Fast service. Cheap. And to top that off, the burger was soooo darn good. It was a great size and they have a good burger sauce they add on. I got a good sized hamburger and fries for $8! read more

Roake's - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

HEADS UP! CASH ONLY! My girl and I headed here to grab lunch before she went to work. The place is an old school burger/hot dog joint, sort of stuck in the 50's. They appear to be famous for their Coney Dogs, and in retrospect, I'm sorry I didn't try it. Instead, I got a pepper jack bacon burger. We shared a basket of fries. The fries were fresh cut, small, stringy, and soft. I myself prefer crispy, thicker fries. So the style of fries isn't mine, but they weren't bad tasting. The burger was good, but nothing too special. The service, though, was amazing, and the food came out very quickly. You order at a counter and then it's brought out to you. I want to try this place again...I'm just going to probably give the Coney dog a shot. IT seems like that's what I should have done. read more

Awesome food, big portions (huge) and super fast service. It's not a very big place, but you feel like you're back in time, since the decor is 50s. CASH only, no cards. Everything on the menu looks awesome and I'm told it is, but I only get the burgers. **cash only** read more

This place has some bomb burgers. The fries were hot but kinda limp. No crunchy ness. I got the Little John and my lady got the BBQ Bacon burger. Definitely a must try for their burgers hopefully next time our fries are better. The flavor on the fries is good just really soft read more

Good jalapeño poppers, huge order of fries. My milkshake was ok I was expecting better but it was just ok. Definitely will need to try a burger next time. read more

We loved it. A friendly woman took our order and in no time we had our food. I had the grilled chicken sandwich and my husband had a burger. No complaints. read more

Yesterday, (7/31) I was looking forward to trying this place because he was local and had recommended it. I drove 30 out of my way because the hours on line said this location is open until 7:30 so n Saturdays. I arrived at 4:25 and found it closed. Completely dark inside and no notes on the door to explain. I wish I could have given more stars, but since I was unable to actual taste the food, I can't. read more

Sometimes you want a greasy old Coney with fry's. At one time Roakes was all over the Portland area and I tried them all. Then almost all of them but two closed down and it left us with just the original one on McLoughlin and the one out here by Columbia. The one at McLoughlin has changed and the sauce and even the items are not as good. Roakes Coney frys always has had Coney sauce and cheese and tomato on top of them which is the way they still do them out at the Columbia store. I have ever had a issue with them being cold just good and greasy. Still doing it the way Roakes has been known for and still good, I find I will drive out farther to have it done right compared to McLoughlin which has lost it's way. read more

We ate here a few times when we lived in Milwaukie, after Lew's left. It was ok, nothing spectacular and definitely no Lew's. Plus, we always ended up with intestinal issues after. If that doesn't matter to you, then go for it. read more

I'll admit it. Looking at its shabby exterior and dated, divey interior, I was definitely skeptical about Roake's at first. Roake's is a testament to the phrase that "you can't judge a book by its cover." The food here was so delicious! I got the Roaker Burger, which came with Roake's famous Coney sauce. For starters, my burger was cooked perfectly. I love how crispy the exterior of the burger was in particular. The crispiness stood up to the fantastic sauce as well. I'm normally not one for too much heavy sauce on my burger, but Roake's Coney sauce is to die for. It's a thin consistency chili/meat sauce that added a nice bit of creaminess to break up the robust meaty taste from the burger. My partner and I also shared a Coney fries which came with...you guessed it, Coney sauce. And cheese...and tomatoes! Cheese + meat sauce is always delicious, and the tomatoes were actually a nice addition. I don't normally like raw tomatoes like that, but they brought a nice bit of freshness and acidity to break up the richness of the sauce. I had a bite of my partner's corn dog and it was equally great. The batter had a nice bit of sweetness to it and the hot dog was cooked nicely too. Roake's may be a hole in the wall, but this place is a total gem. The lady who took our order was also really nice and our food came quickly. Shoutout to Mark W. for finding this amazing place! PS: CASH ONLY. read more

The food was ok, not bad, just not Good. I was however not disappointed. I'll go back :) I love burger joints. read more

Not the same quality as McLoughlin for sure... Was I an imposition? They didn't take the time to care about my experience at all. No asking if I want cheese or onion on my Coney. I got a Coney with enough onions for 4 I'm certain. Amazing how dependent I had become on expecting the same service at this location. Older blond haired lady who acted the part of trying to rush me along.... I'll stick to McLoughlin. read more

