‘That just killed us’: Restaurant, bar closes locations in Garden City and Boise

Barrelhouse Pub and Grill is no more.

The locally owned restaurant and bar has closed both of its locations — one permanently, the other with a small ray of hope still shining through a window.

Launched in early 2020, the Barrelhouse at 5181 N. Glenwood St. in Garden City was closed Oct. 9, co-owner Jerry Miller said. There’s a “50-50” chance it could reopen, he added, depending on negotiations with the building’s landlords.

“It could open right back up,” he said. “It just depends on what they want to do.”

A second Barrelhouse at 855 W. Broad St. in downtown Boise was shuttered weeks after it was launched in late June. “That one’s gone,” Miller said. The short-lived concept had replaced an Italian-American restaurant called Deluca’s.

Financial troubles for the Barrelhouse in Garden City started in June, Miller said. The restaurant had been leasing a liquor license, but it was sold, he said. Consequently, Barrelhouse no longer could pour hard liquor.

“That just killed us,” Miller said. “… We thought we’d be able to hang on, maybe, but it’s just too much of a monthly loss.”

Meanwhile, the expansion Barrelhouse in downtown Boise never really got off the ground, he said. “We were just gettin’ killed in BoDo,” he explained.

Miller held out hope that the Garden City pub might get a second chance. The building’s landlords have “expressed a desire to help us keep it open,” he said.

“We’ll hear what they have to say, or what they’re willing to do to help. If it’s something we think we can work with, we’ll continue on. We might open back up. You never know.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 5:02 PM.