Beloved Boise Area Italian Restaurant Closes Doors Permanently After 27 Years

Less than a month into 2024, the Boise area has already lost another long term restaurant. However, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. 

We’re not saying that to be rude. We’re saying that because the restaurant announced its planned closure back in December 2023. Shortly before the holidays, Gino’s Italian Ristorante & Bar in Meridian shared that after 26 years, they were planning to close for good at the end of February 2024. According to the post, the economy has made it impossible for them to keep the locally owned, small business open. Rising costs were a major factor in the decision. 

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Originally, the restaurant planned on staying open Fridays and Saturdays by reservation only through February 25 in order to give longtime guests a chance to say goodbye to their staff and celebrate with one last fantastic Italian meal. 

Unfortunately, that meant continuing to operate the restaurant at a loss and after careful consideration, the team running Gino’s decided not to continue. According to a second Facebook post, the doors are permanently closed as of January 22, 2024. 

The restaurant is named after founder Gino Vuolo, who was a valued part of the community. He passed away in January 2022, but his family continued to run the restaurant as long as they could. 

More Restaurant Shake-Ups in Boise

The news comes just a few days after Bonefish Grill announced they were closing in BoDo just short of their sixteenth anniversary. A former employee shared on social media that the lease was up and the property management wanted to raise the rent. While it was less than ideal, the restaurant thought they had a new agreement in place only to have it fall through at the last minute. 

Shortly after, our friends at BoiseDev learned that the same property company has signed a lease agreement with a new Tex Mex restaurant called El Tejano, which will move in next door in the old Ha’ Penny location that’s been empty since BoDo Barrelhouse closed in 2022. 

Meanwhile over at the Boise Spectrum, O’Crab Cajun Seafood has been replaced by Country Bay Bistro. The Idaho Statesman reports that the menu will still include seafood boils, but will focus heavily on steaks, grilled fish and steamed seafood dishes.