‘Massive’ Boise restaurant, bar, music, game venue to open in May. Goal? ‘The best ... period’
Even if you remember inhaling pasta at the Old Spaghetti Factory, it’s easy to forget how large that restaurant was.
Prepare to be reminded, Boise.
When the 10,500-square-foot space reopens as Western Proper, its impact on downtown Boise could be equally sizable. An offshoot of Garden City brewery Western Collective, Western Proper plans to open in late May — by Memorial Day weekend — at 610 W. Idaho St.
This is not a brewery launching a second taproom.
Open at 7 a.m. daily, the multifaceted destination will be a craft coffee and breakfast spot. A Wi-Fi and laptop hangout. A lunch and dinner restaurant with “upscale Western fare.” A full-liquor bar. A 400-capacity music venue with a legit stage. And a game center with four miniature bowling lanes, Skee-Ball, sports on TVs and more.
Searching for an expansion location, Western Collective owner Cary Prewitt was struck by the potential of the building, he says. It had been empty since national chain the Old Spaghetti Factory closed its restaurant in 2013.
“I was like, ‘This has got to be the last massive space available downtown for the foreseeable future.’ There’s nothing else down there near 10,000 square feet that has that kind of feel.”
A Texas transplant who moved to Boise in 2018 after living in Austin for 12 years, Prewitt was inspired by his former city’s bustling bar, restaurant and music scene.
“One of my favorite venues in Austin was Stubb’s Bar-B-Q,” he says. “I love the fact that you could go eat dinner there and then go to a show. That’s part of the reason I wanted to have a stage — and then have a dining room separate. It just allows for so many different experiences in one setting.”
“Having a kid, I can take him to play games. Or I can take family and friends who come into town for a drink at the bar.”
Two bar areas will mix craft cocktails — and with a popular Texas flourish. “Tito’s will be my well vodka,” Prewitt says. Western Collective beers will be poured exclusively, along with Western Wines (the brewery’s custom-blended wine line) and other wines.
With spacious outdoor patios in front of roll-up garage-door windows, Western Proper will beckon Boiseans from early morning to late night. Minors will be welcome except in the Cowboy Bar, a lounge immediately to the right as you enter.
Initially called Western Social, Western Proper has been fine-tuned to attract a wide swath of customers. And to do it all — Southwestern food, pour-over Doma Coffee, even concerts from touring bands — at a high level, Prewitt says.
“It’s very thought-out. None of it’s half-ass,” he says. “The core mission is our brand is to be the best products, service and experience in Idaho. Period. We want to do everything big and do it well.”
Online: @westernproper, westernproper.com.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 4:00 AM.