Tempting New Bagel Shop Hopes to Wow Boise’s Taste Buds By Early Spring 2022
In December 2020, the owners of Kiwi Shake & Bake announced that rather than celebrating the restaurant's two-year anniversary in Downtown Boise they'd be asking guests to help them empty the kegs.
The cafe was truly unlike anything else the Treasure Valley had to offer. The menu focused on authentic New Zealand cuisine with a heavy emphasis on meat pies. When we say authentic, we mean it. Founders Chris and Katie Munro lived in Queenstown, New Zealand before moving to Boise to pursue their dreams of opening a restaurant. In addition to the meat pies, the restaurant was also known for their "freak shakes." The shakes were huge and overflowing with candies/desserts that could rival the presentation of some of the creations you've seen at Sid's Garage in Boise and Meridian.
The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be too much of a burden on the cafe and they closed exactly two years after they opened at 611 S 8th Street. However, fans of the restaurant are still able to enjoy the Munros' delicious pies. They're selling them wholesale under the name "Pioneer Pies" at quite a few retailers in Idaho and our neighboring states. It's a pretty happy and satisfying ending for a short-lived local restaurant.
Something New is Coming to 611 S 8th Street
During a lunch walk to the Anne Frank Memorial, we popped into Downtown Boise for a change of scenery. We were surprised to find the doors at the old Kiwi Shake & Bake were wide open and construction crews were working inside. Naturally, we wanted to know is coming next so we did a little digging.
Back in August 2021, the City of Boise received a request for a building permit allowing Goldein's Bagels to remodel an existing restaurant at the suite Kiwi Shake & Bake used to occupy at The Afton.
While there are no "coming soon" signs for Goldstein's Bagles hanging up on the property, we were able to track down social media accounts for "Goldstein's Bagels & Bialys" on both Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook account went live on December 9, 2021.
Um...What in the World is a Bialy?!
No clue what a bialy is? According to What's Cooking America, it's an Eastern European Jewish bread originally in Bialystok, Poland. Thousands of people from that area migrated from that area to New York City and brought the recipe with them. The round bread differs from the bagels we're used to finding at Boies's Blue Sky Bagels in a few ways. Most notably, they don't have holes. There's simply a dimple in the middle that is traditionally filled with onions, garlic or poppy seeds. Unlike bagels, which are usually boiled then baked, bialys are simply baked.
YUM, Now I'm Hungry! When Will Goldstein's Open?
According to the "about" section of Goldstein's Facebook page, they're aiming for Spring 2022 but their webpage encourages folks to follow them on Instagram for the most recent updates.
We're not exactly sure what the menu you will look like, but you can bet that both bagels and bialys will be part of the menu. Words like salmon, coffee, matzoh ball soup, sturgeon, salad and pizza appear in the image they're using as a Facebook profile picture so we can't wait to see what they have in store for Boise!
With the exception of Blue Sky and Sarah's Bagel Cafe, Boise's bagel scene is severely lacking, so it will be great to have something else in the mix!
Boise's downtown food scene is about to EXPLODE with new choices. Not far from the future Goldstein's location, the Warehouse Food Hall is under construction. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll find there hopefully by Summer 2022!
Here's What You Can Find Inside Downtown Boise's First Food Hall
Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart
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