After 23 years, downtown Boise restaurant closes in historic Union Block building

There’s one less spot for craft beer and pizza in downtown Boise.

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, which opened at 730 W. Idaho St. in 1997, has closed in the historic Union Block building.

The closure was “purely a business decision,” according to Josh Kern, chief experience officer at Craftworks Holdings, which owns the national chain.

“It’s never easy to close a restaurant,” Kern said in an emailed statement. “We appreciate our teams and raving fans of the brand, and we certainly enjoyed operating this restaurant in downtown Boise. We continue to be optimistic about the future of Old Chicago and are pleased with recent progress made on several growth initiatives that we believe should have a meaningful impact on our business.”

Boise’s other Old Chicago location, at Boise Towne Square mall, remains open. It “absolutely” will stay in business for the foreseeable future, Kern said via email. It also debuted in 1997, shortly after the downtown Boise store.

Founded in 1976, Old Chicago offers the casual atmosphere of a sports bar with a menu of pizza and calzones, plus hamburgers, salads and more. Keeping pace with the popularity of craft beer, the company rebranded in 2013 from Old Chicago to Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, promoting its “World Beer Tour” and selection of 110 brews.

Online: oldchicago.com.

This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 11:43 AM.