Award-winning fresh lobster restaurant was coming to Boise. Now it’s on indefinite hold
Editor’s note: This article was updated after Freshies Lobster Co. clarified its initial response.
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Its motto is “from shore to door in 24.”
But if you live in Idaho, you’ll have to wait a bit more.
Freshies Lobster Co. isn’t coming to downtown Boise. At least not this summer.
Known for its award-winning “world’s best lobster roll,” the Utah brand was supposed to help fill the newly opened, highly anticipated Warehouse Food Hall, 370 S. 8th St.
Freshies’ launch in Boise has been put on “indefinite hold,” according to owner Lorin Smaha. The seafood purveyor was not among the 11 food and beverage vendors that debuted inside the vibrant, 29,000-square-foot Warehouse on July 12.
The Warehouse website says Freshies is “coming this fall.” That might be, uh, fishful thinking. “As soon as we are able to revisit an opening there,” Smaha said, “we will be sure to let you know.”
Theoretically, Freshies would be a catch for downtown Boise. It certainly was the most intriguing food option hyped at The Warehouse. Fresh Maine lobstah? That’s not something you typically find at Idaho fast-casual restaurants. Smaha is a “true New Englander at heart,” according to Freshies’ website — raised in New Hampshire.
In 2017, Freshies blew East Coast minds by winning “World’s Best Lobster Roll” honors at the Down East Lobster Roll Festival. It was the first-ever lobster roll festival in Portland, Maine, according to Boston.com.
The restaurant’s signature fresh lobster roll is served on a New England hot dog bun with mayonnaise, hot butter and seasoning — “very simple ingredients that let the quality of the lobster shine,” Smaha told Visitparkcity.com.
Other menu items include lobster macaroni and cheese, lobster bisque, spicy lobster sliders and more.
Founded in 2009, Freshies operates a food truck and two brick-and-mortar locations: one in Park City and another in Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 1:30 PM.