Came on a Monday after noon. Had the place to myself all local vendors and word is great food any place you pick. I chose to eat at be thai. read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

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Date of visit: 3/6/22 We're staying just across the street and was hoping to find a place for a snack around 2 p.m. on a Sunday. There are exactly two places open in the food hall: A boutique that sells gifts and a taco place. As we entered the building, another couple exiting warned us that there were really no options, but since we walked over, we decided to pop in anyway and get a feel for the place. Probably should have listened to that couple, there was really no point in going inside. Also disappointing was the website, which listed a number of establishments but had no links to their individual sites/Facebook pages/Instagrams. Having that information handy would have saved us some time. read more

Each time I visit CHOW the place gets better and better. This past time we were greeted by someone asking if we had been there before. I told her I had been but not my friend. She explained what CHOW was and to find her if we had any questions. Very friendly. I do think this is a great stop pre-movie. There are a few food options to choose from, a beer/wine bar and a favorite, The STIL ice cream. I am super stoked that I don't have to run downtown to get this amazing boozey ice cream. Easy parking! Winning!! There are some cozy couches to relax on and mingle with your friends. In the warmer months there is a nice patio to grab some food or a drink and sit. Shop at the cute boutique, eat some grub, grab a beer, go to a movie (across the walkway) and stop back in for boozey ice cream after.... great date all in one stop. read more

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Mexican food was BOMB. Authentic! Also the store was so fun and had such a wide array of handmade crafts. I loved the whole experience

The food was terrible. The ambiance is lacking majorly... I don't even understand what they are trying to accomplish here. It feels sad and neglected. read more

8:30 on a Friday night this joint is closed... ready to drop major $$$ to feed the family but nope, we can cut our options in the walking area from 8 to 2 cause they closed early. Disappointing to say the least. Update - 8:30 am on a Sunday, coffee sounds good... let's walk over and get some from the coffee shop part of Chow... nope! Go somewhere else! They open at 11am. Never in my life have I seen a coffee shop open at 11 AM read more

WE HAVE BEEN HAD! Our reaction, with that emphasis, on arrival here to check out what the developer had touted for months as new "first public market" for Boise. It is, in fact, a food court. To try to pass this off as public market is somewhere between woeful and laughable. May be a good killing-time location for folks headed to or from the Edwards Theater that sits across from this and anchors The Spectrum development. But it is not by any stretch a destination public market like one might find in cities elsewhere such as New York, San Francisco, Boston or Seattle. Boise is the largest city in Idaho and the second fastest growing in the US and it is time to say "the Emperor is Nude" when this developer considers us too ignorant a consumer market to tell a food court from a public market. I appreciate the scale of public market for a city of Boise's size (225K) would be smaller than the one in a larger city like Seattle (700K). But there is a hell of a difference between a food court and a public market. Public market Chow is not. It is is a big indoor space with table seating, a couple of sofas, a beer bar with counter seating and a half dozen small stalls around the perimeter selling either fast food or "giftees-goodies". Such as: *Burger and Egyptian food outlets that share a kitchen with aroma of fried food wafting through the entire space, *taco joint, *stall labeled SPICE Shoppe - like that for caps and double p ending in e - selling few of those in spite of name, some bottles of wine (vintners found at many local retailers at lower price) and things like multi-color dried pastas in small bags (zebra striped farfalle or rainbow lasagna, anyone?), *gelato cart (small scoop $3.70ish is just OK flavor) and *giftee-goodie store selling bath salts, kitchen towels, small bags of candy (like Jelly Bellys) etc. I don't know what rents are charged for Chow stalls but given the high prices of items being sold, I imagine rents are steep. I can't imagine how these vendors are going to meet their overhead to stay in business unless they sell huge quantities. Unlikely. Expect high turnover. So now let's tune in to how this developer sold his fairy tale of Chow being a public market at his web site and in news articles. The disconnect between what he pitched and what this is is why I'm uncharacteristically verklempt to deliver 1-star review. Does he think we're stupid? Quotes are his. CAPS are mine "A public market is a carefully crafted, intentional, year-round collection of owner-operated shops, stalls and or day tables. The first ever public market in Boise is coming to fulfill a public need by showcasing a community's unique character and culture while functioning as a supply base for the everyday need." (BUT THIS IS A COLLECTION OF FAST FOOD SPOTS AND MANUFACTURED GIFTEES IN THE MAIN.) "The first Public Market in Boise will create dozens of business opportunities...for providers...who are often excluded from the traditional economy, especially for women and minorities." (OH PLEASE. SOUNDS AS IF CHOW PROVIDES A LANDING SPOT FOR THE DISADVANTAGED. IT DOES NOT.) "New tax revenues for local governments...this public market would help generate even more tax outlets for the local government." (OH PLEASE. NEW TAX REVENUES ACCRUE NO MATTER WHERE SMALL BUSINESSES OPEN.) "Increasing and growing consumption of local businesses and agricultural products - The first Boise Public Market aims at promoting rural development by providing a retail store for craft and smallholder businesses. The outdoor outlet would bring fresh, healthy food into the Boise community." (BUT CHOW IS NOT THAT THING. IT IS COLLECTION OF URBAN FAST FOOD AND MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS VENDORS.) "Provide citizens with fresh, healthy and affordable food - Public markets provide local citizens with fresh, affordable and healthy food, often with a variety of organic foods. This allows everyone who enters to find the types of food they want to enjoy." (CHOW IS A COLLECTION OF FAST FOOD. IF YOU WANT FRESH FOOD VISIT THE BOISE FARMERS' MARKET ON SATURDAY.) "Generate significant new tourist traffic - The first Public Market in Boise is designed to meet local needs and present local products. This attracts tourists in large numbers and often extends the stay of existing tourists." (OH PLEASE. TOURISTS LURED HERE BY DEVELOPER HYPE MAY FEEL 'HAD'. TRUST ME ON THIS.) PS - For a bathroom you'll need to walk past Ghuang Zhou (next door), down the sidewalk through the plaza (with upholstered woven furniture with strips falling apart sitting in the open) and into the side entry of a building that houses a beauty school, down that hallway and "voila la loo". If you can't find enough fast food outlets in the "Chow" labeled building, you'll find a couple of "food trucks turned brick and mortar" stores like Mad Mac and Creperie that front the sidewalk there. read more

