Are you a foodie bucket list type of traveler looking for the best places to eat in Boise? If so, I’m sure you are well aware that Boise has a thriving culinary scene with lots of great restaurants to explore. If you are just beginning to research your trip to Boise or are a recent transplant, you are in for one hell of a surprise because this glorious city in the northwest has a dining scene that rivals Portland and Seattle.

The restaurants of Boise have a farm to table emphasis and focus on using quality ingredients which means you won’t walk away feeling guilty about what you just ate or have that sick feeling after eating dishes with subpar ingredients. Another thing to note about the food scene in Boise is that the chefs here seem to enjoy being experimental, imaginative, and artistic with their menus which makes eating out an exciting ordeal.

But Boise doesn’t just do food well, they also have good coffee, an exploding craft beer scene, and a few wineries on the horizon too. So whether you are new to town or a local looking for some new territory, I hope that you find these places to eat as impressive as I did.

Something to keep in mind is that dining out in Boise seems to be a lively occasion on almost every night of the week so don’t be surprised if there is a waitlist at the more popular restaurants.

This list of must eats in Boise will take you from breakfast to lunch, brunch, and beyond on the ultimate food crawl. Let’s get started!

12 Best Places To Eat In Boise: The Ultimate Foodie Guide

Guru Donuts

Donuts for breakfast anyone? If you don’t mind an occasional unhealthy start to your morning, Guru Donuts needs to be your go to! These handcrafted colorful donuts are guaranteed to have you excited for morning to come.

These pretty donuts are made fresh every day and come in delightful flavors such as the popular hipsterberry and the gorgeous looking, earl grey tea flavored, London fog. They also make seasonal donuts so you have no excuse not to pop in every day or at least once a week if you’re a local. This donut shop never ceases to surprise when it comes to creative combos like their vegan mimosa which features an orange buttercream center and is finished off with a champagne glaze.

Guru Donuts are conveniently located in downtown Boise and they are open late so if you’d prefer your donut as an after dinner snack you have something to look forward to in the evening.

Bacon

Bacon, bacon, bacon! Who doesn’t love bacon?! Well probably not a vegetarian or a vegan so if that is the case you best skip the best breakfast and brunch spot in town. For those of you who are fans of the always delicious cured meat, you are going to be in bacon heaven.

As you may have guessed, Bacon boasts bacon galore! I am talking bacon shots, bacon cinnamon rolls, bacon poutine, bacon bloody marys, etc. Yes, bacon takes a starring role at this restaurant but did I mention it’s not your every day bacon?

They serve five different variations of bacon which are the following; Berryhill (chilies and sugar), Spicy Hot (big chili heat), Maple Rosemary (savory and sweet), Candied (smoky syrup flavored), and the Kurobata (thyme, sage, rosemary & lavendar). Fancy huh?

The Funky Taco

The Funky Taco is a hip and happening place, especially with the younger cool crowd. This restaurant which often has a wait list offers ‘farm to funky fare’ utilizing locally sourced food whenever possible.

They have a range of innovative nacho dishes that will blow your socks off. I am talking about gourmet style nachos that undoubtedly you’ll have a hard time choosing between.

For instance, there is the Korean Al Pastor which comes with smoked gouda, beer cheese, feta, pickled jalapeno, red onions, scallion carrot, and Thai basil on white corn chips. There there’s the Summa’ Nacho that has shitake mushroom, beer cheese, feta, chipotle miso tahini, coleslaw, pickled jalapenos, red onions, and a lot more. Plates are huge and totally instagrammable.

Boise Fry Co.

This is Idaho remember? Land of the potato. So naturally you’d expect someone to cash in on the old spud. And that’s exactly what Boise Fry Co. have done.

These guys offer a surprisingly diverse range of fries which include russet potatoes, purple potatoes, gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. Then there’s a whole range of sauces to select from which include garlic aioli, sweet mustard, spicy fry sauce, chipotle, blueberry ketchup, and marshmallow.

And if you thought the decision making would end there, you’ve still got some choices to be made on the salt. You’ll need to decide whether you want this to be a savory or sweet experience by choosing between sea salt, garlic-rosemary, smoked, Cajun, vanilla, cinnamon-ginger and much more.

You’ve got to hand it to them with their slogan ‘burgers on the side’ because it’s about time someone made fries the star attraction. We all know they usually are.

