River City Coffee & Cafe

I usually don’t give places one star reviews, because typically there is some sort of positive… but not here. I’m so disappointed with this place! The décor is adorable but that’s about all this place has going. We sat at the bar because most of the tables were taken. The place was filthy. stuff stuck on the walls, counters, chairs. The staff making coffee used the same rag to clean off the counter and machine that they used to wipe off the side of a mug full of coffee, which they then handed to a customer. I watched the girl use a dirty plate off the counter to heat up bacon and there were dirty dishes all over the kitchen. The food itself was bland and the tortilla chips were stale and chewy. I ordered a turkey club, which was supposed to be toasted. Only thing warm on the sandwhich was the bacon. Overall it was bland and extremely dry. Don’t waste your time or money here.

Today was my first time here, I liked it a lot. The employees are nice and breakfast & coffee are good. I had one of the wraps. I would come back.

Back again, still great food! The molasses cookies are just like my grandma used to make. Love this place!

Just visiting Boise and came back here for a second try, the pastries are great and fresh. Some wide breakfast selections from wraps to biscuits and gravy. Highly recommend the Dutch Mocha!

This is my go-​to place when I need my Big City fix but want to stay close to my house. I think they told me once it used to be owned by the same owner but isn’t anymore. The menu is similar, and the food and coffee tastes similar. I’m sorry but Big City is my very favorite breakfast in Boise so they have a lot to live up to!
Overall the breakfast is tasty (I haven’t tried the lunch yet)! I go there for a more local unique breakfast vs. A typical diner fare down the road at the Sunrise Café. (Don’t get me wrong I love both, just depends on my mood). The breakfast wrap or California scramble are my favorites. I love the option of turkey for a breakfast meat, you don’t see that very often, and it’s delicious chunks of turkey breast. The homemade salsa is also amazing. I also appreciate the healthy breakfast options on the menu. For coffee I recommend the Almond Joy, yum yum!
Great choice if you’re meeting someone for coffee, breakfast or lunch. They have a nice little patio as well. They also have a nice section of delectable pastries that I have not tried but look amazing.

Pros: Good coffee. Good menu. Neat décor. interesting patrons. free WiFi
Cons: Loud. needs some good housekeeping. serious lack of power outlets. not a good place for homework if it requires concentration or power. generally have to bus your own table prior to sitting down

Love this joint! Great atmosphere, tasty baked goods, and local. Only downside is that the quality of your coffee beverage depends on the Barista working.

This is a great place for a good espresso, and to try one of the few «Idaho local foods» the Idaho Scone. FYI Idaho has many different interpretations of a «scone» none of them are what the rest of the world thinks of when thinking «scone» i.e. (the dry bland triangle that only the U.K. eats and the rest of us thinks is best looked at in the pastry display).
The «scone» here is a biscuit like bread, topped with either meat and cheese (savory) or pie filling and frosting (sweet), and there the size of the palm of your hand. Both are very good and Iwould suggest everyone try them at least once. (just don’t point out them that it’s not actually a scone)
The place is run by a nice «mom» and staffed by cool «youngsters» all the pastries and sweets are baked fresh. It’s a great coffee & sweets joint.

Cute concept, some issues.
I went here to get a coffee and a bit for lunch. It’s a cute concept and cozy location but there are definitely some things that turned me off.
There were flies everywhere. I realize it’s hard to fight the flies but they had food sitting out on display… and flies landing on it. I thought the food was for display only maybe, but when I selected that particular bread option as my snack, she literally cut it from the loaf that was sitting out that a fly had landed on moments earlier.
The fly situation was probably exacerbated by the fact that someone had the back door propped open and was unprofessionally hauling things in and out. She was crouching down below the front counter, getting in the way of the cashier, was very sweaty and wearing regular jeans and a ratty shirt. It was disconcerting to say the least.
On top of the atmosphere issues, the slice of bread I actually got seemed… lazy. I don’t claim to know anything about baking or cooking. But this loaf had a HUGE chunk of brown sugar baked into one corner that didn’t get properly mixed in. I’m talking like slightly smaller than a golf ball. I don’t want a mouthful of sugar.
Honestly I had a hard time choosing the food because I didn’t really know what options I had. There weren’t many appetizing foods in the display case and I wasn’t offered a menu which I noticed they had after I ordered and sat down to wait.
These issues aside, the price was right, the cashier was friendly, and the coffee was ok. I got a drink with pumpkin, which apparently they make from scratch with real pumpkin. It was yummy. I’m no coffee connoisseurs so I don’t know if it was watered down.
Would I go again? I have a friend who raves about this place so maybe she can show me the bright side.
Get a fly strip or something!

