Love ethnic food, Boise? Idaho’s only Puerto Rican restaurant opens next week.
Wepa Cafe owner Art Robinson will open a restaurant unique to the Boise area next week.
He’s just not sure how far that uniqueness goes.
“It’s certainly the Treasure Valley’s only Puerto Rican restaurant,” says Robinson, who will unveil Wepa Cafe on Oct. 1 in Garden City. “I believe it is Idaho’s as well.”
He should know. A familiar face at Boise farmers markets and breweries, Robinson has sold his ethnic cuisine at pop-ups since 2019. Ever since he revealed plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 175 E. 35th St., excitement has grown. “I’ve gotten calls from Idaho Falls,” he says, “from Pocatello, from Twin (Falls).“
Robinson’s mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He has family there. And even though he grew up in New York, his passion for Puerto Rican culture is palpable.
Chopping vegetables and sprinkling spices, Robinson is known as Wepa’s enthusiastic chef. But he will leave the kitchen to work front-of-house at the restaurant. That way, he can greet customers and educate them about the menu. Most crucially, he will encourage spontaneous outbursts of “Wepa!” which is a Puerto Rican exclamation of joy.
The Las Vegas over-under on how many times he will yell “Wepa!” daily? Idaho Statesman prop bet: 150. “I will keep count,” Robinson promises with a laugh. “I want to hear if I get that close. I love it.”
Robinson is fully aware that curious Idahoans will be unfamiliar with Puerto Rican cuisine. It draws influences from Spanish, Caribbean and African styles.
Wepa’s signature dish is mofongo: smashed green plantains with garlic and pork rinds. It’s molded into a dome shape and can be topped with protein. Basic mofongo costs $7.95, and then you add $4 for chicken or carne frita, or $6 for steak or shrimp.
Wepa also will dish up pounds of pernil ($13.95), aka slow-roasted pork shoulder marinated in spices, garlic and fresh oregano. Like most of Wepa’s entrees, it comes with sides of rice, beans and plantains. Try it with an ice-cold beer. Wepa will sell all-local beer and wine.
The restaurant’s other popular item will be pastelillos ($3), which are turnovers with one of four fillings: picadillo (ground beef with spices, olives and raisins), shrimp criolla (marinated in a tomato-based sauce with cilantro, capers and garlic), cheese (blend of cheddar and Colby Jack) or guava and cream cheese.
Wepa’s indoor seating capacity is 40. A street-level patio holds another 16. And 25 more diners will fit on a rooftop patio when it opens next spring. Also coming in 2022: a drive-thru window for to-go orders.
But Robinson would love to see customers venture inside. He hopes to meet as many Boiseans as he can — and share his love and concern for Puerto Rico.
After Wepa’s startup costs have been recouped, Robinson plans to donate 5 percent of net profits to a nonprofit called ProTechos. It’s helping to rebuild underserved Puerto Rican communities after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017. It’s part of Wepa Cafe’s socially conscious mission, Robinson says.
And if people feel like contributing to the cause on their own? “They certainly need the help,” Robinson says.
With salsa music livening the room and Puerto Rican art hanging from the walls, Wepa Cafe’s ultimate goal is to transport diners to the islands. So that “when people walk in the door, if they’ve been to Puerto Rico, they go ‘OK, I get it here,’ ” Robinson explains. “And if they haven’t been to Puerto Rico, they want to go.
“If I can do it within the first 30 seconds they walk in the door, I’m already there before they’ve tried the food.”
▪ Wepa’s planned hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. all other days — except Mondays, when it’s closed. Online: wepaprcuisine.com.
