This restaurant’s food is ‘unreal’ good. It’s coming to Boise — with a bar
When first-timers scan the menu at Bao Boi in Garden City, they’re not always sure what to expect from the Asian concept of steamed buns, bowls and sushi.
Prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Or more.
“Picked up takeout from here for the first time today,” a Google reviewer wrote recently, “and I am blown away by the food here. It is unreal how good it is.”
Now it’s downtown Boise’s turn.
After exiting the Warehouse Food Hall in 2024 and opening a full-on restaurant at Garden City’s Boardwalk apartments, Bao Boi is returning downtown — with bigger plans.
Bao Boi plans to open a second restaurant soon, with a liquor license, on the street level of Local Boise apartments, 250 E. Myrtle St.
“It’s gonna be huge,” Bao Boi owner-chef Frank Jordan said in a message, adding a grinning emoji.
Jordan has reason to smile. Reviews of his Boardwalk restaurant — right next to the Boise Greenbelt — range from strong (4.0 out of 5.0 on Yelp) to exceptional (4.7 out of 5.0 on Google).
“We took our daughter for her birthday; the food was amazing!” a recent Yelp review gushed. “We got the Korean corn dog, then another, then a third! Rice bowls amazing, kimchi rice amazing!”
There’s no reason to think Bao Boi’s expansion downtown, not far from Whole Foods, will be received any less enthusiastically.
“We are sticking to the original night market concept,” Jordan explained, “with all the Bao Boi street food classics and rice bowls being the main attractions.
“We will have a 10-seat sushi counter and also a dessert/pastry kiosk featuring kakigori, which is Japanese shaved ice with various toppings. We will also have a drink kiosk with boba and other options.”
The restaurant will be fast-casual, he said, but include table service. Customers will order by scanning a QR code or using a kiosk, then the food will be brought to them.
Bao Boi also will have “a cool lounge area for the bar,” he said.
“We’re planning to have a really cool happy hour, with our target market being the lunch crowd and college students.”
When will Bao Boi’s new Boise spot open?
Hopefully in August or September, he said, if all goes according to plan.
“We are super excited,” Jordan said.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM.