New burger joint CHOM joins downtown Provo restaurant lineup
The Barbecue Bacon Burger and an order of sweet potato fries at CHOM Burger in downtown Provo.
An order of sweet potato fries at CHOM Burger in Provo.
The Barbecue Bacon Burger, Green Chile Burger and Chom Burger at CHOM Burger in Provo.
CHOM Burger also includes salads on its menu.
Another new restaurant has opened its doors in the downtown Provo area — CHOM Burger, filling the location long unoccupied by Diegos, across the busy street from Sodalicious.
Nerds around Provo will have a hard time not geeking out at CHOM’s; an entire wall is dedicated to a chalk mural of Star Wars with AT-ATs, Ewoks and the whole universe. It’s beautiful (and Snapchat-worthy if you’re into that kind of thing).
Eventually you will be distracted from the lovely ode to a galaxy far, far away and see CHOM’s menu. Stay on target. Diners fill out slips of paper designating their meal choices and take it up to the register. The menu is strong in its simplicity: burgers, chicken, salad, fries, shakes.
We ordered three of the burgers. The signature CHOM Burger comes with a toasted bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and CHOM sauce.
I’ve yet to encounter a dish or burger featuring the world’s best savory fruit more prominently than the Green Chile Avocado Burger.
Holy guacamole.
The avocado oozed out of the burger like gooey, melted cheese — perhaps a tad bit too much. But then, that’s a good problem to have in my book. Of course, the burger also had roasted green chile (which were much more subtle and not all that spicy), pepper jack cheese, lettuce and CHOM sauce.
We also tried the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger with gluten-free bread option. Gluten-free options in Utah Valley sometimes feel about as plentiful and satisfying as the water levels in Utah Lake — shallow and dry. But regular bread-lovers would even love this bun. This toasted bun is topped with crispy fried onions, BBQ sauce, cheddar, bacon and CHOM sauce.
In-N-Out seems to be the burger/fry standard on the west coast, so in comparison, we loved CHOM’s fries much more. The regular and sweet potato fries were thin and crispy. We found them both to be delicious and competitive as far as other fry options in the area, too. Sometimes sweet potato fries are cut large and can be served on the soggier side. This was not the case at CHOM.
Of course, how can anyone in Utah Valley dine without ordering ice cream or some version of it? These are the shakes you’re looking for. We ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake, Oreo Shake and Salted Caramel Shake. I’d like to point out CHOM went out of its way to use shake straws. Thank you, CHOM. Why other restaurants don’t use these more often is beyond me. Do they think people enjoy trying to suction their brains out from a tiny soda straw? Because, no one enjoys a carbonite-like brain freeze.
Each shake had chunks of its ingredients adding to texture and flavor — the Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake had yummy peanut butter chips and the Oreo Shake was pretty spectacular.
The salad wasn’t a repeater — much like Star Wars Episodes I-III. While the Grilled Chicken Cobb came with lots of lettuce, the toppings — and particularly the sparse, dry chicken — was underwhelming for the price. To the side, bacon, avocado, blue cheese, egg, cucumber and tomato were clustered together and served with a cup of house vinaigrette or ranch.
However, the shakes, fries and location make CHOM a place that will likely strike back when residents are mentally scrolling through cool places to grab a meal with friends and family.
CHOM BURGER
Where: 45 W. 300 North, Provo
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Prices: $2.25-$12.50
Info: Facebook.com/gochomburger, (385) 241-7499