Reviews

Based on 13 reviews

blindnil

great place to stop on the way back from the mountain

posted at 12/12/10

Citysearch User

Restaurant

The best philly cheesesteak around. Lunchtime this place is packed. Not much seating inside so come early.

posted at 01/13/10

pizza_junkie

REAL Philly Cheesesteaks!

These are the best anywhere! Tender sirloin, soft roll, awesome cheese- but most of all, FLAVOR!
I've been going here almost every week since they opened, and it's addictive. The same people are usually eating there as well at the same time.
Order an original with onions and provolone- try the peppers if you like 'em, but the hots are really hot.
The order of fries are big enough for 2, maybe even 3!
Grant and his wife Diane are great cooks, and Betsie is one wonderful hostess and waitress!
I live in Hillsboro, and hope that someday SOON they can expand to a second location on the West side.

posted at 12/31/06

stmeece

Best cheesesteak I've ever had!

The best cheesesteak I have ever had!. I had an original with provolone, onion and peppers. The meat is all sirloin and is lean, juicy, tender and plentiful. Served on an amoroso roll (the original roll shipped from Philly). There are pickled peppers that are sweet and and some are a little hot, that are brought in from the east coast. Sandwich was served with house made potato chips. They also make them with Tillamook cheddar or with Philly cream cheese.

posted at 10/03/07

gingerrogers

Hit-or-Miss Cheesesteaks

First off, I am Philadelphia born and bred, and anyone who says this is the best cheesesteak they've ever eaten has apparently never been outside of PDX.

That said, it almost certainly is the best cheesesteak you will find in this area. When they're good, they're good. Unfortunately, you can't count on them being consistently good.

The major plus is they import Amoroso's rolls. The roll is the most important part of a cheesesteak, and it's where most of them outside of Philly fall apart. Still, the rolls are shipped frozen, so it's never going to be quite the same. I've had rolls there that were not great, and once that I'm virtually certain were straight from Costco (I questioned them and they swore they were the regular rolls, but did allow that the kitchen had commented that they seemed "off.")

You can get American, provolone, or whiz (along with some other abominations not worth mentioning), so they have that covered. But they put on too much cheese, resulting in an unpleasant chewy glob that overwhelms all the other flavors. This can be resolved by asking that they go light on the cheese.

The biggest problem is not so easily fixed, however, and this is the tendency to burn the meat. We're talking actual *crunchy* black bits of cow, more often than not. How can they not notice this?! This part is a total roll of the dice. My best experience there was followed right after by my worst the next time around. But if you're prepared to be a bit assertive and send back anything that they should have been ashamed to serve in the first place (and on behalf of all the other customers who were too timid to say something, please do!), you should be able to get a decent sandwich out of them.

Oh yeah, and they have Tastycakes.

There's quite a bit of room for improvement, but in this town this is the best you're going to get.

posted at 10/18/07

lainym

A Meat Lover's Fantasy

These sammies are HUGE!! And so is the flavor...really tasty sirloin with lots of cheese! You can choose provolone, Tillamook cheddar, American, philly cream cheese or whiz, as well as many add-on's (mushrooms, various sauces, lettuce, etc.- just ask, they'll make it pretty much any way you want!) I also like the chicken version alot. The homemade chips are a nice touch, but I usually order a side (should I say "mountain"!) of fries. The menu offers quite a few choices, including burgers (soooo good and at a great price), salads, soup, hot dogs (which are 100% beef and like a foot long!) And with Tastycakes and ice cream available, you can get a meal AND dessert, altho I can't see how you'd have room- a half a sandwich with a shared order of fries is about all I can handle. This seems to be THE place for lunch, so it can be quite busy...a good idea to phone ahead with your order to cut down on waiting. Oh yeah-they even offer a vegetarian option, much to my daughter's delight!

posted at 03/02/08

pseudulous

Phantasic Philly

A veteran of many visits to Grant's Philly cheesesteak, I tend to discount 'Mr. Glass Half-full's' reviews. The writer praises... yet complains as if he just found a $50 dollar bill on the street but it was stained and quite muddy.
Let's see if I can encapsulate my feelings for this worthwhile establishment without being cranky.
First, I tip my hat to Grant for devising an unforgettable sandwich. The first thing that strikes you upon entering Grant's Philly Cheesesteak is the aroma. The small shop is neat as a pin with nice decorative touches, and yet your attention is drawn repeatedly to the small pass-through through which you can smell cooking proteins and sweet onions. If you're a novice don't spend a lot of time choosing your sandwich...just order a classic. What gives Grant's sandwiches their Northwest uniqueness is their size and amount of filling. This is a Lumberjack size sandwich. I really feel the peppers make the sandwhich the very best in Portland. The special sweet peppers and/or hot peppers let you know you're eating something you can only find in one place...Grant's Philly Cheesesteak. (I'm big lover the sweet peppers). An order of fries is big enough for two or even three. Diane's homemade potato chips are crisp and light. This restaurant is not a chain. It's run by a husband and his wife who'll work extra hard to see your needs are met. I even understand the shop cater's for busy business meetings. Come in today and talk to the people in the restaurant....Grant's patron's are his best advertisers. My favorite, you may ask? I love the PDX, but the classic with extra Provolone really sends me. If you have petty issues about bread and 'burnt' ends...go to Subway...but if you want to support a real hometown couple with real hometown pride and a one-of-a-kind hometown sandwich...check out the aroma inside Grant's Philly Cheesesteak.

