Day Drinking – The Boise Cocktail Culture is Strong

A new series about some of our favorite recommendations in the cities we love. Our first location is Boise, ID.

In the time of Covid, when we aren’t able to travel, we have been reminiscing about some of our favorite times in our favorite towns.  The problem with trying to blog about times past is you are completely reliant on memories and not living so much in the present.  With that in mind we decided to base a new series about some of our best memories in cities we love, like Boise! And lucky for you, our best memories involve our favorite hobby, DAY DRINKING.

And yes, this will include notes on where we like to drink, preferred drinking snacks, boozy brunches, and just fun little things to make note of in these towns.

With that in mind, we present to you our new series, SisBeDrinking.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – and to think, Mom never imagined we’d put our day-drinking obsession to good use.

Boise, Boy-See, The City of Trees

Yes, we really did say that!  Boise, ID is a shockingly beautiful, fun town.  No doubt that it is shocking, mainly because it’s Idaho.  But, it is the state capital and has an amazing small town charm; part of this is due to it’s complete lack of skyscrapers, fabulous downtown area, and citizens devoted to outdoor time.  It’s just unassumingly cool and laid back.

My beautiful niece spent a couple of years at Boise State University, which led to some great family weekends, hiking, eating, and exploring the area.  I really thought we would end up moving there some day, but reality is that it is much to far away from the coast for me.

8th Street

If you are day-drinking aficionados like us, you’ll love N. 8th Street. In the heart of the hip downtown, featuring the best bars, restaurants and plenty of things to see, it is the ideal hangout.

Eureka!

We found our way to Eureka! early in the afternoon. They have a great little patio of outside eating, but what we fell in love with was the fresh herbs at the bar. Quality cocktails, and not just lime wedges and maraschino cherries.

We loved Eureka! So much that we dragged the rest of the family back the next morning for brunch.  We arrived about 15 minutes too early and were disappointed they weren’t open yet.  The servers saw us, came over and unlocked the doors and let us have a seat and wait inside while they finished their opening procedures.  Fun and friendly, they even took our order so that even though they couldn’t serve our mimosas before opening, they were ready go when the clock struck open.

It was one of those fabulous little things that makes you feel welcome and appreciated as a customer.  And the food, amazing!!  Truffle fries and the glazed brussel sprouts from the appetizer menu were a winner. 

Juniper on 8th

Leaving Eureka, take a left turn and you will find Juniper on 8th. Going for an old-timey, almost early 1900’s feel, with a big brick wall and black iron accents, my favorite part is that they make their own mixers, like a house-made Juniper Tonic.  They do farm-to-table with locally sourced ingredients, you can ask and they can tell you right where their ingredients came from.  Their bar does seasonal cocktails, has a great wine and beer selection, but come on:  seasonal craft cocktails with house-made tonic!!! 

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Freak Alley

But in between Eureka and Juniper is one of my favorite things about Boise:  Freak Alley!!  And entire back alleyway covered top to bottom in art, big and little murals by artists.  It takes about 20 min to walk this alley, and the art is just flat out fantastic.  Commissioned by northwest artists, they represent to much wide appeal in style and taste.  Some political, some religious, some environmental, some controversial, they will definitely make you think and appreciate the talent and passion that went into creating them.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. mural is my favorite, it is actually done in mirror pieces and is reflective of the sky and surroundings; I didn’t even realize it was a face until the first time I went to take a picture and saw it through the camera lens.

The Mode Lounge

We stumbled into The Mode Lounge after brunch one afternoon. It was so unexpected, it seems like a nighttime only kinda place but they were open and we were thirsty so why not? We were the only people in there so we got to really enjoy their funky, innovative craft cocktails and visit with the creative bartenders. It was like afternoon tea but with drinks!

This same street, 8th St, is home to several other great bars and restaurants like Bittercreek Ale house, Red Feather Lounge, and The Matador.  The Matador continues to be one of my favorite small NW chains, and if you have a thing for tequila, get yourself to a Matador. 

ssn – I love Juniper and the Red Feather Lounge. I love any bar that has morning cocktails. Check out these menu items:

Saturday Market (Capital City Public Market)

8^th Street is also home to the Saturday market a good part of the year.  And while Boise does have a fantastic farmer’s market, the Saturday Market on 8^th street has many food vendors, arts and crafts, and artisanal bakers.  We have bought some fabulous handmade jewlery, a doggie bandana, and some fantastic bottled seasoning blends, all locally made.  And we are huge fans of supporting local businesses.

ssn – the public market really is fun. It is the perfect legitimat,e cover for being downtown and day-drinking. Of course, don’t blame us when you end up spending way too much money!

