A Customer Review of the Chuck-A-Rama Buffet in Boise, Idaho

This is a customer review of the Chuck-A-Rama restaurant located at 7901 Overland Road in the city of Boise, Idaho. The Chuck-A-Rama is a buffet style restaurant, and prices vary according to customer age and whether the meal being purchased is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Aside from Sunday Brunch, prices per person, per meal, are under $10.

The Chuck-A-Rama restaurant chain began some forty years ago in Utah. The fact that the original founders were most likely part of the Mormon Church may explain why chocolate is really tough to find at Chuck-A-Rama. Whereas most buffet style restaurants offer plenty of chocolate dessert items, one can barely get Hershey's syrup for their strawberry frozen yogurt (no, chocolate ice cream is not available) at the Boise Chuck-A-Rama. Occasionally, there is some type of chocolate cake item offered. However, in the three visits I have personally made to the Chuck-A-Rama in Boise, I have only seen chocolate cake once. Then again, perhaps Mormonism and the rejection of caffeine that goes along with that belief system has nothing to do with the lack of chocolate at Chuck-A-Rama, seeing as the restaurant offers both Coke and Pepsi beverage products. Either way, if you love chocolate, Chuck-A-Rama will likely disappoint.

As buffet style restaurants go, Chuck-A-Rama has a very limited selection of entrée choices. You will not find steak, burgers, or teriyaki chicken. In three separate visits we found entrée items such as fried chicken, roasted chicken, a small variety of pasta dishes, some seafood, and a turkey pot dish that I personally didn't care for. Occasionally, an employee will bring out a large ham, turkey, or beef roast. However the line for these quickly grow very long, the servings are very small, and the roast is particularly fatty. One member in our party stood in line for the roast but ended up not eating it because it was so unappetizing.

In addition to the entrees, a visitor to the Chuck-A-Rama buffet in Boise will find various side dishes such as corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed vegetables, as well as a fairly decent salad bar. There is also a bread station with a selection of white and wheat rolls.

The drink selection at Chuck-A-Rama is pretty impressive, containing both Coke and Pepsi products, as well as frozen Coke, and some type of sparkling apple soda.

The dining room at the Boise Chuck-A-Rama is clean, although the tables and booths are somewhat cramped together. The food bar area is quite clean as well, with bottles of hand sanitizer located throughout for customers who would like to kill all those pesky germs they just picked up when serving their food with utensils that a hundred people used before them.

Overall, I would rate the Boise Chuck-A-Rama as just "okay". Nothing to write home about, and if you're looking for a wide selection of entrees (not to mention chocolate) then this isn't your best choice.

For information regarding hours and prices, call the Boise Chuck-A-Rama at (208)327-4800.