High Note Cafe — Restaurant in Idaho

So far I've eaten at High Note Cafe once, a couple weeks ago. I have wanted to try them for a while, but we usually order delivery through Door Dash or the like. According to the High Note Cafe website, they "do not participate with third party online ordering" which is a shame because I really liked their food!! It was a hot day, but still nice enough to sit outside. Their outdoor seating area only has a few small tables, but there was a canopy over a couple of them so we had a pleasant time. To drink, I had my server's recommendation: a mix of their jasmine green and hibiscus iced teas. So perfect on a hot summer afternoon~ To eat, I ordered the French dip and the tomato coconut basil soup, the latter being served with the same housemade bread that the French dip was made with. That BREAD ✨🍞🤤💖 The server (who was awesome all around) asked if it was alright that the soup order was basically going to double my bread intake, but after I ate it, I was sooo happy that I got so much. It was somehow both hearty and light, crumbly and robust, just the most amazing texture and flavor. I'm definitely ordering another bread thing next time I visit, which will be quite soon, since I'm keeping High Note Cafe on my Sunday lunch date rotation! The only negative was that my French dip sandwich wasn't very dippable. The filling fell out constantly, whether trying to dip or just taking a bite (I started spooning the dip onto the sandwich, which did help a bit) so my hands were just covered in filling and sauce by the end. Since the sandwich was so mindblowingly delicious, I wasn't put off by it, but I would like if there was some way to make the sandwich dippable, lol. Other than that, I had a great time here (quick mention that the soup was also stunningly delicious; never would have thought to put tomato with coconut but it WORKS 🤤) and I can't wait to go back!

P.S. They give a discount if you pay with cash; something to keep in mind for the budget-conscious.

Update, 30 July 2023: Ate inside this time! It's a bit small but cozy and fun. The French Dip is no longer on the brunch menu. It was replaced with something much less messy: the "Habanero Hominy Queso-Rito". The arugula was distractingly bitter against the rest of the ingredients but overall it was super yummy and I'd order it again! The crispy tortilla was sooo delicious~ For my drink this time, I tried the Blueberry Basil Lemonade, which was sweet, fragrant, and cold, perfect for a...

I love every dish I've tried at High Note, and I think I've had everything on the menu! The soup varies from day to day, so I've probably missed a few, and I can say that just when I think there can be no soup better than the African Squash, High Note's amazing chef wowed me with the cream of spinach. I alternate between three favorite meals: Rosemary Seitan and Pesto Mushroom sandwiches and the breakfast burrito, and either the soup of the day or caesar salad. I'd eat here every day if my pocket book could afford it. I was skimming the reviews and noted most people love High Note as much as I do. I want to comment on a couple of poor reviews b/c they should not deter someone from trying the best restaurant in Boise. There was a complaint/dig about them going to cash & check only. I wish that person would have asked about the why behind that decision - it speaks volumes about the integrity of the owner. The money saved each month in not paying for the credit card machine (that's a BIG hunk of money it turns out) is going to employees in extra salary b/c they're working through a pandemic. It's a brilliant decision to support people working in an industry that's really hard hit by covid, and I don't even consider it an inconvenience (it's old school charming, actually! my grandma and grandpa never even had a credit card, and they were the cutest cash-paying couple ever). There was also criticism from someone who waited a while for their food. I'm sure that was frustrating; however, I am also certain that experience was an outlier. I have probably gotten take out at least 25 times since High Note reopened after their temporary closure, and I've never waited more than a couple of minutes for my food - and I'm happy to wait so that my yummy sandwich is piping hot! High Note is amazing - I can't say enough...

Read the reviews and, as a vegan, I was excited to try High Note Cafe with my family. When we stepped inside, it was dark, dingy, humid, and smelled strongly of patchouli. The cafe is very small and cramped. It was uncomfortable already but we decided to try it anyways.

There were multiple tables that needed to be cleared off so we were greeted by a waitress and told that she would have someone clean off a table for us. We waited for about 5 minutes for a table to be cleaned off. We sat ourselves down and waited for menus. Again, 7 minutes went by and the waitress finally came over to offer us menus.

Because the service was so slow, I had plenty of time to observe the room. Most tables had food and, to the Cafe’s credit, it looked appetizing. Staff seemed to do a lot of standing around, which was confusing based on how long we were waiting for everything. The music was loud enough that it wasn’t easy to have a conversation. We had to shout at one another as we discussed whether we should stay or leave because (at that point) we had already been there 20 minutes and had not been approached for an order of any kind.

Ultimately, we decided to leave because the service was so bad, it wasn’t worth trying the food to deal with the service and the uncomfortable atmosphere (as stated above, it was stuffy, humid, and did not seem particularly clean). When I found the waitress to tell her that we were going to leave, she said, “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

I have never written a review but I felt compelled to share my experience with others. As a vegan, I was so excited to try High Note Cafe so I was beyond disappointed. We do not live in the area and made a special trip just for this restaurant. i am not one to walk out of a restaurant but it was the worst dining experience myself and my family...