The first time Boise, Idaho, hit my radar, I was on a ski trip in Sun Valley in 2022. “Have you been there?” asked newly acquired friends on the lifts. “It’s getting cool,” one local whispered.
When I finally went this summer, I found a midsize, mountain-adjacent community that can appear charmingly small-town or thrillingly cosmopolitan, depending on which block you walk down or who you meet.
Aly Miller
Before arriving, I’d heard that a seasoned local chef had returned to Boise after three decades in Manhattan to create a boutique hotel and restaurant. “I wanted to do something for the community,” said Cal Elliott, who set out to restore a dilapidated grande dame to its position as town gathering spot.
That building is now the Avery, a key driver behind the buzz of Boise 2.0. Rooms combine wingback chairs, Pendleton fabrics and eclectic oil paintings from estate sales. The brasserie boasts classics with cheffy flair. (Elliott earned a Michelin star at Brooklyn’s Dressler.) Soon after checking in, I caught a glimpse of a moody bar hidden behind the dining room, where a group of Boiseans gathered around a pool table, beers in hand.
Boise’s growing cool quotient, I learned, reflects its changing demographics. While Boise State University already gives the place a youthful vibrancy, between 2020 and 2023 the Boise metro area gained around 54,000 new residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Many of those arrivals were drawn to its expanding tech sector and access to nature. A demand for sophisticated restaurants and hotels followed.
With only five days in Boise and a ten-page list of to-do’s, I hit the ground walking (no need for a car), starting with the compact downtown.
From left: A bacon-infused Bloody Mary from Bacon Boise!; the restaurant’s bacon-topped cinnamon roll.Todd Meier for WSJ
I stopped at Guru Donuts and ordered the specialty variety, made with—what else?—potato flour. At Bacon Boise! (the exclamation mark is compulsory), I found bacon-infused everything, including Bloody Marys and cinnamon rolls.
The nearby Hyde Park neighborhood felt plucked from “Happy Days,” with kids zipping by on bikes and throwback businesses like Goody’s serving banana splits topped with neon-red maraschino cherries.
Hundred-year-old mansions once owned by Boise’s captains of industry line Harrison Boulevard. What really struck me, however, was the endless parade of hellos from passersby who expressed genuine friendliness. Case in point? Kelsey Schulte, 21, offered me a swig of her coffee drink at Hyde Perk when she overheard me OMG-ing about the listed ingredients (4 shots of espresso, white chocolate powder, caramel drizzle).
Trails near Camel’s Back Park, just a short drive from downtown Boise. Todd Meier for WSJ
Long before the hip coffee shops opened, outdoor recreation served as Boise’s main draw. You’ll find hundreds of miles of trails just a five-minute cab ride from downtown. The Boise River, which cuts through the city, is eminently navigable by kayak. One afternoon, I set out for Camel’s Back Trail, flat save for one schvitz-provoking ascent. Table Rock, near the Old Idaho Penitentiary, proved more challenging and offered views of the Owyhee Mountains.
Another day, I rented a bike and hit the Greenbelt, a 25-mile paved path that follows the river. I whizzed through parks, past Boise State and up to the adjacent suburb of Garden City, home to the tasting rooms of local winemakers. As I passed one bend in the river, I slammed on the brakes. Were those…surfers? You can, indeed, perfect your form, 500 miles from the sea, thanks to the wave-shaping machines of Boise Whitewater Park.
An art installation in Cherie Buckner-Webb Park in downtown Boise. Todd Meier for WSJ
All that activity works up an appetite—and Boise’s clutch of new restaurants didn’t disappoint. Chef Kris Komori put the city on the foodie map a decade ago at the now-closed State and Lemp. His new restaurant, Kin, nabbed a James Beard award in 2023 with cerebral but lighthearted fine dining pegged to rotating themes.
A delightful, five-course menu themed around fables kicked off with “The Grasshopper & The Ant,” a tomato tart showcasing preservation techniques to “prepare for the days of necessity,” just as the ant does in that story.
When I stepped into the Lively, with its hand-painted wallpaper by de Gournay, I was glad I’d dressed up. The owners, East Coast transplants Greg and Kari Strimple, serve up big-city ambience. Kicky dishes like kabocha pumpkin risotto with agrodolce and fried sage showcase chef Edward Higgins’s track record as a Michelin-starred chef with stints in Japan, France and New York City.
At Saltbrush, a few blocks away, chef Erik Johnson turns out grown-in-Boise but globally inflected dishes such as coal-roasted carrots alongside za’atar-flecked ricotta, and piri-piri-spiced roast chicken with coriander jus.
From left: grilled octopus and ‘Nonna Anna’s Meatballs’ from the Lively; Saltbrush’s executive chef, Erik Johnson.The Lively; Carrie Grant Photography
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While Boise has traditionally been a town of breweries and dive bars, Kylie North and Laura Keeler are changing that. Water Bear, the couple’s cocktail bar, emphasizes whimsy. “We are going for a mountain tiki look,” said North, motioning to the tropical plants and taxidermy. “We’re also all about our grandmothers.”
That is perhaps evident in the liberal use of swish William Morris wallpaper and vintage candy dishes. In terms of tipples, I particularly enjoyed the Politics of Disco cocktail, made with Lewis and Clark Dry Gin, mezcal, Cocchi Americano, honey and bitters.
Nearby, in an alley, Gatsby promises Prohibition-era glamour behind a sliding library wall entrance. Though I was forced to provide a slightly corny “password” to enter, the red velvet sofas, sultry lighting and throwback soundtrack immersed me in the moment. I opted for the Amelia Earhart cocktail, anchored by Aviation gin. It came in a ceramic mini bathtub, and fizzed exuberantly.
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