The Mode Lounge

Don’t come here to eat. Come for the mixed drinks. They have very good specialty drinks. Had the Farmers Almanac, The 8TH Street Sour, and the Bear Trap, all very good and would drink them again. Food… forget about food. There are a few items to snack on, but none worth trying, unless your starving.

This place is awesome. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but if you want to be in your own world, this is heaven. I asked the waitress to makeup a drink and she nailed it. Rosewater, lemon, grapefruit and some other deliciousness. Good for this place, glad to see someone trying to bring this sort of experience to Boise!

Had a pleasant experience with a tasty 8^th Street Whiskey Sour. While we were sitting in the bar we enjoyed the drink and a had the chance to taste a new concoction for the fall menu curtesy of the bar tender testing it out. I enjoyed watching the waitress interact with other customers because she was really nice and pleasant.
They have really nice glassware and use the fancy chunky and spherical ice which makes one feel a bit sophisticated.

Cool environment and the staff was friendly enough, but the drink they made me wasn’t…good. It was the «bitchin’ something» cocktail and it just tasted like I was drinking a flat soda water with cucumber flavor. So, let’s just say I didn’t finish it. But the experience wasn’t bad enough to ruin my night.
That drink just needs some sprucing up.

Oh my gosh!!! This place is amazing! Our server was kind, her knowledge base of ETOH was impressive! We happened to just stop by but will be coming back!

Terrible service! They’d just opened on a Saturday, one person (a friend of bartender) was at the bar. It took him a good 5 minutes to come over, then left … then came back maybe another 5 – 7 minutes later to ask us our drinks. Took him about 5 – 7 minutes to make them, then sauntered over. They were even the wrong drinks … tonic not soda … we were clear, no doubt. Who orders a Gin & soda, or Vodka Soda? Not us. He never came back to see if we were OK. I finally ask for the bill. At this point the friend at the bar had two women, so they were having their own party. We left our money and left. I even stopped some folks standing outside looking at the menu and told them to NOT go in – the service was terrible! I’m telling everyone I know to not go there! I’ve heard similar complaints.
I’ve previously left a negative rating, but it was never posted. I thought the establishment couldn’t delete?

After dinner cocktails. Sharon had the Basic Bitch, I had the Rye n O (Rhino). Really really tasty. Both were different but really good. Good service and good people watching. Fun night.

Went to The Mode on April 4^th to get drinks with my sisters around 9pm and had absolutely terrible service. It is seat yourself, so we did so, and it took 20 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge us. We almost left a number of times. When we finally didn’t get acknowledged, the waitress was not very friendly, brought us WARM tap water and we knew it was tap water because there were bubbles in it as if they had just poured in from the sink, no ice even, and she was just all around not very good. So disappointed because I was very excited to try this place. Will not be coming back. Sorry.

Being an arrogant California douchebag, I felt right at home upon entering the Mode Lounge.
It reminds me of nights spent in cramped, overpriced lounges in Santa Monica, where hipster «mixologists» and snooty patrons relentlessly judge me with their eyes as an Empire of the Sun tune from six years ago pumps through the speakers.
That said, this place serves up some tasty beverages which makes it all worthwhile.
I’m sure as more of my pretentious brethren relocate to this quaint mountain community, this spot will become their designated home base.
Have you ever craved sliders without any meat on them?
No? Me neither. But they’re here if you change your mind.

It’s swanky for sure … nice patio, nice location right on 8^th St.
I have to say, the $ 18 Gin & Tonic (it was a double) broke my heart … and wallet. (EDIT: for clarity and to be fair to The Mode, the $ 18 G&T was a double ordered by my wife after I complained to her about my first drink seeming weak. The $ 9 single G&T I had just had went down like water and to no effect if you catch my drift). It’s quite possible (likely even) that their gin is so good you just can’t taste it … I def don’t claim to be a sophisticated drinker. I prefer a more affordable drink that i can taste. If you are looking to dress up, get all hip and sip craft cocktails then this is your place and you shouldn’t care what i say … we probably like different things.

We have only been here one time but we found the cocktails to be extremely tasty and creative. Our server was extremely knowledgable and very helpful. The ambiance is laid back swanky, which is cool. The cocktails are not cheap… If you have an issue with the cost, hit up their happy hour. Great experience overall.

LOVE the mode. Delicious cocktails (the old red sky tasted like sunshine! Bring it back?) Chocolate truffles in the lady’s room (sorry, gents). The décor inside is beautiful and the service is great. I don’t mind paying a bit more than average in Boise for this sort of experience. They have a happy hour for food and drinks. It’s worth a stop for at least one fancy drink.

My husband and I recently moved to Boise from San Diego. Craft cocktail bars are plentiful in Southern California, so when we walked into Mode I felt at home. The atmosphere was cool and vintage with a tin paneled ceiling, cool bar and little tables throughout. The walls were floor to ceiling windows right on a prime corner in BoDo (I’m learning the lingo) and it was beautiful!
Now on to the drinks … We got some champagne and wine first, but quickly ventured into the craft cocktail selection. We just told the bartender what we liked and he made us something amazing! They had a happy hour food menu that included oysters for super cheap that I am kicking myself for not getting because we are right before we came. I will DEFINITELY be going back for those! The happy hour was a late night happy hour too, like 6 – 8 or something. Bonus!
I have no complaints. I would go back there in a second. It’s the perfect place to take girlfriends from out of town, girlfriends from in town, boyfriends from out of town, husbands, you get the drift! Bonus points for the bathrooms: they were freaking adorable! Furniture I would like to own in there. Anyway, do yourself a favor and just go! And if you’ve ever seen Portlandia, you might just have an Andy Samburg type moment there (burnt orange peel/​rotten banana).

