After years of nearly perfect reviews, Boise restaurant closes. ‘The best is yet to come’
A local strip-mall restaurant with a passionate fan base has called it quits.
But its owners hope to resurface elsewhere.
Koco Bell, a Korean street food restaurant in West Boise, has closed permanently at 13601 W. McMillan Road, suite 104. The space has been taken over by Tommy’s Italian.
After launching as a food stand at Five Mile and Ustick roads, Koco Bell opened its small brick-and-mortar in 2021. The restaurant served authentic Korean and fusion food ranging from kimbap to barbecue boxes and — as I can personally attest (yum!) — rich, tasty Korean corn dogs.
Owners Jaikoo “Steve” Kang and his wife, Mariela, built a loyal following. Koco Bell racked up a nearly perfect 4.9 out of 5.0 stars from 221 Google reviews. It also earned an exceptional 4.8 out of 5.0 on Yelp.
Announcing the closure, the Kangs posted messages on social media thanking customers. “The best is yet to come!” Mariela Kang promised.
Koco Bell’s owners want to “open up another location that is much bigger,” according to its Instagram page, “and we plan to serve all sorts of Korean food.”
A timeline and location were not shared.
“Thank you to all of our loyal followers that kept us going and thank you to those who helped in our restaurant,” Koco Bell wrote. “We hope to do more with you guys in the near future!”
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 4:46 PM.