Two of our absolute favorite restaurants in Boise just happen to be related. Lizzy and David Rex opened The Wylder in 2017 and then Certified Kitchen and Bakery in 2019. I could easily eat breakfast, lunch and dinner between the two restaurants for the rest of my life and die happy. Very happy.
Let's start with Certified since they specialize in Breakfast and Lunch as well as the most amazing baked goods. Located in the middle of Hyde Park it is the CUTEST little spot with the most incredibly delicious menu items. Our go-to breakfast order is the Signature Egg Sandwich on their housemade English muffin which are made with their 53 year old sourdough starter. Highly recommend adding on the bacon, avocado and tomato!
As a frequent baker, I have a pretty high standard for baked goods and Certified knocks it out of the park every.single.time. My favorite is the blueberry crumble (it's just perfect) and the chocolate olive oil slice of cake was one of the most decadent things I've ever eaten (see the pics of my boys demolishing it below). My kids love the starchip cookies (shaped like a star) and my husband is a sucker for their sugar cookie.
Don't forget your craft coffee! We're usually pretty classic coffee orderers (Americanos, espresso shots, cappucinos, etc.) but their menu includes really unique items that are made with their hand-crafted syrups and are sure to be delicious. Plus, they use beans from Form + Function coffee which is our favorite Boise coffee roaster.
Lunch items include butcher sandwiches, "Yaya's classic sandwiches" and ready to go salads. Just reading the menu makes my mouth immediately drool. The ingredients feel so high quality and intentional so you can't go wrong with any of the options. Check out the entire menu here.
There's even a little menu just for kids which includes some of the classic kid-friendly menu items but with a twist. Has anyone had the "banana sushi"?
Our favorite way to enjoy Certified is to get everything to go, put it in the bottom of the stroller and walk down to Camel's Back Park for a little picnic. It's our favorite little tradition and where we take all of our out of town guests.
I haven't had the chance to try any yet but they also offer a couple frozen supper options including lasagna, mac & cheese, enchiladas and chicken pot pie. They're bound to be as incredible as everything else I've had there and I'm sure I'd looooove it.
(Plussssss... one time while at Certified I saw "Influencers" Julia (of @chrislovesjulia) and Kelsi (of @fullmhouse) there so you KNOW it's THE cool place to be!)
Certified Kitchen and Bakery Details:
Website: https://www.certifiedboise.com/
Address: 1511 N 13th St, Boise, ID 83702
Hours: Open Daily 8am-4pm
Alright, now it's The Wylder's turn to show off. With a tag line like "Damn good pizza, craft cocktails and nightly suppers"how could things go wrong? They can't.
The Wylder serves hand crafted, slow batch pizza made from the same sourdough starter as Certified's English muffins. It is some of the best pizza I think I've ever had in my life - and I spent a semester of college in Italy! The menu has both Red (made with Bianco DiNapoli organic tomatoes) and White (made with parmesan cream sauce) pizzas. You should probably just order one of each. We personally love the crispy pepperoni (which sounds so basic but makes every other pepperoni pizza look absolutely pathetic) and last time we went our server told us the Honey Badger white pizza was their most popular and it didn't disappoint. It's made with Italian sausage, ricotta, caramelized onion and spicy honey and my husband and I had no trouble finishing off the entire thing along with a kale caesar salad in one sitting. Sorry kids, no leftovers this time! The Gem State of Mind is also so.dang.good. with fingerling potato, caramelized onions, rosemary and sage. If you've never had a potato pizza, get over there ASAP and let The Wylder show you how it's done.
Other menu items include a variety veggies prepared in various ways, nightly "suppers" and a fancy "sweets" section. And we can't forget their craft cocktails! The names alone make me so happy. For example, I loved their Blackberry, Beets, Battlestar Galactica (get the reference???) which has gin, beet-blackberry simple, soda and lime and was garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary. There's also wines available by the glass or bottle, draft and bottled beer and all of the usual non-alcoholic options. Check out he entire menu here.
Although I'd say The Wylder is a little more "high end" than other places in town (and the perfect "date night" or "parents night out" spot) it is definitely kid friendly. I've seen families there every time I've been and they even have wikki stix for the kids to play with while they wait! Ummm YES.
Alright, I gotta stop there because I've made myself so hungry just writing this all out! If you've been to either spot, what're your family's favorites?
The Wylder Details:
Website: https://www.thewylderboise.com/
Address: 501 W Broad Street, Boise, ID 83702
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 11am-8pm