A must stop in Portland and a local favorite. The Coney burger and dog are a must, and friendly service makes you feel like part of the family. read more

This is one of those places I don't even want to tell you guys about it because it is one of those spots okay. Let me tell you the negatives so you'll stay away: it's near industry and congestion, they close early every day, they are cash only, video lotto type crowd, unmodernized interior. Okay now that you're not gonna come, I'll be able to find a booth so let me tell you what we'll get: little john burger cause you need an egg on it(also ham cause ham), corn dog cause they are bomb, and you finish it off with the coney fries, which have the coney sauce which is to die for but be warned, it has meat in it so if you are a vegetarian, don't be. Video lotto after I'm buzzing toward a food coma so I can loose that extra five I have and the girl n I had a quality meal and entertainment for under 20 bucks. That's what I'm gonna do but you're not, cause you're going somewhere else (probably a vegan bakery huh?). PS Also has the bonus of having one of those 'bikini baristas' right outside, so I caught an eyeful instead of reading the tribune and then I got coffee so I can wake up afterwards. read more

Please try this place!! I gave them a huge order today, they got it to me in record time. I love this place, it's so close to my work, the food is fantastic and they cut their own fries. Shannon, I hope I'm getting her name right, was super nice and professional. I was happy to see there were a few orders besides mine. If you have a choice, please support this place, you won't be sorry. It is cash only, but I believe they have an ATM. I Love ROAKE's. PS, try the fry sauce. Sincerely, Erica M read more

Service was horrible... Also, why such a price difference from your location in Oregon City? Everything is about a buck more expensive here. And you don't use debit cards? Yet you charge $2 to use the ATM (payable to Roakes). Despite these few things, I needed to get lunch while waiting for tires, so, I ordered two longs, figuring I would eat one and take the other home. When the dogs came, I saw a lot of pepper mixed in....and when I say "a lot of pepper" I mean, it was more like, "would you like some sauce with your black pepper?" ; for some people, this isn't a bad thing but for me, personally, it is. But, I tried anyways. I cut two pieces of the dog and bun off and tried, but it was way too spicy. I stepped to the counter and told the shorter blond (Saturday shift at 1:45pm pst) with her hair in a pony tail, my dilemma. She stared back at me and then rolled her eyes. I mentioned that the other location sauce wasn't as spicy. She snapped back, "Well, we make the sauce here and then ship it over...it's the same thing, so, like, I don't know what to tell you." First...when a lifelong customer tells you they are not happy with the food and can't eat it, even after two small bites, you try to make things right. In most cases, a lot of places will ask, "what can we do to make this better?" Or even offer a separate item. Since she didn't understand customer service, I simply asked for a refund. She literally rolled her eyes again, purses her lips and then shook her head. I was refunded but the attitude was simply atrocious. If you're the person who interfaces with people, this is stuff you don't do! You're supposed to make things right, not give attitude. What upsets me was the complete lack of respect that she and her counterpart gave...I don't need to explain why I may be unhappy with something but when the pepper was so heavy that I couldn't eat, I'm going to say something. She should have asked "how can we make this right?" Her attitude has made me never want to return to this location. It is leaps and bounds less of an establishment than the one in Oregon city. I've been a lifelong fan of the Oregon City location, and my parents went there when they were kids in the 50's...I won't ever come back to this location. It pales in comparison... read more

Perfect old style simple food. The fries are awesome. Hot dogs are great and we had the Chile burger pretty good only negative they do t take plastic but do have an atm with a $3 fee so you. An get cash read more

If I could give No stars I would. Do not be fooled by all the 5 star reviews, this place sucks! We ordered 2 footlong coneys, onion rings, and jalapeño poppers. We were going to eat there but once we sat down, it was like we were the main course at Fly's Buffet. Yuck!!!Would it be too much to hang a strip of fly paper... ? Shooing away our premonitions about this place, we decided to just get it to go, so we could eat in peace. We get home and I crack open the rather large bag of Onion rings. LOL, silly me, once I take a bite I realize that these are mostly fried batter with just a speck of onion. Non-Edible unless you just like eating fried batter with ketchup, Sucker! On to the poppers which were OK, I think because they are just bought from a wholesaler, not a Roake's Creation. Now on to the piece de resistance, or shall I say piece de disgusting. The footlongs were covered in lukewarm reddish brown meat sauce, "coney sauce" that soaked the bread. The wiener was rubbery and chewy in a bad way, like something I could use as a weapon to beat somebody over the head with. The whole thing just tasted like a chore no body wants to do because it's too gross. I can't believe such crap was $20! bleh! I think the only reason there aren't more bad reviews is because most of the people who work around this place have no where else reasonably close to go to for lunch..and also they probably don't use Yelp, or write reviews... Don't be fooled. Your taste buds and digestive tract will thank me later! Now I just hope I don't upchuck this slop later and have to taste it twice..like the other reviewer... read more

