5 updates from Treasure Valley restaurant scene: Meridian is a hot spot

New and rebranded restaurants slated for Meridian, including at The Village, and the closure of a Boise doughnut spot highlight the Idaho Statesman’s recent reporting on the Treasure Valley’s changing dining scene. Here’s a roundup of the latest news.

• An upscale gastropub chain, Culinary Dropout, plans to open a 7,000-square-foot location with two covered patios at The Village at Meridian. The Culinary Dropout likely will feature live music, signature soft pretzels with provolone fondue and 36-hour slow-braised pork ribs, but no opening timeline for the Meridian location has been shared.
• A new Vietnamese restaurant called Xin Chao is planning to open at 2970 N. Eagle Road in Meridian, taking over the former Urban Fox Coffee & Boba space. Xin Chao’s owner, An Nguyen, is a longtime real estate agent who previously ran 208 Pho & Vegan, which operated two Boise locations before its original North End spot was rebranded as Pho Real in 2022.
• Sweet Sensations, a Boise doughnut and boba shop with a 4.9-star Google rating, has permanently closed at 924 S. Vista Ave. in the Vista Village shopping center. A pottery slip-casting business called Clayful Creations LLC is taking over the former Sweet Sensations space and hopes to debut in July.
• Umi Japanese Shabu Shabu in Meridian closed May 20 and plans to reopen June 1 offering expanded all-you-can-eat sushi. Umi arrived in Meridian in 2024 at 2325 E. Fairview Ave. with a hot pot concept and has one other location in Salt Lake City.
• Utah-based Zao Asian Grill is continuing to expand in the Treasure Valley. The fast-casual chain known for its customizable bowls, salads and wraps has leased the longtime Deli George spot at 220 S. Broadway Ave. Zao hopes to open new restaurants in Eagle and Meridian in the coming months, after making its Idaho debut last year at The Village at Meridian, where it is rated 4.2 out of 5 stars on Google and 4.1 out of 5 on Yelp.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.