Drinks were very good although significantly smaller and spendier than the average cocktail imo. But very good quality!
Corn dog was highly disappointing- for a high end bar with such good drinks you’d expect more, but the hot dog in the corn dog had to be the absolute cheapest you can buy. Almost white, very rubbery, like chewing a sponge. Not real meat at all and that was highly disappointing for $7. Do NOT recommend any food.
Fun atmosphere and music was amazing.
Rob Ardies
Best cocktail bar in Boise by far. Every drink has been well balanced, with creative twists on classics. Great vibe and tasty bar snacks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
C Phillips
Cocktails, kind service, oysters, and chips/queso were great. Atmosphere is comfortable and warm. Will be back!
Dietary restrictions: GF IPA available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Queso & Corn Chips
Katilyn Turner
Every time I’ve been to Water Bear Bar, the service has been top-notch. I love the intimate atmosphere with a curated vibe. The fun and quirky appetizers are all delicious, and they serve the best non-alcoholic craft drinks!
Dietary restrictions: Excellent non alcoholic craft cocktails
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn, Deviled Eggs
lilian montagne
My mom, boyfriend and I went here to celebrate a big accomplishment and immediately when we walked in they were blaring music. I am used to bars being loud but this was to the point where we couldn’t hear the waitress talk to us and we couldn’t hear each other. My mom asked if they could possibly turn down the music just a smidge and the woman said, “This is a bar. It’s meant to be loud…people want to have conversations in private so actually NO we can’t.” We were all thinking that was a little aggressive when she could’ve simply said no. We weren’t going to be mad if she couldn’t, it was a simple question. We all ordered our drinks and I wanted to see if they had any specialized martinis and the waitress hardly knew the menu and recommended a Cosmo or Lemon Drop which are basic drinks. That wasn’t much help. In addition to this, my mom ordered a dirty martini with extra olives and light on the brine. The woman said it back with a terrible attitude and rolled her eyes. When my mom asked for bleu cheese olives, the woman said “Yeah um we don’t have those….” My mom ordered a Prosecco Oyster shooter and it was listed as $5.00 on the menu. After we got the check, we got charged $7.00 for it instead. I asked the waitress why it was different then the menu and she said “Oh yeah our menus are wrong. It’s $7.00” and my mom said, “You need to stay true to the menu prices. You can’t change them without at least tell us ahead of time” and the waitress got her manager or higher up which was the one who was rude about the music. She looked at me dead in the eyes and said, “You are looking at the happy hour menu so no it’s $7.00” I said, “No it states $5.00 right here (pointing to the menu) and she said ”Yeah honey let me pull it up. That is the happy hour.” I was very upset that she was treating me like a child and I zoomed in on the menu and said “Happy hour states $4.00 and the regular is $5.00 and she just scoffed and said “Let me go fix that.” I at least am happy she changed it. On top of all of this there was a service charge with no warning. Not a good experience and I told my friends and they all had terrible service. I am never going back
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Julien Rivera
A one of a kind gem in Boise with the best cocktails in town! Very impressive craft beverages. Always an excellent service from the team. I highly recommend this fine establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James Byars
This is by far the best cocktail bar in Boise. We loved it so much that left and came back for more cocktails. They had an amazing selection of creative cocktails, interesting twists on old fashioned, and tasty appetizers and oysters. The bartender Megan genuinely terrified me by how many great cocktails was slinging by herself. Cannot praise this place and the staff enough. Atmosphere was outstanding and quirky. We watched Luigi's Haunted Mansion like basking in all the plants.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
K D
I went here on a Friday about 10 minutes before the end of Happy Hour. The bar was pretty empty but the server never came over to ask me if I wanted a drink. I had to order my drink at the bar after waiting 15 minutes. I also had to ask the bartender for a napkin as I was never offered one with my food. The drinks were good but for $20 a drink, I would expect better service. There is a mandatory 18% tip on the check. Perhaps the servers would be more attentive if they weren't guaranteed a tip.
I would have given them one star however the drink was good. I don't recommend the hot cheese servered with Tostitos chips.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Bryan Burnett
Best oysters I’ve had in Boise
Tyler Connoley
The food tasted like food (and that's my highest compliment). I had the Devil's Eggs, which were exactly the right level of mustardy, and the seasonal salad, which was actually seasonal. Use the QR code to see the menu.
