Kindness

Went here the other night for happy hour, food was great, drinks were tasty and I loved the modern vibe and the music was good. The only reason why I gave them a ³⁄₅ is the bartender was behind the bar in plain site, coughed, spit in the garbage and then grabbed a napkin and wiped his face off. I don’t know why he did this out in plain view but it was pretty gross. I will try them again but sorry it’s not going to be for a while.

The food at Kindness is always delicious and the service is great. I strongly recommend the brunch, great selection of food including Chorizo Gravy and Polenta Eggs Benedict, very good!
Kindness has a full bar and the drinks are very well crafted. The bottomless mimosas with brunch are a good idea, just be sure you have a way home that doesn’t involve you driving!
Lunch here is great because it is never packed. The community table in the evening and drinks in the bar is the way to go to meet friends old or new. The décor and location make this a fun place to visit and on a cold winter day if you get there early you can put your feet up by the fire and relax while you sip your drinks.
My only complaint is the coffee, it is too acidic for my taste and I know that for every one of me there is someone who loves it so that is one of those matter of taste things.
This is a semi regular stop for me in my restaurant location and every stop reminds me why … and I question why I don’t go more frequently.

Had brunch here on Sunday, and was so happy it lived up to my very high expectations. I love a good brunch buffet, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The ambiance of Kindness is clean and elegant, coupled with the friendly servers (she kept the bottomless mimosas coming) and the delicious food, it makes for a special brunch experience. Highlights of the meal include the giant shrimp and crab claws and the lemon raspberry blintz. I want to come back every weekend, and at this price it’s realistic to do so.

Kindness has announced they will no longer serve dinner at their restaurant at the Owyhee Plaza. Owners Michael and Anna Tapia said the restaurant wasn’t performing as well as they had hoped. The bar will continue to operate and the restaurant will be open for Saturday and Sunday brunches. They’re going to use the extra space for their catering and events business

I wanted to love this place after all the hype I have heard. but it leaves a lot to be desired. We had reservations for a Saturday night and we were seated quickly. We started with the fondue and it was delicious. My friend tried to order three different things on the menu, but the server kept coming back and saying they weren’t available. She settled with the Meatball Flatbread, and I could not even swallow the bite I tried. It was so tasteless and terrible. Boo! I ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese and it was good. We were short on water the whole meal, and they were not very busy. I would probably not go back.

Disappointed, Sunday brunch was just ok, service was lacking, had to wait for everything. Won’t bother with Kindness again, we so wanted it to be better than just «OK».

Four of us went to Kindness for dinner at 7:45 pm on a Saturday night after a Boise State basketball game, because I had been raving about their French onion soup, which I have had once and have been craving ever since. We called the restaurant and were told that a table for four would be available in 30 minutes. Perfect.
The restaurant is very nice — über trendy, open, airy and almost stark in décor. We arrived feeling under-​dressed, as there was a holiday party going on in the lounge, and everyone was dressed to the nines. There were two large tables of diners, and several twosomes & foursomes, but by no means would I call it super busy. In fact, the entire center section of the restaurant was empty.
The service started off well — we were shown to a booth with a window view, and were shortly thereafter given water and a plate of cubed focaccia with dipping oil and spices. The focaccia was delicious — tender and full of herbs. The dipping oil contained chunks of garlic and red pepper, and complimented the bread perfectly.
The waiter was friendly and polite, and took our drink orders. They arrived in about 10 minutes, and were delicious — one of our party ordered a dirty martini «light on the dirty» with blue cheese-​stuffed olives, and pronounced it to be perfect. The Argentine Malbec I ordered was full-​bodied and delightful. The waiter took our food order — my husband ordered the salmon and risotto, I ordered the French onion soup I had been dreaming of and the risotto croquettes. Our friends ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a French onion soup starter and the srf petite tender medallions.
After 15 minutes or so our friend received his French onion soup starter. He said it was delicious — full of bread, cheese and crispy fried onions. Unfortunately we didn’t see the waiter again for almost 45 minutes. Our drinks were gone, our water glasses empty. I finally raised my water glass to catch the eye of a young woman working behind the counter, and she sent someone over to fill our glasses. Eventually the waiter came back and asked if we’d like another round of drinks. Our food didn’t arrive for another 30 minutes, and my onion soup never did arrive. My husband left the table to go find the waiter and ask about the soup, but he couldn’t find him. He spoke with someone behind the counter, who told him «I’ll look into it.» Awhile later the waiter approached our table, and by that time everyone was finished with their meals and ready to leave, so I told him to just forget about the soup, and bring the check.
As far as the food went, it was very, very good. The brussels sprouts that came with the petite tender medallions were crispy and flavorful, and the salmon and risotto were amazing. The croquettes were delicious, too. Crispy on the outside and warm and tender inside. It’s too bad that the service was so bad — I was embarrassed that I had talked the place up to our friends. There are many other restaurant choices in Boise that have both fabulous food and fabulous service.

