BOISE, IDAHO — The City of Boise has a relatively new gastropub that's so confident in how much fun you'll be having, they didn't install any tv's to zone out on.
If you find yourself hungry, thirsty for a beer, think you could beat ANYBODY at ping pong, AND haven't thrown an axe all day, we're taking you to Base Camp Pong and Axe in Boise, where you can knock out all those activities in just a few hours.
Open since April of this year, Base Camp Pong and Axe was originally going to be a gastropub with several ping pong tables.
"The axe throwing portion came from my friend who kind of started it about ten years ago. I was talking to him about doing a ping pong bar in Boise and he recommended adding axes to it so that's kind of where the concept came from," said Base Camp owner and GM Daniel Baker.
It's an idea that almost didn't happen...or at least almost didn't happen in their current location sandwiched between Ann Morrison Park and Boise State University.
"We went to the landlord and we pitched him the idea and he was a little hesitant at first because of the axe throwing, but about a week after, he gave us a call and said I love your idea and how can I help you succeed at this location?" said Baker.
And since it's opening, Baker has seen axe-throwing Idahoans from all walks of life, and certainly no age discrimination.
"I once had a 70-year-old lady here for Mother's Day, and it was really really fun to watch her throw and she enjoyed it so much, she came back with friends a couple weeks later. So that was really really encouraging and a lot of fun," said Baker.
Baker says his inspiration for creating Base Camp...was his desire to be different.
"I wanted to do something in Boise that they haven't seen before. There's a little bit of rinse and repeat with businesses a little bit. Living here for 20 years you've seen the changes in it, and just within the last 3 or 4 years, it's definitely becoming a city, and I just wanted to do something different," said Baker.
Something different in a city perfect for this kind of physical and outdoorsy activity.
"We're also just like a kind of cool community. We like to have fun and enjoy each other's company so I just figured that centering it, a restaurant around a sporting concept would just be a fun little community," said Baker.
Base Camp is everything that the City of Trees could want in a restaurant, and it's proud to say it was Made in Idaho.
"We have food, we have beer, and we have axes and ping pong. I mean, how can you go wrong with that? Really?" said Baker.
For more information on Base Camp Pong + Axe, head to this website: https://www.grabthehandle.com/