Vegan Soul Food was amazing! Tasty and the options! Having options for a vegan meal was refreshing.

Took a 2 hour cooking class with my husband, followed by eating the meal we made with the 3 other couples in our class. The class comes with 2 drinks from the beer/wine/cider bar. I had the BlackBerry cider and it was YUM. The instructor was likeable and easy going. Our dish, shrimp and scallops in an herb cream sauce over squid ink pasta, was fun to make and very tasty. The other couples were in a great mood and made for perfect company. Overall, we had an awesome date night at Chow, and I'm thinking about going again with a group of my girl friends. read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - Cooking class, veggie prep at Chow - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

We stopped here after a movie on Sunday and I got the mixed vegetables from Aladdin's. The seasoning was very good and the hummus was yummy however the portion size was pretty small for the price which was about 7 99. I love the idea of this Market. I hope there is more and more variety added. The sweets area is very pricey. It would be much sweeter if the prices were more reasonable. The taco place was closed but it looked interesting. I love that this Cinema has more choices in dining and is making an effort to involve the community! read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - This is the grilled vegetable with hummus - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Aladdin's is really delicious!! Vegetarian options! You can get all kinds of food, so a great place for "I don't know" everyone can get something different and hang together! read more

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I like the concept here. There are a lot of good options but overall not quite what I was expecting. They do have a nice location being by the movie theater and its a cool place to walk around. I just wish they had some specialty shopping maybe and some thing else to make it a destination not just the food. read more

The Mexican place was awful! When we ordered, there was one party ahead of us waiting for their food. But no one else around. We waited about 15 minutes, then went to ask how much longer for the food. The young girl said 5 minutes. Then 10 minutes later I went back to check again because the cashier was in her phone the entire time and the cook was washing dishes. The cook and the cashier looked at me like I was nuts. They "forgot" about my order. ?? What!? I said "I just came and asked you- why did you act like it was in progress?" She had no answer for me. It was the most confusing dining experience I've ever had. I gave 1 star only because I couldn't give zero. read more

I stopped in for my first visit around noon for lunch. I was the only patron, so it's hard to gauge the individual vendor's service level, but perhaps that fact speaks volumes. Chow Public Market probably isn't going to be a destination , on it's own, as in "hey! Let's go to Chow", but if you are early for a movie, it's a nice place to hang out. They offer a mix of gelato, sweet shops, a spice shop, great hamburgers, tacos, etc. The best part? A beer and wine bar right in the middle. I had the Good Burger and fries from Good Burger. The knowledge that my server knew the difference between Cheddar and American "cheese product" eased my apprehensions a bit. It was a bit pricey, however, and in spite of me being the only customer I thought the food delivery should have been faster. In spite of an extended delivery time, the burger was better than decent, and the fries hot and fresh. I'd certainly stop in if I am in the area again, but I wouldn't make this a destination. read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - See my review! - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Just chatting away, ignoring patrons. I don't feel like I should have to raise my voice to get your attention to get another beer or give me my check. Waited 20 minutes and finally walked around the bar to ask for my check. read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - Bartenders chatting away - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