This place is a must stop if you are in Boise! My family came in for breakfast and the food is awesome! We had quiche and a breakfast sandwich. Topped it off with their cherry pie scone. That scone was so good that we ordered 7 to go…

Well. I’m just gonna be honest. My coffee (which is all I ordered) was watered down.
My partners food was ok, the breakfast sandy was good, and the pots were old and tasted like the’ve been in an oven or under a heat lamp for hours. EXPECTED more from a potato Idaho.
The staff was friendly and the décor is super cute.

This place has gone down hill a bit — it is cute and a nice alternative to going downtown Boise and trying to find parking, etc. at one of the great coffee shops down there. I’ve been here many times, but the quality of the food and the cleanliness of the restaurant is failing. When I arrived at 8 am this morning, most of the tables were dirty, the floor was dirty and the shop was freezing. I ordered the quiche and it was microwaved into stiffness. I believe the shop used to be owned by Big City coffee and was sold. I think the owner needs to go and take some lessons from Big City if it wants to stay viable. A little more effort and care would go a long way.

This is a very cool eclectic lil place… the home made baked goods are absolutely mind googling good. The person
that cooks there is a Genius of tasty baked goods. Then there is the coffee n espresso drink… nothing short of amazing
and delicious. The staff is very very good… just a great little treasure in the Treasure Valley.

Nice, comfortable space. Efficient & friendly service. Great coffee. Great food. I’ve been in Boise for only a few weeks trying as many different coffee shops I can find. I’m pretty sure this one is so far my favorite and will likely remain in the top 5 after I’ve tried them all.

Amazing baking and some of the best Gluten Free muffins I have ever had!
Great décor and atmosphere, and the staff are friendly.
Hit or miss with the coffee — I just went there and had the worst coffee of my life — was very burned and tasted disgusting!

Came here for a little afternoon caffeination. The place is darling with its cycle inspired décor. They are Vandal fans (as they have a Vandal jersey in a display case) but I’ll try not to hold that against them ;)
Their espresso drinks are a little weak for my taste. One of my companions ordered their Chai tea and reported it just so-​so compared to some of the other coffee houses in town (they mentioned Flying M, specifically). Of the three of us who stopped in here (2 ordering espresso drinks, and one the chai), none of us were wowed.
The food looks promising and I would be willing to give it a whirl sometime, but strictly based on the coffee? Meh.

Yep. BIG fan! Great little coffee shop atmosphere, pretty good food, and excellent coffee. I dig it!

Great coffee, food, and sweets!!!
Love their style of interior and furniture.
I miss this place so bad!

Use to be big city coffee. Love this place. I really like the quiche. The coffee is great and the service is excellent. They even have kid friendly options. My son (4 year old) loves the hot chocolate and some mini waffles.
It does get crowded on the weekend mornings, but it really brings together a mixture of people. Great place to people watch.
The bike theme is fun, and the atmosphere is relaxing and shabby chic. Live it. My son always finds something new to look at and talk about. Great place!

The first thing that I thought of as soon as I walked into this place, was that it looked like Pinterest exploded inside. There is literally no space that went unoccupied by some sort of DIY-​looking-​artsy-​fartsy-​crafty-​thinger-​ma-​jigger. It was insanity. But, I guess that just adds to the «charm» of the place.
On to the menu. There was so much to choose from. Almost too much. But, whatever. More reason for me to order more food to feed my fat-​ass appetite. So, I ordered an omelette and waffles (only because they don’t serve french toast). The servings were huge. The omelette was huge. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but I had no complaints. The waffles were a bit dry on the inside, and there was no syrup on the table to use, but only the tiny plastic cups that they provide you with (probably to cut down on costs). And two tiny cups of syrup weren’t enough in my opinion. But, oh well, maybe that’s just the universe’s way of watching out for my waist.
Overall, the food wasn’t terrible, nor was it out-​of-​this-​world good. It was extremely busy on a Sunday morning. What was worst about that, is that it is self-​seating at this place, and you have to share tables if you need to with other people. Which can be fun. But, some people are just straight-​up not in the mood to talk to strangers that early in the morning. Again. Charm of it all… I guess.