Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Char Burger (Cascade Locks, OR)

745 NW Wa-na-pa St, Cascade Locks, OR 97014, T: 541-374-8477

At exit 44 on the beautiful I-84 road along the Columbia Gorge River you find the tiny town of Cascade Locks, Oregon. It houses a big family restaurant/bakery/gift shop with a phenomenal view on the river. The style of the restaurant is western, in the spirit of Lewis & Clark. You walk up to the counter and choose from a wide variety of burgers and other classic American dishes.

I ordered a Western Burger, which comes with fries, and a medium soft drink for $10.55. The Western included a large but thin patty, two slices of crispy bacon, two fried onion rings, and a side of bbq sauce. The rest you could get at the well-stocked condiments bar.

While it did take quite a while before my food was ready, I enjoyed the beautiful views of the river and the remarkable clientele. The place is undoubtedly a popular touristic spot, but also draws a lot of locals: next to me sat three generations of inbreeding and at another table two 300+ pounders in hunt gear. Still, seeing everyone enjoy their food made me more and more hungry, so I was happy when the burger finally arrived. The Western Burger was very tasty; the fries were saggy though, while the mayo was sweet (Hellmann?).


VERDICT: 80/100
This was an excellent burger and with the condiments bar you will almost get what you want. The fries can be better, but that is more than compensated by the unique setting. A great stop on a beautiful road.

1 comment:

  1. We visited with our daughter and grandsons. The view and ambiance are terrific, but the food was pretty disappointing. McDonalds could do better!! If they improved the food, this would be a fantastic place to go. Hope they read this comment.....

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