Bar Gernika ★ 4.3
Bar Gernika on the Basque Block has served Idaho's Basque community since 1991, pouring kalimotxo and plating solomo in a worn-wood downtown pub.
Order: Solomo (marinated pork loin sandwich) and a side of Basque chorizo
The restaurants worth the trip in Boise. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Our picks in Boise
Leku Ona ★ 4.2
Leku Ona, Basque for 'good place', opened in 2005 by Jose Mari Artiach from Spain's Basque Country, pairing cuisine with imported wines on two patios.
Order: Txakoli white wine and the lamb stew with white beans
Fork ★ 4.4
Fork on 8th Street is Boise's farm-to-table restaurant, sourcing Idaho and Northwest producers to build a menu that shifts with the Treasure Valley harvest.
Order: Asparagus fritters in season and the Idaho trout preparation
Alavita ★ 4.3
Alavita is a brick-walled Italian trattoria making fresh pasta from Northwest flour and local eggs, turning Idaho seasonality into agnolotti and tortellini.
Order: House agnolotti or whichever handmade pasta uses that week's market produce
Kibrom's ★ 4.1
Kibrom's has introduced Ethiopian and Eritrean communal dining to Boise, serving spiced lentil stews, doro wat, and injera on West State Street.
Order: The combination plate on injera with doro wat and vegetarian lentil dishes
Cottonwood Grille ★ 4.2
Cottonwood Grille has anchored the Boise River dining scene since 1999, serving Northwest seasonal cuisine on a patio that overlooks the river.
Order: Local Idaho trout on the seasonal menu, ordered on the riverside patio
Bittercreek Alehouse ★ 4.0
Bittercreek Alehouse on 8th Street anchors Boise's craft beer pub scene with rotating Idaho and Northwest taps and locally sourced pub food.
Order: The rotating Idaho craft beer selection and the locally sourced burger
The Basque Market ★ 4.2
The Basque Market on Grove Street has operated since 2000, serving rotating pintxos and outdoor paella alongside imported Basque wines and charcuterie.
Order: Rotating pintxos at Pintxo Hour (Thu-Sat until 18:00) and the Wednesday or Friday paella
Barbacoa Grill ★ 4.2
Barbacoa Grill sits on a pond in southeast Boise, serving prime steaks and coastal seafood alongside an extensive California and international wine list.
Order: Kumamoto oysters and the Chilean sea bass with the Napa Valley wine list
Goldy's Breakfast Bistro ★ 4.1
Goldy's Breakfast Bistro has served made-to-order breakfast with house Hollandaise in downtown Boise since 1999, steps from the Idaho State Capitol.
Order: Eggs Benedict with house Hollandaise and the red flannel hash
Kabob House ★ 4.0
Kabob House serves halal Afghan and Persian cuisine, including lamb kabobs, beef kofta, and fragrant basmati rice, to Boise's diverse west side community.
Order: Lamb kabob over basmati with house chutney
Tucanos Brazilian Grill ★ 3.9
Tucanos Brazilian Grill brings the churrascaria rodizio format to Boise, with gaucho servers carving a dozen meats tableside alongside a Brazilian salad bar.
Order: The rodizio experience -- start with the gaucho-carved garlic sirloin
The Reef ★ 3.9
The Reef has been a Boise Basque Block neighbour since 2003, offering a Polynesian menu and island cocktails in a two-storey space with a rooftop patio.
Order: Firecracker salmon tacos and a tropical specialty cocktail on the rooftop patio
Raibu Sushi Bar ★ 4.4
Raibu Sushi Bar in the North End is Boise's most rigorous sushi room, sourcing fish as meticulously as its rice and reserving half its counter for omakase.
Order: Omakase at the six bar seats reserved for chef's choice service
Boise Fry Company ★ 3.9
Boise Fry Company makes Belgian-style fries the star, using Idaho organic potatoes alongside bison burgers and a rack of house-made dipping sauces.
Order: Belgian-style fries seasoned at the table with house salt blends and house-made dipping sauces
High Note Cafe ★ 4.1
High Note Cafe runs a 100-percent plant-based kitchen in Boise, making every item from scratch without a freezer or microwave, serving nachos and gyros.
Order: Loaded Nachos and the Gyro -- both fully plant-based and made fresh without freezers
Ansots Basque Chorizos ★ 4.0
Ansots makes traditional Basque chorizos from recipes brought from the Basque Country, serving them in sandwiches from a compact shop near the Basque Block.
Order: The house-made Basque chorizo sandwich and paella on Fridays
10 Barrel Brewing Co ★ 4.0
10 Barrel Brewing's Boise flagship on Bannock Street pairs a full-service pub kitchen with the brewery's flagship lagers and IPAs brewed on the premises.
Order: The D1 Lager brewed on-site and the pub burger with house sauce
Big Jud's ★ 3.8
Big Jud's is a Boise institution serving one-pound hand-pressed burgers since the 1960s, with a free-burger challenge for finishing the full-pound meal.
Order: The one-pound burger with house sauce -- finish it and it is free
Pengilly's Saloon ★ 3.8
Pengilly's Saloon is a Main Street institution since 1980, a dim and authentic Boise dive bar with cheap wells, live music most nights, and a back-bar stage.
Order: Well drink during the noon-to-19:00 daily happy hour and any live music set at the back stage