Iconic Small Town Idaho Restaurant is Officially for Sale

It’s been nearly three years since the Bertram family served their last plate sized pancakes in McCall. When they put the Pancake House up for sale, they hoped that they’d find a buyer who would carry on the popular restaurant’s legacy. We all know what happened. 

Instead, Colorado based grocery chain, Natural Grocers, bought the property and turned it into their fifth and most unique looking store in Idaho. While we know that Natural Grocers has some great giveback programs for the communities they serve, we still have a pancake shaped hole in our hearts. 

That said, but every McCall restaurant that gets sold goes the way of the Pancake House. Katie Welborn put Cafe 6 Three 4 up for sale in April 2023 after her husband found out he needed to relocate for his job with Idaho Power. She found Sean, Frazier and Emily who took over and the restaurant is thriving under their guidance. 

Brunchette on the Lake changed hands at some point at the end of 2023, too. It’s now family and locally owned. 

Another McCall Icon is Up For Sale

While scrolling through Facebook, we stumbled across a post that a friend shared from Casey Salas, a real estate agent from Brundage Real Estate. We immediately recognized the building. It’s our favorite place in the entire state to go for loaded fries - Lardos Grill & Saloon. 

The listing reads: 

It's being sold as a turnkey restaurant on a 0.32-acre lot with a 4811 square foot building. Zoned for community commercial use, it offers flexibility for various business ventures. Located close to Shore Lodge, public beaches, and Payette River, this venue draws a steady flow of locals and visitors, ensuring a lively atmosphere. The sale includes a less restrictive liquor license, allowing alcohol sales without the requirement of food service.

The asking price for the restaurant and its property is $2,300,000. 

According to the restaurant’s website, the place where it sits was once a small gold mining town named Lardo. The McCall Chamber’s website reveals that the founding father of McCall, Tom McCall, ended up with the abandoned Lardo post office and moved it to his homestead in the early 1900s. 

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Winter or summer, Lardo’s is an absolute MUST for us each time we go to McCall. We hope that their story ends happily ever like Cafe 6 Three 4’s and that the cool, quirky and delicious restaurant that’s been there since 1973 gets to live on! Neither their website, nor Facebook page mentioned the sale.

Another McCall Restaurant is Calling it Quits

Meanwhile, Bistro 45 is in its final days in McCall. According to our friends at BoiseDev, the restaurant’s owner, Steven Topple, has accepted a full-time job as executive chef at Tamarack Resort, leading him to make the tough decision. Topple bought the Bistro 45 concept after its former owners were told their lease wasn’t being renewed on 3rd Street. He used it to replace one of his other concepts, Ragazza Di Lago, located on the bottom floor of the Yacht Club building. 

Bistro 45 will close for good on September 15.