Papa Joe's Italian Restaurant and Bar is located at 1301 S Capitol Blvd just down the hill from the train depot. Our building has housed a number of different businesses, the most famous of which, aside from Papa Joe's, was Dixon's Sea Food. It is a beautiful eclectic building which we have been working to restore.
The patio offers a great view of the foot hills and the BSU campus. You can enjoy sitting outside in the early morning with a cup of espresso and watch the world go by. Evening patio dining has a festive charm. We offer a variety of dining rooms, one by the stone fire place, one in our parlor, as well our private meeting/dining room with seating for 8-10.
The patio offers a great view of the foot hills and the BSU campus. You can enjoy sitting outside in the early morning with a cup of espresso and watch the world go by. Evening patio dining has a festive charm. We offer a variety of dining rooms, one by the stone fire place, one in our parlor, as well our private meeting/dining room with seating for 8-10.
Services
Papa Joe's can cater to all of your needs whether it's a small office meeting or your wedding reception!. Functioning as both a traditional banquet room and event center, Papa's Banquet room seats up to 25 and is available for parties, rehearsal dinners, business meetings, etc. For larger parties up to 100, portions of the restaurant may be reserved.
Reviews (24)
J.
Jan 19, 2022
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One time I was here and was served a pasta dish with a upside-down dead fly perfectly placed on the top, like a cherry. Upon notifying the server she , without words,took the dish to the kitchen,then returned with THE SAME dish, and placed it back in front of me, again without saying ANYTHING. I was so impressed by her totally DGAF attitude that I wasn’t even mad. 🤣
Bill Brewer
Dec 28, 2021
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Amy Pishner
Dec 24, 2021
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Corinne Warner
Dec 22, 2021
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I'm so happy we decided to try this place! The food was delicious! The atmosphere was fantastic. We were fortunate enough to speak with the owner while waiting for our food and he was super friendly which made a great first impression! I got the chicken Alfredo and my husband got a pizza, both were very good! We'll definitely be going back. 10/10
Heaven Garcia
Dec 16, 2021
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R. Dudley
Dec 16, 2021
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Conmaker
Dec 03, 2021
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Brian H.
Nov 19, 2021
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Mediocre bland food, beer was not so great. Place was empty for a Wednesday night. Felt like a place that was well past it's heyday. The bar girl was on her cellphone, obviously bored out of her mind. This place needs some major changes if it's going to survive. We only ate here because it was close to our hotel and I was tired of driving. I wish them well.
Laurel D.
Oct 28, 2021
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My family is in town to tour Boise State as a potential school for our son. We decided to try Papa Joe's purely out of convenience. Upon entering the restaurant, we were hit with a musty smell. The water tasted like chlorine. The food lacked flavor and was reminiscent of the type served in a cafeteria style pasta bar. An overall disappointing experience to the tune of $70 (plus tip) for three people. This place should be skipped unless you have no other options. We wish that we had made the extra effort and patronized a downtown restaurant instead.
Frances H.
Oct 26, 2021
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I wanted to love this place so badly. The customer service was wonderful and what a amazingly appealing restaurant. Unfortunately, we ordered shrimp scampi and mushroom ravioli with a chicken breast. The scampi was okay, but the ravioli didn't have enough sauce and the chicken was overcooked and bland. We were served small buttered bread squares that were not fresh at all. You can tell when you've been served stale bread. Anyway, I'm going to give them another try and stick with pizza.
Anonymous User
Oct 24, 2021
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Pros: There was no wait time to grab a table when we arrived. The individual serving my friend and I was friendly and provided consistent service during our dining experience. Food and drinks were also promptly served.
Cons: I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with chicken breast ($17) and was unfortunately disappointed. The serving size was small given the price of the meal (roughly 5-7 bites of food total). Additionally, the chicken breast was fairly dry and some of the noodles were undercooked. My friend ordered The Capone with a cup of clam chowder (roughly $13). My friend found the clam chowder
Cons: I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with chicken breast ($17) and was unfortunately disappointed. The serving size was small given the price of the meal (roughly 5-7 bites of food total). Additionally, the chicken breast was fairly dry and some of the noodles were undercooked. My friend ordered The Capone with a cup of clam chowder (roughly $13). My friend found the clam chowder
Andy P.
Oct 09, 2021
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Mary Calley
Aug 23, 2021
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Was great experience. We were a group of seven without reservations. The gentleman there and our dear waitress clued us in on getting our order placed before a larger group was due to arrived. They advice was so spot on. We were served very timely. Everyone enjoyed their meal and beverage. Thank you. We love Papa Joe's. Thank you , thank you.