This review (at least in terms of the food and service) is solely for the brunch.
Kindness was tough to find, mostly because I’d never been there and thought it was its own establishment (I’d seen the sign from Main street many times before). It’s located inside of an old hotel that has been renovated and now is home to a bunch of office spaces… and the most amazing brunch I’ve had in the state. As a matter of fact, this rivals The Cliff House (in terms of food quality) in San Francisco, which has been my favorite brunch spot for as long as I can remember. Except, at the Cliff house, you pay $ 50 for AYCE amazing good and champagne; at Kindness, it’s $ 12.95 for the insane brunch spread and $ 10 more if you want bottomless mimosa. It was so good that I waited weeks debating whether or not to write this review, because I seriously don’t want to see a big crowd there the next time I go. So if you’re hesitant to try it, please just don’t go and save the space for my huge belly.
The spread is nuts. The back table, at least on the Sunday that we visited, featured artisanal cheeses (brie, what looked like gouda, manchengo, etc.), fresh fruit, croissants, and my favorite, PRAWNS, CRAB CLAWS and cocktails sauce. Such a lovely way to start your meal, with some delicious, lean protein from the sea. Primes my belly for the big show. Of course, there was breakfast sausage and bacon (very high quality), fluffy scrambled eggs with boursin cheese, Red Hot fried chicken, jalapeño-​cheddar biscuits with chorizo gravy (my least favorite item… sorry, it was too much like a dip I’d eat during a football game), traditional eggs benedict (on a fried polenta cake), CRAB eggs benedict, and as things disappeared, new things appeared, such as blueberry and cream cheese blintzes. It’s not worth trying to describe the dessert table, but suffice it to say there was cheesecake, homemade chocolates… it was unreal.
Our server was incredible and not only accommodated our frisky, little baby, but downright flirted with him (and right in front of me and my wife!). She was awesome, made great food recommendations, and didn’t mind our party constantly asking for mimosa refills. I wish I remembered her name, but I would love to inform the owners of what an incredible employee they have in her.
In short, this was about as close to perfection as I believe I’ll ever see in a brunch, and at an incredible value. Again, please don’t all show up here, because I want it to be my spot and I want all of the food for me. Stay away; this brunch is mine!

There’s a stylish, contemporary-​yet-​classic feel to the place. It’s all about sleek geometric lines and monochrome. Very cool vibe.
The food was excellent and hearty without being boring. Be warned, though: the portions are HUGE, so you’ll struggle to finish your meal.
The beef stew was a highlight for our party, especially on a cold, snowy night. I would definitely go back.

Came in on Saturday evening with reservation for 4 people. This was my first time and I had a great night! We shared the mushroom flatbread as appetizer. The bread was a little thick for a «flatbread» but I still enjoyed it! Especially since it has truffle oil drizzle on top. YUM!
I had Cioppino as my main course. I really liked it, just the right amount of spices in the tomato broth. They were generous with all of the fish pieces, crab, scallop, and shrimp!
I can image this place being the perfect spot for various occasions — birthday, date night, casual get together, anything you can think of! The ambiance was perfect, not too loud but not dead quiet either. I’m sure I’ll be coming back.