Gettin' the dang thing done since '91, and way before that out at the Milwaukie location! I can't swear to it that the lettering on the old school overhead menu behind the counter are originals from over 20 years ago, but they sure look it. Some people might be put off by the seeming lack of effort w/the decor, but there are those of us a little bit caught up in nostalgia by it. This place is based on the Coney Island of yesteryear, afterall. All that's lacking is the steep sales tax surcharges and distinctive, nasal-infused accents. The gambling lounge is laughable, but I'll be danged if there wasn't a sweltering mass o' humanity cram packed in there, gambling their rent/ social security/ pension checks away. Also, you might be delighted, as I surely was, that Roake's offers HH prices! .75 off all them appetizers! All the decor and design certainly isn't the main event (fortunately). Let''s talk about the grub. Health food, this most definitely isn't. But try on one of their Super sausage long dogs w/extra Coney Island sauce for size. A complete meal for under five bucks--- albeit one of the messiest ones you'll ever seen stuffed into a paper bag, if you ask for it to go. The napkins for mine were trapped all the way helplessly at the bottom of that chili-sauce-soaked baggie. I think it was Pat Benatar that had a song about that: "Too little, too late." Thanks for that, ladies! No, the girls at the counter were friendly and prompt, no complaints about them. What does lose points is the cash-only policy, as pointed out by many others here on Yelp. Sure, the ATM on site is convenient, but that tacks on a couple more bucks to your meal, and perhaps a few more on the other end, depending on your particular banking institution. Also, the hygiene level in the bathrooms in this place were seriously sub-standard. A little elbow grease would work wonders here, people. An excellent reinforcement as to why I try to always practice "Universal Precautions" when dining out, especially when it comes to Los Servicios.... read more

YELP left Roake's off of its list of notable burgers. It is on my list of Top Five Portland Burgers. Better hot-dogs (when said gut bomb is called for) and WORLD's GREATEST ONION RINGS (which combined with hamburger should put this on the near top of the list). Roake's tops my list for one major reason. Its as if a Fairy God-Mother left the house one day with a greasy spoon instead of a wand. When waving said spoon at a pumpkin Roakes appeared and it gets it right like a Disney recreation with extra excessiveness just for good measure. Their burgers are stable tried gut-bomb burgers. Cheap pricing with heavy weight portions. Everything there is to love and prime example of where others (namely chain theme restaurants) screw up a simple American standard. In a perfect world Roake's burgers would be the American standard to which all other burger's are deemed worthy of the name burger. Special notables at Roakes: The world's Greatest Onion Rings! I have traveled the world eating onion rings and Roakes has by far the world's best with a top of the line batter that many come close but none can seem to touch. Its as if they created an angel food cake made specifically for onions dipped into deep fryers. Chili Cheese Fries The chili cheese fries laid out between a table of dudes above 200 lbs. Between a couple of light weights you will fall short. Among heavy weights though the massive manly-man-ogre portion will be well received and is worth the trip. Oh yeah and did I mention cheap beer! Which basically makes this a dive bar that gave up the dive-bar business to focus solely on the world's standard barer of basic grill and deep fried food. If you work or live on the NE side this place has a notable panache. Namely its world class dinner read more

I've been going to Roake's for nearly as long as I have been alive. The old 50's diner style greasy burger and fries is a delicious guilty pleasure and nobody does it better than Roake's. Their coney island sauce is outstanding and goes well on a long sausage dog. Their fries, shakes, and jalapeno poppers are all good too. It's not fine dining, but they do what they do well. After 30 years, I am still a fan. read more

Classic greasy burgers. Nothing more nothing less. The fries I could have done without, they were extra extra greasy. Like old jack in the box fries, no crisp. So if you were to kidder, you can pass on those. The burger though, classic grease. Delicious, great for hangovers. read more

