Is it just me, or do we have a major lack of diversity when it comes to restaurants in Idaho Falls?
There has been a boom of recent shops going up in the past few years: TGI Fridays, The Baijo, etc. but they all seem to be “me too” chains that bring little or no new diversity or options to the area. Everything we have here seems to focus around: Steak house, Mexican, Itallian, or Fast Food. There are a few exceptions to that, but not many. What we really need here is some diversity! We used to have a great Japanese restaurant, Satos, but even that is gone now. Yes, I know about the Blue Hashi, but they don’t come close to measuring up to the cultural experience that Satos delivered.
So, we need some culture, choices here in the area! How about a Rodizio Grill, or good Indian food restaurant. Bring in a teppanyaki grill, or even a melodrama dinner theater. Just please don’t open another steak copy-cat house! Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Jakers, they are all the same. We don’t need any more. Give us something new and different. Give us some real options. PLEASE!
What restaurants would you like to see come in to southeast Idaho? What are we missing?
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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
You indicated you didn’t want more of the same, and threw fast food into the mix, but the one thing I would love to have here is a Crown Burger restaurant, or something similar.
There is nothing quite like a big, juicy pastrami burger, and I’ve actually made trips down to Salt Lake City just because I was craving one. My vote is for a Crown Burger!
I really like the melodrama dinner theater idea, anything different from the norm.
We went to a restaurant last year in SLC, I think it was called Mayan Adventure, that has indoor cliff diving, and the whole thing feels like you are eating in a treehouse. On top of that, they had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, and it wasn’t any more expensive than going to one of the cookie-cutter places we have here (like Fridays and Applebees). I would go back to Salt Lake just to eat there again.
I’d also like to see more seafood. I know you can get obligatory seafood at any of the new restaurants in town, but we don’t really have a “seafood restaurant”. I like Gangplank, but I see that as more fast-food seafood.
Excellent post GuestWriter! I’ve said the same thing ever since moving here. There is a severe lack of diverse places to eat here. You mentioned we have Italian restaraunts here…..really? If so, please let me know. Being half Italian, I have yet to find a really good Italian restaraunt in this town. (please don’t suggest Olive Garden)
I also agree with Alice. This town desperately needs a good Seafood place. (NOT Red Lobster either) Being one of my favorite types of food aside from Italian, I really miss fresh seafood. I’m also surprised, being that we have blue ribbon trout and salmon rivers close by, why we don’t have more restaraunts that offer fresh trout and salmon. Sure, occassionaly it’s offered at the Cellar or Sandpiper but that’s about it.
I really haven’t found a decent Chinese restaurant in town either.
Wasn’t one of the Walker guys asking about 6 months ago, what type of restaraunts the Idaho Falls public wanted to see brought in? Nothing really came of that did it? (aside from Iggy’s)
Good topic and it’ll be interesting to hear what others think.
FYI – the walker guys are with Taylor’s Crossing and they haven’t brought anything yet.
Iggy’s is at Snake River Landing – completely different developer (Allen Ball’s company Ball Ventures)
I am also in favor of a real seafood restaurant!!
right now with the current economy i think we are kind of at capacity. I’m sure as the economy recovers that will change. A type of restaurant i would like would be like an english tea house. There is one in Salt Lake near Trolley Square, called Elizabeth’s. I love their sausage rolls and meat pies, nothing fried, just light food.
Dont want to change the topic, but god i wish there was more trendy clothing stores, something to fill the gap for the twenty plus who dont really want to dress in wet seal stuff. so when the economy recovers i’d rather go clothes shopping than stuff my face with food.
That’s right….thanks for the clarification anonymous.
I’m with ’supposedly crystal’ on getting some new clothes outlets. It seems that all places here carry pretty much the same types of clothing. I guess I’m not really sure what I’m looking for, but maybe if I had more options, I’d find it.
I’ll also be glad when the current trend of all tops looking like maternity tops goes away.
