Burger Score: 7

Jumping into the meat and the juices, what we all came here for….THE BURGER! Golden Wheel did not disappoint! I would say out of all the burgers I have had so far this is probably in the top 3 if not the top slot for freshest tasting ingredients. I am not sure if its because of the summer or what but the tomatoes and the lettuce were crisp and flavorful. The seasame bun was alright not bad, but not great. A tad on the messy side, got a bit of sauce on my shirt :(. Even though the sauce made me a bit messy that sauce definetly gave the burger another point in my book. The only other thing the burger has got going against it is the presentation. The wrapping in the parchment paper even in the quick minute it took me to drive to my spot got a bit messy and the burger started falling apart a bit.

Fries Score: 5

I think this is the first time in Burger Bucket List history we have run into crinkle cut fries. If this isn’t the first and I do not remember its probably because I trauma blocked it out. I am not a huge fan of crinkle cut fries, I know this makes me a bit biased but hey this is my review so step off. Not only were they crinkle cut but they were also on the crunchy side which I lean on the soft fry side. What saved these fries was the perfect amount of salt and the amazing fry sauce. The fry sauce honestly saved these fries for me personally if they had just had ketchup I am not sure I would have eaten more then half of them.

Menu Score: 3.5

I am a bit conflicted about the scoring for the menu. This is “The Burger Bucket List” we came here for burger and we got a burger. At Golden Wheel that’s just about all they had. With a few options for corn dogs / hot dogs as well as some chicken sandwich options. A lot of the burger places I have been visiting will typically have some other entree options or at least have quite a few sandwhich / burger options but Golden Wheel did not offer much outside the normal burger variety either which lead me the low menu score. If you have picky eaters and they don’t want a burger your taking a risk coming to Golden Wheel.

Vibe Score: 3.5

The Golden Wheel feels like one of those old-school-style burger places. The Boise area has quite a few of those, where I feel like I have driven by them or seen their signs since I was a kid. I felt like I had seen Golden Wheel for a while, but couldn’t quite remember if I had seen it growing up. According to some research, they have been around since the 1950s, so chances are I have, and just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It makes sense, however, as seeing it in person really exposed the age of the place. The building has seen better days,, with much of it seeming to be falling apart. The signs and menu are also a bit janky, leading to a somewhat run-down feel. Combo this with the very basic benches and tables, and you get a 3.5. I can see the appeal of the old school style, though, so if you are looking to get a feel of getting burgers in the 50s, I would say the building probably hasn’t changed much since then. The staff were friendly and efficient with no fuss, with only 1 car in front of me in the drive through, I had my food in no more than 10 minutes.

Price Score: 8.5

Golden Wheel may be rough around the edges, and the menu maybe tight but they more then make up for that with their prices. For my full meal complete with burger, fries, and a drink I only came out $13 poorer then I went in. For the quality and the quantity of the food I got this was an amazing price. You will be hard-pressed to find a cheaper high quality no fuss burger in the valley. Their other items are also reasonably priced, with burgers ranging from $5 to $7.

Overall Score: 27.5 / 50 /// Tier: C

While Golden Wheel is affordable and offers a great burger, when looking at the other criteria, it’s not enough to overcome its other shortcomings. I just don’t see this as a place I would bring friends to hang out and get a bite to eat. Its limited options and not appealing dining area lead it to be the second location in my C tier. If you are looking for a quality drive-through burger and nothing else, I still think Golden Wheel is worth trying and still has a high-quality burger.

Hopefully I will have the chance to try a few more burger before my exodus. Especially since I wont have a lot to post in the mean time while I am working wild fires. So until next time!

Cheers,

Chandler