The Grilled Cheese Grill

Just a quick heads up, I stopped in the other day after eating there several times in the past. The cart is NO LONGER at this location on 28^th and Ankeny. Not sure why they pulled out. They are still at their Alberta location and the downtown one too. I will do my review at the Alberta site, which I have ate at too,

I can see from the other reviews that the GCG experience can be hit or miss. So far I have had one hit and two misses. I just drove across town based on Unilocal showing the SE 28^th location open until 8. When my daughter and I arrived at 4:05, they were closed. The very rude goth looking young woman who was in the trailer informed me sans empathy that they can’t make enough money in the winter to stay open but hadn’t updated Unilocal yet. I’m willing to put up with self-​absorbed hipsters if something special is going on. Grilled Cheese Grill is not special enough for this kind of crap.

OMG… how do you put into words the delicious flavor you experience here. The cheese just melts in your mouth. The bread is slightly crispy but soft. The tomatoes are full flavored and really give a flavor pop to any sandwich. Definitely would recommend this place to anyone

If you love grilled cheese — GO! There is not much to say about two slices of various breads with delicious melted cheese and other goodness inside. I really love their concoctions and I am always going back to try another!

Came here based on the fact that I own a grilled cheese restaurant and I am always curious as to what others are doing.
Both guys cooking were super friendly and helpful. My whole family loved the food cart trailer court concept and the double decker bus.
This rating is based on the Moon Doggy and it had Salami, Pepperoni and Green Olives. It’s hard to mess up with those flavors! Good portions and fairly generous on the meat. The cheese was virtually non existent and the bread was grilled right and really good. The Sourdough had great texture, slightly chewy and sour. The sandwich was good, just needed more cheese and the pull factor, a bit more mozzarella or provolone would have made it better. A good sandwich at a decent price. We would come again.

Ok food.

This place was awesome! The food was amazing and not terribly spendy. We really enjoyed the spot the cart was in, there was a beer and cider cart nearby that was great. You really can’t beat a classic, it’s got a nice modern touch. Staff was very very friendly. I would highly recommend this place.

So, I had a cheeseburger where the top and bottom buns were each grilled cheese sandwiches. Seriously. What more could you ask for from the universe.
Btw, thanks to the guy working here for being open on a day when temperatures didn’t even hit 20 degrees all day long. I still sat outside (Next to the heat lamp of course) and fully enjoyed my burger, chips, and soda.

My first food cart experience! I have to say, after visiting The Grilled Cheese Grill, I have very high standards. The environment is great, very trendy, hip and yet laid back all in one. The menu offered many traditional and adventurous options for more than reasonable prices. Another unique aspect is the ordering process. They give you faces of celebrities instead of the tired number process. You must listen for names such as «Madonna» or «Will Smith» in order to receive your meal. It made the wait a lot more enjoyable! While The Sour Apple was delicious, it didn’t quite fill me up. I would definitely return when in need of a savory snack!

Walked over from a nearby bar to grab some grub after a long day of no food and as a person that LOVES sandwiches and was absolutely starving, this place was fucking delicious. I had been meaning to go to Grilled Cheese Grill for what feels like decades, so crawling into the bus and scarfing down a turkey and brie grilled cheese — biggest reward of the evening! If you love sandwiches, if you’re a fan of grilled cheese.. . if you’re dying for something warm, toasty, savory and delicious, go and go now!

LOVE The Grilled Cheese Grill. The food is delicious & dining in the quirky double decker bus is a lot of fun. Yum!!!

I’m super happy that they have an option for vegan grilled cheese! I picked up a vegan one for myself and a dairy cheddar one for my omnivorous sweetheart on a weirdly sunny Portland afternoon.
The sandwiches themselves were greasy but they are made to order which is awesome even though it means you may have a bit of a wait ahead of you on a weirdly sunny Portland afternoon.

Nommmm nom nom! This place is so good! No joke, it’s absolutely the best, and where else can you get a grilled cheese sandwich for cheap AND eat it on a school bus? Yea, only at the Grilled Cheese Grill that’s where.
All of their sandwiches are so good. I’d recommend going with friends, ordering what you think looks best to you, but then also trying bites of your friends sandwiches. My absolute favorite is the Babs — it has bacon and you can never go wrong with bacon, but it also has delicious swiss and blue cheese and apple slices and the combination of the bacon, apples, and cheese is just like heaven!
The Kelsey (pesto and cheddar) and the Gabby (4 different cheeses) are also good, but honestly the Babs wins everytime, I know know the other sandwiches are good because I’ve tried my friends. I’ve filled up 10 punches on my GCG card from just ordering the Babs, it’s that good. And for less than $ 7 you have to DOOO IT!!!

What’s really funny about this place is that I ONLY go when I’m across town and craving a Grilled Cheese sandwich & tomato soup.
Yep, that means I’m willing to drive to fulfill my needs. And I needs well-​priced, quick & hot sammiches.
What I like about the cart is that it’s everything «Portland» embodied in a giant, sub-​sandwich shaped trailer and bright orange bus (which is used for seating, of course)! On top of that, the food is inexpensive and easy when you’re in a rush. They can customize your sandwiches if you’d like (i.e. add bacon, ham, etc…), and will do so at a reasonable price. I always get the grilled cheese + ham + tomato soup (and sometimes chips) combo.
I only wish the Grilled Cheese cart were closer to me (at all times); at least I could save some gas money.

