Second New Restaurant Celebrates Grand Opening in Boise’s Bown Crossing

Spring is in the air and new restaurants keep sprouting up in Southeast Boise! Another one will welcome guests for the first time this week. 

It’s been almost exactly a year since Locavore said goodbye to Bown Crossing after 12 years in business. The local-centric cafe used to serve scratch-made breakfasts, salads, soups, sandwiches and burgers. Unfortunately, with inflation making the price of certain ingredients skyrocket and other ingredients being in short supply, it was nearly impossible for them to remain profitable.

They closed their doors on March 22, 2022, but Chef Christine Reid still connects with fans through Locavore’s Instagram account. She’ll frequently share cooking tips or photos of prepped meals she’s made for clients. 

2023 Brings New Beginnings for Vacant Cafe

About nine months later, we learned that something new would be moving into the vacant location. Nara Ramen & Izakaya announced via Facebook that they were planning to open their second Boise location in the former Locavore location in February 2023. The end of February came and went, but the restaurant didn’t open. The owners shared on social media, that they were waiting for some final pieces of equipment to arrive and be installed so that they could go through final inspections and get their permits. 

Those final steps are now complete! The new Nara Ramen location shared that they’re holding a soft opening with limited seating starting Monday, March 20. Hours are 11-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. Excited guests are asked to call ahead for reservations. 

The menu at the new Bown Crossing location is a little different than the original State Street location. While the Bown Crossing will carry the same Ramen, buns and rice dishes that you love from State Street, they’ll also offer nigiri, sashimi and sushi rolls. 

Bown Crossing’s Other New Restaurant

Nara Ramen is actually the second new restaurant to open in Bown Crossing this year. Barrio, a trendy 21+ taco and tequila destination, opened their doors in the vacant Bier: Thirty storefront at the end of February. The taqueria is a sister restaurant of the nearby Flatbread Neapolitan Pizzeria located just a few doors down. 

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For more on Barrio, you can read our article about their grand opening HERE.