Zackie’s Original Hot Dog

Best hot dog in Nashville, hate they closed. Will highly miss them…

Well Nashville, it was a pleasure!

I’m so bummed they’ve closed. It was Mike’s great dogs and awesome hospitality that helped build my restaurant SILO. When we needed a welder for our grease duct-​Mike, When we needed a quick bite and a good story Mike and Co were there. When it was 109*F and we had no A/​C yet, Zackie’s was our source for cold lemonade.
You will be missed. Thanks for 5 great years!
–Clay

The pros: Awesome food. Great dogs, unlimited toppings, delicious white or wheat steamed buns, friendly people.
The cons: A little pricey, no fountain drinks or regular sodas. If you get a dog/​side/​drink, you’re going to spend $ 10 or more.
But hey, it’s good, clean, and vibey.

I eat at Zackie’s at least once a week. Friendly staff and great tasting turkey dogs. Proud to have this shop in my neighborhood.

This is how you do it. Open the front door. Say hello (or don’t, its just polite though). Order your Hot Dog. Make a bun and topping selection and then relax. Mike and his team make eating hot dogs fun again. With a distinct shout out to Chicago (they have the Chicago style super green relish) they make your sandwich to order. It doesn’t stop there though. Yes, they use Nathans hot dogs (which I have an obvious affinity to), but what is really great here is the chili. Mike makes his chili every night and whether you get it on the dogs or ladled over your fries your gonna love it.
As a transplant from the East coast I was also pleased to see Tastycakes available for dessert. Mike is open a lot, so make sure to visit him often and here is what I order.
Turkey dog on Wheat with Chili, Slaw and brown mustard. I know, sounds a bit much, but I promise its worth the heartburn.

If you just need a hot dot that’s not expensive and straight forwrad, come here. Great for a quick lunch (not a sit-​down place) and their food is quality and the place is clean. Everyone is friendly. It’s not gourmet, so don’t expect to find the best thing you’ve ever tasted here. It’s good though. Made to order. They were open during Oktoberfest, and found them way more appealing than the street food. Service was fast for me.

I like that Nashville randomly has a lot of hot dog restaurants. What’s not to like about meat in a tube?
Zackie’s has a lot of elements making it a great hot dog place: it’s really clean and cute in there, the guys working are always really pleasant, and toppings are free with purchase of your sausage. They give you the option to recycle your Boylan’s soda bottle. There’s a tv playing Sportcenter. PEROGIES.
However, it doesn’t reel me in for lunch on days I’m not stuck working in Metrocenter. First, while the service is friendly, I’m always waiting WAY too long for my meal. I know it’s because they do everything to order, but it seems they spend way too much brainpower assembling the toppings. If it takes you that long, think about distribution of flavors… Like putting the mustard below the sauerkraut so I don’t have a face full of mustard after each bite. Their bun isn’t the best sausage vehicle either. I think this is because I like my buns grilled… or at the very least not soggy. Granted, the reason they become soggy it that they are impossibly fresh (and delicious), but by the time I’m two bites into the second dog, the bun is falling off in sticky chunks. Their sides leave a little to be desired as well. The fries are standard issue restaurant supply, but they are always fried up and seasoned perfectly. Perogies are Mrs. T’s, also fried. Wished they grilled them up with some onions on the flat top… mmm.
It’s worth it to note that they have Tastykakes. I didn’t grow up in south Jersey/​Philly area, so I could care less… but I know people who did tend to believe they are the packaged-​dessert messiah.

Nice for a quick, simple lunch in easy range for those stuck in the food wasteland of MetroCenter. The sausage selection is good for a hot dog joint, and the topping selection is exceptional. I’d prefer Hebrew National over Nathan’s in an all-​beef, but the Brats were top of the line. My fries were excellent, super crispy. The best part was the speed, we had arrived, ordered despite CC machine problems, received our food, and eaten in 30 minutes, and still and time to visit another business. Staff was nice and friendly, and the prices were mostly fair, except for basic hotdogs. $ 3+ for a plain Nathan’s is bit steep. I’d up the prices in the sides to make the dogs a bit cheeper if I were them.
Some minor points… seating is limited, consisting of a row of stools and two outdoor tables. Also, the menu needs to specify what kind if pierogi they are selling, that kept me from ordering them. Small deduction for these, otherwise a great lunch option.

It’s only appropriate that the first place I review in Nashville is a hot dog joint. Hot dog gotta be one of my favorite food in the world. I have an extra pouch in my stomach for hot dogs just like some people have extra room for dessert. This place is small but super clean. Huge convenience being that it’s walking distance from my apt… I’m sure I will become a regular in no time.
I love the variety here: Nathan’s 100% beef hot dog, turkey dog, veggie dog, and a few sausages. I tried the beef this time, and figured I will go down the list to try everything out in the future. The hot dog was nicely done… very juicy. I like the fact that I could pretend to be a little healthier by getting the wheat bread. The thing that stood out is the ridiculous list of toppings that you can put on your hotdog. Awesome!!!
Service was super friendly. I will be coming back for sure.

