ll enjoy is Barbacoa, a wonderful place for meat lovers to dine. The food has a Latin-American flair which makes sense. Barbacoa is slow-cooked, seasoned meat made in the Mexican tradition. There, you’ll find a Taco bar with its own menu, so you’ll really want to try this place out if tacos are your thing, and you don’t have to wait until Tuesday. The dinner menu includes oysters, flatbread, Cancun shrimp, a variety of Latin-inspired salads, swordfish, trout, pasta, and half a dozen types of steak.

The cozy environment features paintings and more by local artists. Check the website for details, because Barbacoa proudly promotes these artists by sharing their work with the public.

Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery - Boise, West Grove Street

Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery is a charming spot on Boise’s historic Basque Block. This former warehouse still has its wooden rafters, so you may feel transported to a bygone era when spirits were brewed in secret.

Yes, in addition to serving food, Bardenay distills spirits and you can find a list of these on the website. They include vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, and more. As for food, Bardenay serves Northwestern fare for brunch, lunch, and dinner. They even have gluten-free options, daily specials, and a happy hour.

Food includes appetizers like bruschetta pomodoro and cheese bread, satays like teriyaki salmon and ginger-lime chicken, fish, pork, and steak tacos, soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches like a charbroiled burger, charbroiled chipotle-marinated chicken breast, and a Mediterranean steak pita, entrées, selections for kids, and more. Come hungry. 

BBQ4LIFE

BBQ4LIFE is a vegan-friendly BBQ restaurant. Though not a vegan-only restaurant, if you only eat plant-based and love bbq, then you’ve got to check this restaurant out.

They smoked their traditional dishes with pecan wood on house-built smokers. And yes, they smoke the vegan dishes separately. On the regular menu, you can get a cheeseburger, pulled pork sandwich, meatball sandwich, a two-meat and tater plate, and more. Vegan sandwiches include a vegan greens and beans burger and a spicy smoked spaghetti squash sandwich. They also have salads and fries, of the regular or sweet potato variety. And for dessert, choose from things like a milkshake, scoop of ice cream, or a slice of vegan chocolate cake.

Chandlers Steakhouse

If you’re looking for a fine, upscale restaurant that serves the tastiest seafood and steaks in town, then head downtown and visit Chandlers Steakhouse in Hotel 43. Relax in the lounge, where you can choose from dozens of wines, and listen to live jazz performances every night. Dress in business or upscale casual clothing. The website has details on the proper attire.

The seafood is flown in fresh from Alaska and Hawaii, the steaks are fresh, and they cook the rest with local ingredients. 

The Chandlers website has five menus, dining, Valentine’s day, butcher block, bar food, and dessert. They serve a variety of appetizers, soups, salads, prime steaks, and seafood like sashimi grade Ahi tuna, black cod, and Maine lobster tail. Desserts include butterscotch crème brûlée, classic chocolate souffle, and more.

Fork

Fork is a simple name for a restaurant serving food you love. The owners of Fork, Cameron and Amanda Lumsden, take pride in serving hand-crafted food from local and regional ingredients. The restaurant is in a great spot downtown, housed in a historic, former bank building.

Check the website for pictures, including mouth-watering images of some of their dishes. On the menu, you’ll find food like asparagus fries, a Northwest mushroom pan fry, Northwest crispy chicken salad, lots of burgers and sandwiches, sharable sides like chips and rosemary-parmesan Idaho fries, desserts like butter cake and salted caramel bread pudding, plus cocktails, wine, and beer.

If you’re visiting the area, we hope you visit again. But, if you’re thinking of moving here, think of us for your moving needs, we’re sure our storage units will make your move that much easier. 

And, If you live in the Boise area or elsewhere in Idaho, Oregon, or Washington, and need a place to store personal items like your offseason wardrobe, or business stuff like inventory or paperwork, visit us at Keylock Storage. We have a variety of unit sizes and more to meet your needs.