More Favorites

10 Barrel

Our very first trip to Boise was the year that 10 Barrel opened their new Alehouse in Boise.  10 Barrel is most definitely a Pacific Northwest standard for great beer.  Started as a small microbrewery in a garage in Bend, OR, it grew to include a great ale house in Bend, then they opened a Brew Pub in downtown Boise.  At the time it was built with this brand new concept of open air dining, with great big roll up walls that opened out to the main street.  It was where Peggy first discovered Sparkle Party (since discontinued).

It continues to produce amazing food and beer and is a great place to have lunch with the family, is kid friendly, and the relaxed, fun atmosphere of the staff makes this a great solid choice for food and beer. 

While not necessarily for day-drinking, when in Boise, Bardenay and Bar Gernika are local favorites and definitely worth a trip. A couple of our other favorites, Amsterdam and The Whiskey Bar, will be covered in our Boise Pedals and Pints post! And lastly, a night of Dueling Pianos at The Brickyard is always a good time!

Brunch, because you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!

Now, if you didn’t take my advice about brunch at Eureka!, I am going to cut you some slack and give you a couple of my top brunch picks.  One, BACON, I am pretty sure the name says it all. . .it’s Bacon, y’all.

Bacon

Don’t go here if you are vegetarian, and don’t come at me about the lack of vegetarian options here either, go put their meat in your mouth.  Get the bacon sampler, don’t argue with me, shot glasses of multi-seasoned bacon.  Bacon is owned by one of the very best chefs in Boise:  John Berryhill.

If you see his name attached to anything, know this is where you need to feed your soul.  Yes, they have a bacon bloody mary, but more importantly, they offer carafes of mimosas, and they come in several flavors, including blackberry – what I’m saying not just orange juice!  Get two, or three, don’t be shy, try them all.  The Benny Hill is a winner with it’s chipotle hollandaise, and also love The Arkansas. If you are a sweets for breakfast person, you will love the brioche frenchy.

Wait, I said two brunch spots, didn’t I?  I got so lost in that bacon sampler wet dream.  Number Two, is one of those places locals all say “GO” and that it’s worth the wait, so we were naturally hesitant, because usually these types of places are over-rated; not so with Goldy’s.

Goldy’s

We got to Goldy’s early during a sister-sneak out early morning fun run, luckily that meant the wait was brief.  This was a perfect #sisbehaving sneak out breakfast, and “they” who said GO were so beyond correct.  There is the corner bakery, then there is the eclectic cafe next door.  Get the loaded sunrise mimosa, and then order a second.  The red flannel hash was fantastic, beets and potatoes are a great combination and a great diversion from typical hashbrowns; their local cured sausages are life changing.  We loved Goldy’s and can’t wait until life brings us back to her!!!

Other Favorites

Fork – One of the consistently top rated restaurants in Boise is Fork. Love the atmosphere, the brunch and the cocktails. Once again, carafes of mimosas. Definitely worth a go.

Waffle Me Up – No drinks but definitely worth a stop! Sweet & Savory breakfast essentials on waffles. Fantastic! They make their own waffle batter, and have it perfected for light fluffiness.

The Griddle – This is a family favorite. It isn’t downtown but nearer to Boise State. Truly delicious brunch food and bakery items. Plus, pitchers of Mimosas!

Other Boise Activities

Just because we are primarily writing about our favorite eats & drinks, this hip, low-key city has lots to offer.

Boise State University

Hike Table Rock

Go to Bogus Basin Ski Area

We hope you enjoyed this little virtual bar crawl and that it comes in handy when you visit Boise! And you really should visit Boise!

Others in our Day Drinking Series

Seattle – Day Drinking Downtown Seattle

Savannah – Day Drinking, Accidental Drunks and Killer Eats

Dallas – Day Drinking in the Big D

Kansas City – Day Drinking in the Heart of America

Or Try Our Speakeasy Guides

Seattle – Tiki, Thai, Speakeasy and Sushi

Las Vegas – Speakeasy Guide