Great hotdogs and sausages, with the closest Chicago Style Hotdog I have had since leaving Chicago IMO. Paired with a crème soda and chips, I couldn’t ask for a whole lot more.
Agreed: Very clean, very friendly, very affordable.

We should’ve known better when A. they didn’t have Vienna beef hotdogs and B. they had no standard pop. Don’t get me wrong – I like Boylan’s and was glad to see them. But I don’t want a Black Cherry soda with my hot dog!
Dog itself was 100% beef Nathan’s, so that’s good. And they did have the traditional Chicago Frankenrelish. But… the pickle was actually bread and butter slices, tossed in clumps on top. Waaayyy too much finely diced tomato & onion.
And…the fries. I ordered cheese fries. My favorite cheese for cheese fries is that «cheese food» dip stuff, but I’m ok with real cheese melted on top. This was neither – it was a handful of pre-​packaged shredded cheese thrown on top. The fries themselves were only warm (and very dry), so of course there was no melting happening.
Husband’s pierogi were frozen, he saw them come out of the Mrs. T’s box and go into the fryer.
I admit that my criteria for judging a hot dog is the Chicago style; for me, that’s what a hot dog IS. I do know there are other styles, and I do not require that a place serve ONLY a Chicago style dog, but if you’re going to do it, do it right. It’s not rocket science – this isn’t a French Laundry dish.
It’s nice that they have a good health department score. That does save them from being a one-​star review. But for $ 18, I’m seriously underwhelmed.

All of the other reviews about the cleanliness are very true. People are nice and the food is good. You pick your hot dog and load it up with as many toppings as you want without paying anything extra.

Best dog in Nashville… nuff said.

I was disappointed that Zackie’s doesn’t sell a genuine Chicago Style Hot Dog, but the «Almost» version they made for me was really good. The place is incredibly clean and the staff was very friendly.
I wish the place was slightly larger, but when we were there it was no real problem. If it was a bit busier I can see it being a problem.
If you are looking for Hot Dogs, you won’t leave disappointed.

Have never seen their restaurant inspection score anything but 100.
They have added very good onion rings to the menu.
Try the spicy Cajun sausage with coleslaw and mustard on wheat. It’s a great combination of spicy and cool. Tasty.

I finally tried Zackie’s and was pretty impressed. As others have already mentioned, the place is one of the cleanest you will ever set foot in (scored 100 on their health inspection). The staff is very friendly and most importantly, the food is good. I had a brat and fries. The brat was great. The fries were just okay. But hey, it’s a hot dog joint. I’m not making the trip for the fries.
I’ll definitely be returning next time I’m in the area during lunchtime. I’m already thinking about what to try next.

Delicious! Try the Beer-​Brats. All the toppings are free, and the price of the dogs are all 4:00 or less… incredibly affordable!

Sometimes you have to pay a little more to get high quality, and that is just flat out the case for Zackie’s. Sure, you could go to the gas station, and get something resembling meat for half the price, but it won’t be any good, and wish you hadn’t.
At Zackie’s, everything is designed to be the best. Right in the door, the 100 rating from the health department is displayed, and for good reason. The place is as clean as an operating room.
The food might be a little overpriced, but you won’t remember it as you eat. Their all beef dog is unbelievable, The french fries look like generic crinkle-​cut, but they are fried to perfection: very crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
With the East Coast influence, they have Boylan sodas and Snapple beverages, as well as TasyKake snacks, but steer clear of the Pepsi or Coke; that’s a good thing. Why ruin a first class experience with the ordinary in beverages?
The owner is very friendly, and keeps his finger on the pulse of Nashville. More than once, I’ve chatted with him about Nashville events and activities, and he is a wealth of information. When not busy with customers, he’s very friendly, in a gruff sort of way.
Overall, Zackie’s is the place to get one of the best hot dog experiences in Nashville. If you’re in Germantown, and you need a «top dog,» go to Zackie’s, and experience a little taste of hot dog heaven.

I am all about this place’s beef hotdog; I don’t have to really wonder what nice assortment of animals I’m eating. It’s a nice tiny shop in historic Germantown just across the way from The Cocoa Tree.
If you’re not into a beef hotdog the place also offers turkey dogs, veggie dogs, brats and saugages. One you pick your choice of meat, the menu is all about toppings. They have a huge selection to chose from from standards like mustard to banana peppers.
I suppose the only rub I have with the place is the dogs have a weird texture that can be interesting to tear into.
If anybody that’s eaten here a lot wants to explain to me what ‘celery salt’ is, please let me know.