Longtime Boise neighborhood bar to pour final drinks. Its closure is no surprise
The end is near for a familiar neighborhood bar in southeast Boise.
The Eastside Tavern, 1228 S. Oakland Ave., plans to call it quits after a final night May 16. Not that this comes as a shock.
In a good-natured social-media post titled, “Attention losers,” the bar’s owner revealed in October that “all good things must come to an end,” “my time at Eastside is up” and “I will be closing this chapter in May of 2026.”
As a friendly reminder, Eastside posted an update a couple of weeks ago: “Our amazing staff will be pouring our last drinks on May 16,” it wrote. “Thank you for everything, Eastsiders. You made this place more than a bar … you made it home.”
But (dum, dum, duuuuum!): Is it truly the end? Nobody would blame you for wondering.
After all, the Eastside announced in 2022 that it would be closing after 27 years. That was when it was at 610 E. Boise Ave. Instead, it wound up moving to its current building, the former home of another dive bar, Cricket’s Tavern, which had been around even longer than the Eastside.
Either way, regulars are probably coming to grips with a glass-half-empty feeling. There wasn’t exactly a tidal wave of reaction to the news on social media months ago. But a few comments provided a glimpse into the inherent camaraderie that grows inside a local neighborhood pub. Where live music, karaoke, pool, pinball — and alcohol-loosened personalities — transform it into something more than just a place for a drink.
“Eastside got me through grad school,” wrote one commenter. “Farewell!”
“If those walls could talk,” added another.
“This is a tragedy,” is all another one offered.
The Eastside isn’t the only watering hole saying goodbye in May. Whiskey Bar in downtown Boise also will close after a final evening this Saturday.