Idaho’s Tasty New Italian Restaurant Offers Handmade Pasta, Incredible Patio
2025 seems to be the year of change at The Village at Meridian. Several longtime tenants have said farewell, but vacancies at the outdoor shopping area don’t last long. It seems like the ownership, more often than not, has a replacement in mind leading up to a tenant’s last day.
Case in point? When Twigs Bistro announced they were closing in July 2024, several media outlets discovered that CenterCal Properties had already put the ball in motion to replace it with a “first of its kind” restaurant in Idaho.
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Less than a year later, the space has been remodeled and the restaurant, North Italia, will serve its first official customers on Wednesday, May 28. I was lucky enough to score an invite to their VIP preview event over Memorial Day Weekend.
Based on the interest we saw from folks just passing through Fountain Square wondering if it was finally open, we’ve got a feeling that it will become very popular in no time.
What is North Italia?
I’ve wondered the same thing every time I walked past their location in Denver, Colorado when I’m in town for FanExpo. They’re a modern Italian restaurant serving scratch made pasta, hand tossed pizzas, craft cocktails and more.
One thing that I noticed right off the bat is that it’s noticeably more upscale than The Village’s other Italian offering, Grimaldi’s. The bright red accent wall at the back of the restaurant demands your attention and it should because it’s the back wall of the windowed kitchen.
That’s right, you can watch Executive Chef Edo Budijanto and his team make those fresh pastas. The art work you see around the renovated space? Local. It was commissioned by Sector Seventeen.
One of my favorite parts of the new restaurant? On a gorgeous weekend, the 1400 square foot wraparound patio was perfect for enjoying the weather and food, while people watching!
Dishes to Consider at North Italia
The new restaurant serves lunch, dinner and brunch. We happened to be there during brunch and started with an order of the Beef Carpaccio, which was described this way on the menu:
pecorino stagionato, toasted pine nut, salsa verde, arugula, grilled bread
I’d never had carpaccio before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was thin, tender, flavorful and just the right amount of food to not fill you up before your brunch. When it came to my entrée, I went with the Eggs in Purgatory which was described as:
spicy marinara, grana padano, heirloom cherry tomato, arugula, grilled ciabatta.
My server gave me a heads up that this particular brunch dish was spicy, but I was down for an adventure. Final verdict? They were spicy, but not the sort of spicy that had me chugging down my sparkling rosé sangria or reaching for a glass of water. I don’t know how to describe the spice other than pleasant.
My husband opted for the breakfast sandwich that was loaded with Italian sausage, Applewood bacon, egg, roasted pepper and more.
He still won’t let it go that I didn’t pick Tiramisu for our dessert, but I’ve had Tiramisu so many times that I wanted to try something new. I ordered the bombolini, which is a fancy word for Italian donuts. To me, the outside tasted like a fluffy elephant ear you’d get at the fair and the lemon curd inside was refreshing.
While the Village is a bit of a drive from our home in Southeast Boise, we really enjoyed the new restaurant and I can see us finding time to go back for a date night. Honestly, with the patio? It’s the perfect place for date night, a girls’ night or a family celebration.
What’s Next at The Village at Meridian?
Like I mentioned, North Italia is one of several new restaurant concepts coming to The Village in 2025. Aubergine Kitchen is expected to open their first Idaho location between Habit Burger & Blaze Pizza on the Eagle Road side of the shopping area this year. Their menu is largely made up of bowls and salads.
Zao Asian Cafe is also coming to The Village. It appears that it will open where Duck Donuts was prior to closing at the end of March.
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Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart