‘Redefining’ Garden City, 7 restaurants, bars planned on Boise River Greenbelt. Some soon

Strolling along the Greenbelt on the south side of the Boise River, it’s amazing to observe the transformation of Garden City — new construction, new money, new ideas.

Prepare to get your mind blown even more.

A freshly built entertainment mecca featuring multiple restaurants and bars is on track to debut this summer. It’s within a stone’s throw of nearby mobile homes, a reminder of Garden City’s modest past.

The food-and-drink haven will be part of The Boardwalk Apartment Homes, an $80 million, 234-unit complex at 521 E. 41st St.

If you jump onto the Greenbelt from Veterans Memorial Parkway, The Boardwalk is impossible to miss. Residents began moving in last year. The apartments are roughly 50 percent occupied, Assistant Manager Abby Rees said. The Boardwalk’s website invites potential tenants “to step into our elevated experience to see what it means to redefine Garden City living.”

What many Idahoans might not realize is that the mixed-use development’s River’s Edge building — the one right next to the Greenbelt — is more than just five stories of living quarters topped by a sixth-floor amenity deck.

It’s a future multifaceted dining destination — for residents and for the masses. And it’s coming soon.

“I think it’s going to be huge,” Rees said. “I think it’s going to be really impactful for not only Garden City, but Boise and the Treasure Valley in general. It’s going to bring a lot of revenue and job opportunities for people here who are residents.”

Restaurants, public plaza, kiosk bar

The ground floor includes six retail suites designated for restaurants or bars. They’re visible from the Greenbelt and accessible from a massive public plaza deck.

Chain-link fence guards the 22,650-square-foot plaza area for now. But if you climb the main steps and peek around, you can tell: This is destined to be a social zone.

“All six of the restaurants will have outdoor seating and garage doors that open up as well,” Rees said. “It’ll be kind of like an indoor-outdoor concept for all of those. And we will have additional lounge seating and plaza seating for the public to enjoy, along with our kiosk bar.”

A kiosk bar? Yep. Located on the west end of the plaza deck, the covered walk-up bar will serve beer and wine.

Chicken, sushi, burgers, cocktails

Three of the Boardwalk’s restaurant and bar spaces have been leased, Rees said.

Chicken in a Barrel, a Hawaii-based barbecue chain, is on track to open this summer.

Bao Boi on the River, a locally owned restaurant and bar, is targeting a June 20 opening, according to owner and chef Frank Jordan.

The third leased spot will be a local hamburger concept, Rees said.

When all the restaurant spaces are filled, The Boardwalk will be a magnet on the Greenbelt. It’s easy to imagine the kiosk bar alone attracting a wine- and beer-sipping crowd when it opens this summer.

The Boardwalk doesn’t have a liquor license; retail tenants need to come up with their own, Rees said.

Bao Boi on the River is in the process of securing the use of one, Jordan said in an email. “We are still about six months away from having the rights to sell liquor,” he said. “However we do do have some pretty cool versions of sake cocktails and martinis.” The Bao Boi’s Boardwalk concept will be a combination of Six Seats chef’s counter and Bao Boi, his Asian restaurant at The Warehouse Food Hall in downtown Boise. “Our riverside location is opening with a fresh menu that’s all about sushi, cocktails and steam buns — with a view,” Bao Boi posted on Instagram.

And if all of these Boardwalk plans aren’t exciting enough?

Owner Vida Properties is not finished with Garden City, Rees said. “They’re planning on building three or four complexes in the area ... ” she said.

That includes the on-again, off-again 18-story building proposed at 510 E. 41st St. — which would be one of the tallest in the state.

“It is approved,” she said, “and we are going to be doing that. I don’t quite know when we will break ground. It has been discussed in quarter four of 2024, or quarter one of 2025. But it is confirmed we are still doing it.”