Summer in Boise is a beautiful time. Idaho has very little humidity, it gets warm during the day and cool at night, and it doesn’t get dark until after 10 p.m. Enjoying your days on the river or on a hike can be amazing, but ending your days at one of the many restaurants with outdoor seating in Boise can make for a perfect day. Here are our favorite Boise restaurants with outdoor seating.
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Bardenay
Leku Ona
Bittercreek/Red Feather
El Diablo
Reef
Tupelo Honey
Prost
Lucky Fins
The Modern
Bardenay
Bardenay has one of the best views of any restaurants with outdoor patios in Boise. The restaurant is located on the Basque Block in downtown Boise, a cultural center for Boise’s Basque community. The block includes the Basque Museum, three Basque restaurants, and a Basque market. Although Bardenay does not have Basque ownership, their location has them in the middle of one of the best blocks in Boise.
Bardenay’s deck is perfect for brunch or happy hour at least half the year. Their food menu includes American fare like salads, sandwiches, and burgers, plus they also have a Brunch-only menu. They have a variety of cocktails and local beers, and they even distill their own liquor.
Leku Ona
Leku Ona is one of the Basque restaurants located within the Basque Block. If you are looking for authentic Basque food, Leku Ona is one of the restaurants to visit.
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Leku Ona is located in a historic building, and they also run a small hotel. Their outdoor seating is perhaps one of the least-known outdoor decks in downtown Boise, but it’s also one of the most private and peaceful.
Leku Ona’s menu includes traditional Basque fare, including croquettes, lamb sandwiches and stew, and chorizo. If you don’t feel like venturing out of your normal pallet, you can also find salads and sandwiches as well.
Bittercreek & Red Feather
Bittercreek and Red Feather are (technically) two separate restaurants, but they are located next to each other, and share the same owner, kitchen, and bathroom. Bittercreek is a more laid back restaurant, with American food and drinks, while Red Feather is a classier version. But both have similar vibes and both also have outdoor seating.
The patios at Bittercreek and Red Feather look out onto 8th Street, which has become a popular location for restaurants with outdoor seating. Although 8th Street is not “pedestrian only” there are very few cars that drive down the street, making it mostly pedestrian friendly. These two restaurants have some of the best people watching in town, whether it’s at 1 in the afternoon or 10 at night.
El Diablo
El Diablo is a new addition to Boise, and also shares the same owners as Bittercreek and Red Feather. El Diablo took over a taco spot that had been in town for decades, and is also located in the 8th Street Alley.
El Diablo offers a slightly more hipster-y vibe than the rest of them, and also has a large outdoor seating area in the summer. You can sit and watch the city go by in large velvet chairs, or stay inside and enjoy the artwork.
Reef
Reef has an amazing outdoor seating area, but it’s the only one on the list with a rooftop seating area. Reef has a prime location in downtown Boise, located on Sixth & Main Streets. The restaurant is located upstairs from another restaurant, The Front Door (a pizza and American restaurant) but shares the same owners.
Reef is not known for their food, but (in my opinion) it’s actually some of the best food in town, and their outdoor deck is an amazing place to watch the city go by from above. You can stop by for dinner, appetizers, or just a drink. In the summer, Reef is a relaxing oasis in the middle of a bustling city.
Tupelo Honey
Tupelo Honey is brand new to Boise, and they are not a local restaurant. However, their outdoor seating area is one of the best in Boise, because it’s on the second floor of a building overlooking downtown Boise.
Tupelo Honey took over a space previously occupied by a local favorite, the Piper Pub, and did some serious remodeling on the space before they opened. The inside is beautiful, and the outdoor seating space is just as fun as ever. Tupelo Honey is a southern chain, and so offers mostly southern fare, but you can stop by for a cocktail or beer and watch people below you walking the streets of Boise.
Prost!
Prost is another 8th Street restaurant in downtown Boise, and another restaurant with outdoor seating. Prost is a German restaurant, and while delicious, their selections of German beer is in itself a reason to visit. Their food includes brats, Bavarian pretzels, Curry wurst, and Brotzeit Teller, a selection of German meats, mustard, and cheeses.
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Prost’s space is much smaller than some of the other restaurants in town, but their outdoor seating area in Boise is a fun place to have a drink and enjoy with friends.
Lucky Fins
Lucky Fins has a few locations in Boise, but their downtown Boise restaurant has one of the best outdoor spaces in Boise. They are another new-ish restaurant that took over a restaurant that had been in the space for decades, but they have quickly become very popular in Boise.
Lucky Fins considers themself a seafood place, and they do have plenty of seafood: fish & chips, sushi, and more. But they also have plenty of American fare as well, including sandwiches, pasta, and burgers.
Lucky Fins’ outdoor deck is open to the Grove Plaza, an outdoor space directly in the middle of downtown Boise which holds plenty of events throughout the summer, like Alive After Five, and winter, like the Boise Christmas tree.
The Modern
Credit: Modern Hotel & Bar.
The Modern Hotel is a kitschy, remodeled motel in downtown Boise, but they also have a bar & restaurant with chef-quality food and drinks. The Modern restaurant’s outdoor seating is in a beautiful courtyard with a firepit. They often have special events, including musicians or storytellers in the courtyard, and the food and drinks are some of the best in town.
A bonus with The Modern is unlike many other downtown restaurants, they have a dedicated parking lot, plus plenty of street parking around their location.
