This downtown Boise restaurant has ‘run its course,’ so it closed permanently
When Wild Root abruptly shut its doors in downtown Boise a few weeks ago, the situation was framed as possibly temporary.
Not anymore.
“After much deliberation,” co-owner Dan Watt said in a message Sunday, “we have decided to permanently close Wild Root. (And) at the same time, vacate that space. We are looking for someone to take over the lease and do their own thing there.”
Located at 276 N. 8th St. on downtown Boise’s popular “restaurant row,” Wild Root — also known as Wild Root Cafe & Cocktails and Wild Root Kitchen & Cocktails — opened a decade ago. But as 2025 drew to a close, Watts explained that it had run into challenges.
“We’ve had a shift in our core employees just recently,” he said in late November. “First time in a long time. With that, along with the slowed spending that has happened over the last 18 months, we need to rethink certain areas of our business. Wild Root is one of those.”
Watts’ other downtown businesses — restaurants Saint Lawrence Gridiron and Rustica, and cocktail bar Suite 104 — remain open.
In a message to customers that announced the previously temporary closure, Wild Root explained that “there has been a significant slowdown in consumer spending, especially in restaurants starting late 2024. We’ve done our very best to keep prices in line with what makes sense to cover costs and provide full benefits for our amazing staff. However, with sales down across all entities this year, we must re-evaluate our operations and make the necessary difficult decisions to be a sustainable business.
“Also, for the first time in many years, we recently lost two key people in our organization, and they both were a large part of what made Wild Root special. Last, we are heading into the slower, winter months. Instead of scrambling to keep the doors open, we are going to shut it down to evaluate everything.”
With that evaluation period over, Wild Root has updated its website to reflect the permanent closure.
“Wild Root was open for 10 years total,” it says. “We ran it for five of those years. While we loved the food and our regular guests, we feel that Wild Root has run its course, and it’s time for something else to become of the space on 8th (Street).”
