Restaurants in Ontario

At The Cornerstone Bistro, Chef Benjamin Thorpe composes a different menu every week based on the fresh, seasonal ingredients made available by local farmers. Specializing in northern Italian and fusion American cuisine, he transforms Mother Nature’s organic offerings into rustic small plates, innovative entrees, and homemade desserts, such as pies and tarts aromatic enough to hang from a car's rearview mirror. A weekly chef's table slides Chef Thorpe’s edible handiwork further into the spotlight, inviting diners to gather for a lineup of specially prepared courses during meals outfitted with specific themes.

The animated cheers of sports spectators at Simplot Stadium rumble in the distance, but the atmosphere at Bent Fork Bar & Grill is peaceful. Diners lounge within its sun-filled dining halls or on its back patio, where the Indian Creek rushes past guests lingering over their final bites of burgers, steaks, and pastas. Beneath the restaurant's high ceilings and wooden pillars, you can spot the owners—members of the Buhler family—tending to their respective posts: Amanda supervises the floor, Bo captains the kitchen, and Ryan doles out draft beers and specialty cocktails at the bar. Throughout the month, they also host community events ranging from live music to town meetings to vote on the mayor's new haircut.

Johnny's Pizza massages dough into puffy pizza crust before arranging toppings such as bacon, green peppers, pineapple, and fresh tomatoes. Heaps of curated toppings pile on to Johnny's specialty pizzas, which include the spicy hawaiian with pineapples and jalapeños or the garlic chicken with bacon and white garlic sauce. On the side, orders of breadsticks come with a choice of cheesy garlic, italian herb, or spicy Cajun marinara sauce, a hybrid created with tomatoes grown in New Orleans's spicy soil and watered with Italian olive oil.

Following family recipes passed down for three generations, the chefs at Jalapeno’s Bar & Grill assemble meaty fajita platters and original chicken, vegetarian, and seafood dishes simmered in homemade sauces. Using only fresh ingredients and certified Angus beef, chefs create meals that feed many of the senses, especially diners’ hungry, hungry eyes. Daily happy hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. encourage patrons to sample the bar’s vast selection of premium tequilas blended into their margaritas, as well as well liquors, wines, and bottled and draft beers.

There are many potential explanations for the popularity of Big Juds’ specialty burgers. It could be their inventive combinations of toppings such as green chili peppers, blue cheese, and onion rings. Or maybe it could be their gargantuan size. Adam Richman of the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food hit the nail on the head when he described the Double Big Jud burger as "so huge, it has its own gravitational pull." Adam’s rendition of the plate-sized, two-patty burger kept his frightened table from fleeing the scene with an anchor of bacon, mushrooms, and swiss and blue-cheese toppings. Today, the Man Versus Food burger stands in the menu as a testament to his courage to eat the entire thing himself.

Those who balk at the prospect of conquering a Big Jud burger alone can split a party-size combo with friends, or simply request one of the menu’s 12 smaller burgers. Though they owe their reputation to their beefy meals, Big Juds’ chefs also cook chicken sandwiches and famously gargantuan fresh-cut fries, which Boise Weekly deemed "potato-based Lincoln Logs." For dessert, ice cream, milkshakes, and malts complete the restaurant’s old-fashioned-diner vibe.

WilliB's Sandwich Saloon summons up sepia-toned memories of Old West chuck wagons with its rustic décor and menu of homemade comfort food. Saddle up for sandwiches such as the chicken-salad wrap ($4.95), the turkey club ($5.95), or the Italian-club hoagie ($5.75), each served with a homemade side such as potato salad or, the cowboy campfire favorite, bunkhouse beans. WilliB's, much like your brother and his collection of ascots designated for certain days of the week, also has specialty items such as lasagna and meatloaf in rotation on the menu, with ever-present desserts such as creamy cheesecakes and frosting-smacked carrot-cake slices to satisfy sweet-teeth.