‘We have had our eye on Boise’: Northwest seafood chain to open new restaurant Downtown

Seafood lovers in Downtown Boise will have a new place to get hooked next year.

Kirkland, Washington-based Anthony’s Restaurants plans to open its first Boise location in the spring of 2020. It will be on the ground floor of the J.R. Simplot Company headquarters on West Front Street, next to Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP).

A family-owned chain that got its start in 1969, Anthony’s has 27 locations, including one in Coeur d’Alene.

“We have had our eye on Boise for quite some time,” Anthony’s founder Budd Gould said in a media release. “We always envisioned Boise being a perfect fit for Anthony’s, and are thrilled that we are going to be in such close proximity to the city’s vibrant downtown dining scene.”

The 7,500-square-foot Boise restaurant will serve fresh seafood from the Pacific Northwest, according to the release. It will come from Seattle-based Anthony’s Seafood Company, a wholesale division founded in 1984. The restaurant will include an espresso bar, plus an outdoor, covered, 1,200-square-foot seating area overlooking the courtyard and park at Simplot headquarters.

The menu at an Anthony’s restaurant varies daily based on fresh fish selection. A sample menu at the Coeur d’Alene location includes choices such as Anthony’s Award-Winning Clam Chowder ($5/$8), Alaska True Cod ‘n Chips ($16), Wild Walleye ($24) and Prawns Tempura ($20). That menu also features steak options ranging from Steak & Prawns ($31) to a 14-ounce Double R Signature Rib Eye ($42).

Before opening the Coeur d’Alene restaurant in 2016, the Gould family already had ties to Idaho. Anthony’s Restaurants part-owner JJ Gould, son of Budd Gould, has lived in Idaho since 1994 and moved to Boise in 2000.

Online: anthonys.com.

This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 12:25 PM.