Your Boise Bench Guide: What to know, how to explore city’s multicultural wonderland
It’s tough to fit the Boise Bench — known locally as just “the Bench” — into a category. Despite being situated close to downtown, the Bench and its eight neighborhoods are distinctly unique and full of character in their own right.
From the Depot Bench in the northeast that houses the 1920s Spanish-inspired train depot and surrounding parks to the grand mid- to late 1900s houses in Hillcrest and the Central Rim, the Bench is essentially a choose-your-own-adventure every time you visit.
The area got its name because it sits about 60 feet higher than downtown Boise, giving the impression that it looks over the city — as if sitting on top of a bench.
Where is the Boise Bench?
If you look at a map of Boise, just south of downtown, you’ll notice an oddly shaped circle of highways and interstates.
On the east side is Broadway Avenue (U.S. 26), which tracks into downtown Boise. On the southern edge of the Boise metro area is Interstate 84, which takes a slightly northward turn and meets with the I-184 Connector before heading westward.
The Bench’s boundaries are roughly defined by the “circle” among those highways, except for the northeast corner bound by Capitol Boulevard and the Boise River.
Although the Bench is seen as one area, it’s made up of eight neighborhoods:
Food and drink on the Bench
Like the Bench’s diverse architecture, the food scene is similarly eclectic. Whether you’re looking for Italian, Mexican, Asian, or even vegan barbecue food, you’ll find it on the Bench.
Let’s start with the vegan barbecue — a restaurant in the Depot Bench called BBQ4LIFE that Yelp recently named the best barbecue in Idaho. While the restaurant sells regular meat, it specializes in plant-based menu items such as a mushroom mozzarella burger or smoked tempeh sandwich.
Meanwhile, just half a mile apart in Morris Hill on Orchard Street, you can find two Bench classics: Luciano’s Italian Restaurant and Tango’s Empanadas. Luciano’s, a self-described “hole-in-the-wall,” has often been voted the best Italian restaurant in the Treasure Valley. Tango’s specializes in the Argentinian delicacy of empanadas and announced in April that it would appear on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
More restaurants to check out:
Chapala Mexican Restaurant - Authentic Mexican lunch and dinner, 1201 S. Vista Ave.
Petite 4 - Coffee and doughnuts breakfast patio, 4 N. Latah St.
Wyld Child - Exotic burgers and chicken sandwiches, 13 S. Latah St.
Yokozuna Teriyaki - Japanese-style cooking and teriyaki bowls, 824 S. Vista Ave.
Andrade’s Restaurant - Longtime Boise-area Mexican restaurant, 4620 W. Overland Road
Bench area shopping and activities
One of the jewel parks of Boise is beautiful Ann Morrison Park. The 153-acre park connects downtown Boise with the Bench and is a hot spot for outdoor recreationists during the warmer months. The Boise River Greenbelt runs along the park’s northern edge, and soccer fields, tennis courts, playgrounds and picnic spots can be found throughout the park.
The Aquarium of Boise is a nonprofit aquarium in the Borah neighborhood, located just off the Connector. The aquarium has 38 exhibits with over 250 species of aquatic animals, including a shark nursery, a ray pool and dozens of reptiles like chameleons and bearded dragons.
Or if you’re in the mood for shopping, Lee’s Candies has called the Depot Bench home since 1972. The candy store specializes in handmade chocolates and baskets.
“Lee’s just has the right combination of chocolate and other ingredients,” one customer told the Idaho Statesman in 2018. “They make a superb chocolate that matches up with any of the best European candies.”
Other spots only found on the Bench:
Antique World Mall and The Annex - Antiques dating back to Victorian style, 4544 W. Overland Road
Crone’s Cupboard - A new-age metaphysical store, 712 N. Orchard St.
Lounge at the End of the Universe - Comedy club and bar, 2417 Bank Drive
The Bench’s deep cultural past
The Boise Depot is one of the Bench’s iconic buildings. It was built in 1925 in the style of Spanish architecture, complete with bright white walls and dark red roof tiling, a 96-foot bell tower and a large brick plaza.
Initially used as a Union Pacific railroad depot, the building has been described as “the most beautiful structure of its kind in the West,” according to Boise Parks and Recreation.
The Bench is also home to the Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel synagogue, built in 1895 by German-Jewish immigrants. The synagogue was originally built in downtown Boise before being moved to the Bench in 2003 and is recognized as the oldest synagogue in continuous use west of the Mississippi River.
Other historic sites:
Hillcrest Country Club - Golf country club built in 1925, 4610 W. Hillcrest Drive
Morris Hill Cemetery - Cemetery with some of Boise’s most famous figures, 317 N. Latah St.
Kootenai Street - Some of Boise’s best mid-century architectural houses
South Pool - Built in the 1950s, one of Boise’s two above-ground pools, 921 Shoshone St.
History of the Bench
Most of the land south of the Boise River was once a dry desert, similar to what we now see south of the Treasure Valley toward the Snake River. But once water was made accessible in the late 1800s and the Union Pacific railroad depot made travel up to the Bench easier, the area soon exploded.
Over 160,000 acres were used for agriculture and the growth of apples, cherries and peaches, which is why Orchard Street is named what it is. Homes began springing up on Crescent Rim in 1929, taking advantage of some of the best views of downtown Boise and the Foothills in the area.
By the 1950s, the Bench community was genuinely coming to life, and the area was a delightful hodge-podge of different cultural and artistic styles. In the Central Bench, you can find Tudor-style homes inspired by 1500s England, while the Borah and Hillcrest neighborhoods are full of mid-century and ranch-style homes.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
