TV Restaurants

Is Westside Drive-In Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 6 Boise, Idaho

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Westside Drive-In is open — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

What the source shows: A Yelp listing for the 1929 W. State St. location, updated September 2026, shows current reviews and posted hours; the diner's own website lists the same address as an active location. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 6, Episode 6 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) featured Chef Lou's Westside Drive-In in the episode "Who'Da Thunk It," aired 2009-05-11, highlighting the drive-in's scratch-made soups, roasted meats, and Chef Lou Aaron's signature Idaho Ice Cream Potato dessert. The State Street drive-in has operated since 1957 and was purchased by Aaron and his father-in-law, Ron Isaacs, in 1994, who rebuilt the menu around house-made recipes. According to westsidedrivein.com, the business opened a second Boise location on Park Center Boulevard in 2012, now run by Aaron's son Josh, while the original State Street drive-in continues to operate under the Westside Drive In name.

The site's history page recounts Aaron's decades of Boise kitchen work, including an apprenticeship at the Owyhee Hotel's Gamekeeper Restaurant and a stint with Hilton Corporation in San Antonio, and notes he was later ordained a Catholic deacon. This appearance is matched to the business already on file in this database as Westside Drive-In, based on the same State Street address and ownership history.

Man v. Food, Season 6, Episode 11 Aired

The episode featured Westside Drive-In's "Ice Cream Potato," a dessert built to resemble a loaded baked potato, at the same Boise stop covered by 107.9 LITE FM (Michelle Heart, October 9, 2018). Westside Drive-In is a 1950s-style diner that has operated in Boise since 1957 and was purchased by chef Lou in 1994, according to Food Network's restaurant listing, which also notes his background as a classically trained chef. The diner was previously featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2009. A Yelp listing for the location, updated September 2026, shows continuing customer reviews and posted hours for the address featured in the Man v. Food episode. Westside Drive-In has since added a second Boise location on Parkcenter Boulevard, according to Yelp listings for both addresses.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 6
Aired
Title: Who'Da Thunk It · What was featured: Idaho Ice Cream Potato dessert and scratch-made comfort food at the original drive-in
Man v. Food, Season 6, Episode 11
Aired
What was featured: 'Ice Cream Potato' dessert built to look like a baked potato
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 6 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 6: 23 of 39 still open · 2 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 6 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 1929 W State St

All 30 TV restaurants in Idaho →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 7 references

  1. westsidedrivein.com https://www.westsidedrivein.com/about
  2. toastykettle.com https://toastykettle.com/2020/06/18/westside-drive-in-with-chef-lou-aaron-food-for-the-soul/
  3. dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com https://www.dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com/chef-lous-westside-drive-in-idaho.html
  4. liteonline.com https://liteonline.com/boise-restaurant-featured-on-travel-channel-calls-it-quits/
  5. westsidedrivein.com https://www.westsidedrivein.com/
  6. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/westside-drive-in-boise-2
  7. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/id/boise/chef-lous-westside-drive-in-restaurant
See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

Tell us →

Share

Record mvf-351 · checked by Cal Marchetti.