My friend Darcie used to complain about the way her hair smelled. This was due to the fact that she worked at the Roake's on Mcloughlin when we were in high school. One day, she admitted that when she would get home from work she always used to hate it because her hair smelled like burgers, dogs and grease, and she would scrub it in the shower to rid herself of the smell. I found this hilarious. I visited the Roake's on Mcloughlin maybe once or twice back in the high school days, and don't remember a single thing about my visits. Now this Roake's, on the other hand, I visited on a recent trip to NE for other business. Apparently a former Burgerville (thanks Elle H for that tidbit) the store is very diner-esque in an industrial part of town. Side note: I've always been fascinated with Columbia for this very reason. There's a real sense of blue collar on this stretch that I've always appreciated. Back to my review of the restaurant. I'll just say it: I don't get the whole coney thing. Now, don't misunderstand me: I respect people who do, and I can see *why* they do. I just don't think I like coney sauce all that much. On this particular visit I had a standard coney dog and an order of onion rings. The dog's substantial, and the bun is grilled, which is good, because otherwise it'd be a soggy mess after being permeated by the coney sauce. More on the coney sauce: it's salty, savory, meaty and messy. The freshly diced onions are a must on this thing, as their clean, sweet flavor cuts through the "one note" coney sauce, in my opinion. I dunno, I'm not gonna go on and on about this, it just didn't strike a chord with me. Again, I can see how people like them. Just not for me. I ate it all, and the dog was quite good on the beefy flavor and texture fronts. Onion rings: bad choice for a single diner. The $5 price should have been my clue. Another clarification is necessary here: the rings were quite good. Heavily breaded and crunchy, about a half dozen of them would have been perfect. Problem is that the order is GIGANTIC, and probably enough for 3 people. I hated throwing the majority of the order away. Lesson learned! I'm not writing Roake's off. I'd like to try one of their (several) burger choices. Heck, I might even include a dollop of coney sauce on one of them to see what that does for my opinion. read more

This place doesn't look like much, but it's great! Burgers are among the best in Portland. I'm not even a fan of Coney Dogs, but I often get them here. The fries are great. Good, fast service. If you want to go into a food coma- order the Nordius Maximus. This is the largest burger I've seen. I've done it a couple times when real hungry. You won't be hungry after. read more

Greasy diner delight! We just had Roake's Whimpy Burgers for dinner. Boy did it hit the spot. With a 6" bun and a griddle-pressed burger that is not dwarfed by the sesame bun. Plenty of white onions, lettuce and pickles with sauce. Delicious emulsified American pre-sliced cheese is an extra $0.35, and yes you want it! I didn't get the fries but their blackberry milkshake was scrumptious and had me yearning another one. This is a checkerboard tile greasy spoon burger and dog place, situated amongst industry on Columbia Boulevard. It is what it is, fair priced and a Portland Standard. Haters gonna hate. Next time I'm ordering the Deli Dog, looked enticing. read more

First time here, cash only. The staff was friendly and smiling. However the food was not. I had the chili boat, it was horrible. The chili tasted more like refried beans. Also I tried the chicken strips, they were pretty bad, very bland and definitely previously frozen. The inside of this establishment needs to be cleaned and up dated, the health department must have missed this place. read more

Roake's - Chicken strips......blaaa previously frozen. - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Night ruined! Drove out of my way to get food here and had to stop at the bank first (Roake's only takes cash). By the time we got there it was about 5:50 (internet says they're open until 7:30) but I had to call my wife to get her order. My kids and I went in at about 5:55 and they told us they were CLOSED! I was (still am) VERY HUNGRY and was very much looking forward to eating Roake's (as were my 2 kids and wife at home). Now I am at home (still hungry) writing this review because the kids working tonight seem to want to go home early or something. Anyway, never going back there again! read more

Location location location. Located just up the parking lot from the bikini barista, lies the Roake's. The menu items are just fine. Classic diner style foods, big greasy burger with a bunch of greasy fries. They were out of onion rings when I went so I opted for the Jalapeno Poppers. Poppers and other items seem to be frozen and fried. I saw someone order a chili dog or something and it was not appealing based on visual inspection. The establishment is not the most sanitary of places, but it is in a heavy industrial area and I really don't expect anything more. Side note, if you hang around this area long enough you are bound to see some of the exploited women who are a product of sex trafficking. C'mon Portland, lets get tougher on these laws. read more

Roake's is really nothing THAT spectacular but they have their Coney Dog DOWN! It tastes a little trashy as a good dog should. Their fries aren't the greatest though.. kind of limp with very few fries having that perfect crisp. I come back once in a while cause I've just gotta get that dog in my mouth! Yum. read more