I really want to give more stars, because I really like the concept...but unfortunately it falls short! The good news is it is new...so I hope improvements can be made. Like I said I love the concept of a community market like this with multiple food options, cooking classes and live music. I also like the little shop as you enter...displaying different treasures by local artists. There is a bar area in the middle with local beers on tap. So where do they fall short? I can't get comfortable here, feels like I'm in some bizarre coffee shop in the middle of a grocery store or something. The lights are super bright and there are little kids running and screaming. Overall not a chill relaxing place to grab a drink. It definitely wouldn't be "a destination" place for me, but I would still probably come in if I was early to a movie or something. Again, concept is good....I hope they fix the vibe and ambiance...because it is a good start to what could be a solid product. read more

Good new addition to our old entertainment area. Nice place to hang out before or after going to the movies. They serve coffees, ice creams, beers, food (burgers, Egyptian meals, tacos), and more to open. If you want to hang out without worrying about parking, this is the first place to be. read more

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Boy oh boy, I wish I could give them more stars. In their defense they are just getting started so this is not the last word, by a lot! The short review would be average to good food at about average prices :) We were a party of three so we made a point to try all the food spots (and beer ) Bluwave Tacos: They were training a new hire and I enjoyed watching how much care and attention the prep person was taking to assemble my taco. It was pretty good. It was a little pricey for a taco, but probably my favorite food in the location. Aladdin's Egyptian Cuisine: My husband ordered the falafels because that is about his favorite food in the world. He said they were a little dry and they could have offered a little more sauce. On 10 scale , he gave it a 6. Good Burger : I am really fussy about my burgers and so I may not be the best person to write a review. I ordered the small kobe beef. No one asked how I wanted it cooked, which I would preferred. The meat and the secret sauce are ok, but that bun was was a total turn-off for me. I like a softer thinner bun. If you like a big bun on your burger, you will enjoy this. You have to ask for salt , pepper and catsup, these are behind the counter. La Gelateria: This was the biggest disappointment. The texture was a bit gummy although the flavors were great! For the smallest scoop the price flirts with $5 which I think is very high. read more

What a cute establishment. They are essentially in the middle of a square of food restaurants and shops. I originally thought mall food court but it's more unique than that with a little stand alone beer and wine Bar in the middle surrounded by restaurants. There is a section with couches and chairs you can sit at. We chose to sit at the bar. The manager there was very sweet and we had some good conversations about beer since we were from the Seattle area we recognized a few. The suggestions he had was great and the locals were super friendly and one actually bought our first round of drinks which blows me away because you'd never see that in Seattle. The Seattle chill is real you guys.... anyways, this is a little gem for good food and beer and company :) read more

"Idaho's only public market" Um, Not sure about all that! It is a food court that seems to cater to the movie crowd. We popped in and nothing looked open, maybe it was a weird time of day. We smelled some soaps, noted the plush sofas. And wandered out. Meh. Boise has plenty of food joints, maybe I was hoping for something unique and local- not fast food type stuff that is similar to the typical mall fare. read more

Really wanted to like this place but I was just under whelmed and a bit confused. The middle is open with seating all around. it seemed like there were small stores inside but nobody worked in them. There is a coffee shop in on of the stores. Just kind of a weird layout. Oh and apparently Thursday through Saturday they are open from 11 AM till they close ...what does that mean? read more

Chow Public Market and Eatery - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

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Pretty neat food court with lots of possibilities coming in the future. Met one of the business owners Robert and he seems to be a very cool owner. Like the spice shoppe here that has many cool spices and pastas. I will definitely be back to try some of the pastas in the market. I was hoping it would be a little bigger like Grand Central Market like LA but I think this is a great start and I think there's lots of potential going on. So come check out the market since you can drink no at the bar right in the center of the market. I'll be back and I hope you all will give it a try! read more

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Always have a variety of delicious food to offer. Great concept and doing what they can to keep people coming back during COVID. Love the pop up shops they have too! Keep it up! read more

