Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard is one of those regional burger chains that I can’t resist exploring. It doesn’t have the same generational history as some of these old 1950’s drive-ins around the country, but after opening in Boulder back in 1987, Good Times has grown to about 30 locations across Colorado. There’s a clear midwest feel to the concept (Culver’s, Freddie’s, etc.), but there’s some obvious Colorado DNA in this menu.

I stopped by around 9pm on a recent business trip after landing at DIA around 5pm, making my way downtown, and going on a 3.5 mile run. Reddit provided me with a mixed bag of insights. Some people insisted that there are “far better burger places” that I should spend my time at, and others emphasized the nostalgia of Good Times and how it was the go-to spot after soccer practice (or a rowdy evening with friends). I wasn’t trying to find the best burger in Denver, I wanted to find a burger chain that had a bit of the soul of the region. Good Times fit the bill.

I didn’t realize that there was no dining room, or at least at the location on Federal Blvd. I’m not sure if this is true for every location, but it was set up as a drive-thru and a walk-up counter. They probably do a fair amount of online orders through the various delivery services as well. There were some nice permanent patio tables outside with umbrellas, but that was little comfort at 9pm in Denver when the temperatures were dropping below 55 degrees. I wasn’t going to let that stop me, so I reviewed the menu and settled on a few items to get a feel for what they do.

Deluxe Cheeseburger

There were a few options for the burger, but the Deluxe Cheeseburger seemed representative to me. It’s Angus beef, 3 slices of American cheese (3!!!), iceberg lettuce, a slice of Bermuda (red) onion, tomato, pickle, mayo, ketchup, and mustard. The bacon cheeseburger would have been good, but I went with my gut. The three slices of American cheese turned this into a bit of a mess to wrangle, but I applaud the move. American cheese is basically a semi-stabilized liquid sauce, and putting three slices creates a very saucy burger. Using mayo, ketchup, and mustard is very backyard style. It’s fine, but I prefer a more deliberate burger sauce/spread. The yellow mustard overwhelmed the mayo and ketchup, but I like mustard and didn’t let that ruin my day. The veggies were all crisp and fresh (mostly stacked underneath the patty as “bottomings”), and the bun did its job well enough. The beef was griddled, and basically smash burger style. Lots of char and/or black pepper. This was a good casual burger, but there’s no way I would casually eat it in my car.

Green Chile Cheese Fries

Good Times serves “natural fries” or “Wild Fries”. The latter involves a secret blend of spices on a battered fry, and I’d say that the flavor is somewhere close to what you get with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Probably paprika, black pepper, maybe cayenne, etc. The batter helps create a crust and provides some texture, but it’s not super thick. The fries measured about 7mm-8mm, so they’re still in the medium girth territory. The spices have some kick, so if you think ketchup is a bold flavor, then these won’t be for you. From what I understand, most people get the Wild Fries.

Colorado is very proud of their green chile sauces. This is probably due to their proximity to New Mexico and a population that’s heavily influenced by the culinary traditions of the Southwest. The green chile sauce at Good Times isn’t the most sophisticated, but it was zippy and added a lot of flavor to the Wild Fries. There’s a lot of pectin in the peppers, and the sauce ends up in a similar consistency to a gravy, so I consider these to be a relative of poutine. They don’t use cheese curds, but the shredded cheese (I think it’s cheddar) adds some creaminess and richness that balances out the brightness of the chile sauce. Everything turned into one homogenous glob of starchy mush within a couple of minutes, but I devoured every bite. It was delicious.

Frozen Custard

We don’t have much frozen custard in the Seattle area, so I like to indulge when I travel. Good Times serves a blended version of frozen custard called a Spoonbender that keeps the custard thick but adds in the toppings of your choice. I opted for peanut butter and crumbled Oreo’s. No regrets. It was rich and decadent, with the peanut butter adding just a touch of saltiness to the sweetness of the cream and cookies. I’m glad I ordered a small one, because after the burger and fries, even a medium may have been lethal. Next time I might do peanut butter and marshmallow cream, but the Oreo’s weren’t a mistake.

Summary

Good Times is a great time. I think I’ll be back, and I’ll check out the cheese curds, one of their other burgers, and maybe some other rotating seasonal items (I think they just launched a deep fried ice cream dessert). I can’t vouch for whether the quality is consistent across locations, but I enjoyed my visit at Federal Blvd.