A haiku: Tiny burger joint no food eaten but great shake thanks ATM. read more

So I noticed I had mistakenly reviewed the Milwaukie Roake's instead of this one, so a little cut and paste.... Roake's reminds of a small town burger joint. No fancy strawberry mtn here, just pre-shaped patties, charred and greasy. The fries are skinny and salty, and the onion rings knock it out of the park (they're spendy because the order is HUGE). Super thick milkshakes, that are more akin to a blizzard, and everything is served in those little red baskets lined with red checked paper. So, you get the idea about what to expect here. I eat here maybe once a month and always got a burger and fries. My last trip I went for the coney island dog. Hi. I found a new best friend, and her name is Roake's coney island hot dog thank you very much. The hot dog had that perfect snap when I split it with my fork, and the coney sauce was oh so perfect. Next time I will ask for more onions. Go now, and treat yourself to an extra 4,000 cholesterol points. Oh, and they're cash only but there's an ATM inside. read more

This place is awesome! Came in today for a late lunch and was excited about the old school "Bob's burgers" (Los Angeles) type of feel. We ordered chicken tenders with fries and a drink, a banana shake, jalapeño poppers and a bacon cheeseburger all for $18. The portions were HUGE!! But the quality was great. The chicken tenders were standard, really crispy. My boo lived his burger and shake. The fries are natural cut thin and perfectly salted. The jalapeño poppers were amazing, oozing with cream cheese and fried to perfection!!! Can't wait to be back in the area to have more. read more

Roake's - Jalapeño poppers! Amazing and really filling. - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is my second time eating here. The food was so good the first time, I couldn't wait till I had the chance to come back!!! read more

Roake's - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Good stuff. Had the Long Dog and it is very tasty. Bring cash as they do not accept cards. read more

Roake's - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I have a thing for a classic burger and Portland has several fine places to choose from, but even though I think the ideas behind the Roake's burgers and fries are classic, this location was underwhelming from the dirty floors to the dirty bathrooms to the sloppy and not very tasty burger. I had the "Roaker" which was just a mess (it should be sloppy since it comes with the coney sauce), but also didn't taste very good. Stanich's (in NE PDX) and Mike's Drive In (in Milwaukie after the Portland branch closed) are all making classic burgers with attention to detail and hygiene. I have heard the other Roake's is much better and I am willing to try it out since I am a fan of classic grill top burgers. read more

I love Roake's. I just recently started eating lunch here some days. Imagine a classic, memorable burger you ate somewhere obsure in your childhood. Roake's delivers that. Imagine a place the girls behind the counter always give you a genuine "How do you do?!" smile when you walk in. Roake's is all about it. Great food and staff. read more

If you're really hungry, try the Nordius Maximus. It's gigantic and sooo delicious! read more

Roake's - Nordius Maximus - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Just went by there and they were closed and the yelp says open till 7pm. We came all the way from 205th ne sandy. Wow just disappointed

Was picking up family at the airport in late afternoon and I'd forgotten to eat. I used to work out in this area at NE 33rd and Columbia and I remembered Roakes Coney Dogs and especially their fries and actual malts, so I stopped in. Yum Yum Yum..for classic americana dogs, beer and fries. Kitchy ambiance-we're talking waitresses with lots of eye makeup-but very helpful, handmade signs but they get the point across and basically nice coney dogs that hit the spot, It's a messy dog-don't try to eat it in the car-like I did-just break down and sit at one of the 6-7 tables available. If I remember correctly this used to be a Burgerville about 25 years ago-but i could be wrong. In any case, cut off jeans and t-shirts advertising high schools is the attire du jour, bring the kids-theres plenty of napkins on the table and have an inexpensive family dinner. read more

Love the fries. Greeeeeeaaaaassssyyy!!! The shakes are nice and thick, the burgers are massive and the prices are great. The Rich John is my fave because I love the toasted french roll. The Wimpy ain't. Wimpy I mean. It takes a little while to get the grub, but I've learned that waiting neither indicates good or bad food nor an earned reputation vs understaffing. In Portland, reputation and waiting times are almost organic entities so I guess what I am saying is, this isn't McD's mate, this is old-fashioned burger-slinging and pretty darned good at that so it might take 10-15 minutes depending on how many other orders are ahead of you. But I wouldn't let a little down time deter you from experiencing some tasty burger joint grub. Oh yeah, onion rings - diggety dog yahoo! read more