Red Bench Pizza — Restaurant in Idaho

If You Want A Local Gem, This Is It!

I rarely sit down and take the time to write a review, but I just had to stop and tell everyone about Red Bench Pizza. I’ve been a “Boise Benchie” now for over 16 years, and I haven’t found a better pizza place!

If you’re ready to upgrade your palate but still not break the bank, look no further! There is something for everyone here, whether it be pasta, salad, pizza, or dessert (you’ve GOTTA try the cannolis and the ricotta donut bites!) Red bench has unique options that can’t be found anywhere else. They have a great kids menu, to DIE for appetizers (can't go wrong with the Italian nachos!), and they even have gluten-free and cauliflower crust for those that have flour sensitivities.

The cheeky menu sports one-of-a-kind pizzas with names like “ En Fuego”, a (spicy chicken favorite that you won’t want to miss), “No Meat, No Cry”, (not your typical veggie pie), and “Magic Kingdom”, (my personal fave) with exclusive toppings like parmesan roasted mushrooms, truffle oil, and garlic oil sauce. I like to pair their specialty pizzas with a nice glass of their Marciano Red house wine.

The authentic Italian-style food is consistently good, and you can tell they use fresh ingredients. The open dining area allows you to see the employees prepare your food, and the lively atmosphere is perfect for a lunch date, date night, or a family outing. The customer service is above par for most Boise restaurants.

This local gem is a must-stop for locals and tourists alike. Enjoy the large mural of chef Jose Andres on the Kootenai side of the building, and the “Big Red Bench” out front for photo ops! Close to downtown, Boise State University, the airport, and sitting at the heart of Boise’s iconic Bench neighborhood, Red Bench Pizza is a win-win for all you hungry...

I rarely sit down and take the time to write a review, but I just had to stop and tell everyone about Red Bench Pizza. I’ve been a “Benchie” now for over 20 years, and I haven’t found a better pizza place!

If you’re ready to upgrade your palate but still not break the bank, look no further! There is something for everyone here, whether it be pasta, salad, pizza, or dessert (you’ve GOTTA try the cannolis and the ricotta donut bites!)

Red bench has unique options that can’t be found anywhere else. They have a great kids menu, to DIE for appetizers (can't go wrong with the Italian nachos!), and they even have gluten-free and cauliflower crust for those that have flour sensitivities.

The cheeky menu sports one-of-a-kind pizzas with names like “ En Fuego”, a (spicy chicken favorite that you won’t want to miss), “No Meat, No Cry”, (not your typical veggie pie), and “Magic Kingdom”, (my personal fave) with exclusive toppings like parmesan roasted mushrooms, truffle oil, and garlic oil sauce. I like to pair their specialty pizzas with a nice glass of their Marciano Red house wine.

The authentic Italian-style food is consistently good, and you can tell they use fresh ingredients. The open dining area allows you to see the employees prepare your food, and the lively atmosphere is perfect for a lunch date, date night, or a family outing. The customer service is above par for most Boise restaurants.

This local gem is a must-stop for locals and tourists alike. A unique twist is the large mural of chef Jose Andres on the Kootenai side of the building, and the “Big Red Bench” out front for photo ops!

Close to downtown, Boise State University, the airport, and sitting at the heart of Boise’s iconic Bench neighborhood, Red Bench Pizza is a win-win for all you hungry...

Pros- Server Haley was amazing! Great personality, knew the menu well, offering perfect suggestions, very friendly and warm spirit. Portion sizes on point. Goldilocks perfect size. We left full, but not over-stuffed and no need for boxes. Nice finishing touches on all dishes, makes for excellent flavor profiles and eye appeal. See my photos! Inventive and mouth-watering pizza topping combinations. We will surely return to try more of them. I couldn't be more pleased that they offer 3 types of olives and more than 7 types of cheese! Impressed that they offer aioli with the calamari as I'm over everyone else serving marinara always. Food was prepared and served quickly, arriving at the desired temperatures. Antipasto salad dressing was incredibly delicious. Cons - Unfortunately they had ran out of iced tea earlier in the day and decided not to prepare more. $2-$3 per topping on build-your-own pizza adds up quickly, easily doubling the price of a pizza. Calamari was literally the worst that I've ever tasted. Small, over-fried, greasy yet falling apart and merely tasting of oil, nothing else. I didn't ask for an exchange or it to be taken off. With so many other quality items, I was shocked they would serve this. Tip: get better grade calamari. They were slow when we dined, but pizza toppings were carelessly scattered as if they were rushed. Focaccia starter was surprisingly bland and missing the "bite" of well-made bread We will return to try more of the menu and hopefully see Haley again. Plus her dessert descriptions left us wishing we had room on our...