Get to Know Boise’s Fine Dining Scene

If you’re looking for an anniversary dinner or just a fine dining experience for fun, a recent r/Boise Reddit post might be able to lend some help. Plus, I know we just wrapped up the biggest holidays, but Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.Predictably, a lot of the most recommended places are established steakhouses, or places with similar vibes. Here are a few of those recommendations:

Chandlers. Spendy, but tried and true.
The BrickYard Steakhouse. For fans of dueling pianos, and slightly lower prices than Chandlers.
Fork. Also tried and true, and honorable mention to their Italian joint around the corner, ÁLAVITA.
Red Feather Lounge. If you haven’t been since it closed for the pandemic, you might want to circle back, if only for the cocktails.

The Lively, also relatively new, has established itself as a beloved and innovative part of Boise's food landscape. [@thelivelyboise / Instagram]

Here are some of the newer restaurants that Boiseans recommended the most:

The Lively. u/morosco: “The Lively is really impressive — the service is a noticeable step above your normal Boise fine dining-type restaurant. It kind of feels like you’re in a different time and place.”
The Little Pearl Oyster Bar. A really new spot, this small 8th street restaurant has a lot of fans. u/gracelynnpatrick: “Second for Little Pearl Oyster Bar. Cozy, romantic, upscale, quiet, fantastic food, great drinks…all the best things.”
Wild Plum. u/alienigma: “Have done the Wild Plum greenhouse several times and it has never disappointed.” This is a great pick for a very private experience, since you can select a greenhouse to eat in.
KIN. Plus their bar just next door, the ART HAUS, which has truly incredible homemade pickles.

I left some out, and I’m sure I missed others. We’ll do this again, and expand outside of downtown.