Idaho Falls' Burger Joint With Wine Ambitions
Downtown Idaho Falls · Idaho Falls · American (Gourmet Burgers & Pub Fare) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The SnakeBite Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a lively downtown burger spot and finding 22 labels and 18 by-the-glass options is not what you expect in Idaho Falls. The SnakeBite is primarily a pub — loud, fun, locally loved — but whoever built this wine list clearly wanted to give wine drinkers a real seat at the table. It's not a wine bar, but it's not pretending to be one either.
The list pulls from California, Australia, Italy, France, Argentina, and New Zealand, which is a respectable geographic spread for a place best known for its burgers. California dominates, with recognizable names like Daou and Matchbook anchoring the red side, while the white lineup leans accessible with Yalumba Pinot Grigio and a couple of solid Chardonnay options. There's no real deep-cellar moment here — no aged Burgundy hiding in the back, no grower Champagne to chase — but the selection is better curated than the pub vibe would suggest. Gaps show up in Pinot Noir and anything from Spain or the Pacific Northwest, which feels like a missed regional opportunity given where they're sitting.
Eighteen by-the-glass options on a 22-label list means almost everything pours by the glass, which we genuinely appreciate — no one should be forced into a full bottle of something they haven't tried. Prices cap at $13 a glass, which keeps the damage reasonable for a casual night out. Rotation appears limited; this reads more like a fixed program than one with any seasonal energy.
Daou Pessimist Red Blend — $13/glass
The Pessimist punches above its price point — it's a rich, fruit-forward California red blend that regularly retails around $20-25 a bottle. At $13 a glass in a pub setting, you're getting a genuinely satisfying pour without the eye-watering markup you'd find at a steakhouse.
Cuvaison Sauvignon Blanc
Most people at a burger joint are reaching for the Cab or the Shiraz without a second thought. The Cuvaison Sauvignon Blanc is a Carneros producer that quietly over-delivers — crisp, food-friendly, and way more interesting than the usual California SB suspects. It's the right call with anything fried or anything that comes with a bright, acidic sauce.
Daou Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Daou Reserve is a fine bottle in the right context, but at a pub with gourmet burgers on plastic-laminate menus, you're paying for a label that deserves a quieter, more deliberate setting. The Pessimist Red Blend on the same list gives you the Daou house style at a fraction of the commitment — save the Reserve for a night when the restaurant can actually do it justice.
Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz + House Specialty Burger
The Boxer is a big, jammy Australian Shiraz with enough weight and pepper to stand up to a serious burger — charred beef, melted cheese, caramelized onions, all of it. Mollydooker doesn't do subtlety, and neither does a well-built pub burger. They're a natural match.
🎲 The Bottom Line
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.
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 · Bistro / New American
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.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.