Walked in and was impressed by the space. Reminded me of a interior that you’d see back east. When we walked in there was no one in the restaurant and we sort of had to walk most of the way in to be noticed. Once noticed we were seated. As impressive as the space is the chairs were plastic. Cool design but I have similar metal chairs in my photo studio. It took quite a bit out of the atmosphere for me.
We ordered dinner. As a seasoned vegan I’m used to asking questions and working with a menu that is not vegan friendly. I looked ahead of time and noticed flat breads. Figured I could make that work. The dough has eggs in it which I think is strange. The only option was an Asian inspired salad. It was just okay. My date went for the croquettes and French onion soup. Croquettes got thumbs up. The French onion soup had the bread actually in the soup rather than a crustini on top which led to extremely soggy bread that dissolved into the soup making it more of a mush than a brothy soup. Flavor was good but the texture took away from the overall appeal of the soup.
The service was good. Aside from walking in and almost catching the staff off guard on a slow night they were super friendly and did go out of their way checking on us and even double checking quite a few things on the menu trying to find something vegan.
I wouldn’t go back just because there are just way better options for similar food within a few blocks.

Hidden gem of Boise. I need to come here more often. Happy hour is amazing and the shuffleboard is always open. Bring a circle of your greatest friends and you are sure to have a great time.

Kinda mixed feelings about this one after our first visit last night for dinner… I will just give some thoughts that will explain why I am torn on the final rating…
— they have done an amazing job at the renovation… it’s a nice, open space but seemed a bit cold with stark white walls with very little color. Also probably didn’t help that there were really only a few tables occupied.
— two out of three apps were really good… risotto croquettes and Thai crab cakes were both stars and eaten completely! The meatball flatbread wasn’t a hit at all… the crust seemed store bought, not any crunch and there was a somewhat odd flavor we couldn’t quite place… possibly a cheese other than mozzarella.
— entrée highlight was the pork shank with polenta… half of the table ordered that and it was really good. The salmon with risotto was excellent also. The steak was good but the mashed potatoes that came with it were not good at all… seemed like they were not seasoned at all.
— service was hit and miss especially considering there were so few tables. Apps came before wine and it took the server a few mins to get the wine opened. Wife ordered coffee which never actually came.
So overall it was mixed… I am sure we will be back because mostly the food was good. Hopefully those couple of things that were not so great can be improved next time.

Just had buffet brunch here and it was outstanding. Try the bacon. And the French toast. And the eggs bene. And the muffins. Actually just try everything. Remember to wear your maternity pants or spandex infused jeans.

Food for brunch is very good, and prices are reasonable. Hubby had prime rib chicken fried steak and eggs, and I had the breakfast enchiladas. Mine was served in a cast iron skillet and was hit, fresh and tasty. His was generously portioned, and he liked it, although he would have preferred a more traditional gravy. Toast and berry compote were both delicious.
My only minor critique would be about the service. The hostess was lovely and friendly, but our waiter was a bit scattered. He apparently got weeded by a 10 top, so I’ll cut him a break this time. He was nice, just maybe a bit slow.

My boyfriend and I were just talking about Kindness last night, and I realized I never reviewed it after our visit!
We went here to celebrate our anniversary/​to have a nice night out together. The atmosphere is upscale, yet casual at the same time. The area we were in was echo-​y and I felt like we had to whisper to each other. We came overdressed, as we were expecting the venue/​atmosphere to be a little classier. You can always tell the vibe by what the wait staff is wearing, and with a mass of Converse and t-​shirts, we felt a little out of place. That being said, I like that it’s a pretty casual place. It’s not often you find food this good somewhere that requires more than jeans. Good to know for future visits.
We must have been in shortly after their grand opening, because a lot of the staff was in training and still getting a hold of things. It was great, however, and we were well taken care of.
Out drinks were good, definitely poured strong. Nice.
And the food… Good lord the food! We started with the risotto croquettes. To. Die. For. I love croquettes, but have never had them made with risotto. Definitely a fun spin on them! And so delicious! Get them!
We both went with the SRF Kobe Beef Coulette Steak and were NOT disappointed. My boyfriend still claims it to be «the best steak I’ve EVER had.» We also got the roaster garlic mashers and veggie of the day — which was honey-​drizzled steamed carrots. Yuuuuum.
For dessert, they offer a tray of seasonal choices. We had a pumpkin mousse that was killer.
We will certainly be back! In fact, we already have plans to do so :)

I would give Kindness 3 ½ stars if I could. The food was good but lacked the final finishing touches that would make them truly great. For example the mushroom crostini was good but the crostini was hardly grilled more like luke warm and not crunchy the beer battered mushrooms had a great dipping sauce but to much batter and not enough mushroom. The batter was perfect but a bit to oily like it wasn’t allowed to drain. The cocktails were okay as well. Overall it was just good but I would like to come back and try the brunch.

