Iconic Boise diner with food ‘to die for’ opens new Meridian location. More is coming.

The owner of two iconic Boise restaurants revealed plans this summer to expand both to Meridian — at a single location.

A few weeks ago, the first finally opened.

The Capri Restaurant has officially welcomed the world at 1407 W. McMillan Road. If all goes according to plan, the 3,700-square-foot building also will be home to a new Delsa’s Ice Cream Parlour in March.

The Capri in Meridian serves home-style breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Try the popular biscuits and gravy ($6.45 small, $9.45 large), with fresh-baked biscuits and housemade sausage gravy. When Delsa’s joins the Meridian operation, it will take over at 3 p.m. each day, serving ice cream and dinner into the evenings.

The Capri has fed Idaho customers at 2520 W. Fairview Ave. in Boise since the early 1950s. Owner Nick West took over the diner-style eatery in 1998. In 2016, he gave it another classic touch by placing Rudy the Rooster from now-defunct Jim’s Coffee Shop on the roof.

Delsa’s, which opened at 7923 W. Ustick Road in 1961, became a West venture after he revived it following a short closure just over a decade ago.

Delsa’s in Boise already serves Capri’s entire lunch and dinner menu. So it made sense to continue that operation at the new two-in-one family restaurant in Meridian.

“Our burgers are really good, and our Philly cheese steaks are to die for,” West told the Statesman in July. “Our Philly is like you get in Philadelphia. Our rolls come from Philadelphia. We Cheez Whiz ’em like they do.”

Combine that with fresh, hand-crafted ice cream — Delsa’s concocts about 300 flavors of “really cool stuff,” West said — and he thinks the new Meridian spot is destined to “be a hit.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 4:00 AM.