Idaho diners recently said goodbye to two Meridian restaurants that built loyal followings in very different ways. The closures are part of the same difficult restaurant climate that has produced surprising shutdowns around the country.
One was a family-run Indian restaurant whose owners are retiring after decades in Treasure Valley food. The other was a pizza spot with unusually passionate fans and a thin sesame-seed crust.
Spice Indian Cuisine in Meridian
Spice Indian Cuisine closed after a final day of service on June 27 as owners Madhu and Sudesh Jain moved into retirement.
The closure marked the end of a Treasure Valley Indian-food legacy that stretched back decades, first with Madhuban Indian Cuisine in Boise and then with Spice, which the family opened in 2016. As Madhu put it to the Idaho Statesman: ten years at Madhuban, ten years at Spice.
Idaho Statesman coverage described the community reaction as devastated. The owners are leaving behind more than restaurant memories, too. Madhu and Sudesh Jain co-authored a cookbook called “House of Spice: A Family Cookbook,” which fans could buy at the restaurant during its final days or by messaging it on social media.
That makes the farewell feel gentler than some restaurant shutdowns. Spice is gone as a dining room, but part of its food story may continue in home kitchens.
Proper Pizza in Meridian
Proper Pizza closed at 2845 E. Overland Road after earning a surprisingly devoted following.
The Idaho Statesman noted that the restaurant’s thin sesame-seed crust made real fans — franchise chain or not, as the paper pointed out. One Google reviewer called it “hands-down one of the best pizza spots in Idaho,” and the restaurant had built a 4.6-star Google rating before closing.
A new business is replacing the pizza shop: Boran Coffee Lounge, a Persian- and Thai-inspired coffee concept, which plans to open in the vacated space at El Dorado Business Campus and to take over the adjacent suite that formerly held a U.S. Army career center. Boran’s website promises “Persian hospitality. Thai warmth.” That quick turnover shows how active Meridian’s restaurant market remains, even as some beloved concepts disappear.
Proper Pizza’s closure is the kind that can frustrate regulars because the restaurant did not lack admirers. Sometimes a place can earn glowing reviews and still fail to remain viable in a competitive, fast-changing market.
Together, Spice Indian Cuisine and Proper Pizza show two very different versions of a restaurant goodbye.
Spice closed with decades of family food history behind it. Proper Pizza closed with a vocal fan base and a crust people still talk about. Both leave Meridian diners with fewer distinctive local options.
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