Tried to get a gelato but the zombie behind the counter was moving at a snails pace! I should have taken her pulse, it took her 10 minutes to scoop up on serving and there were three ahead of us...... people just don't understand customer service anymore!! I guess hire enthusiastic people, this girl never acknowledged any of us, she just kept trying to scoop up the gelato and I mean she was barley breathing! She didn't care about anyone, we all were just standing there like, what the heck? read more

meh - tried the chicken shish kabob sandwich at the Egyptian place - with a drink it was $14 which is kind of steep for a sandwich and soda. There was no one in the place at 1:30pm, which seems right - i'm a late luncher. The sandwich came fast - that was good. the chicken was decent - but only 3 small pieces! the worse was the bagged salad and the horrible sauce - it tasted like miracle whip and i'm pretty sure Egyptians don't use Miracle whip. There are too many better and cheaper restaurants to try this place again. read more

I was really excited to see this concept in Boise. I love this kind of place and have been to many of them all over. Chow looks really nice and clean and modern, but that was the best part of the experience. Generally these market stall style places feature artisanal and really special food made by people who are passionate about it. The only place that offered anything exceptional was BluWave tacos. The shawarma from Aladdin's was unremarkable, and the chicken strips and fries from the burger place seemed like a cheap drive-through version. I think Chow needs some refinement and needs to make better use of a couple of the spaces. Currently the only cuisines on offer are Egyptian, Mexican and mediocre burgers and fries. Where is the wood fired pizza? The cheese and charcuterie plate to go with the wine? Or even a gourmet sandwich shop? I'd much rather see that than a candy/gift shop. Why can't there be a place that hand-cuts fries? Also, the gelato is nowhere near creamy enough and had big lumps in it, which puzzles me because they supposedly had someone come from Italy to teach them how to make it. For over $5 for a small it should be perfect. There also seemed to be only two high chairs in the entire facility, unless more are hiding somewhere else. As a mom of twins who lunches with other moms and kids, this would definitely present a problem. Overall, I would go back for a glass of wine or a drink and maybe a taco if I was in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Chow unless they make some much-needed improvements to the lineup of food offerings. read more

I bet this is an awesome place but unfortunately the one time I went to try it with my boyfriend we were left very unhappy. The street taco place had great sounding good so we chose there, we waited awhile to order which wasn't a problem, seemed like they were training a new cashier, once we order we go and sit and wait another 15 minutes until the cook rudely tells us what we ordered they actually were out of. We were told to wait another 20 minutes but by this point it had almost been 45 minutes of waiting for two (2) tacos. We kindly asked for a refund and decided to take our business elsewhere, but that also took another 10 minutes because the cook/manager was unwilling to show the new cashier how to do so. I will definitely not be returning. read more

We recently visited this new offering at the Boise Spectrum. We were excited by the range of choices and looking forward to giving them a try. Unfortunately, they have a lot of work to do in order to provide good food and good service at reasonable prices. I'm giving them some leeway since they are just getting started, but they would otherwise get one star. I tried the beef and lamb shawarma. The pita bread was the best part, and was very tasty! The meat and other fixings were barely edible. I was also charged $2.50 for a cup to get water. My wife and son tried their tacos. These were better, but were largely filled with rice. This is a nice concept, and could be a draw if done well. Good luck! read more

Beer was great in the bar section but the lights were so bright i couldnt get comfortable. Made the ambiance a little weird for me. Good for a quick drink before the movie but i couldnt see myself staying for any longer than that. read more

A neat place to hang out and eat! The market has great stuff, all local.

This is a great addition to this shopping center. The visual appeal is fantastic. It's hip and comfortable all at once. Then you have all the food options. It's a higher-end mall courtyard which is great if you are indecisive like me when it comes to what you want to eat. It's also great because you can get a burger, Mexican, or Egyptian and it's all good quality. There isn't a lot of seating for large groups however so only 4 stars. This place is delicious. read more

Our first time here for Monday night football! It's a great place to grab a beer and have options of food to choose from. Not to mention the beer selection is great too! There weren't many people here but I can only imagine within this next year it will get busy during weekday nights! I'm glad this place is here, we enjoyed it. read more

Great new concept. This is a brand new place that is still getting their legs. I stopped by to try the street tacos at BlueWave. Been looking for a good street taco and I found it. Hand made tortillas with some awesome sauce. BlueWave tacos alone is worth it to check this out. There is a central brew "hub" that has some good local beers which is pretty cool. Check it out, have a an awesome taco at BlueWave, and a cold beer. read more

