Surprising Idaho Spot Named Best Seafood Restaurant in the State

When you were younger, did your family do a yearly beach vacation?

Oregon Coast destinations like Seaside and Cannon Beach are easily drivable from the Gem State. If you were flying San Diego, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Southern California may have been in the mix. 

READ MORE: Boise's Undisputed 13 Most Delicious Destinations for Fish & Chips in 2025

One of the things I always looked forward to on our family vacations was the yearly pilgrimage to an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant. I love seafood so much that I didn’t so much look at “all-you-can-eat” as a type of restaurant, as much as I did a challenge. To this day, I still LOVE seafood and order it whenever I get the chance, even in landlocked Idaho. 

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Unfortunately, my favorite destination for seafood in Boise vanished at the end of March 2024. Freshie’s Lobster Co. closed their counter at The Warehouse Food Hall with little to no warning, leaving a giant lobster roll shaped hole in my heart. Yes, Freshie’s was expensive but what do you expect when the lobster they were serving was in New England 24 hours before it was on a buttery roll in Boise? 

Visits from the Salt Lake City-based Cousins Maine Lobster food truck makes the loss of Freshie’s a little less painful, but it’s been far too long since it’s been in Boise. So did the arrival of Matty G’s Steakburgers and Lobsta’ Rolls. We tried the Red Legs roll about a month ago. It was very good, but very different from Freshie’s and Cousins. 

Where Is Idaho’s Best Seafood Restaurant?

Despite our love of lobster rolls, you won’t find them on the menu at the best seafood restaurant in Idaho! Yelp recently ranked America’s best seafood restaurants and chose one winner from every state. The list included everything from fine dining experiences to fast-casual restaurants. 

The Idaho spot they selected is known for “authentic ‘costal-style Mexican’. According to Yelp, Pollos y Mariscos El Guero in Nampa is THE go to seafood restaurant in the Gem State. 

 In giving the restaurant Idaho’s top honor they said: 

Seafood specialties include several kinds of “awesome” ceviche, jalapenos stuffed with crab and wrapped in bacon, and a generous shrimp cocktail that’s a “meal in itself.”

Yelp also suggests that seafood lovers give the “Medusa” a try. It’s listed as a Pollos y Mariscos El Guero “house specialty” on their menu and includes fried octopus and shrimp mixed with their secret sauce. 

They also serve this insane looking michelada called the Grenuda that we’re very curious to try! 

Pollos y Mariscos El Guero has a 4.4-star rating on Yelp. 

Author’s Note: BTW, if you share our love of lobster rolls…Yelp claims Idaho’s best is at Baxters on Cedar in Sandpoint.