Restaurants, Dining - Portland Fast Food, Inexpensive, Food Carts

Canyon Grille, Beaverton. Bevy of hot sandwich specialties, like their signature Grand Canyon (smoke sirloin, grilled onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, cheese and their Canyon sauce); or others with barbecue pork loin, chicken breast and pineapple, or chicken with Wild Bill Buffalo sauce. Hot dogs, turkey –bacon-avocado or the monstrous burrito that’s filled with homemade pork verde. Hamburgers are the flagship dish, with huge, thick and juicy patties, come with bacon, mushroom/Swiss, Hawaiian-style, Canyon sauce or bleu cheese. There’s also buffalo meat, salmon, veggie or the huge chili cheese fries burger. Usually about $5 - $7. A large array of salads and milkshakes with real fruit chunks in them round out the specialties. Breakfast are huge and hearty (weekends only – around $7), including waffles, French toast, chicken fried steak, massive omelets and a homemade country gravy to die for. 8825 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton, Oregon. 503-292-5131. www.thecanyongrill.com

Zach's Shack. Gourmet hot dogs in a bar setting are the rule, in this grown-ups only place that appeals to the kid in all of us. Most dogs are around $4 or under, or you can build your own from a list that includes: olives, Jalapenos, peperoncini, salsa, cucumbers, sour cream, green relish, red relish, dill relish, sport peppers, cream cheese, onions, mayo, ketchup, brown mustard, chili, tomato slices, cheddar cheese, veggie chili or saurkraut. Hot dogs come with nifty rock ‘n’ roll influenced names, like the New York Dog, Sgt. Peppers, Syd Dog, Scorpians Dog, Los Lobos, or the Dylan. Fat sausages include the very spicy one with pork and beef, a cheese filled dog, or some fancy Sausage of the Day. Extras include fries, cheddar fries, chili fries, mozzarella sticks and Jalapeno peppers. Wine and beer – open late for the bar crowd. 4611 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon. 503-233-4616. www.zachsshack.com

Noodles Restaurant. Not to be confused with the chain, this indie eatery provides upscale flavors at bargain prices. Gourmet pastas that never waver in quality or a sense of the homemade. Lunch and dinner usually under $10. Spaghetti marinara with choice of Italian sausage or mushrooms, fettucini alfredo, an innovative take on Mexican pasta, glorious mac n' cheese given the gourmet treatment with smoked turkey, and a soft, unforgettable braised beef with rotelli pasta in a red wine sauce and gorgonzola. Look for ethnic re-inventions like Thai chicken linquini, or there is the hearty beef stroganoff, chicken picatta with a lemon cream sauce, garlic shrimp in a citrus cream white wine sauce, bay shrimp in basil cream and artichoke hearts, and enormous ravioli with spinach and cheese. Garlic cheese bread is famous for a reason; stunning epicurian salads. Kids menu and out of this world housemade desserts. Gluten free and whole wheat pasta available. 6830 Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Portland. (503) 292-6480. www.noodlesportland.com.

Glisan Burger Barn and Grill. Fast food, inexpensive in NE Portland. Major family destination. Most burgers are in the $8 - $10 range and absolutely enormous as well as loaded to the point of overflowing with their ingredients. Simple cheeseburgers to more complex items like the Hawaiian (pineapple, ham and teriyaki), Cock-A-Doodle doo (ham and fried egg), Black 'n Blue (bacon with the blue cheese pecan spread), the Hanoi (peanut sauce, lettuce and cucumber), Fitty Fitty (half cheddar and half pepperjack), The Barn Club (grilled ham, smoked pepper turkey, bacon), a lush patty melt, or the spicy Sweet Heat (chipotle peppers, grilled onions and a chipotle sauce). Other specialties include the Yosemite Sam (cheeseburger with an onion ring and BBQ sauce), or the monstrous Chilli CheeseFries Burger with a burger, chili and fries all kind of piled together. Interesting chicken specialties, a salmon burger and a veggie burger too. Huge hot sandwiches served on 10-inch baguettes include sirloin, chicken, hotdogs, pastrami and more. Incredible homemade shakes and soups. Gluten free options. Located on the Northeast corner of 79th Ave and NE Glisan St. Portland, Oregon. (503) 254-4285. www.glisanburgerbarn.com