Crocker’s The Well Dressed Frank

Great meal. Grandkids were treated to a split dog and chili dog and corn dog was also great.
Thanks John. Always great dogs.

Great place to grab a lunch! Very limited seating, but there are several benches along the street to sit while you eat. Definitely try the Clam Chowder Bread Bowl as it was delicious and the sour dough bowl was great in combination with the chowder. BLT was must have if you like bacon. No marinara sauce for the mozzarella stick, so be aware. Oh, fresh lemonade which is tart and refreshing!

Walked down the main street and this cozy little eatery caught my attention. Ordered the Firehouse Sausage and it was delish! Figured I would have a drink and thought they would only have soda, but to my surprise they has some tasty local beer! Overall the owner and staff were very friendly along with great prices and delicious food. Will definitely come back. :)

The hamburger here is absolutely the best I’ve tasted, strongly recommend it if you’re on the island… have a fantastic day

super great food. They were nice to me even though our kids weren’t bratty and we didn’t have a purse-​dog!

Place is trying to be hip so bad– don’t believe a word on here about the fish and chips, literally made my stomach upset and were over breaded. Staff was chill– fish and chips overpriced and shitty.

Cute ambience. I like the historic pictures and theme. There are maybe 3 bar seats on one side and 3 on the other in a small stand. They sell beer, the 2^nd is $ 3.75. Got the fish n chips and Chicago dog. I’m strict on fish n chips, so I’d give them a 3. I wish the hot dog was a sausage, but I guess that might go against the theme of a hot dog stand. Friendly service. I’ll come back to taste the chowder and milkshakes.

Best hot dog ever! Quick with great service. We enjoyed good wine and beer, fries and onion rings as well as the homemade clam chowder and chili. Yes, we are stuffed but it all was incredible!

No restroom for customers. There IS a restroom but we can’t use it, despite being customers eating a meal, not buying a water bottle just to use the bathroom. Their suggestion to walk down the block to wait in a line around the block to use the fire station’s bathroom is ridiculous. So don’t bring kids and don’t drink anything.

The Frank’s big beef burger is by far one of the BEST burgers I have had. This place will make me drive to balboa island more often. Friendly people. Very helpful and always smiling. Can’t wait for my next visit to this place.

Crocker’s The Well Dressed Frank is worthy of your time, worthy of you spending the extra moolah that it costs due to their location and in general, really worthy of the food taste and quality.
Located on Marine Avenue on Balboa Island (the main street), it is teeny-​tiny and there is literally about seating for 8 total and that could get squishy.
Worthiness:
the Island Frank: 100% beef steamed frank in natural casing (love the snap!) mustard, tomatoes, onions & cheddar on poppy seed bun. There was nothing I didn’t love about this and there was plenty of cheese.
Worthiness:
the Onion Rings: good batter, crisp with a bit of parsley & parmesan sprinkled on top.
Hubby got the wild & wet chili dog which also included bacon and once again, cheese was abundant. We wanted to try more, so we also got the chili cheese fries, and while there was plenty of everything, the chili (admittedly by Crocker’s, appreciate the honesty) not homemade, but it was decent. Hubby also got the fresh squeezed lemonade and he said it was very good, with nice balance of tart and sweet.
Extras & Tidbits: Crocker’s also does Burgers, Sausage Sandwiches, Mozzarella Sticks, Deep Fried Zucchini and Homemade Clam Chowder and Homemade Split Pea Soup, the last two either in a sourdough bread bowl or a cup!
Beer & Wine can also be had if you’re so inclined. Credit cards are welcome, gift cards are available and they have a punch card (10 dogs, 11^th on them). For such a teeny-​tiny place, service and friendliness was top notch, thanks to Valerie.

