Top Dog

I have been to this top dog multiple times. Mostly because it’s conveniently open late and the hot dogs are good. This specific time I went today I took 2 of my guest who were in town and my husband was showing them the different hotdogs. The employee working there (Erin or Arron) was rude to begin with not greeting us or saying anything. As my husband was showing our guest the different hot dogs he rudely told him to not reach over the counter (which he wasn’t) and we told him that we weren’t reaching over and he said «Can’t you not read the sign?» So my husband said that’s he’s not reaching over and he doesn’t have to be rude. He then responded «F*** you and get the f*** out of here» he then proceeded and came around the counter where we were standing with his 6 foot plus body and said «Get the F*** out» We left the store harassed and scared to the extent that he may have hit us or our guests. Never in our 40 years living in Berkeley have we dealt with such a rude and mean staff member at any place.

So delicious for awesomely low prices. I like the garlic frankfurter and the calabrese the most, and sour kraut is a must.

Had a kielbasa dog yesterday. The bread was crisp and warm. It was nice being able to sit inside on a chilly day. The hot hot mustard was not good that day.

Nothing satisfies a mid-​day or mid-​night dog craving like Top Dog!
The quick service, easy access on the way up to campus, on top of the fact that this location takes credit cards (and has lowered its minimum to $ 5 to boot!) makes it a one-​stop shop for doggy heaven.
We’re not talking dinky, overfloured hot dog buns. We’re talking toasted french buns. We’re not talking sausages that have been bathing in warm water for hours, or rolling up and down on metal bars under a heat-​lamp for hours. No… we’re talking sausage to griddle action, made to order.
If you like it hot, get a hot link or the calabrese. Keeping it savory and a little more mild? A Top Dog, or Smoked Chicken Apple Sausage will do you well.
Get the best of what Berkeley has to offer, at an establishment that is more Berkeley than most.

When in Berkeley… beat CAL football. LOL just kidding! But no really… We came here for a football game and I was expecting mean sly comments followed with side eye remarks. But to my pleasure, everyone in Berkeley was very nice and welcoming to us, USC-​ers. The town is very quaint and friends recommended this place to us. So after the game, we stopped by for hotdogs. The line was not long at all!!! We got in and out in about 15 minute and another 15 to enjoy our 4 hotdogs. Very close to the BART

Tried the hot link and it was juicy and spicy, but not to the point in which it ruins the taste. Small size, but otherwise great.

A staple if you’re in the area. Solid dog and great little place to get a quick appetizer for bite to eat in a rush. Love the bread and dog. I ordered the polish kielbasa. The potato salad wasn’t bad but not very memorable. I usually like my potato salad cubed up but here it was sliced. Not taking any stars away for the potato salad because it’s just a side dish anyways and it wouldn’t be fair. Just a note… they don’t accept credit cards unless you order $ 10 or more so come with cash in hand if you got it.

Reminded me of soup nazi from Seinfeld, awesome dogs! The cook was sarcastic and rude! Excellent experience!

Top Dog is nostalgic and this is a new location for me.
The prices are fair and menu options are good.
There’s a debate on whether a Hot Dog is considered a sandwich or not, and if not, what is it… Within the 2015 articles it was simply stated «it’s in it’s own category» which if you go to Top Dog and see the menu and different varieties, that statement holds true.
Parking in the area is meh, but can be achieved, it’s near the Cal UCB campus, so walking distance from the retail areas and close to public transit.

Top Dog is delicious and convenient for me since sometimes I don’t bring a lunch to school I go here for a quick bite. $ 3.25 for a good hot dog! It was quite today so I was in and out. I got the beef frankfurter but the garlic one is super bomb! I love how the offer sauerkraut!!!
Bomb hot dog joint!

I came here on national hot dog day. This location is larger and cleaner than the original. It is also very convenient because it is on the way from UC Berkeley campus to the Bart station.
My hot dog was delicious and now I understand why everyone raves about Top Dog. Definitely a must visit spot on Berkeley. Also, perfect place for people on a budget.

A VERY casual spot serving an extremely simple menu. Unlike other hotdog joints, Top Dog pays almost no attention to toppings. Instead, they focus almost exclusively on their sausages.
Ordering is easy — walk up, tell the griller which sausage you want, wait a few minutes, grab your sausage dog, go over to the extremely bare toppings bar and you’re ready!
They offer some pretty badass sausages. I got the Calabrese which was delicious. The fennel really comes through. My buddy got the Garlic Frankurter which was also awesome. Each sausage was grilled perfectly — great snap and tender center.
Available Toppings @ the bar:
— Yellow Mustard
— Deli Mustard
— Pickle Relish
— Diced Onions
— Sauerkraut
There’s nothing fancy about this place and that’s what I like most about it. The sausage dogs range from $ 3.25−3.50 which isn’t bad at all considering how big they are.