Guest, have you tried Wasabi across from the falls? If you liked Satos, you’ll like them.
And, yes, we are beyond capacity. According to the National Restaurant Assoc, in 2007 the Dallas/Ft Worth metro has the highest concentration of eateries of the the top 100 cities in the US. The Idaho Falls-Blackfoot area has nearly double the intensity.
We’ll probably see a few Mexican, Oriental, Pizza places shutting down in the next couple of years. A good seafood place could make a decent run of it, I believe.
We’re at capacity for fast food restaraunts in this town thats for sure. If you don’t ever eat at those places and only consider what’s left as a dining option, there’s not much variety left to choose from.
More options on the westside is all I care about.
I agree, they do need more on the west side. What’s the name of that new restaraunt right off the exit there on Broadway? Has anyone tried that place yet, what type of food do they serve?
I don’t think Idaho Falls is close to it’s restaurant capacity, particularly for non-chain or downtown restaurants. I just moved from a town only twice the size of Idaho Falls, with over five times the number of restaurants listed in online yellow pages (I just checked), and easily 10 times the density in the downtown area. On the other hand, perhapses our demographics and people’s habits are limiting the number of non-chain restaurants.
Why are there so few small local restaurants here? Is it the small number of university students and singles participating in a active night live who also have a disposable income?
Why are there so many chains? Are people only interested in cost, and not variety or quality?
Lastly, and this might be related to the previous point, does anyone else find the dinner portions at many restaurants HUGE, particularly in upscale restaurants? I’d pay the same amount for half the food, if it was good.
To get back to the original topic, here is my wish list:
1) Real Italian food – not a bland chain or just a pizza place
2) Greek food
3) Any Middle Eastern cuisine
4) Hibachi (someone, please add it to your menu, or better yet, deliver)
and, since I’m daydreaming:
5) an Ethiopian / Eritrean restaurant!
On the other hand, we already have 2 great Mongolian places, and an embarrassment of riches (as well as some stinkers) for Mexican food.
Anyone eaten at the London cafe? Used to be on Brodway I think. Its now in some hotel. My father in law wanted to do an Indian restaurant but isnt convinced it would survive here. Truth is this is a meat and potato area.
Idaho is “meat and potato” it’s hard to indroduce new foods to an area which sees little dirversity.
However, on italian ( i hate it when i hear EYE-TAL-ON!)
I think a Bucca Di Peppo would work well in this town, they serve family style and their food blows olive garden away.
also PF Changs would be awesome
SEAFOOD! The real stuff, not “shrimp alfredo” or the likes. I’d pay extra for the really fresh stuff, b/c I realize it has to be flown in. Regardless, we do have it good here with the availability of fresh salmon, trout, steak and decent Mexican food.
I second the PF Changs suggestion. Even though it’s a chain, they have excellent food. I’d like to see a Cheesecake Factory too.
If you go downtown there is a couple of excellent restaurants that are not “steak and potatoes” places to eat.
On Shoup Ave. there is the Thai House and their food is great and really authentic. Happy’s Chinese serves great chinese food of the traditional or the americanized sort. Rutabaga’s, Collage….there are other’s too!
While I would love to see a hibachi grill of some sort in town, I really don’t agree that we are suffering from lack of choices. We do have some great locally owned places to eat.
Recently ate at PF Chang’s in SLC. Didn’t really see the appeal. The food wasn’t anything exceptional, nor was the service. Seemed quite run-of-the-mill to me…
I agree Guest. I think we have quite a variety of different types of food here. In addition to the ones that you mentioned, there is a Mongolian Restaurant and southern bar-b-que. There have been others that have tried, but they just couldn’t make it. Has Aussie Eats given up? I see where the London Cafe is where they used to be. If I were going to start a new restaurant, it sure wouldn’t be here. I think we have more than plenty and quite a variety.
How is that Mongolian place? I never see anyone there, so I’ve been afraid to try it. Has anyone actually eaten there yet?