It was a chilly day and what better food item to pick than a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
So off we went to Grill Cheese Grill @ the 28^th St. location. It is a little hard to find. It is a block south of the intersection of 28^th and Ankeny.
We arrived and ordered the Baby Cheesus, The Gabby and a cup of tomato soup. We sat at the top of the double decker bus which is worth the trip alone. We played a little Trivial Pursuit while we waited for the food.
All of the food and soup came out in a timely manner and all were done well and we left satisfied after filling our craving of the day.
A must visit for those looking for a cold weather fix to their hunger cravings.

Do know what «je né sais quoi» is? 1. An intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive. 2. A certain something.
I had the Baby Cheesus the week before at the Alberta location and had a fantastic experience. Everything from the staff’s humor to the music to the food was vibing together.
The following week I decided to try out their second location and all points fell short. The famous double decker bus had a large sign in front so no one could sit there. The staff seems disgruntled and kept changing the music every 0.5 songs, never ending up anywhere good. The sandwich (Baby Cheesus) had no soul and felt like it was made with unhappy hands.
Perhaps, they were having an off night but in the end my stomach was left feeling full of regret and my mind kept thinking the 28^th Avenue location had no je né sais quoi.

Ok, so if you come at peak lunch hour on a weekend, don’t be surprised by the 10 – 15′ wait for your food. That being said, the SOUTHSIDER was the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had! Artichokes, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, mozzarella, and the extra salami are the perfect combination (if only they would add bit of blue cheese, I think it might be even better!)
Mostly local & high quality ingredients, friendly staff, a bumpin loud speaker that lets you know when your sammy is ready, a nice, covered eating area with the double-​decker bus for eating and a Coalition microbrew cart not 20 yards away!
Despite everything that’s great, it was also the most expensive grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had, so that sucks, but even if you’re on a budget, you can get a simple kid’s sandwich for only ~$ 4!
Definitely worth checking out if you LOVE cheese! :-D

Yeah, if there’s cheese — I’m all over it.
Really? A place JUST for grilled cheese? Yeah, get out of my way before I accidentally eat someone on my way to order.
Sandwiches are GREAT! I love the jalapeño myself, and the creative combinations of grilled cheese sandwiches, will leave no one saying, «ah crap if only they had…» because they DO!
Sitting in the Double Decker bus, on top, was cool — except for banging my head on the roof (my fault), and falling over because the bus wobbled when people climb up and down the spiral stairs (probably also my fault).
I’m just glad, and relieved, that the school pictures that make up the table tops are NOT me. Nobody needs to see that.
Try it, you’ll like it — probably LOVE it. Pricing is fair — not cheap, but fair considering what you get. Gluten-​free is also an option!
Finally, please bus and clean your own table. Nobody likes to sit at a table after the little piggies there before left a mess that they can EASILY clean themselves… seriously.

Oh, hello, double decker school bus a stone’s throw from Holman’s! I didn’t realize that was missing in my life until I saw it. Having had the GCG on Alberta many times, I already knew what to expect upon walking up but yet again made my fatal GCG error, ordering anything but a classic GC (either the Kindergartner or the Gabby), which is really all I ever want. Instead I got some fancy-​pants thing jam packed with 50 ingredients that made it so I couldn’t even taste any cheese. But that was my bad.
The bus is super fun, and there’s an announcement system hooked up, so that you can hear your name being called once your order’s up if you’re waiting in the double decker.
These sandwiches range from about $ 3.50 to $ 6, with the famous Cheesus (burger between two GCs) at $ 8. Plenty of fun sweet and savory sandwiches are listed, but you can also make your own GC exactly as your little heart desires, with a full list of add-​ons, everything from apples to salami.
I see a chain in GCGs future. They’ve been established as one of the most popular carts for a while now, before there were 600 of ‘em to pick from and still today. You really can’t go wrong with bread melted on cheese, and they definitely do it well. I just need to remember to stick to the classic next time.

The Grilled Cheese Grill has a second location, and it’s dangerously closer to my house than the Alberta location. Dangerously.
Now I’ve grown up a fan of grilled cheese sandwiches. I make one hell of a grilled cheese myself: A nice thick bread like Poulsbo or Dave’s, some tillamook cheddar, butter, and a hot griddle can combine to create sheer joy in my mouth. It’s no secret that GC’s and quesadillas are my secret guilty pleasure food. Wait. it was a secret. Oh shit.
Anyway, I’ve had this sort of love/​hate thing with GCG. I like their sandwiches, for sure. I’ve always thought that they’re a little overpriced for what they are — a basic cheese-​and-​bread combination served from a cart. They also make me fat (along with everything else I eat and drink). So while on one hand I’ll always have an innate craving for what GCG serves up, I’ve always been able to conjure up a reason or two not to go eat one.
Now at least one of those reasons has gone bye bye. With GCG on 28^th just off of Burnside, one of my major routes to and from downtown, temptation has become a rest stop on what is a daily journey. And to add on to the draw, this location’s answer to Alberta’s school bus is a double decker. So you can eat your $ 4.75 grilled cheese with a view.
The grilled cheese sandwiches from GCG are well-​made, and in the case of sandwiches like the BABS and similar, there are some very creative combinations that I never would have thought to make myself. I definitely enjoy eating them. I may eternally have a hard time paying more than about $ 3.5 for a basic grilled cheese from a food cart, but I have much less of a hard time when I have the option to dine inside a bus protected from the weather, close to home, with some fine folks serving it up to me.