‘To weather this storm,’ downtown Boise pub to close. ‘This is definitely not the end.’

Battered by the coronavirus pandemic and chilly temperatures, another downtown Boise dining establishment has announced its closure.

Matlack’s, 1100 W. Front St., has shuttered temporarily. The closure is “for the winter, to regather and weather this storm,” the pub announced on Facebook. It was open through Sunday, Dec. 20.

Matlack’s opened in February in the former PreFunk beer bar. The newly remodeled business, which added a kitchen, describes itself as a public house and “beergarten.”

“This has been a difficult year for everyone, and we are no exception,” Matlack’s wrote on Facebook. “We never would have expected that this would be our first year in business, but we are proud of the effort our staff has put into making it work and are grateful for your patronage.

“This is definitely not the end of Matlack’s and we look forward to the day when we can all gather safely and just have fun again.”

Matlack’s is just one of several restaurants that announced closures last week in the Boise area. El Gallo Giro closed Dec. 23 at 615 W. Main St. Nearby Kiwi Shake & Bake shut its doors Dec. 20. Those are permanent.

Caffe Luciano’s, 3588 N. Pospect Way in Garden City, shuttered Dec. 20. Like Matlack’s, the plan is temporarily for the winter, it said. But reopening is not entirely certain, its general manager told the Statesman.

This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 12:11 PM.