‘I AM CRYING’: This historic Boise restaurant plans to reopen. Folks are stoked
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A Boise couple plans to reopen the Trolley House this year, timing uncertain.
- They plan to rebuild a kitchen, refresh menu, add beer/wine and a kid/dog patio.
- Community response is strong as couple seeks to preserve building charm and local role.
A landmark Boise restaurant that’s been closed for years is on track to be reborn, thanks to a married couple who live in the neighborhood.
The historic Trolley House, 1821 E. Warm Springs Ave., has new owners. Mandi Carvalho and Matt Mahaffey said they bought the property in mid-March and plan to reopen it with a reinvented menu that includes beer and wine.
They have lived in Boise’s East End for nearly five years. And their young children eventually will attend Adams Elementary School next door to the restaurant.
“We walk and drive by the Trolley House multiple times a day,” Carvalho said. “We see it empty. And we’ve been hoping for it to reopen for a long time. We just figured this might be an opportunity.”
The Trolley House will serve breakfast and lunch when it reopens. Precisely when it will return remains to be seen, though. “Definitely this year,” Carvalho said.
“We would obviously hope to open this summer, but there’s so much that is not up to us.”
Later, during “phase two,” it will serve dinner.
Either way, this won’t be your grandpa’s Trolley House.
“The only thing we’re keeping is the name,” Carvalho said. “We want to make sure that people can come in and feel like this is part of the community ... we don’t want to remove that. ... But our menu will definitely be refreshed.”
The idea is to offer “more elevated” food, she said. “We want something that is a little bit quicker but still has quality, healthier ingredients — things that you feel good about eating but don’t necessarily take a long time. ”
The Trolley House will be a place for families to grab breakfast before class starts at Adams Elementary. Premade bag lunches for kids will be sold, too. In the evening, the restaurant will shift to a more “sophisticated vibe,” Carvalho said, with a more formal or lounge-like feel.
Prior to returning to action, there’s construction to be done.
“We’re trying to put a kitchen back in it,” Mahaffey said. “They stripped everything out of it, so we’re starting from square one.”
The Trolley House’s interior will retain its charm, with “the layout that people already know and love,” Carvalho said, but they also are “looking into a dog-friendly, kid-friendly patio.”
Feedback about the Trolley House’s return has been positive, to say the least. “People are really excited,” Carvalho said.
“I AM CRYING,” one social media commenter exclaimed in all-caps. “My husband and I walked here for breakfast dates for years! So excited it’s coming back!”
The Trolley House was “originally the end of the line for the Boise Transit System’s street car,” according to its website. “The company went bankrupt in the 1920s, and a restaurant named the Avenue Inn was established.
“In 1976, the restaurant became the Trolley House, a family-owned-and-operated business that has continued the traditions of generous portions, quality food and a commitment to excellent service. The building is on the National Historic Register (National Register of Historic Places), and every effort has been made to preserve the history and charm of the building.”
Carvalho and Mahaffey don’t have a restaurant background, but this won’t be their first business. They own Leap Years, a toddler playground with three Treasure Valley locations.
When the Trolley House was put up for sale a few years ago, the price was out of their range. “And then fast-forward to now,” Carvalho said. “We reached out to the owner. We asked a lot of questions. ... And it just became the right opportunity for us.
“It’s kind of ... destiny.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2026 at 4:00 AM.