Happy Hour Review
Food items will be reviewed in next visit
Pretty good, just average appetizers and drinks. The cocktail menu had your regular margaritas, mojito, and cosmopolitan type drinks.
The meatballs with the marinara were Delicious.
Summer Salsa was good, it would be better if they had a guacamole with it, but if you mix their salsa with guac you’re all good. !
Ambiance — it’s pretty mellow and really perfect if you’re trying to find a spot to hang out with a few people and not be bombarded by loud music or be in a crowded room.
Service — ⁸⁄₁₀
Appetizers — ⁸⁄₁₀
Drinks — ⁸⁄₁₀

Customer reviews, whether Unilocal,TripAdvisor or any other review medium typically reflect a snapshot in time. A single dining experience. A single purchase experience. Sometimes multliple visits are made and then a panorama develops. So has it been for my husband and me after several visits in to Kindness for different times of the day including times with friends along to introduce them to the restaurant. Sad to say those introductions have been uncomfortable given food and service snafus.
«Well, their heart is in the right place» has been the outcome. With the sense from those we’ve introduced that they might come back but they wouldn’t make this destination.
In particular service where pleasant and eager servers are in the mix, could really do with additional training and maybe more on floor supervision as they learn the ropes. And while we’ve frequently seen the owner when we’ve been in, it doesn’t quite seem he is paying attention to the service issues in real time to address getting them fixed overall.
Most recently our visit was for «Halfy Hour». We sat for some time in the lobby chairs at the bar and finally had to walk into both the restaurant and up to the bar to inquire about menus and placing food and beverage orders. Not the fault of the friendly staff who were responsive once we tagged them, but a seeming absence of process for how customers coming in are monitored and followed up for orders.
RELUCTANT UPDATE DOWNGRADE
I’ve been reluctant to write an update and reduce the star rating because these are such nice folks with a great mission. The telling thing was to find myself backing down in my four star comments with out of town Unilocal friends who asked if they should make this a stop on their way through town. As in «Well, it’s good but the food and service aren’t what they should be by now. Maybe you should try (insert alternative) instead…»
Two other comments seem worth sharing based on multiple visits.
NON REVENUE MODEL?
I don’t now how this will work for them, but Kindness is, well, kind enough to provide a large community table in the lobby and comfy lounge chairs in the lobby bar. On multiple trips in we’ve noted folks with laptops and backpacks and their own coffee and commuter mugs brought in, all the while Kindness offers a coffee bar in the lobby. The same was true with happy hour when lounge seating, revenue seating for the bar /​restaurant, was taken up by people with their own coffee and soft drink cups in hand and not buying food or beverage from Kindness.
As a commumity service, providing these spaces is nice of Kindness. But how they sustain a business when folks don’t buy their product is tough to determine. It will be interesting to see if the space they provide generates loyalty from those using it to come back and eat at the restaurant.
HALFY HOUR
Re the «halfy hour» we discovered their «two for one» cocktails are a la the Barbacoa model, that is one person has to have two cocktails and the second is free. As a one cocktail and done drinker, this kind of policy does nothing for me. At least in kudos to Kindness staff they explain the policy clearly at the time of the order.
BOTTOM LINE
We are fans of the concept here and the location and the people but we have found inconsistency in service and food that at this point in the restaurants’ launch that ought to be better ironed out. We’re pulling for Kindness to make it work. There is so much here to admire. But there is also work to do for four stars or better.

I found everything about Kindness, from its location in the Owyhee building to its sleek and sexy hipster décor to its get-​it-​local philosophy, to be absolutely great!
I came here as part of a group of local Unilocalers who get together on a regular basis to try out Boise area businesses. I can confidently say that each member of our group left Kindness feeling quite satisfied with the choice of our September location.
You can expect to find a well rounded selection of offerings on the menu that is sure to please most palates. They serve up everything from steak to vegetarian flat bread pizza. And of course, plenty of libations to wash it all down with.
So grab a friend, or five, and head down to Kindness.
Oh yeah, plus they have shuffleboard… Yeah, I’ll be back!