Say it ain’t so, Joe! Boise restaurant with ‘amazing’ river patio closing after 19 years

Strolling the Greenbelt along the Boise River, it’s impossible not to be tempted by Joe’s Crab Shack.

Say what you will about the typhoon of decor inside. The restaurant at 2288 N. Garden St. offers a scenic outdoor patio environment.

But time is running out to devour stuffed shrimp, savor Shark Bite cocktails and let your worries be carried away with the river current.

Joe’s Crab Shack will close Thursday, June 9. After almost two decades, it is shuttering “due to a natural lease expiration,” said Tim Kaliher, vice president and COO of Joe’s Crab Shack, Brick House Tavern + Tap and the Specialty Restaurant Division of Landry’s Inc.

“We are grateful for the support of the local community and invite our loyal patrons to come dine with us during our final days open,” Kaliher said in a prepared statement. “We value our employees and their dedication to our company throughout the years.”

The abandoned Crab Shack won’t be marooned for long. After a remodel, Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill is scheduled to take over the space in 2023 — its second location in the Treasure Valley.

Opened in 2003, Joe’s Crab Shack replaced Chart House, an upscale, nautically themed chain known for its waterfront views. (Both are owned by Landry’s.) And although the seafood-driven menus and branding were different, there was no denying the allure of chilling on that special patio.

In a guide to waterside dining in 2015, the Idaho Statesman ranked it at the top.

“With a deck along the Boise Greenbelt, this is the Valley’s best river-view patio. Folks can chomp on Joe’s signature crab by the bucket and sip brews, seafaring-themed cocktails and sodas as the Boise River flows past. You can even feed the water fowl on a nearby inlet.”

Yelp reviewers feel similarly. The location is “amazing,” wrote one from Nampa in 2021. “Right on the Greenbelt with views of the Boise River. The dining room is nice, but the patio is wonderful. It always makes me feel like I’m on vacation and close to the water.”

As Boise has grown, restaurant patio competition has stiffened. (Yes, Joe’s was downgraded slightly to “one of the Valley’s best patios with a river view” in an updated Statesman article.)

But Boiseans undoubtedly will miss the familiar Joe’s. There are still many Idahoans who reminisce about Chart House, opened in 1977 (and often referred to as the Chart House).

Ling & Louie’s is poised to propel the riverside spot into a new era. A small chain, Ling & Louie’s operates at 3210 E. Louise Drive in Meridian, plus in Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona, and in Dallas, Texas.

The 14-acre Riverside Hotel, which owns the building, will remodel it before Ling & Louie’s opens there next year, according to Rex Chandler, executive director of the Ling & Louie’s franchise in Idaho, and a co-owner of the Meridian restaurant.

Known in the Gem State as owner of fine-dining destination Chandlers Steakhouse, he is excited about the transformation to come.

And don’t worry: The outdoor patio will stay — and get even better.

“Absolutely!” Chandler said.