5 screaming deals at Boise restaurants and bars during Taste of Downtown all week
Want to go out for a bite that won’t sink its fangs deeply into your wallet?
Grab a Taste of Downtown.
Organized by the Downtown Boise Association, the 12th annual promotion features roughly 50 restaurants and bars offering specially priced, $12 deals for in-house dining. It’s a great way to sample places you might not have tried — or enjoy a bargain at your favorite.
Taste of Downtown started Oct. 28, but you still have a week to enjoy it. Offers go through Nov. 6.
In addition to $12 specials, some restaurants also have “social hours” and ambitious, multicourse “experiences” that cost more. To see the full Taste of Downtown menu, visit downtownboise.org/taste.
Here are five of the best deals.
1. Anzalone Pizza, The Warehouse Food Hall, 370 S. 8th St.
Been to The Warehouse Food Hall yet? If not, this is a perfect opportunity. You can nosh on Anzalone’s specialty, a 12-inch Thai curry pizza, for $12. It’s normally $22.50. The promotion is available from 5 p.m. to close. What exactly is a Thai curry pizza? It starts with panang curry sauce. Then it’s topped with cooked basil, red bell pepper, chicken and a bit of mozzarella. “We stand strong when we say we have the one and only REAL Thai pizza in the Treasure Valley,” say the husband and wife behind Anzalone. Alternate deal? Two large slices of pizza and two drinks for $12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2. Camp Cocktail Bar, The Warehouse Food Hall, 370 S. 8th St.
What goes great with Thai pie? Wine. Or cocktails. While waiting for your pizza, why not order adult beverages from Camp Cocktail? The special, available all day, is two cocktails or glasses of wine for $12. The mixed drinks are limited to a Buffalo Trace old-fashioned, Tito’s lemon drop, Espolon margarita or Tanqueray negroni. Or you can choose from any of their wines, meaning this is up to a $28 value.
3. Juniper, 211 N. 8th St.
If you’re in the mood for drinks and an app with a friend, look no further. This local restaurant and bar’s special is mouthwatering black sea salt oven bread and two cocktails for $12. You have a choice of a Juniper gin and tonic or a Moscow mule made with house-made ginger beer. Normal value? $34 ($10 bread, $12 each drink.) Note: The deal is available only from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. And, yes, the bread can be made dairy-free.
4. The Matador, 215 N. 8th St.
This $12 deal is a must-try. The Mexican restaurant and bar is offering three recipes in a single sitting. “Start with our sweet and smoky chargrilled stuffed jalapenos, stuffed with a four-cheese blend and finished on the grill. Next, enjoy our tender marinated skirt steak atop our signature spiced black beans and Mexican rice, accompanied by tender prawns with our two most popular housemade sauces, a perfect blend of savory and spice. Enjoy these with your choice of warm corn or flour tortillas with the cool freshness of our housemade guacamole, cilantro-lime sour cream, and pico de gallo. Cool your palate at the end with our famous fried ice cream, topped with cinnamon, caramel, and whipped cream.” The whole shebang for $12? Yeah, that’s definitely not gonna suck.
5. The Melting Pot, 200 N. 6th St.
When is the last time you dipped into some hot fondue? Even if you said yesterday, that’s arguably too long. The Melting Pot’s deal makes it difficult to resist this rich pleasure. You can order any cheese or chocolate fondue for $12 per guest, with a minimum purchase of two. (Normally each would be $25, so this is more than half off.) The deal, which is kid-friendly, is good from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 3 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. (OK, OK, the times aren’t during peak hours, but this still is a sweet deal.) One caveat: “No splitting or sharing, please!” says the Taste of Downtown website.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 4:00 AM.