New second-floor outdoor bar opens in Boise with discounted menu. The view? ‘Beautiful’

Boiseans have a familiar but relaxing new spot for drinks and bites — and a view of the city.

Red Umbrella Bar, a casual outdoor hangout, will debut Friday on the second-floor plaza at Richard’s Restaurant & Bar, 500 S. Capitol Blvd.

Located at the Inn at 500 Capitol, it’s a fresh concept for an exterior area historically utilized mostly for catering, then for dining during the pandemic.

“We wanted to use this amazing second-floor outdoor space as a fun, casual bar where guests can enjoy a drink and some bites — either before dinner downstairs at Richard’s, or before heading off and exploring downtown Boise,” Richard’s general manager Jim Borton Jr. said in a statement.

When patrons take a seat, they’ll be handed a free bowl of bar mix. (Additional bowls are $2.) Munching away, they can peruse Red Umbrella’s menu. It will offer craft cocktails, beer, wine and appetizers. Better yet, “everything on the menu is ‘happy hour’ pricing all night,” Borton added.

The cocktails will be unique to Red Umbrella — such as the Red Umbrella ($13, Tito’s Vodka, Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, pomegranate, simple syrup, lemon, prosecco and rosemary). And if guests want to nibble, they can grab summer-friendly outdoor finger snacks. Some apps are from the Richard’s menu, while others — such as bruschetta ($7) and shrimp cocktail ($12) — are available only at the outdoor bar. Classic hand-cut potato chips are $5. A charcuterie and cheese platter is $19. Or try whipped feta for $11 — “which is really good stuff,” assistant manager Ryan Buddenbohm explained by phone.

Red Umbrella Bar’s name was inspired by umbrellas that decorate the space. The area is “good-sized” yet “kind of intimate feeling,” Buddenbohm said, with room for about 50 to 60 people.

And the view? “It’s great,” he said. “Especially once we get into the heart of summer, too, when the sun sets — it’s so beautiful.

“We have heaters out there, too, in case it gets a little chilly.”

Red Umbrella Bar will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. on First Thursdays, plus 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 to 9 p.m. Sundays for Industry Night, which targets hospitality workers. There will be live music from 5 to 7 p.m. twice monthly on Industry Night.

When COVID-19 battered bars and restaurants, Richard’s began using the outdoor plaza to jump-start business. “And then we decided it went pretty well, actually,” Buddenbohm said, “and we would just try and use it as a summertime thing permanently.”

It’s “one of the benefits of COVID, I guess,” he explained. “The blessing and curse of it.”

Red Umbrella Bar is a spot where he’d like to chill himself, Buddenbohm said.

“I haven’t worked up there yet,” Buddenbohm explained, “but I just kind of want to go up there one of these nights to just hang out and read a book or something.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 4:00 AM.