Anony, If you’re talking about the one in the old Checkers building on 17th, it’s pretty good. They have a very large selection of items to add to your dish, and it tasted great.
I tried an octopus in mine (just one), but when it came down to it, I couldn’t try it. No biggie, I just set it aside and ate the rest ; )
I’m sure someone on here has to have eaten octopus, what is it like?
I’ve had octopus & squid….otherwise known as calamari. They actually used the squid for calamari, but they both taste the same and are usually prepared the same way. It’s pretty good and depending on how it’s cooked it really doesn’t have much of a taste. Their kinda rubbery/chewy if it’s cooked too long. It’s good fried with a little cocktail sauce on the side or sauteed in some garlic butter and lemon.
A lot of people have a hard time eating octopus because of the tentacles and those little suction cups, it’s not the most appealing look sitting there on your plate.
I have eaten fried calamari, and it is a little chewy for my tastes. It made me think of a battered rubber band. So if octopus is like that, I’ll be happy to leave it for someone else.
Thanks for the feedback!
Alice, calamari done correctly shouldn’t be chewy. I’ve had it many times, and I think it’s delicious. I’ve also had it served chewy, but that’s just cuz the chef overcooked it.
Octopus OTOH is too chewy for my tastes. I stick with the squid.
Anyone else remember Das Kinder Haus, the German restaurant we used to have? It was incredible!! They started out in a small location near Smith’s, expanded a bit there, then eventually moved to the place where IF eateries die – the airport.
Sure, it was mostly a special occasion place, but those occasions sure were special! On Friday nights, they’d even have a live accordion player. I have long since moved away from Idaho Falls. However, were Das Kinder Haus to return, it would be a must-visit locale for every trip I take home.
Also, I think a Mimi’s Cafe (which seem to be all over Salt Lake) would do quite well in town.
I’ve essentially given up on eating out in Idaho Falls. My wife received a gift card to Carino’s from her work, so we went there last night. First, the place was utterly dead, not even at half capacity. There was no hostess to greet us, and it took quite a while for someone to show up and take us to a table.
The hostess had set up a large party in the center of the room who were loud and obnoxious – being a veteran of the restaurant business, it’s only common sense to put a large party away from the main dining room, preferably in a corner table.
Anyway, I digress.
Carino’s is offering cheap food, but the quality has digressed. I ordered the artichokes with angel hair pasta, which tasted as if it were soaked in caper juice for a few hours. My wife has the Gorgonzola chicken, sans chicken, which was mundane. Carino’s is cutting back on their costs, and the food is almost inedible because of it.
Our server was awful. He offered us a deal on 9 oz pours of wine, which we took, and he brought us standard 4-oz wines. Being that this was a free meal, I didn’t make a big deal of this or the quality of my food, but if I had paid for it from my own bank, I would have had the ear of the manager.
The server never cleared our plates at any point in the dinner. The bread was soggy from being steamed by other loaves of bread in the giant plastic bin being kept in plain view of the customers. Deserts were tasteless and bland.
Being a (mostly) vegetarian, my options for dining out are limited. It seems we’ve lopped another location off our list of places we’ll eat.
I’m a good cook, obviously better than any local restaurant. So from now on, I’m dining in.
I think Idaho Falls has come a long way, restaurant-wise, in the last 10 years. Granted, there are a lot of chains, but my favorites are:
1. Collage/Rutabaga’s tie – best food in town.
2. Snake Bite – best chicken salad and burgers.
3. That pizza place on 1st where Collage used to be.
4. Brownstone – hubby loves the beer and I love the sandwiches.
We really prefer to patronize the locals. It seems like the chains don’t offer the personal service and quality food. Everything tastes the same!
Although I don’t like seafood, I agree that a non-chain, fresh seafood place would clean up in IF.
