Summer in Boise means enjoying its drive-in food. Don’t miss this funky Bench joint.

Tiki Teriyaki Burger Time is not a name that rolls off the tongue, but it is a place with food that should hit your tongue frequently.

I will admit, I was very skeptical about how good a half-Hawaiian, half-burger place could be. The menu seemed too busy, and the concepts seemed too strange. But after trying it, I’ve never been happier to be wrong.

Located at 1237 Orchard St., right near the corner of Kootenai and Orchard streets on the Boise Bench, this place stands out with its retro look and bright tiki-themed mural on the back of the building. We drove up to the restaurant on a hot summer Saturday — what better time to visit these types of Boise joints — and took a seat at one of the picnic tables right beside the ordering window, as the drive-thru line curved around the parking lot.

We started out with the Pork Lumpia, a small Filipino spring roll that was fried and perfectly crispy, but then soft inside, with a flavorful bite of ground pork and cabbage. Dipping it in the sweet and sour sauce added a lovely tang.

Next, we moved to the single Tiki Burger and crinkle-cut french fries, served with house-made fry sauce. This burger comes with sweet mayo, chopped cabbage and pickled red onion, and we opted to add a slice of American cheese for 59 cents. The burger was, so far, the best drive-in burger I’ve had in Boise. The bun was both hearty and soft, keeping the sandwich together well and absorbing the juices from the crispy-on-the-outside burger patty. The pickled red onion was what really put it over the top. Its pungent flavor made the perfect burger bite when added to all of the other toppings.

Crinkle-cut fries are not my favorite style, usually, because I often find that they get soggy and don’t really hold a salt dredge well. But the fries at this exotic little food shack were wonderfully crispy and well-seasoned. They blended perfectly with the sweet fry sauce that has put Idaho on the culinary map for decades.

With a traditional drive-in order behind us, we set our sights on the Hawaiian food that Tiki Teriyaki had to offer.

There are a number of plates you can customize. The Short Board, for $8.99, offers one meat and is served with rice and either their Macaroni Salad or their Pineapple-Coconut Coleslaw, along with a toasted Hawaiian sweet roll. The Long Board is $11.99 and offers two meats and the same side options. Then there is the Big Wave Board, for $13.99, which is three meats with that same choice of sides.

I tried three of the different meat options based on the recommendation of the woman taking my order: the Kalua Pork (a pulled pork in a sweet teriyaki sauce), the Pork Adobo (which is a Filipino-style fried pork), and the Sweet and Spicy Peanut Chicken (which is chopped chicken in a Thai peanut-style sauce).

The Kalua Pork was just simply so good. The natural, savory flavor of the tender pulled pork mixed perfectly with the rich, salty and slightly sweet teriyaki sauce. Since the pork was shredded pretty fine, it almost melted in my mouth.

The Pork Adobo was the unique one of the three. It was a rather dry cubed pork shoulder, with a heavy soy, bay leaf and vinegar flavor to it. It also had a very in-depth umami flavor, with a soft, chewy texture. The taste was nice and satisfying, but of everything I had, the texture was my least favorite. I had hoped the meat itself would have been a bit more tender.

The peanut chicken was easily my favorite dish at Tiki Teriyaki Burger Time. I didn’t quite know what to expect, and it blew any assumptions out of the water. It came out with an insanely appealing aroma — intense, and heavy with garlic, but also sweet. The sauce was a golden color, and it was both rich and light, while coating the chicken wonderfully. The flavors of the peanut sauce and the slight spice warmed up my taste buds and made me feel cozy in the summer heat.

The chicken itself was cooked well, tender and juicy, and it absorbed the flavor of the sauce. It will satisfy anyone who loves a strong peanut flavor as much as I do.

The rice and the mayonnaise-based macaroni salad both were comforting palate cleansers to all of the flavorful meats.

We finished off the meal with a refreshing pineapple Dole Whip, a light and tropical dairy-free soft serve. It was a delightful way to cap a hot afternoon.

Tiki Teriyaki Burger Time was a shock to me in the quality of the delicious food it produced, and it’s a treat to have such a funky eatery right in the heart of the Boise Bench. Summer is the perfect time to visit Boise’s many old-style drive-up places, and I recommend stopping here for a delicious and affordable meal.

I can’t wait to come back to try more of the menu — and grab one of their tasty-looking milkshakes next time.

▪ Tiki Teriyaki Burger Time has a wide selection of burgers and sandwiches. Some of their more unique offerings are seen below. Which would you order? Vote in our reader poll!

Amos Rothstein is a freelance restaurant reviewer for the Idaho Statesman.