Fork

Fork is that type of restaurant that has all bases covered; good quality food, friendly service, and a nice, slightly upscale environment that is suitable for any type of occasion whether it’s a quick lunch break or a special affair. It’s the type of restaurant that’s a safe bet for every type of eater.

They offer a wide ranging menu that covers salads, burgers, ribs, mac and cheese, and all those dishes you can never go wrong with. Now for the really good stuff. The dishes that are unique to this restaurant and that are a MUST TRY!

On the starter menu you should pick the asparagus fries or the crisped brussel sprouts. These are Fork’s most talked about menu items.

For lunch choose the cast iron buttermilk fried chicken & cheddar waffle with balsamic infused maple syrup & local honey-orange infused butter. This is incredible!

As a main, I recommend the spinach and artichoke ravioli (baby spinach, roasted cashews in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce topped with shaved parmesan) or the herbed spagetti squash (grilled portobello, baby spinach-arugula pesto, crushed pistachio & chervil) for vegetarians.

If you’re in the mood for meat order the Idaho rainbow trout with roasted winter succotash, lemon oil & micro radish, or the pan seared duck breast.

You’ll find Fork in the walkable area of Downtown Boise that is closed off to traffic. The restaurants in this zone offer lovely outdoor seating areas which are pleasant on those warm summer nights.

Pie-O-Neer Pies

As an Aussie who has been living in the States for sometime, I have searched high and low for a classic meat pie because they are honestly our best dish and one of the only things I miss about the land down under. There has been only one other meat pie shop I have come across in the U.S. but it wasn’t nearly as good as Pie-O-Neer Pies!

The owners of this pie shop are originally from New Zealand and claim that their pies are New Zealand style, however to me it tasted just like an Aussie version. Didn’t we invent it? I mean it is our national dish.

Well, whichever country was the mastermind behind the meat pie, there is no doubt Pio-O-Neer are pioneers in Boise. Their meat pies are AMAZING and if you’ve never had one before I urge you to go pick one up for lunch.

Their pies come in three varieties which include the classic minced beef, steak and cheese, and chicken & mushroom. The meat inside was one hundred percent good quality and the pastry was just so utterly perfect. Don’t let the small size of these pies deter you from trying them because I assure you they are extremely filling.

This pie shop no longer has a store (or we couldn’t seem to find it) however they do make them available at grocery stores and certain gas stations throughout Boise. We found them at the Albertson’s in Meridian.

Westside Drive In

When a restaurant is featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” you know it’s going to be good. And one cold winter evening we decided to find out how good.

We rolled into the Westside Drive In about 7pm. There was a steady long line of vehicles waiting to order via the drive-through so we decided we would walk up to the counter instead.

After perusing the menu we were a little shocked to learn there was so much to choose from. Besides an extensive burger list, they also serve grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, toasted tuna sandwiches, steak sandwiches, Reubens, paninis, focaccias, French dips, hot dogs, meatloaf, lasagna, spaghetti, soups, spuds, chili bowls, and so much more!

While the Monte Christo was super tempting (a triple decker sandwich with chicken, ham, swiss, and cheddar which is quick fried) as well as the famous Pepsi-Cola ribs, we decided we would stick with burgers seeing as though that was what we came here for.

Choosing between burgers was no easy feat but we eventually decided on the Cajun burger and the Maui burger. We were served promptly at the window and it only took about five minutes for our order to be called.

We took our meal back to the car to eat and the first thing that stood out about these burgers were their size. Holy moly, the burgers were of epic proportion! We found it highly amusing that we could barely get our mouths around these whoppers and had to bite into small sections at a time to get through them. They definitely do not make hamburgers like this anymore.

Were they good though? Yes! The beef patties tasted fresh and the pineapple and ham were grilled to perfection. Sometimes these types of places can be a let down however I guess there is a reason Westside Drive-In has been in operation since 1957.

Alyonka

Surprise! I bet you didn’t think you would be able to find authentic Russian food in little old Boise. Alyonka is about as authentic as you can get and this restaurant does home cooked Russian food to perfection.

You’ll find all the Russian classics here like borsht, beef stroganoff, and piroshkis, but they offer delicacies too like the beautiful Shuba, a layer of smoked salmon, shredded potatoes, carrots, and beets. Whatever you decide to order, please don’t leave without trying their tasty little vodka balls.