In my honest opinion having come from California I used to have the convenience of many fast food and multi cultural restaurants. Of the biggest Fast food companies I would have to say that “In n Out” , “Carls Jr” and “Del Taco” are what I miss most. Unfortunately the most local City that has at least 1 or two of these is Salt Lake City or Boise. If you didnt know, “In n Out” is a mostly West Coast chain and if you havent had a Double burger and fries and a strawberry shake then you dont know why In n Out is sooo huge of a success.
Del taco used to be in Pocatello and I am shocked that they no longer are in buisness there. With variety including burritos, tacos and then those beautiful long french fries that with a large order of fries fills up a large soft drink cup, nothing compares.
I am finding that Idaho Falls is growing, however the chains that are coming are East Coast and midwest chains that I have never heard of. Taco Johns is a new one and they are okay and there is also Taco Time and they are okay as well. The cuisine isnt Mexican tho, actually far from.
I have heard Carls Jr will be in full force in Idaho Falls, but as far as when, I wished I knew.
other than Fast food and restaurants, I have even found the inconvenience of finding Asain, chinese and Thai ingredients. I know that Grocery stores are adding more and more yet there still is only a 3 foot wide aisle of basic ingredients and the most important are missing. Anyone know where to find Lemongrass? What about raw shrimp crackers?
In end, I hope Idaho Falls will be blessed with more Restaurants and specialty Grocery stores such as asain and indian and all those other ethnic ingredianets we all love. Idaho Falls is behind the times and hopefully change will come soon.
Sincerely:
Gerrit from http://www.severeidaho.com
Del Taco is good. I always eat there when I’m in California. I’m not really a big fan of fast food, and I usually eat most fast food when I travel, but a couple of burger joints that I like from back east are Fuddruckers and Backyard Burgers. Fuddruckers makes the best burgers ever. As soon as you walk in the front door, they have this large cooler area with this large glass window so you can see inside and they literally have sides of beef hanging there and this huge grinder. They grind the meat for their burgers fresh every day and also serve rib eye and filet burgers. And they have a huge “condiment” bar with different types of salsa’s, chilis, lettuce, tomato, onions and everything in between to top your burger with. A regular burger will set you back about 7 bucks, but it’s well worth it. Backyard Burger also uses fresh ground beef and they make their patties fresh everyday. Very good burgers as well and much more reasonably priced.
CR not only do you know your movies you know where to get a good burger, I love Fuddruckers too, Whenever I’m in Maryland, I look forward to eating there.
Gerritt –
We used to have 2 specialty Asian markets, one by Gandonlfo’s Deli and another adjacent to Sato’s Sushi. Both sold sushi-grade tuna and other fresh fish, asian ingredients, noodles, etc. but both failed. One went under because they tried to combine a Greek restaurant with a market, and they weren’t good at either one. The other failed because the owner wasn’t making money from the restaurant.
The only specialty markets that seem to work around here are mexican regional markets, for obvious reasons. The demand just isn’t there for anything else. I do miss that Tuna though …
Anybody else getting excited for Farmer’s Market season?
I’m so bummed!!! We went out tonight to take the kids to Franco’s (pizza on 1st Street) and they’ve closed!!! Sign on the door, phone # disconnected. That stinks, I’ve had some really good pizza there, one slice took me back to all the east coast pizza we ate during college.
Another sign of the times??
I’m surprised on your Carino’s review Jeremy – we’ve never once had a bad meal there. Poor service a couple of times, but never a poor meal.
I would love to have 3 restaurants in Idaho Falls-
1-Astro Burger, or Crown Burger, or Apollo Burger. They are in Utah, and I love them!
2-Sconecutters. Yes, they are a chain, but I love their food!
3-Del Taco! They are good, and they are cheap. Way better than the taco joints currently in Idaho Falls.
An A&W would be good, maybe toward the I-15 exit. La Paloma in Pocatello, is one of the few, finest restauraunt. Does any one know If they are? It would be nice to have them here, maybe by the collage, snakebite and Vino Russo area. Hope I spelled the names right. Nothing like a root beer and burger to snack on, or eat in a fine restaurant, like those mentioned.