Tried it all, Boise? New restaurant to open with Puerto Rican food — and rooftop patio.

If you’ve never visited Wepa Cafe, don’t feel too bad.

Owner and chef Art Robinson has been in business for only a year and a half.

Also, there is no actual cafe. Wepa is a mobile operation with a pop-up tent.

But here’s good news for adventurous diners: Wepa Cafe is preparing to go brick-and-mortar.

Serving “authentic Puerto Rican cuisine,” Wepa should open before the end of the year at 201 E. 35th St. in Garden City. The 1,750-square-foot restaurant will have capacity for approximately 30 or 40 diners inside, another dozen on an outdoor patio, and roughly 20 on a rooftop patio, Robinson says.

He’s hoping for a soft opening as soon as November or December, before shifting into grand-opening gear in early 2021.

“I’m over-the-moon excited,” he said in a phone interview.

To be fair, Robinson is like that a lot. At least when he’s teaching Boise diners about Puerto Rican food — and encouraging them to shout “Wepa!” between bites. (“Wepa” is a popular Puerto Rican exclamation of joy.)

Robinson’s mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He still has family there. The reason Robinson founded Wepa Cafe in the first place was “to bring some pure Puerto Rican culture to the Treasure Valley,” he said proudly.

Puerto Rican food pulls influences from Spanish, Caribbean and African styles. Robinson’s signature dish is pernil, or slow-roasted pork shoulder, often served with sides of rice, beans and plantains. (Try it with a cold beer, which Wepa Cafe will serve.)

But the Wepa menu item that gets requested most? Mofongo. “It’s smashed green plantains with garlic and pork rinds,” Robinson said, “and it can be served as a side dish, or it’s molded into a bowl and stuffed with different meats — whether it be pork or shrimp or chicken.”

Interested in learning more about Puerto Rican or Latin American cuisine? Or tracking down some Wepa Cafe food right now? Keep up with Robinson’s offerings on the Wepa Cafe Facebook page. Or visit the Wepa website at wepaprcuisine.com.

In the meantime, don’t be surprised if you hear cries of “Wepa!” coming from the direction of the moon.

“It’s been a great ride so far,” Robinson said, “just doing it out of the back of a pickup truck. So I can’t wait to actually be in a place and do it full-fledged.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 4:00 AM.