Kibrom’s Ethiopian Restaurant

Have you got a hankering for Ethiopian food? It’s likely you’ve never tried it before but in Boise you can take the opportunity to expand your ethnic food palette. Already experienced with Ethiopian food? Not to worry because this place won’t let you down.

We found this restaurant by chance in search of the earlier mentioned pie shop (which was closed). Had we ever had Ethiopian food before? No! But we were certainly curious after seeing their unassuming restaurant beside the main road into downtown Boise.

Kibrom’s offers vegetarian and meat dishes that include lentils, beef, chicken, and lamb. Their most popular dish we were informed was the Red Tibs which is a spicy saute of onion and exotic spices with either beef or lamb. If you can’t decide what to try they do offer combination plates to sample the menu.

You should also try the ketegna, which is injera drizzled with niter kibbeh berbere, and salt all inside a small roll. You’re probably wondering what injera is. We were too. Well it’s a sour fermented flatbread with a slightly spongy texture traditionally made of teff flour. What is teff flour? Teff is the smallest grain in the world and looks similar to millet.

I’m sure this place raises a lot of other questions for you as it did for us but the best way to answer said questions is to make your way over to Kibrom’s and sample their authentic fare.

The Wylder

The Wylder’s slogan is ‘hand crafted, slow batch pizza with soul’, and boy are these pizzas handcrafted to perfection. This restaurant’s pizzas are darn good from the crust to the topping combinations.

Their pizza base is made using a fifty year old sourdough starter which results in a thin crust flat bread which is slightly sweet tasting. We enjoyed the Honey Badger which is topped with Italian sausage, ricotta, caramelized onions, and spicy honey but the salumi topped with burrata was pretty tempting to order too.

Besides the pizzas, there is a whole lot more on the menu you will more than likely want to try. Their mushroom tart is very good and so is the roasted beetroot with orange creme fraiche. Be sure to save room for dessert though.

This restaurant usually does have a line out the door in the evenings so be prepared to wait a little to get a table.

Barbacoa Grill

Barbacoa Grill’s menu is guaranteed to have you salivating. This restaurant which specializes in steaks with a Latin twist have some of the fanciest steak dishes in town.

Roasted veal chop served with a portobello mushroom risotto, asparagus and a port wine reduction sounds pretty good right? How about a twenty ounce dry-aged prime ribeye served with bacon potato purée, baby carrots & asparagus with an ancho-chili port wine reduction?

But wait there’s more. The bacon wrapped buffalo filet with a cashew vinaigrette, butternut squash purée, apples, jalapeños, cherries & vegetables finished with a fig molé also sounds great huh?

While we haven’t tried everything here yet, we’d sure like to make an effort to come back and attempt it. If you love sizzling cuts of beef and lamb you better check this place out.

Payette Brewing

We had to give beer a mention in this Boise must eats list just because they have one VERY good brewery in town. Actually, Boise has a LOT of good breweries, but this one happens to be our favorite and in our opinion – the best!

The wonderful Payette Brewing offers lagers, pale ales, IPAs, sours, stouts, and porters. Whatever you’re in the mood for they’ve got it here inside their bright and spacious taproom.

I know most people aren’t into dark beer, but I implore you to try their Mexican chocolate stout. Yes, it’s just as it sounds, sweet and spicy. Made with hot peppers, cinnamon, and chocolate, it is certainly a delicious concoction that can basically substitute as a meal.

Also, their sours were pretty great too, a nice light and refreshing beverage if you don’t feel like drinking anything too heavy.

Meriwether Cider

Ciders are taking over the drinking scene across many cities in this country and Boise just happens to have one of the best cider makers in the nation. These award winning cider connoisseurs have a tap room located right in the middle of downtown so you won’t have to go too far to sample their goods.

The Meriwether Cider tap house offers twenty rotating taps along with other bottled cider from around the world. But don’t worry about the cider from elsewhere, stay focused on the local stuff here.

If you like taking it safe, try the semi-dry which is a little bit like a dry champagne, but if you prefer bold and fruity flavors order the blackberry boom, the black currant, or the ginger root.

Which of these restaurants are you looking forward to the most? Have you already been to any of these restaurants? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comment section below!

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