Boise Is Big. Here’s Where to Eat, Drink, and Stay According to a Local Brewer.

Sunset’s Insider Guide series highlights seasonal diversions and secret travel tips from local experts. Follow along as we learn where to eat, drink, stay, and shop.

Chris Wellhausen

Meet the Insider: Keith Moreno, Head Chef, 10 Barrel Brewing Co.

Location: Boise, Idaho

Boise is a city that takes its beer seriously, and there’s no better place to start a pub crawl than 10 Barrel Brewing Co., where chef Keith Moreno is whipping up dishes like crispy brussels sprouts, wood-fired pizzas, and his award-winning Idaho potato nachos loaded with smoked pub cheese and all the fixings. Moreno served up meals for the 10 Barrel team of professional skiers and snowboarders in McCall, where he served the athletes smoked meats from a Big Green Egg for après, proving his chops both out in the field and in the commercial kitchen. Here, Moreno shares some of the high-low hits that this charming, rapidly growing city has to offer.

STAY

© Byron Mason Photography

A place that I love to stay in Boise for my staycations is Boise Heritage House , my local secret. It’s a beautiful house that’s over 100 years old, and used to be owned by Senator Frank Church. The Modern Hotel is the second place that I recommend. The Avery is super central and has a restaurant helmed by a Michelin-starred chef.

EAT

Courtesy of Tarbush Kitchen

I love my neighborhood food truck, El Chavo Taqueria . And I can’t forget Tarbush Kitchen for Middle Eastern food like falafel, Egyptian beans, and kebab. They are so good.

DRINK

Chris Wellhausen

10 Barrel Brewing Co. for sure. When it comes to downtown for food, beer, and cocktails with swagger, we are the spot. I’d also say the Matador Boise downtown. They have the best selection of cactus juice, also known as tequila, and made-from-scratch Mexican cuisine. Little Dutch Garden , or as we call it LDG, is a neighborhood watering hole that can’t be missed.

DO

christiannafzger/Getty Images

In the summertime, the list of things to do outdoors in Boise is endless. Grab some friends, a raft, snacks, and some drinks and float the Boise River . Next I love to go out to the Owyhee Mountains and off-road with a UTV. Another great thing to do is to catch one of the live music shows at the Knitting Factory or Neurolux .

SHOP

Mixed Greens in downtown is a great place for shopping for my odds and ends, and then for kitchenwares and home goods, it has to be the Mixing Bowl .