An Idaho Falls Cheesesteak Stop With Idaho Personality

A cheesesteak called the Idaho Steak and Potato sets the tone at this Idaho Falls restaurant: familiar comfort food, a little regional playfulness, and no shortage of ways to make lunch or dinner more substantial. The menu starts with Philly-style sandwiches, then keeps unfolding into burgers, hot dogs, breakfast, chowder, loaded fries and kid-friendly plates.

The room is casual and patriotic without being overly precious about it. Founding-fathers-inspired decor, sayings and bits of humor give the dining area its own personality, while booths and indoor tables keep the setting easygoing for a quick meal, a family outing or an unhurried catch-up with friends.

It has the small, unassuming character of a neighborhood find, but the menu is large enough to slow down even a decisive eater. Fortunately, staff are known for patiently explaining choices, answering questions and pointing newcomers toward favorites.

The Original Philly is the sensible place to begin, especially for anyone who wants the restaurant’s basic approach to a full, generously filled cheesesteak. These are not skimpy sandwiches built around a few stray bites of meat; the portions have enough heft to make the sandwich the main event.

Then there are the regional variations. The Montana Mushroom Philly brings mushrooms into the mix, while the Pennsylvania Amish Blue Cheesesteak takes a sharper turn with blue cheese. Both give the familiar cheesesteak format a different personality without abandoning its hearty, hands-on appeal.

The Kansas City BBQ cheesesteak adds barbecue flavor to the lineup, and the Idaho Steak and Potato offers the house’s locally themed variation. The names make choosing more entertaining than simply picking a size or a cheese, and they give repeat diners a reason to work their way through the board.

A French dip and chicken avocado sandwich provide a welcome off-ramp for anyone in the group who is not committed to a cheesesteak. That broad sandwich selection helps make the restaurant workable for mixed appetites rather than only for serious Philly devotees.

The house fries are regularly described as fresh-cut, hand-cut or handmade, which matters when a sandwich arrives with enough filling to demand a sturdy sidekick. They come with dipping sauce, including a house fry sauce whose ingredient list is not freely given away.

Cheese fries are a popular move here, particularly because the fries do not disappear under a heavy blanket of cheese. The balance remains closer to a fry basket with cheese than a cheese bowl with a few potatoes hiding underneath.

For a more committed side-dish project, the menu also reaches into poutine, chili cheese fries and large onion rings. Waffle fries are another option, useful for the diner who likes a little more surface area for sauce.

Cheesesteaks may claim the spotlight, but the burger selection has real range. Cajun, chili cheese, mushroom, bacon-and-blue-cheese and other specialty versions move well beyond the plain burger-and-ketchup routine.

The burgers are substantial, built with seasoned beef and house sauces, and served on buns that are buttered and toasted. The Cajun burger is a natural choice for someone who wants more spice, while the chili cheese version goes in the opposite direction: messy, rich and fully committed to the comfort-food assignment.

A Chicago Dog arrives on a poppy-seed bun and brings a seasoned, juicy option for diners who would rather have a dog than another oversized sandwich. Clam chowder, hot dogs and other casual American standards make the menu especially useful when everyone at the table is ordering for a different mood.

Breakfast is also in the mix, including a notably large build-your-own omelet. That is a pleasant surprise at a restaurant whose name and menu energy might otherwise send your mind straight to cheesesteaks.

Families are not relegated to a token kids menu here. The kids mac and cheese has a creamy, cheesy, house-made style that gives younger diners something more appealing than an afterthought.

The dining room’s relaxed pace helps, too. It is a place where people order, settle into a booth or table, and give the food a little time to arrive rather than treating the meal as a drive-through sprint. On quieter visits, conversation carries easily across the table.

A separate game room gives groups something to do before, during or after the meal. It has included board games such as Battleship, along with a motorcycle-style ride intended for children.

That extra room works nicely for a birthday meal or a family gathering, but it is not solely a kids’ corner. An adult group can linger over a board game just as happily, especially after ordering a spread of sandwiches and loaded sides for the table.

Free parking is available in the lot, and the indoor booths and tables accommodate a range of group sizes. The restaurant operates as a walk-in-friendly stop rather than a place built around reservations.

For takeout, condiment cups have been offered with pickup orders, a small convenience that is easy to appreciate once fries and a sauce-heavy sandwich are headed home. Departing dine-in parties have also received to-go soda cups.

With a menu this broad, a first visit can involve a little friendly indecision. That is hardly a bad problem: start with a regional cheesesteak, add hand-cut fries and fry sauce, and leave the burger, omelet or Chicago Dog for another stop.