«Bookmark Saturday» night included a leisurely stroll around Balboa Island looking at the Halloween displays and a visit (
) to this literal hole in the wall. We were greeted upon entering by Valerie and she immediately made us feel welcome.
The menu consists of Crocker’s Franks (Steamed Franks), Sausage, Burgers, Sandwiches and Sea (Grilled Cheese, BLT, Cod Fish Sandwich and Fish & Chips), Firehouse Chow (Bread Bowls and Sides) Beach Favorites (Floats, Shakes and Slushies), Cold Drinks and Beer & Wine:
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Keeping with the hole in the wall theme, seating consisting of five bar stools and a table for two by the entrance … «Th-​Th-​Th-​Th-​Th– … That’s all, folks!» If you choose the table for two, be prepared for passers-​by to comment on whatever you are munching, it happened to me at least once during our visit.
Rohlinism: There is nothing like having all your eating habits on full display for passersby to make you feel self conscious!
My better half chose the table because she wanted to face me and the seat with her back to the sidewalk, leaving every mustard mustache, chili ring around my mouth and glob of cheese hanging off my chin in clear view of anyone out for an evening stroll (Thanks baby!).
After checking over the menu, my better half chose the Island Frank (Natural Casing, Mustard, Tomatoes, Onions, Cheddar Cheese on a Poppy Seed Bun), I opted for the Wild & Wet Chili Dog (
) and we ordered Onion Rings (
) and Chili Cheese Fries (
) to share. We also ordered an Iced Tea and a Fresh Lemonade to drink.
Valerie quotes us about a six minute wait time for the food and sure enough the food arrived right on time. Valerie was very attentive during our visit, grabbing utensils and napkins when she brought the food, getting refills for us and boxing up our leftovers. I have had far worse service from many a sit down restaurant.
The food itself was very good. I really liked the buttermilk batter on the onion rings and the sprinkling of parsley. Neither of us tried the ranch dressing that accompanied the rings, there was no need to dip these rings. Laina’s only complaint about her dog was they piled so much cheese on top, that it all didn’t melt onto the dog. There is a rarity … complaining there is too much of something. She really enjoyed the poppy seed bun (which was very soft, but still held together) and the tomatoes and onions were both very fresh. I am glad we went with the chili cheese fries since they use skin on potatoes (not a favorite of either of us), but large mound of chili and cheese made us forget about the skins being on. Valerie also warned us that chili was an all meat chili and it was not homemade. We appreciated the honesty up front and the chili was still pretty good even if it is from a can. My chili dog must have been good, because I think it was gone in about a minute flat. Or I just wasn’t enjoying all the wandering eyes watching me eat Like the fries, the dog had a very nice pile of chili, cheese and onions and I added a couple packets of Grey Poupon.
The price was steep ($ 39.96 before a generous tip), but even owning /​leasing a hole in the wall restaurant on Balboa Island is going to cost you your first born and a limb. Personally, I couldn’t afford an outhouse here (I saw one for sale and sure enough, it was out of my price range), so props to anyone that can make a business work here.
The food was very good, but on its own not worthy of five stars, however the amazing service and welcoming attitude from Valerie made this a five star experience. The vibe here is a reflection of the area as a whole, very friendly and cheerful. Who says money can’t buy you happiness? In addition to feeling very welcome here, we never once felt rushed during our meal even though we stayed past the posted closing time.
We managed to leave with two boxes of food and some very happy palates. We have a yearly tradition of walking around Balboa and seeing all the crazy light displays during Christmas, so I am sure we will make a point of stopping here for a bite.

My favorite place on the island for great food!
This is «foodie» heaven… I am excited to try everything on the menu — it has all been amazing …
For a great snack, I love the Frito Chili Pie «served in the frito bag»… so much fun!
The food quality is amazing and the service is delightful!
This is my best new restaurant find of 2015… Luckily I live close by… YUMMY!

What a great experience! I found this place on Unilocal and it happened to be close to where we were staying in Newport Beach so we figured we’d stop by for a light lunch. We were greeted warmly when we walked in. This place is tiny! There are only a handful of seats but thankfully we got there shortly after they opened so we were there alone. We got a chili dog and the plain hot dog with mustard. They come with a pickle spear (a good one). My chili dog had a full slice of bacon on top which was delicious.
On top of a great hot dog the service was great. The lady who took our order followed up with us to see how we liked everything and greeted us by name. This was after helping another customer so she could easily have forgotten but she didn’t. Very friendly staff and great hot dogs (they have other food too!) make this a great place to stop for lunch!