posted at 03/31/08

jferaud

Fantastic Cheesesteak Sandwiches and More

If a great cheesesteak is what you're looking for, Grant's is the place. I love the original (steak, provolone, onions and sweet/hot peppers) and the Porland (steak, Tillamook Cheddar, onions and peppers). They have the best cheesesteaks I have had outside of Philly and are better than some of the best in Philly.
They're a little off the beaten path but very much worth the trip. My only complaint is they're not open on weekends. Gotta get my cheesesteak fix Monday through Friday from 10AM to 7PM. The staff is great, everyone makes you feel like a member of the family. Grant's Cheesesteaks deserves billing as one of the Best of Portland restaurants.

posted at 09/08/08

DevinB

Awesome Philly! A Must Have!!!

This place is a true Portland Gem!! The food is fabulous and the folks are very friendly! This is the best Philly that I have had in town and no other can come close in comparison. I would highly recommend this place to anyone and look forward to coming back often!

posted at 07/24/09

digitalmtrsports

Major Dissapointment ! ! !

This place has been around for almost 4 years and I have NEVER heard of it? I stumbled upon it while looking for some decent Philly rolls online so I read the reviews and decided to give it a try. Being originally from the Philly / West Chester area I was extremely excited to sample thier sandwitches. We drove up from the Clackamas area taking approx 30 minutes each way to find a very smalll but clean "hole in the wall" type building way out in the middle of nowhere near the industrial / low rent district of extreme North and extreme East Portland. I looked at the menue and first noticed that they altered the traditional Philly style menue to give it a "Portland twist". The most noticable was "Gluten Beef", I am guessing for the PDX Vegan crowd? I ordered my favorite "Whiz / Wit" (Cheeze Whiz With onions) and when the sandwith arrived I immediatly noticed that the meat was severely overcooked and chopped up so bad it looked like it went through a blender. I took a bite and immediately my mouth was on fire from Jalapeno peppers! Seems they are not using REAL Cheez Whiz on thier ALMOST $10.00 sandwitches. Instead it is econo off brand "Spicy Nacho Cheeze Sauce" that they prob buy in a packet and add water. This sandwitch was HORRIBLE! The previous reviewers DO NOT know a REAL Philly Cheese Steak. Bottom Line. GO TO PHILADELPHIAS IN WEST LINN OR SELLWOOD, OR STEAKADELPHIA IN NORTH PORTLAND. You will get better food, and better service for LESS MONEY.

posted at 08/03/09

accessbob

One of my favorties

I would visit Grant's every day if I could afford it (both financially and heathwise). They have a sandwich that I just love. I go for the Cheese Wiz because it gets all mixed in and is very messy. Go for the peppers (they include sweet and hot and if you don't like hot they will just put the sweets on for you).

Also, the prices, for what you get, are very reasonable ($10 for a full sandwich and it comes with a side of their own home made potato chips). Their fries are good too but the portion of fries if you order one is so large that a small is larger than most places' large fries.

If you want a good, tasty sandwich, check out Grant's.

posted at 06/05/10

Cue772

Great "Portland Style" Philly Cheese

People from Philly looking for an authentic Philly Cheesesteak "Whiz/Wit" style should probably be looking closer to....uhhh...maybe Philly? Because you aint gonna get it round here. And PHILADELPHIAS, while good...is no closer to 'authentic'. If you are seriously going to compare a Phily Chessesteak in Portland Oregon to Geno's style, go back home. It will never be the same.

What you get with Grants is a great sandwich served by great folks who love serving food. The sandwiches are full and meaty, the rolls are perfect, and if you are not sure about the peppers..ask. They'll throw the hot ones on the side for you. I personally think it's a little pricey...but worth the extra dollars to keep this place in business. Dont expect the world when you go there... driving all the way from Clackamas just for a Cheesesteak at Grants may be a bit of a stretch...but anyone in the area should have a great lunch experience at Grants.

posted at 08/20/10

blindnil

great place to stop on the way back from the mountain

Great food, service and fries. Small but friendly atmosphere, these folks have provided a respite from the horrid job I have driving to yuppies houses and I leave full (perhaps mortally so) happy and satisfied. I've been to the popular places in Philly and was disappointed. This place does not berate you with annoying "we are the real deal" b.s. Besides, who wants cheezewhizz when you can get true provolone or Tillamook extra sharp without a markup? Anyone from Philly who says this ain't the real deal, go ahead and keep your cheezewhizz and "Real deal" sandwich and eat mediocrity to your heart's ill-conceived content. Grant's is excellent.

posted at 12/11/10

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Grants Philly Cheesesteaks

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blindnil

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pizza_junkie

stmeece

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lainym

pseudulous

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digitalmtrsports

accessbob

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blindnil

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