This is my favorite place because I live on overland it's a blessing to have something new since the village was built it has been a hot spot you can hate or love it chow market will be here for ever it takes time to grow Good Burger has great potential to grow in something Big I support local business read more

I brought the family here after Sunday church service and let me tell you this was an amazing place to share lunch. Cheap drinks and great Service. I think the guy who got me drunk was named skyler. read more

I am going to be honest and up front this review is based on the fact while in Boston last week I was at their public market so I came into Chow Public market with that expectation (rows and rows of merchants; full of activity and customers). First, this market is very small and is more of a food court with a bar in the middle along with a chocolate/candy shop. A public market is supposed to be more than just food stands it's supposed to be a collection of stores such as fresh meat/seafood, fruit/vegetables, wine shops, coffee shops just a collection of variety of shops. Today we only had two options for food outside of the gelato shop; blue wave tacos was closed so either good burger or the middle eastern spot were the two food options. The ordering system for both restaurants was very odd and chaotic and the wait times for food was on the lengthy side. One of my pet peeves is styrofoam containers which (Middle eastern spot) they used even though the orders were for dine in. I ordered the fries from good burger found were really good (the wait was a little long) plus they brought them in a paper bag (more waste lol). The fries are some of the best I've had thus the 2 star yet this review is based on my experience of the market as a whole. Both restaurants were pretty high for being "food court" food; I mean $10-15 served in styrofoam containers come on lol. The market was so dead the employees of both restaurants were just sitting around in the chairs which is never a good sign lol. It's a very odd space maybe a quarter of the size of the typical market experience you'd get in Boston or Seattle. They only have small tables and the chairs are very uncomfortable. To me this was a cool idea yet the execution fell flat you've simply got a small food court serving sub par over priced food in styrofoam containers do yourself a favor avoid the food court and check out mad Mac you will be in for a better food experience!! read more

We went to a cooking class. First we were late, and that was our fault. I found it dirty and unorganized. The station we were at was not set up at all. We had to borrow cooking utensils from the other students. The meal he cooked, was a pasta dish, even though everyone in the class was in Keto lifestyle. The "chef" was really nothing more than a line cook, that found it necessary to fill us all in on his personal life. Not impressed at all read more

I am pretty underwhelmed with Chow. Hubby and me stopped in last night to get something to eat before seeing a movie. For the hype it had I didn't really see anything amazing. It is a nice clean modern space with nice outdoor seating options and a decent amount of indoor seating. They have a gift shop but it doesn't really offer anything that you couldn't get at other local specialty stores. It really felt like a lot of wasted space, there was just one whole back wall that had nothing. 3 actual food stalls doesn't seem like much. We did try Blue Wave Tacos, the guy who I think was the cook was very nice and helpful in explaining the sizes and gave some suggestions. I did notice that after we got our food that they seem to give samples so that's nice. We both got a street taco, carne asada for me and pollo asada for my husband. They are simple more traditional tacos but had really good flavor. If you want to be filled up, order than one street taco because they are smaller. They are a little more expensive at $3 each but everything is made fresh there so it just doesn't come from a freezer or some factory. We didn't try any of the other vendors but the other options are burgers which you could get anywhere almost and egyptian. All and all it isn't a bad place and Blue Wave does have pretty good tacos so I would go back for those, but not what I thought it was going to be. Would come back to try the other two food vendors especially if I was going to a movie after ward. read more

Took a cooking class here with a friend using a Groupon we purchased. The facility was nice and clean and the staff were all really great and friendly. The class was to include a two hour cooking class, ingredients and 2 beverages of choice (beer, wine or soda) as well. Jared, our instructor, was super friendly and made everyone feel comfortable. The night we went, we cooked chicken gyros with tzaziki sauce. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to the recipe, although it was completely delicious. It took under an hour to complete the meal. Jared quickly remedied the situation by calling the owner of the market...his response was to give us all that class on the house, as well as the ability to re-use our Groupon for a future date, and a free $30 to use in the wine shop that night! That is customer service at it's best! I truly cannot wait to take the next class, as I am sure it will be more of what we were all expecting. This place is obviously very new and is still working out some kinks but the owner and staff seem to really respond to feedback very well. They have my vote! read more

I like the concept of this place: shops and restaurants all housed in an open area, but they definitely need more shops and more restaurants. The shops don't really have much in them and they are really expensive, but the open atmosphere and the idea of having several different food options in one large location does work. Hopefully they'll be able to get more retailers and events to increase the shopping options. read more