Summer starts with plenty of Boise, Meridian restaurant news. Here’s the latest

The Treasure Valley dining landscape is shifting fast this summer, with new concepts launching, chains expanding and a longtime favorite saying goodbye. Here’s a look at recent restaurant news from the Idaho Statesman.

• Spud Daddy, a fast-casual baked potato concept, opened last week at 404 S. 8th St. in the BoDo district, featuring customized loaded taters in a Chipotle-style assembly-line format. The restaurant is using 40-count russets from Sun Valley Potatoes, weighing about 1 1/4 pounds each, and also partnered with Westside Drive In to offer the ice cream potato for dessert.
• Vessel Kitchen, a Utah-based fast-casual chain with 10 locations, opened its first Idaho restaurant on the ground level of the Hemingway building in downtown Eagle. The chain features protein-packed bowls, naan tacos and scratch-made sides.
• First Watch opened its third Idaho location Monday at 6192 N. Linder Road in Orchard Park, and for America’s fastest-growing sit-down and breakfast chain, this continued a focus on the Treasure Valley city that is restaurant chain heaven: Meridian. It has all three First Watch spots.
• Umi Japanese Shabu Shabu in Meridian, which closed May 20 to rebrand as an all-you-can-eat sushi concept, has pushed its reopening to July 13. The hot-pot restaurant is a cook-at-your-table experience.
• Spice Indian Cuisine in Meridian is closing June 27 as owners Madhu and Sudesh Jain retire, capping a Treasure Valley Indian-food legacy that began in the 1990s with Madhuban Indian Cuisine. The restaurant’s many fans are sad to see it go, but the Jain family is selling a cookbook titled “House of Spice: A Family Cookbook.”
• Six Idaho restaurants earned 2026 Wine Spectator Awards, including Best of Award of Excellence honors for Chandlers in Boise, Coa Del Mar in Eagle, The Narrows Steakhouse in McCall and Beverly’s at Coeur d’Alene Resort.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.