A new family-owned BBQ restaurant just opened in Boise. You can thank Meridian
Going out to feast on barbecue nowadays can be a bit of a sticker-shock situation — and based on market predictions, beef’s not likely to get cheaper anytime soon.
Still, Idahoans love their smoked flesh. Devouring it and debating about it. So expect Boise meat lovers to grill each other thoroughly about the newest restaurant to open in the City of Trees: Big Daddy’s BBQ.
A longtime, family-operated Meridian restaurant, Big Daddy’s has expanded with a second location at 4903 W. Overland Road. It’s in the former Andrade’s (and Shakey’s) building near the intersection of Orchard Street.
A relatively well-known Treasure Valley brand, Big Daddy’s has a Yelp rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, and a Google reviews number of 4.5 out of 5.
The restaurant started after founders Hoss and Khaseta Grigg made the leap from a food truck to a Meridian restaurant in 2012. Within three years, they outgrew the spot and moved to nearby 1551 W. Cherry Lane. The operation expanded with a second restaurant in 2018 on Fairview Avenue near Five Mile Road in Boise, but it shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened.
The charismatic Hoss Grigg unexpectedly died in late 2020. But that hasn’t stopped the family from taking a second stab at a Boise restaurant.
Like plenty of Boise residents, I’ve never managed to try Big Daddy’s. But the extensive menu runs the gamut from meat platters, smoked burgers and sandwiches to tasty-sounding sides such as loaded garlic mashed potatoes, smoked green beans with bacon and onion, and a cup of chili with jalapeno cornbread. Big Daddy’s also does apps (BBQ nachos, yes!), salads and desserts.
The Boise Bench restaurant officially opened Monday, so there might be a first-week kink or two to smooth out. Otherwise, customers should expect what the brand has delivered in the Treasure Valley for years.
Let’s hope for the quality the late Hoss Grigg once mentioned to the Idaho Statesman: “stupid-good” food.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 12:19 PM.