Familiar Labels, Forgettable Effort
Downtown Idaho Falls · Idaho Falls · Bistro / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Junkyard Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Junkyard Bistro reads like a grocery store shelf that got dressed up for dinner. Twenty-two labels sounds reasonable until you realize the heaviest hitters are Apothic Red and Ménage à Trois. This is a list built for people who recognize brand names, not people who want to drink something interesting.
California dominates with predictable commercial producers — Cakebread anchors the top end, Apothic and Ménage à Trois hold down the middle, and Clos Du Bois fills the Chardonnay slot that every casual list needs. The Idaho representation is a nice nod to local terroir with St. Chappelle showing up twice, including their Soft Huckleberry, which is more of a novelty pour than a serious wine. There's no Pinot from Oregon, no Old World presence worth mentioning, and zero anything that would make a wine-curious diner lean forward. The range is California-and-Idaho with the ambition dial turned firmly to off.
Nine pours by the glass at $5–$6 is genuinely affordable, and we respect the price point for a Downtown Idaho Falls bistro. The problem is the selection doesn't push past the obvious — expect to find Apothic, a Ménage à Trois, and maybe the St. Chappelle Riesling staring back at you. No rotation, no surprises, no reason to order a second glass instead of just grabbing the bottle.
St. Chappelle Special Harvest Riesling — $5-$6/glass
St. Chappelle is Idaho's most established winery, and their Special Harvest Riesling actually delivers real stone fruit and bright acidity for the price. It's the one pour on this list with a sense of place, and at the glass price, it's the only thing we'd order twice.
Laissez Faire Red Wine
Most people will reach for the Cakebread or Apothic on name recognition alone, but Laissez Faire is the dark horse here. It's an obscure enough label that it might actually surprise you — worth the gamble when everything else is so predictable.
Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon
At $85 a bottle, you're paying a significant markup for a wine that retails around $50-$55. Cakebread is a fine, crowd-pleasing Napa Cab, but you're not getting a bargain here — you're subsidizing the restaurant's brand-name comfort zone. Save it for when you're at a restaurant that earned the markup.
Cakebread Chardonnay + Chef's fish special
The Cakebread Chard is a polished, lightly oaked California white that plays well with seafood. If the kitchen is running a fish dish that night, this is the safe-but-solid move — the wine won't fight the food and you'll get the most out of what this list has to offer.
❌ The Bottom Line
Junkyard Bistro's wine list is doing the bare minimum — recognizable names, steep markups on the top shelf, and nothing to make you put down your phone and pay attention. Drink the St. Chappelle, skip the Cakebread Cab at that price, and save your serious wine curiosity for somewhere that earns it.
Idaho Falls · Idaho Falls · Steakhouse / Seafood / American
Jakers isn't going to win any wine awards, but for a steakhouse in Idaho Falls it punches above its weight on value — especially during happy hour when half-price house wines make a pre-dinner glass genuinely hard to argue with. Send a friend here for a steak night and point them toward the Willamette Pinot or the Lan Crianza; they'll thank you.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
East Idaho Falls / Hitt Road · Idaho Falls · Sports Bar / American
Buffalo Wild Wings Idaho Falls is a perfectly fine place to watch a game and eat wings — just don't let the wine list anywhere near your evening. Order a beer, order a cocktail, order a second order of wings. The wine program is an afterthought and it shows in every bottle markup and unbranded house pour.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Idaho Falls · Idaho Falls · American (Gourmet Burgers & Pub Fare)
The SnakeBite isn't a wine destination, but it's a Wild Card worth knowing about — a downtown burger joint that bothered to build a real wine list with fair prices and decent range. Come for the burgers, stay for the Pessimist.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Grandview / Snake River Landing · Idaho Falls · Seafood / Sushi / Grill
Smokin Fins isn't a wine destination, but it's a competent one — the list is safe, a little overpriced, and built to please rather than impress. Order the Kim Crawford, eat the ahi tuna, and you'll leave happy enough.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Idaho Falls · American Steakhouse & Bar and Grill
Jaker's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be one — it's a solid neighborhood steakhouse with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to do. Send a friend here confident they won't be gouged or confused, just fed and poured reasonably well.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Broadway · Idaho Falls · Italian-American
This is the wine list equivalent of unlimited breadsticks — comforting, familiar, and not something you'd brag about to anyone. Come for the pasta, order a cocktail, or bring your own bottle if they'll let you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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