Sensational gem here in Boise! Great place to chill and have a few wonderfully crafted drinks along with some tasty appetizers! The service is always spot on and the atmosphere is very warm and chic. What a joy to experience wonderful high quality cocktails! If you don’t know what to order ASK! The staff is fully knowledgable and they are able to shape your choice based on your input! Be open to experiment and try something new!!!

I don’t understand some of these people… They don’t have culture or understand what ‘craft drinks’ are. Yes, it will take you a bit longer to get a drink, duh!!! And to the military guy, I’m x military myself and flashing your id to score some points with the waitress is total cheese! Plus, yeah. It is difficult to see the birth date in their ha doof!
I have zero complaints. The staff was nice and the drinks were on point. Five stars.
One if our favorite parts about the bar was the décor and the huge windows from which to look out and see beautiful Boise encased in snow, lovely!

Very nice cocktails with inventive but not over-​the-​top recipes, along with a wonderful array of small plates, cool décor, and a good spot on Idaho street. Oh, and a fabulous bartender who helped me find the best cocktails for my taste.
I’m not a regular in Boise — I was traveling on business when I stumbled on this place — but if I find myself in Boise again, I’ll definitely return to The Mode Lounge.

beer selection was pretty bad and kind of spendy, our waitress was really nice so that was cool. It was fun watching people walk by but the drunk guy over at the pie hole was chain smoking and yelling, that was a little annoying. All in all probably won’t be back anytime soon.

First of all, Brian is completely amazing when it comes to mixing drinks. I don’t even know the name of anything we had– maybe they didn’t even HAVE names– but they were created with each person’s taste in mind. Great selection of wines and beers. Not to mention– the truffles in the powder room–
A-​mazing!

Waitress was irratated when I showed my Military Identification Card. She didn’t know where to find the birthdate and when I showed her she just said «why didn’t you just give me your driver’s licence.» Apparently this lounge doesn’t accept Federal ID cards. Their drinks tasted like they were made with the cheepest alcohol possible when we ordered an «Old Fashion» and their nightly special.
Horrible service and Horrible experience.

The Mode Lounge is lined with windows looking out on both 8^th and Idaho streets making it a great place to watch the world scoot by on a beautiful Boise January night. We did that for an hour or so while we sipped a glass of wine from their modestly sized and reasonably priced (@$ 6 — $ 14 /​glass) list of wines (mostly imported, a few domestic) while we enjoyed the cool ambiance and warm service. We’re enough fans that on some future visit to Boise, we’ll be back.
VIBE
The owner of The Mode (which is in the space once occupied by the late Grape Escape) also owns Pie Hole pizza next door and those two spaces could not be more different. The Mode is dark and sleek inside; dark tin ceilings, black tables and chairs, a couple of black leather-​like lined booths punctuated with pops of sparkly brights from the lights over the bar and from the street outside.
Music mix was appropriately «cool bar» and set at a nice low level to support conversation.
SEATING
We arrived around 6:30p and tables in the main room were full with mostly business attired folks it seemed but there were a few seats open at the high stools at the curved bar. Associated digression… notice how the standard height seating fills up first. What’s up with all the high stool seating in other venues? Good for The Mode for realizing not all guests want to or can (as in my case) perch on stools.
SERVICE
From greeting by the bartenders when we walked in to the server who took our wine order and delivered, service was very friendly. Trust me when I tell you we look nothing like their target demographic and yet we received welcome as if we were. Very nice.
LIBATIONS
Had we wanted cocktails instead of wine we would have been able to select from a couple of dozen house specialties (@$ 9 — $ 11). There is even one cocktail called The $ 25 Cocktail. (I’ll let you guess what the price is.)
Maybe a dozen wines by bottle ranging from $ 48 — $ 89.
EATS
We weren’t jazzed by the appetizer menu of maybe eight items and mostly raw, cold food service like steak tartare, yellowtail crudo and lox. (Prices range $ 8 to $ 16). Also the food menu noted the servings were for four, as I recall. So we enjoyed our wine and headed to Tony’s Pizzeria Teatro a couple of blocks away for eats. (Highly recommend Tony’s.). The table of four «suits» behind us was headed for Ruth’s Chris after their cocktails they said. I point out the good idea tor The Mode as launching point before dinner somewhere downtown.
THIS N THAT:
1) PARKING: On street or in garage. As visitors to Boise we are always surprised, delighted really, that one can often actually find a spot on street downtown.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: No accessible parking on this block. Level in door and all on one floor throughout. Only high seating at bar but all other seating is table height. Loos are accessible too.
3) HOURS: 4p to 2a, seven days a week.
4) FUN AT THE LOO: Seriously. There is a M on one door. Translated to be Men that turned out to be so. The other door had no lettering so assumed it was W. Correct. The fun surprise is they have an old «vanity table» set alongside the sink with a scented candle burning and a bowl of Dilettante mint truffles wrapped in green foil. So, after one has done what one came to the Ladies to do, one can take a luscious chocolate for later. And if one is very nice, one will take one to share with one’s spouse. Noting that gender has privileges, there are no chocolates in the Gents noted my hubby to our server. She laughed and said they hoped the ladies would help themselves to enough to share. :-)
5) NICE SURPRISES: a) WIFI hot spot. b) Outdoor seating to be added come warmer weather.