‘Holy **** is right!’: ‘Ridiculous’ new bar to open. There’s ‘nothing like it’ in Boise

A mysterious new bar called Gatsby plans to open later this year.

The discreet entrance? In an alley.

But, clearly, Gatsby wants a few privy Idahoans to discover it.

“HUGE announcement,” proclaimed a Facebook post Wednesday hyping the “destination prohibition bar” planned for fall. “Holy **** is right!”

Gatsby will be in downtown Boise. Somewhere. Restaurateurs Will and Nicole Primavera — who own Sid’s Garage in Boise, Meridian and (soon) Phoenix — are keeping Gatsby’s precise location secret.

“Am I going to tell you where it is right now? No!” Will Primavera proclaimed excitedly in a video posted on the Sid’s Garage Facebook page. “Will you have to find it? Yes! Will it have the best cocktails, most authentic vibe you’ve ever been in, bar none, period? Absolutely yes.”

There’s “nothing like it” in the Treasure Valley, according to Primavera.

What does that mean? What exactly are we missing here in Boise, Meridian and beyond?

“What do we not have,” Primavera explained in the video, “that is ridiculous and over the top and authentic and something that’s a true destination? That’s a prohibition bar. One that you don’t know about. One that you do know about but you don’t tell people. One that has a changing passcode daily! One that will need a secret code. One that when you walk in you don’t know where you’re at.

“Will it have a private room? Yes! Will it have a bar that everybody wants to go to? Hell yes!”

But where’s the front door to Gatsby’s?

“It’ll be in an alley,” Primavera said in a phone interview. “Green light. Wooden sign with a skeleton key.”

You’ll knock on the door and provide a “password of the day,” he said.

Beyond the main Gatsby bar area? There will be an elite, private room. You won’t have to pay for drinks in that hidden, exclusive room. But you’ll need to be a member. It will have lockers or cubicles stocked specifically for each member — who already has paid a membership fee.

“It’ll be your favorite gins, bourbons and/or whiskeys and champagnes,” Primavera says. “Basically, as long as you don’t go over your allotment per month, you make a reservation and tip your server, and you’re good to go.

“We’re going to have some pretty rare, high-end stuff,” he added.

Oh, and that members’ room? “It’s a separate entrance off the alley,” Primavera said. “It’s around the corner.”

Keeping Gatsby’s location secret in the coming weeks and months won’t be easy. Not that this information is crucial, since the bar isn’t slated to sling drinks for another half a year or so.

When it does open? Just remember: Keep your eyes peeled.

Maybe hang out in dark alleys?

“Look for the green light,” Primavera said. “... Fun, right?”

For now, bargoers can follow Gatsby on Instagram: @gatsby19twenty.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 11:47 AM.