Cheap eats in Boise, ID?

Is there no existing thread on Boise? I didn't see anything in the search results...

One of my best friends just arrived in Boise for a 5-week stay, and I'm trying to help him get settled. Can anyone recommend some cheap eats? My friend will eat anything, though he particularly likes food from Central and South America (which may not be options in Boise...I have no idea).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Sharon

Here are some ideas for the area:

First, the Brick Oven Bistro makes some great stews, soups and sandwiches and is pretty reasonable.

http://www.brickovenbistro.com//default.aspx

Brick Oven Bistro
801 Main St.
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: (208)342-3456


Second, while the meal prices are not very cheap, the meals are generally very feeling and you get a chance to meet other people when sitting in a communal setting, try a Basque restaurant. Boise has severaldowntown.

Basque Market
608 W Grove St.
(208) 433-1208

Gernika Basque Pub & Eatery
202 S Capitol Blvd.
(208) 344-2175

Leku Ona Fine Basque Dining and Spirits
117 S 6th St.
(208) 345-6665

Third, Capital City Market is a Saturday morning market in the downtown area. They have a lot of interesting vendors.

http://www.downtownboise.org/m_whattodo ... market.cfm

Fourth, the Simplot family has a cheese factory on the freeway toward Nampa. It is generally well advertised and worth a stop.

Finally, this is the season for county fairs which offer both cheap food and great entertainment.

jlawrence01 wrote:Here are some ideas for the area:

Thanks! This is terrific!

Heading out to Boise for a niece's graduation in late May. I haven't been to Boise in years and even then didn't get to explore the city much. Anyone have any recommendations in addition to the above, which are a little long in the tooth? I'll be by myself, so my desire would be to skew cheaper and quirkier as opposed to fancy. Thanks!

Luckyguy wrote:Heading out to Boise for a niece's graduation in late May. I haven't been to Boise in years and even then didn't get to explore the city much. Anyone have any recommendations in addition to the above, which are a little long in the tooth? I'll be by myself, so my desire would be to skew cheaper and quirkier as opposed to fancy. Thanks!

I have not updated my recommendations since I have not made it to Boise since 2008. In 2006-08, Southwest Airlines had $99OW flights MDW-BOI. Now that I am in Tucson, I plan to get up there in 2016.

Do remember that when all else fails, you can always stop and get some pretty good sandwiches and salads at the local Winco Foods stores in the Boise area. They also have a great bulk foods section.

That's great to know - thank you! And my flight is definitely not $99OW. In my experience, flying to Boise has always been as about as affordable as flying to Europe. One reason I haven't been there in a while. Looking forward to checking out the terrain, though. I'll report back.

A picky friend who spent a weekend in Boise for work said that Boise Fry Co. was quite good, serving quality varietal potatoes, hamburgers, and similar fare. She was disappointed in the Basque options, although I cannot specifically recollect which ones she visited.

Luckyguy wrote:That's great to know - thank you! And my flight is definitely not $99OW. In my experience, flying to Boise has always been as about as affordable as flying to Europe. One reason I haven't been there in a while. Looking forward to checking out the terrain, though. I'll report back.

Three notes:

1) Hit the Saturday morning market. It has some great options and good people watching.

2) Simplot has a factory outlet outside of town near Nampa, I believe. They make a lot of cheese and it is worth a stop.

3) Visit the old state prison. It is pretty interesting.


If Tioga Pass into Yosemite NP was not opening this weekend, I would be tempted to head to Boise next week as opposed to heading to Reno.

So, Boise: I very much appreciated the input here. The highlight, I think, was the Basque Market. I wandered by at about 11:30 on Wednesday and discovered they do a paella lunch on both Wednesdays and Fridays. Best of all, they cook the paella outside on a propane grill and HUGE paella pan, apparently in rain, shine, snow, etc. Wednesday was picture-perfect, weather-wise. It's a great little market/restaurant with lots of Spanish products and communal tables. The paella was terrific, the rice had perfect texture and a deep flavor and the clams and mussels were surprisingly meaty and fresh for a state not known for its clams and mussels. With a glass of Spanish red, I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable lunch.

My other stops were a place called Goldy's Breakfast Bistro (cute, tasty), just down the street from the Capitol, and Barbacoa, a kind of chain-like, higher-end place that was respectably good given its mall-ish location. Had a nice trout preparation there on a bed of spicy rice.

Aside from my niece's graduation, though, the non-food highlight of the trip was the recommendation from jlawrence01 that I visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary. Whoa. I got there just in time for a guided tour and I'm glad I did. To see the conditions the inmates endured - up until the 1970s! - is enough to curl your hair. If you're in Boise, go. It's a little grim, but eye-opening.

Basque Market
608 W Grove St.
(208) 433-1208

Goldy's Breakfast Bistro
108 S. Capitol Blvd.
(208) 345-4100

Barbacoa Grill
276 Bobwhite Ct
208) 338-5000

Old Idaho State Penitentiary
2445 Old Penitentiary Rd
history.idaho.gov/old-idaho-penitentiary

Forgot to mention, I grabbed a Smashburger in the Boise airport. Not god's gift to hamburgers but in the Boise airport it held its own.

^^^

The conditions of the Idaho State Prison in the 1960s might be called spartan - no electricity, no indoor plumbing, etc. However, the older cells in this building were highly desired by inmates as all inmates were "single celled."

My docent was a former mayor/councilwoman in Boise.

The old Montana State Penitentiary in Red Deer was worse.

My docent was a former employee of the prison and, boy, did he have some stories. He definitely relished the more ghoulish aspects of prison life. Cool that the mayor gives tours! Thanks again for the recco, I'm much obliged.