Cobra Dogs, the Mount Hood hot dog brand, is opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant at 1642 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland, with a soft opening planned for Nov. 1. Owner Derrek Lever confirmed to What Now Portland that a grand opening party is planned for the following weekend, though the dates could change.
“This is my first brick and mortar. It’s big for me,” Lever said. Cobra Dogs has operated as a food truck and event business, and also runs several carts for events and catering. The brand’s original truck still operates in Welches at Windells, an action sports camp, during the summer.
The menu is built around creative spins on classic hot dogs. The Bun Mee is a Vietnamese-inspired dog, the Cobra Style comes with cream cheese, sauerkraut, Cobra sauce and celery salt, and the Mac Dog is topped with mac and cheese. Prices range from $9 for the O.G. to $13 for the chili dog and Mac Dog.
The restaurant will have about 45 seats inside, plus outdoor seating. It will be open from noon to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends.
Cobra Dogs shares the building with One Moto Cafe, formerly See See Motorcycle Coffee, which runs a coffee shop from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also in the building are Rip’s Co. Skateshop, owned by pro skateboarder Willis Kimball, and Vela’s Vintage. Lever called it “about the funniest corner in Portland.”
The brand was founded in 2005 by snowboarder Cory Grove as a way to pay for summer lift tickets on Mount Hood. Lever, a former pro snowboarder, has owned it for about five years.
“Anyone can make a hot dog, but we can make a community, and Cobra does have a huge community in those regards. We serve hot dogs with a good attitude, and we want to be a beacon of sustenance when people are leaving their favorite activity, whether that’s mountain biking, climbing or skateboarding. We want them to come to Cobra Dogs afterwards and have a good time,” Lever told What Now Portland.
