This new restaurant just opened in the old Gino’s in Meridian, and Idaho already loves it
A familiar Meridian restaurant has reopened with an equally familiar new tenant.
Without even setting foot inside, it’s fair to say that Idaho diners already love the concept.
The Griddle has taken over the former Gino’s Italian Ristorante at 3015 N. McMillan Road, near the intersection of Ten Mile Road. The regional chain serves breakfast, brunch and lunch at six locations — five of them in the Treasure Valley, where it enjoys sustained success.
The Griddle was founded in 1948 in Winnemucca, Nevada. But its expansion has occurred exclusively in Idaho. The Griddle opened in Meridian in 2007, Eagle in 2009, Boise in 2012 and Nampa in 2017, according to its website.
If you peruse Google reviews — say, of the Griddle at 404 E. ParkCenter Blvd. in Boise — you’ll find lots of happy taste buds. After all, the Griddle’s marketing slogan is “Good cookin’.”
“Worth the wait! Great place to have breakfast,” reads a recent opinion. “Their food isn’t the run-of-the-mill generic chain foods. They have some really unique options, and they are all amazing. The atmosphere has a chill vibe, very casual and friendly. They are always very busy so you may have to wait for a table, and you will be asked not to linger and keep other customers waiting.”
At the newest Griddle, you probably won’t wait at all — for the moment. It quietly soft-opened Wednesday. Around midmorning, business was modest. But don’t be shocked if a stampede starts by this weekend.
Either way, expect an extensive menu. One packed with the kind of traditional, proven flavors that folks know and love.
Breakfast options run the gamut from Dads Hot Cakes (“family recipe from scratch”), waffles, crepes and french toast to eggs, omelets, benedicts, biscuits and gravy — and tons more. Customers can even spice things up with Mexican options ranging from huevos rancheros to a breakfast burrito.
Lunch is packed with all sorts of sandwiches (BLT, french dip, reuben) and hamburgers (patty melt, Jamaican jerk, jalapeno burger) to salads, tacos and more.
At the Griddle, food “is always made using fresh, locally sourced ingredients,” the chain promises. “This means no high fructose corn syrup, no dyes, no MSG, just real natural ingredients.”
It’s the kind of philosophy that keeps a restaurant in business for, well, 77 years.
The newest Griddle location is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Phone: (208) 639-1352.
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 1:44 PM.