The cocktail menu is great. I had the daily Old Fashioned, and for desert I asked for something similar with mezcal. The bartender made me a delicious Oaxacan Old Fashioned.
I was told by staff that the menu is entirely gluten free: "The only gluten would be in a beer, if you ordered one. There's no gluten in the kitchen."
Was our first time here. Atmosphere was great, service was mediocre at best, cocktail prices were a little steep.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Taylor Smith
I've been here many times, and the service seems to get worse each visit.
I'm fine with paying more for a cocktail, service fee, and tip, but when the service is subpar, it's very disappointing. The last three out of four times we visited, we couldn't flag down our waitress to order another round. When we finally did, we decided to leave, and it still took forever to get our tab.
After seeing other low reviews, I felt compelled to share my experience. I hope they improve because they do make good cocktails, but it's just not worth it anymore.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs
Jennifer Burke
Beautiful bar. Cool vibe. Good cocktails.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Arden
Have been here a few times in an attempt to support a queer-owned business. Good cocktails, great space, nice decor. But waiting for almost 40 minutes for our third round of drinks wasn’t something I expected, despite the reviews cautioning about slow service. Finally my friend and I had to leave and couldn’t afford to wait for our “one last drink” so I asked our brunette bartender to forget our last round and if we could get the check instead. She snapped at me incredibly rudely that she was “about to make” our drinks and asked if we really just wanted the check. I said yes, just the check. She launched into admonishing me telling me “in the future” to give them at least 20 minutes as a heads up…..as if we didn’t wait twice that for our drinks already. I let it go, a different person brought us our check, but then the brunette bartender was back, almost berating me and my friend about “next time” and said she had “already poured our drinks” (instead of “just about to” which is what she previously told me). It was extremely awkward and aggressive. I’ve never really experienced that sort of interaction at a high end bar before. I would have totally understood if it was busy, but it was not. We were 2 of maybe 5 customers present. I tipped regardless, but it left a really bad taste in my mouth since it’s not behavior I would ever exhibit.
Needless to say, there likely won’t be a “next time”.
Drinks were very good although significantly smaller and spendier than the average cocktail imo. But very good quality!
Corn dog was highly disappointing- for a high end bar with such good drinks you’d expect more, but the hot dog in the corn dog had to be the absolute cheapest you can buy. Almost white, very rubbery, like chewing a sponge. Not real meat at all and that was highly disappointing for $7. Do NOT recommend any food.
Fun atmosphere and music was amazing.
Best cocktail bar in Boise by far. Every drink has been well balanced, with creative twists on classics. Great vibe and tasty bar snacks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cocktails, kind service, oysters, and chips/queso were great. Atmosphere is comfortable and warm. Will be back!
Dietary restrictions: GF IPA available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Queso & Corn Chips
Every time I’ve been to Water Bear Bar, the service has been top-notch. I love the intimate atmosphere with a curated vibe. The fun and quirky appetizers are all delicious, and they serve the best non-alcoholic craft drinks!
