This, to me, is the current overall number one place in Boise.
I say place, and not bar, because they’re more than a bar.Don’t get me wrong, I love the small joints that take pride in being there for nothing but drinks… but Bardenay nails it on so many levels that they claim the overall number one spot on my list.
Here’s their resume:It’s big, it’s clean, it looks fantastic, they have great taps, they rotate cask conditioned ales in and out with frequency, the wine list is extensive but not ridiculous, the food is perfect for the atmosphere, the best bartender in town works there, and they distill their own spirits.
You read that right.It’s not a micro brewery. Bardenay is a micro distillery.
It sits dead center on Boise’s history Basque Block in an old warehouse. The interior and exterior look so damn right you’d think a century ago the builder put it up hoping that one day, somebody like the current tenants would move in.
The custom bar stretches from just inside the front doors, all the way to the back where it terminates a few feet from the glass encased copper still.There’s a chalk board next to the still that lets patrons know what the still is “doing” on that day.They make Rum, Vodka, and a terrific Gin that you can read a review on right here.Plenty of seats at both low and high tables can handle a good mix of clientele, all who have outgrown the club scene, but are a heck of a long way from growing into the bridge and canasta scene.
All of their wait staff and bartenders are quite good at what they do… but Sean, the guy with the ponytail who’s usually behind the bar, has got to be one of the best bartenders on the planet.Always upbeat (but certainly not in that annoying motivational speaker kind of way) he’s a glass is half full kind of guy, who’ll be more than happy to keep yours well above that level.He can carry on a more than just small talk conversation with any and all patrons looking for one, yet at the same time he will never ignore for a second the needs of his customers. He’s equal parts Obi-Wan-Kenobi, George Clooney, and Otto the bus driver from The Simpsons.
The only knock on Bardenay that I could come up with, is that for some unknown reason they allow smoking after 10pm.But it never smells like it in there the day after.I don’t know what kind of air filtration system they’ve built into the place, but unless someone lights up at 10:01 at the table right next to you (which has happened to me before) you probably won’t notice it all that much.
It can get crowded, but for good reason.Whether it’s a lunch away from the office, dinner on a Saturday night, drinks later on in the evening with one of their late night appetizers, or you’re staying in with a bottle of their in-house distilled Gin or Vodka… you can be confident that Bardenay will get it, and get it right.Every time.
Best Manhattan in all of Boise. Hands down. Although you have to ask for it on the rocks in a tumbler. But you have to do that everywhere in this town.
Bardenay | Boise, ID
This, to me, is the current overall number one place in Boise.
I say place, and not bar, because they’re more than a bar. Don’t get me wrong, I love the small joints that take pride in being there for nothing but drinks… but Bardenay nails it on so many levels that they claim the overall number one spot on my list.
Here’s their resume: It’s big, it’s clean, it looks fantastic, they have great taps, they rotate cask conditioned ales in and out with frequency, the wine list is extensive but not ridiculous, the food is perfect for the atmosphere, the best bartender in town works there, and they distill their own spirits.
You read that right. It’s not a micro brewery. Bardenay is a micro distillery.
It sits dead center on Boise’s history Basque Block in an old warehouse. The interior and exterior look so damn right you’d think a century ago the builder put it up hoping that one day, somebody like the current tenants would move in.
The custom bar stretches from just inside the front doors, all the way to the back where it terminates a few feet from the glass encased copper still. There’s a chalk board next to the still that lets patrons know what the still is “doing” on that day. They make Rum, Vodka, and a terrific Gin that you can read a review on right here. Plenty of seats at both low and high tables can handle a good mix of clientele, all who have outgrown the club scene, but are a heck of a long way from growing into the bridge and canasta scene.
All of their wait staff and bartenders are quite good at what they do… but Sean, the guy with the ponytail who’s usually behind the bar, has got to be one of the best bartenders on the planet. Always upbeat (but certainly not in that annoying motivational speaker kind of way) he’s a glass is half full kind of guy, who’ll be more than happy to keep yours well above that level. He can carry on a more than just small talk conversation with any and all patrons looking for one, yet at the same time he will never ignore for a second the needs of his customers. He’s equal parts Obi-Wan-Kenobi, George Clooney, and Otto the bus driver from The Simpsons.
The only knock on Bardenay that I could come up with, is that for some unknown reason they allow smoking after 10pm. But it never smells like it in there the day after. I don’t know what kind of air filtration system they’ve built into the place, but unless someone lights up at 10:01 at the table right next to you (which has happened to me before) you probably won’t notice it all that much.
It can get crowded, but for good reason. Whether it’s a lunch away from the office, dinner on a Saturday night, drinks later on in the evening with one of their late night appetizers, or you’re staying in with a bottle of their in-house distilled Gin or Vodka… you can be confident that Bardenay will get it, and get it right. Every time.