Came here on a Saturday evening to get some clam chowder in a bread bowl, garlic fries, and a burger. The food was delicious!
There is not much seating inside (only a few high seats). We got our food to go with the intention of taking it home to eat, but we ended up sitting on a bench outside and eating it.
The woman who rang us up was very friendly and cheerful. Will be coming back soon!

AmmmmmazzzzIng dogs! Order their fritto pie no matter what!!!
The service from John and his wise is what will you keep you coming back weekend after weekend!!!
So in love.

I had a craving for some clam chowder, so I pulled up my trusted Unilocal app to find a good place near to me. This led me to Crocker’s The Well Dressed Frank.
We ordered a couple bowls to-​go, but then I decided I was hungry for dinner now. We added a Crocker’s Chicago for me and an Engine #1 Corn Dog for him.
Starting with the Crocker’s Chicago, it was super tasty! I love the snap of the natural casing. The combination of green relish, tomatoes, onions, mustard, and celery salt is delicious. I’m not into sport peppers, so I flicked them off. I haven’t had a Chicago dog since the last time I was there in 2011. More places should offer it. Yum, fully loaded, so pretty messy, but so worth it.
The Engine #1 Corn Dog is actually a turkey frank, but I couldn’t really tell. It was good, not as good as Disneyland, but worth ordering.
Then I finally moved onto the clam chowder, because I had to let it cool down. It was very hearty and full of clams. They definitely have their own unique recipe. It wasn’t my most favorite, but I would order a cup again.
The cashier/​server was über nice and she kept checking on us to make sure we were happy. The place is more of a counter than restaurant. It’s super small. They could fit about 10 people maximum inside and outside combined. If I’m in the area, I will be making my ways to Crocker’s again.

I have got to echo my fellow Unilocaler’s comment of «Huge experience ins a tiny place».
Both the food and service was top notch here at Crockers. I have been in here a few ties on visits to the island, but was now finally able to really sit an enjoy my meal along with the other two people the dining area accommodates :). Crockers is indeed a tiny joint, but what they lack in chairs they make up for in quality and service. The dogs are fantastic and the sides are tasty and plentiful. I was surprised that they also offer other burger/​sandwich options which I will try next time as well as the only criticism I would offer was I would have loved to see a few more «funky» dog options on the menu along with the classic chili dogs and Chicago setups.
I do have to give credit where credit is due though; the woman working the front counter, Valerie, was really working hard to make sure everyone coming in had a great experience. She is worth a few stars on her own for sure. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a woman, whom I believe was the cook, asking the customers how they liked the food and how their day was, when she was bringing food out from the kitchen. Seems like Crockers is rocking the dogs with a side of killer customer service!

Im not kidding when I say this is one of the best sausages I’ve ever had.
I got the big and juicy and it was big… and juicy. Just purely delicious. The meat was tender and moist and everything was just cooked right! The lemonade was good, but not worth the money, so if you go, just get the sausage!!!
As the owner recommended: if you’re experimental try the 911. If you want something plain and simple, get the big and juicy. The veggie burger is very good if you are a vegetarian.

Huge experience in a tiny place.
This is a great local spot in a unique historical location with exceptionally friendly service and wonderful comfort food. That might be the worst grammatical sentence of all time, but a well deserved comment for this great local find.
Balboa Island is a very special place to me as its full of summer memories from when I was younger, so when I see a new store popup that doesn’t fit its image I get a little upset, so I’m very pleased to say that Crocker’s is fundamentally Balboa
Island full of its charm and quarks.
They might be known for hot dogs, but their menu is full of other great items such as Hamburgers, garlic fries, fried zucchini and my favorite, Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl which came in very handy this very cold winter.
The dining room is made up of four seats at a bar and one outdoor table top thats placed just outside the store front. There isn’t a lot of space here, so be prepared to take your food outside, or wait around till you can find a nice seat inside. This again is a part of its charm.
So next time you’re on the Island, make sure you drop by and support this great little spot.