Dietary restrictions: Excellent non alcoholic craft cocktails
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn, Deviled Eggs
My mom, boyfriend and I went here to celebrate a big accomplishment and immediately when we walked in they were blaring music. I am used to bars being loud but this was to the point where we couldn’t hear the waitress talk to us and we couldn’t hear each other. My mom asked if they could possibly turn down the music just a smidge and the woman said, “This is a bar. It’s meant to be loud…people want to have conversations in private so actually NO we can’t.” We were all thinking that was a little aggressive when she could’ve simply said no. We weren’t going to be mad if she couldn’t, it was a simple question. We all ordered our drinks and I wanted to see if they had any specialized martinis and the waitress hardly knew the menu and recommended a Cosmo or Lemon Drop which are basic drinks. That wasn’t much help. In addition to this, my mom ordered a dirty martini with extra olives and light on the brine. The woman said it back with a terrible attitude and rolled her eyes. When my mom asked for bleu cheese olives, the woman said “Yeah um we don’t have those….” My mom ordered a Prosecco Oyster shooter and it was listed as $5.00 on the menu. After we got the check, we got charged $7.00 for it instead. I asked the waitress why it was different then the menu and she said “Oh yeah our menus are wrong. It’s $7.00” and my mom said, “You need to stay true to the menu prices. You can’t change them without at least tell us ahead of time” and the waitress got her manager or higher up which was the one who was rude about the music. She looked at me dead in the eyes and said, “You are looking at the happy hour menu so no it’s $7.00” I said, “No it states $5.00 right here (pointing to the menu) and she said ”Yeah honey let me pull it up. That is the happy hour.” I was very upset that she was treating me like a child and I zoomed in on the menu and said “Happy hour states $4.00 and the regular is $5.00 and she just scoffed and said “Let me go fix that.” I at least am happy she changed it. On top of all of this there was a service charge with no warning. Not a good experience and I told my friends and they all had terrible service. I am never going back
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
A one of a kind gem in Boise with the best cocktails in town! Very impressive craft beverages. Always an excellent service from the team. I highly recommend this fine establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is by far the best cocktail bar in Boise. We loved it so much that left and came back for more cocktails. They had an amazing selection of creative cocktails, interesting twists on old fashioned, and tasty appetizers and oysters. The bartender Megan genuinely terrified me by how many great cocktails was slinging by herself. Cannot praise this place and the staff enough. Atmosphere was outstanding and quirky. We watched Luigi's Haunted Mansion like basking in all the plants.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I went here on a Friday about 10 minutes before the end of Happy Hour. The bar was pretty empty but the server never came over to ask me if I wanted a drink. I had to order my drink at the bar after waiting 15 minutes. I also had to ask the bartender for a napkin as I was never offered one with my food. The drinks were good but for $20 a drink, I would expect better service. There is a mandatory 18% tip on the check. Perhaps the servers would be more attentive if they weren't guaranteed a tip.
I would have given them one star however the drink was good. I don't recommend the hot cheese servered with Tostitos chips.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Best oysters I’ve had in Boise
The food tasted like food (and that's my highest compliment). I had the Devil's Eggs, which were exactly the right level of mustardy, and the seasonal salad, which was actually seasonal. Use the QR code to see the menu.
The cocktail menu is great. I had the daily Old Fashioned, and for desert I asked for something similar with mezcal. The bartender made me a delicious Oaxacan Old Fashioned.
I was told by staff that the menu is entirely gluten free: "The only gluten would be in a beer, if you ordered one. There's no gluten in the kitchen."
Dietary restrictions: Entire menu is gluten free.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs
Restaurantji Recommends
Super unique spot. Drinks were fantastic.
Was our first time here. Atmosphere was great, service was mediocre at best, cocktail prices were a little steep.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
I've been here many times, and the service seems to get worse each visit.
I'm fine with paying more for a cocktail, service fee, and tip, but when the service is subpar, it's very disappointing. The last three out of four times we visited, we couldn't flag down our waitress to order another round. When we finally did, we decided to leave, and it still took forever to get our tab.
After seeing other low reviews, I felt compelled to share my experience. I hope they improve because they do make good cocktails, but it's just not worth it anymore.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs
Beautiful bar. Cool vibe. Good cocktails.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Have been here a few times in an attempt to support a queer-owned business. Good cocktails, great space, nice decor.
But waiting for almost 40 minutes for our third round of drinks wasn’t something I expected, despite the reviews cautioning about slow service. Finally my friend and I had to leave and couldn’t afford to wait for our “one last drink” so I asked our brunette bartender to forget our last round and if we could get the check instead. She snapped at me incredibly rudely that she was “about to make” our drinks and asked if we really just wanted the check. I said yes, just the check. She launched into admonishing me telling me “in the future” to give them at least 20 minutes as a heads up…..as if we didn’t wait twice that for our drinks already. I let it go, a different person brought us our check, but then the brunette bartender was back, almost berating me and my friend about “next time” and said she had “already poured our drinks” (instead of “just about to” which is what she previously told me). It was extremely awkward and aggressive. I’ve never really experienced that sort of interaction at a high end bar before.
I would have totally understood if it was busy, but it was not. We were 2 of maybe 5 customers present. I tipped regardless, but it left a really bad taste in my mouth since it’s not behavior I would ever exhibit.
Needless to say, there likely won’t be a “next time”.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
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