Really Good Mexican Food is Not as Easy to Find in Boise as You Would Think

Jarritos Mexican Soda/unsplash

With the varied and vibrant community that we have here in the Treasure Valley, you (that’s the proverbial you, not meaning actually “you”) would think that it would be super easy to find outstanding Mexican food here in Boise. After all, Boise is the largest city as well as the capital city of the Great State of Idaho.

U.S. Census Bureau data for Boise

As the chart above shows from 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Boise predominantly reports as being of a White Race (83.2%), whereas Hispanic and/or Latino reported about 9%. We know there is always wiggle room in these numbers because they are self-reported, and there might be people who do not wish to report their race or national origin.

Now let’s look at Ada County, which includes Boise and the surrounding areas of Meridian, Eagle, etc. And then we will combine that with Canyon County to the west, primarily consisting of Nampa and Caldwell.

U.S. Census Bureau data for Canyon County, Ada County, Boise

Canyon County is in the second column, Ada County in the third column, and Boise again, now in the fourth column. The bottom row shows the “White alone” percentage as being 70% in Canyon County, 84.3% in Ada County, and then the 83.2% in Boise. While the decrease in “white alone” reporting from Boise or Ada County to Canyon County is double digit, the increase in the Hispanic or Latino reporting in Canyon County is more than the decrease of the White only in Ada County and Boise.

Given that a fourth of the people in the Census in Canyon County self-reported as Hispanic or Latino, it stands to reason that there would be many good Mexican restaurants in that county. I typically don’t drive twenty miles for lunch, but I did pre-pandemic, and drove down a side street in Caldwell until I found a colorful building and went inside. The food was delicious, seasoned as I’ve had it in parts of Mexico, and large portions.

[side note: I’ve been to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico twenty-one times — yes I keep track. More than once down there in talking with locals they’ve asked where I was from. I’d respond “Boise, Idaho.” Several times the person responded, in good English, “I have a cousin who lives in Caldwell.” That’s a true story!]

Café Olé restaurant sign

Back to food in Boise. When my Mom was alive, she liked to go to Café Olé at the Boise Towne Square Mall. I am not sure what she really liked about the place, and it’s not that I dislike it. The food was always good; the servers friendly and mostly Caucasian; the place was clean. I’d give it a B for my rating of Mexican restaurants.

Then there is the Chapala chain, where many of us would go while I was still working. The food and staff was clearly authentic, fast, and good. But I couldn’t ever get used to being called Amigo every time a waiter came to the table. I think that is their way of trying to be friendly. But they don’t know me; I don’t know them; why are we “friends” all of a sudden? Another B in my book. A look at their website shows at least one of their restaurants closed, and they are not serving any sit-down meals due to Covid-19.

Other places you can try in Boise, and both of them along Fairview Avenue are Los Beto’s and Taquiera La Flama. I’ve been to both, and I think they are both very good. The food was super tasty, and all the staff were very polite. The portions at Taquiera La Flama were quite large, and their prices reflected the larger portions (in my opinion). Los Beto’s portions were also large, but I found the pricing to be more reasonable. Los Beto’s is more casual with many people taking food out, and Taquiera La Flama seems to aim for more of a sti-down crowd. I’d give them both an A-.

Entrance to Casa Mexico/tripadvisor.com

My favorite place to get Mexican food in Boise has long been Casa Mexico in the shopping center on Fairview Avenue just east of Five Mile. It’s family-owned, and we started going there when my daughter was a schoolmate of the owner’s daughter several decades ago. The food has always been good, the service friendly, the portions the right size, and the meals have always been a good value. We’ve ordered take-out from them because of Covid-19, and the portions seemed even bigger before — or we were just hungrier and the food looked even better! Given that Case Mexico is my favorite place for Mexican food in Boise, I have to give it an A.

What is your favorite place in Boise to get Mexican food?

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