It’s been quite awhile since I last posted in the periodic “Lunch Bites” series and since I first laid down my criteria (close to or under $5, no fast food, and such), my office has moved so that I’m very convenient to the Old Mill District. Needless to say, there are quite a few more easily-accessible options for cheap(ish) lunch dining around the OMD, accessible easily by walking, biking, or driving.

For this post I’m highlighting a lunch spot probably most of you have never heard of (I know I hadn’t until recently): Bend Burgz N Dogz. (If you have heard of them, you deserve an award—go treat yourself to a hotdog!) They are a food truck located on SW Industrial Way, on the east side of the Old Mill Marketplace parking lot along with the coffee stand located there. (They are small enough that perhaps I should write food “cart” instead of “truck”?) As the name implies, they specialize in burgers and hotdogs, and one day when I was walking by they caught my eye with a particular menu item: the Wasabi Dog.

Yep, a “Crispy Wasabi Dog” which was something I hadn’t heard of, and even better, it’s only $4.99. The description from their menu reads, “Deep fried all beef premium hotdog on fresh bun, topped with wasabi cream cheese, jalapeno and bacon. Kimchi on the side.” $4.99 seems pretty reasonable for such a concoction and their overall menu is similarly reasonable, with hotdogs ranging from $2.99 to $4.99 and several burgers up to $8.99 (which is the most expensive item on the menu).

So recently I stopped in for lunch, ordered the Wasabi Dog with a side of fries (for $1.49 extra) for a total lunch cost of $6.48. I had to wait a few minutes, which was fine (and a good sign) since I took that to mean they were making everything fresh and hot. And it was.

And it was good! Here’s what it looked like:

The fries were good and crispy and not greasy, the wasabi cream cheese was perfectly balanced between spicy and creamy-cool, the bacon was a big thick strip, and the jalapenos were mild enough that I thought they might have been pickled. All in all, it was really good and I felt like I got a lot for the $6.49 price.

Overall, I was pleased with Bend Burgz N Dogz, and consider it a good choice for lunch for anyone looking for food in that variety. They have their address listed on their Facebook page as 555 NW Arizona Avenue, but you’ll find them basically at the intersection of Industrial Way and Bond Street (where you’d turn to go to Crux Fermentation Project).

Update: Since I’d posted this, Burgz N Dogz closed temporarily and moved and re-opened at The Lot food truck pod over on Bend’s westside, just off of Galveston. In case you went looking for them in the Old Mill.