The Best Brunch Spots In Boise, Idaho

Owners Cameron and Amanda Lumsden have created a perfect environment for a relaxing meal at their inviting restaurant Fork, featuring northwest-inspired cuisine. Located in an 1890s renovated bank, the laid-back interior features beautiful furnishing,s many made from recycled materials. Keeping the environment in mind, their tasty weekend brunch menu, which includes gluten-free options, highlights the bounty of the local area. Dishes to note include brunch favourite, Fork Benny, eggs benedict with local ham and house-made ‘benny’ sauce; fried chicken and Ballard cheddar waffle ‘sliders’ with orange-local honey butter and balsamic infused maple syrup. For wannabe bartenders, try the ‘build-a-Bloody Mary bar’.

Located in the up-and-coming Linen District in downtown, Big City Coffee is a popular place to linger over a steaming cup of coffee and tasty breakfast with friends and family. In business since 2001, this casual coffee house presents a warm and friendly environment in which home-style American fare and mouth-watering baked goods are served. The breakfast menu has a selection of steamed egg dishes, including the Spanish breakfast, steamed eggs served with tomatoes, salsa, potatoes, and warm tortillas; several bagel breakfast sandwiches, wraps, waffles and other breakfast favorites like biscuits and gravy. A must-try for any foodie, delectable baked goods, such as muffins, cinnamon rolls, and scones, are also available. With several vegetarian options, varied coffee choices, and an all-day menu, this is a great place for both early and late risers to enjoy a fantastic breakfast.

Established in 2000, Bardenay is the nation’s first restaurant-distillery, located in an old warehouse on the historic Basque Block in downtown. A small Idahoan chain with three establishments, Bardenay’s offers northwest cuisine and handcrafted drinks, many of which are made with liquors created on-site. On the weekends they provide a delicious brunch menu, including french toast, several egg dishes. Try the spicy chicken and bacon eggs benedict for a unique spin on the classic dish. Don’t forget to pair your meal with a delicious cocktail, such as the Sunday Paper Martini made with Bardenay’s lemon vodka and house-made Bloody Mary mix, for a full brunch experience in a comfortable albeit slightly industrial ambiance.

Located in the Old Boise Historic District in downtown, Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro serves up breakfast seven days a week. While they also serve lunch, this cozy restaurant is best known for breakfast as they have been voted as having the best breakfast in Boise year after year and were even featured as ‘One of America’s Top Ten Breakfasts’ in Bon Appétit magazine. Diners have the option of building their own meal or choosing dishes from the extensive menu. Popular choices to note include the veggie benedict with broccoli, asparagus, and tomato with Goldy’s famous hollandaise sauce and the fluffy blueberry pancakes. Every brunch diner will be satisfied.

Always having a passion for fine foods and inspired by delicacies discovered on her world travels, Lisa Peterson opened a’ Tavola in 2012. A marketplace located in the Linen District, it is a haven for foodies as it sells baked goods, fine cheeses, and specialty foods to name a few, plus it also has a café that serves breakfast and lunch during the week with a special Saturday brunch. Highlights from the brunch menu include the sweet and savory french toast and the Spanish scramble with chorizo, potatoes, piquillo peppers, paprika, and manchego cheese. With vegetarian options and a full espresso bar, it is a relaxing place to enjoy a delicious meal before perusing the rest of the store for yummy treats and cookbooks.

Bacon is a casual eatery where bacon lovers can go to fix their cravings. Owned by local chef and restaurateur John Berryhill, this light-filled restaurant offers an appealing ambiance while serving eight types of bacon from spicy to sweet (including a vegetarian option), tempting baked goods, and breakfast and lunch fare seven days a week. Popular items from the breakfast menu include the egg whites Mediterranean bake and the pancetta strata, which is a savory bread pudding with pancetta and vegetables. A unique place for sure, the brunch crowd will appreciate the food and drinks at Bacon.

Opened in 1999, the Cottonwood Grille is a fine dining establishment serving up northwestern cuisine. Using locally-sourced seasonal ingredients, Chef Jesus Alcelay creates mouth-watering dishes for the lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch menus. Savory items to note from the brunch menu include the Basque omelet filled with chorizo, sautéed garlic, onions, bell peppers and manchego cheese and the signature Cottonwood Benedict with poached eggs and grilled smoked pork loin on English muffins with béarnaise sauce. With a gorgeous patio set along the banks of the beautiful Boise River and Greenbelt, this is a relaxing venue to enjoy a lingering brunch.

Established in 2002, Red Feather Lounge is a downtown restaurant that serves contemporary American cuisine in a swanky but comfortable atmosphere. A supporter of the sustainable movement, this restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients when possible in their inventive dishes. Serving lunch and dinner, they also feature a delicious weekend brunch menu with a variety of egg dishes and specialty items. The butcher bacon and bourbon Benedict, which is corn griddle cakes topped with house smoked butcher bacon, poached eggs and a bourbon barrel aged maple syrup; and the breakfast pizza, which includes roasted potatoes, red pepper, onion, bacon, scrambled eggs, and sausage gravy; are two unique highlights. With several choices for vegetarians as well, all foodies can savor the menu at Red Feather Lounge.

‘Wake Up and Live’ is the motto at Java Coffee and Café. With its roots in the San Diego coffee culture, the warm and friendly small Idahoan chain (five locations in Idaho plus one in Connecticut) has two cafés in Boise. Using the best ingredients possible and making everything from scratch, the breakfast menu is served all day so brunch aficionados can get their fix anytime. Creative options to note include the hippie breakfast burrito, which is a flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, black beans, tomatoes, and onions topped with verde crème fraiche, and the Java Benedict, the traditional classic served on a toasted bagel. With plenty of vegetarian options, fair trade and certified organic coffee, and a selection of all-natural teas, foodies will enjoy their time at this cheerful establishment.
Courtesy of Java Coffee and Café

A great breakfast or brunch list in Boise would not be complete without mentioning Capri Restaurant. This old school diner has been a staple in Boise for numerous years and has an almost cult-like following. Repeatedly voted as having the ‘Best Local Hangover Food’, customers feast on classic American diner fare, and while the menu has many tasty options, repeat patrons recommend the biscuits and gravy or the capri special, which is scrambled eggs and ham on an English muffin smothered with cheese sauce and served with hash browns. While the wait on weekends can be long, it is worth it to dine at this true greasy spoon.
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