It seems like every week, we uncover another unique, delicious or quirky Idaho restaurant so it kind of shocked us that only ONE restaurant in the Gem State found itself on this list. 

We’ve been checking Yelp every day this year, waiting for the 10th-anniversary edition of their “Top 100 US Restaurants” and it’s finally arrived. The review website says that this year’s list has something for every taste, style and budget. They assembled the list after asking Yelpers to nominate their favorite restaurants. They ranked this year’s nominees based on the number of submissions, ratings, reviews, geographic representation and other factors. 

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Forgive us if we question how much “geographic representation” actually played into the final rankings because just ONE Idaho restaurant ended up in the list. We mean, we shouldn’t complain. Somehow, 20 states were left off the list entirely and quite frankly, some of those missing states shocked us. No cajun food from Louisiana? No lobster dishes from Maine? Nothing cheesy from Wisconsin?  

And just five restaurants in the Pacific Northwest made the list. Somehow, this is California’s fault. No, really. California sucked up 28 spots spots in this year’s Top 100, including the #1 spot that went to Broken Mouth in Los Angeles. They serve a mash-up of Hawaiian and Korean food. 

So, which restaurants in the Pacific Northwest made the list? Washington State put one restaurant on the list. 

La Cabana, Seattle

Facebook/La Cabaña - Central American Restaurant
Facebook/La Cabaña - Central American Restaurant
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They’re a Central American restaurant serving up flavors from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The photos on their menu look really good. They are still asking guests to volunteer their information for COVID contact tracing. They have a 4.5-star rating on Yelp and ranked #69.

Oregon put three on the list and all of them are in Portland. 

Gumba, Portland

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Facebook/Gumba
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According to their website, this pasta parlor started as a food cart operated by two best friends. They always wanted to run a business together but didn’t know what the vision was. When it opened, there were just three items on the menu. They graduated to a brick-and-mortar location toward the end of 2020. Now they have four pastas on the menu and a rainbow trout entree on the menu, along with a selection of appetizers and desserts. They have a 4.5-star rating on Yelp and are ranked #98.

Botto’s BBQ, Portland

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Facebook/Botto's Barbecue
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When we think of good barbecue, Portland’s not the first place we think of but apparently, their spin on Texas-style BBQ is pretty darn irresistible. Brisket. Pulled Pork. Ribs. Turkey. Sausage. A tray with 2-3 of your favorites. They’ve got it all and burnt ends on Sunday. They have a perfect 5-star rating on Yelp and are ranked #54.

Malka, Portland

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Facebook/Malka
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This fusion restaurant is actually in its final days. Yelp revealed that the fusion restaurant is closing on February 26. They serve 3-course prix fixe meals and rely heavily on Southeast Asian and Jewish cuisines. They’re going out in a big way. They have a perfect 5-star review on Yelp and are ranked #29 on the list. 

So, which Idaho restaurant made the list? Not Nampa’s Brick 29 which found itself on the list in 2021 and 2022. And not Salmon’s Junkyard Bistro, which ranked #7 last year. 

izzy’s Comfort Kitchen

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Facebook/Izzy's Comfort Kitchen
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According to their website, this CDA restaurant is family owned and operated with Reannan and Jason Keene leading the charge. Comfort food is what they do best. Their menu is full of cozy classics like a 12-ounce pork chop, mac & cheese, Mama’s Pot Roast, shrimp & grits and chicken fried steak. They’ve only been around since 2020, but they’ve earned 188 positive reviews on Yelp, giving them a perfect 5-star rating on Yelp and ranked #43 on the list.

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Total stores were based on figures from Scrapehero. The number of Idaho stores is based on information collected from a brand's website. It was easier to find that info for some and difficult for others. So cut us some slack if we're off by a store or two. It was hard to count all those little dots on the map. (We're looking at you Ace Hardware.)

 

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