Karen B.
May 25, 2021
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Martha V.
Dec 27, 2020
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Stopped here for dinner while meeting up with some military friends we haven't seen in years. Gotta start off by saying this place is amazing. Hostess was such a great guy for staying after hours so that we can have a few more laughs . The food what can I say ... delicious I had the shrimp scampi my husband had the pizza and we both shared the wings and wow all were delicious .. with everything going on with covid this place was clean had 6ft apart distance signs and must wear mask signs as well. Hands down 5 stars . When back in town will make sure I stop by and eat here again. Thank you
Travis D.
Dec 06, 2020
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Papa Joe's was a great first experience for me and my wife being new to town, the service was exceptional. I ordered the chicken Parmesan and Italian Wedding soup, both were great. The soup though, was by far the best wedding soup I've ever had and I always order that at Italian restaurants. It was packed full of flavor, I loved that it had sausage instead of the mini meatballs. The crusting on the chicken parm was also very flavorful and super crispy, the chicken breast itself was super juicy and tender. It was not dry at all. My wife ordered the chicken fettuccine Alfredo and that usually
Cam C.
Oct 20, 2020
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The food here is sooooooo good! We had seen the signs for lunch specials and decided to stop in today. Unfortunately, the specials weren't going on so we decided to get an app and a pizza. We got mozzarella sticks and a large cheese pizza. The sauce is DELICIOUS!!! I normally like thin crust pizza but this one definitely made it in my top pizza spots in Boise list. Will be back for more of the menu soon!
Steven K.
Oct 13, 2020
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This was probably the worst experience I've ever had at an Italian restaurant...probably the worst out of all types of restaurants in recent memory. The food was terrible, cold and came out at random times. Our waitress was obviously new, but apparently wasn't trained at all. I would compare the food to "fast food" Italian and full restaurant prices. We asked for more sauce to help the dry bland past and we got little bowls of cold sauce... not just room temperature, but COLD. This place looks cozy from the outside, but avoid it at all costs. I'm guessing it stays
Nina S.
Sep 23, 2020
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Ted G.
Jul 26, 2020
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Started strong with apps, but their marinara and fettuccine sauces wrre bland and flavorless, like it came straight from a can, which ruined the mains.
I don't understand how a place can have amazing, flavorful apps and turn around and deliver such questionable quality sauces. Would give 2 stars but staff and the clam appetizer was strong enough for a 3.
I don't understand how a place can have amazing, flavorful apps and turn around and deliver such questionable quality sauces. Would give 2 stars but staff and the clam appetizer was strong enough for a 3.
Ted T.
Jun 29, 2020
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Came on a Sunday night in June. We ordered a pizza and a Capone sandwich. The sandwich was Recommended by the waiter. I asked if I could get it without mushrooms twice and he said no problem. Even said when he delivered it if it has mushrooms he would go and talk to the chef. Yes it had mushrooms about as many mushrooms as there was beef in the sandwich. Overheard another couple complaining about their meal. Maybe just a bad night for them. They didn't charge me for the sandwich and were very apologetic. The pizza was ok but not something I would get again.
Morgan F.
Mar 05, 2020
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I love the atmosphere of this place. Granted we came late on a tuesday night but it's so cozy and comfortable. The staff was super friendly! We both ordered caesar salad for starters and it was one of the best salads I've had! I ordered a personal pizza for entree and my boyfriend ordered the rigatoni with no meat. I love their thick crust, for $5 you get a pretty tiny pizza. My boyfriends rigatoni was lackluster though, the sauce was watery and the cheese was just a melted layer on top.
Over all If you're craving a hearty pizza, go here! I cant speak for their pasta though...
Over all If you're craving a hearty pizza, go here! I cant speak for their pasta though...
Katelin Grant
Nov 23, 2019
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Drew C.
Oct 08, 2019
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I figured after two reviews I'd finally give them a review. I know this is a local favorite; perfectly positioned to the Morrison if you are looking for a bite before a play or attending another function there. They are definitely busy; I'd say the waitress this time was very swamped (seemed in a hurry and long stretches we didn't see her). On the first stop; I ordered lasagna which wasn't bad. I ordered the baked pasta rigatoni on this trip (it was cheesy and had lots of sauce; not dry which is great for a baked pasta). The garlic bread that came with it was burnt literally