Absolutely delicious hot dogs that tempt you to eat more than one. This hole in the wall is a place I use to frequent quite a bit when I was going to college out here. Today I grabbed a chicken apple dog and it was great. Plenty of flavor on a nice toasty bun. I will say the staff isn’t always the friendliest and always seem to be kinda off in their own world, but I’m there for the food regardless. Place also was a bit messy around the tables, but I didn’t stay to eat. Overall delicious dogs get em and get on with the day!

I’ve only ever had the garlic frankfurter, but it is really tasty. I wish it were bigger =). The other location is open much later, so it’s great to stop by after going to bars.

During a night out in Berkeley, a friend made sure we stopped here and it was really crowded. It was the best hot dog I ever had! This time checked it out sober and it seems to have lost its appeal, but nevertheless was great! The buns are fresh and have a nice toasty crisp to it.

The bratwurst I had from Top Dog reminded me of the chicken schnitzel I used to get in the cafeteria at middle school. I had pretty high expectations for Top Dog, but was very disappointed in the end.
I might go back and try some of the other options… but I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way to do it.

Headed over to Top Dog after our show at the Berkeley theatre. Had the Kielbasa and garlic dog, and can’t really complain– best hot dogs I’ve had in a while!
Price point is more than fair for the quality. Would stop here for a quick bite if I were in the area.

Stopped by here after grabbing a drink at Purple Kow. The Top Dog Frankfurter was pretty good. The toasted roll they used for the bun really elevated the hot dog experience. The hot dog was smaller than expected for $ 3.50, however. Maybe I’m just too used to the Costco hot dog & soda for $ 1.50.
My husband ordered the linguica and it wasn’t that great. It was too salty for my taste and I wasn’t a fan of the crumbly meat texture.
I like how they offer different types of mustards and have plenty of ketchup and other condiments available.
I didn’t like how the chopped onions looked like they have been sitting out for a while. Fresh, chopped onions shouldn’t look wet and translucent. They definitely weren’t grilled onions either because the onions were still white, just oddly translucent. They were also left uncovered and flies were buzzing around so I didn’t trust them and was missing fresh onions on my hot dog.
Overall, I wouldn’t mind trying their other sausages whenever I’m in the area.

This is a super cute place in downtown Berkeley. I’m really picky when it comes to hot dogs, and I was really impressed with this one!
I ordered the original top dog, and it was really good. They don’t use traditional hot dog buns, and the dogs are fresh and really flavorful. They also have a pretty cool selection of meat that you can get. I want to try the polish dog next, but I’ve heard the German sausage is really great.
The customer service just wasn’t the greatest. I came with a pretty large group, but the guy working there was really rude. He was the worst part of the whole experience. Other than that, this place was pretty spot-​on.

Berkeley has many options for starving students, and Top Dog is one of them. If you find yourself in the Downtown business district (oh no, capitalism!), don’t care about trendy but just want good food at a low price, get over to Top Dog at your earliest convenience.
I had raved to my family about eating at Top Dog when I tried the Telegraph restaurant. On a recent trip to the Adventure Playground, my elementary-​school daughter and I went to the Downtown restaurant. Her, regular Top Dog; me, Italian. Her review: «Mmmmmm, this is yummy!» My review: just as good as the Telegraph location. Taste buds shout «Questo è eccellente! VI amo, Top Dog!» Skin is just the right touch between tender and tough. French roll, not a hot dog bun, so it’s large and sturdy enough for all the condiments you want to put on it (I chose onions & relish). It’s a short walk to the wide lawn at the official entrance to the University of California, if you want to make this a picnic. Total bill: just under $ 10.
So why is this location five star and the others four star? There are places to sit and eat here. You don’t feel squished in at this location, but you do at the other. So now you can read the libertarian propaganda on the wall as you eat, heh heh. If you don’t care, you just want good food, then both will please you.
UPDATE: My hunny does not like hot dogs. She grudgingly came here for another one of our visits. She had the chicken & cooked apple. Even she loved it, so that says a lot about Top Dog.
I still like LA’s Pink’s Hot Dogs the best. But they’re 400 miles to the south, and Top Dog is a great Bay Area substitute.