Hula Dog

My boyfriend and I visited Hula Dog on Saturday, June 18^th around 11:30 am. We had seen Hula Dog reviewed on Channel 5 News… the food looked unique and had been wanting to try it. We placed our order and sat down with our Lemonade and chips and waited for our hot dogs to come up. The lemonade was good but had two huge wedges of lemon in it which really took up a lot of volume in the cup. My boyfriend got his hot dog about 5 – 7 minutes after we had sat down. I had ordered a veggie dog and it took a ridiculous amount of time for it to be ready. My boyfriend had already completely finished his meal when I finally got mine! Mind you, we were the only ones in there. I don’t know what the problem was… I kept looking at the young man that was cooking mine and he was totally engrossed in watching the cartoons on the TV above his head. He did apologize for the wait when he handed me my hot dog. A while later, it looked like the owner came in, switched the TV to a music station, took hot dog containers out of the fridge/​freezer and told an employee that these need to be taken out in the morning. Seems he needs to either have a training session or be more on top of his employees. I spent over $ 22.00 for two hot dogs, two bags of chips and one lemonade… the hot dogs were decent, interesting sauces, but I don’t think we will ever go back again. Too expensive for what you get and the experience of waiting that long for a darn veggie dog was crazy!

We were long time regulars of the one on Kauai when we went every year.
SO EXCITED to see this one on the mainland!
But, there seems to be some Aloha missing ;-)
The sauces (which MAKE this THE DOG) seem to be added very sparingly– to the point by the time I had 2 bites the dog and bread were bare…
Might need to step this up a bit– I actually went back in and requested 2 more doses of the sauces (relish and mustards)

Go to 7 – 11.Bread should not overpower the dog, and waiting 30 minutes w/​out a beer is time wasted…

Wow! Is all I have to say about my hula dog experience, that was the best hot dog and shaved ice I’ve ever had! Danny and Frank were two of the nicest guys I’ve encountered in the food service industry. Danny took my order and he couldn’t have been nicer and friendly. He even made my Gam gam laugh and she’s 92 years old! Thank you Danny

Wow! This place seriously is amazing. Great selection on flavors (different buns like Taro), different relishes (Hawaiian fruit flavors). Truly is authentic Hawaiian food. And the shaved ice… Amazing. I will be here a lot more often now. Daniel and Frank were incredibly friendly and helpful and helped add to the atmosphere.

I went today around 1pm and then I keep calling but it’s closed. I have a request to deliver some out of state wwwahhhh

I came all the way from Whittier today and they were closed (even though they’re supposed to be open)!!! I’m so bummed out because I’m moving to Minnesota in two weeks and I wanted to get one before I went! Oh well I guess I should’ve called

First of all, I would like to say that my boyfriend and I have always been a huge fan of Hula Dog ever since they opened here at Newport Beach. We have eaten here at least more than 5 times. Hotdog is very good, however our ultimate favorite item that we always get is the poke. Oh and the lemonade is bomb!
We arrived at 4:45pm on a Saturday, and saw a sign saying «be back in 15.» We waited and the guy didn’t open until past 5 (which we didn’t mind no big deal). Upon walking in, host didn’t even greet us. The one thing that I did notice every time we come here is that they always take forever to make our food. Maybe because there’s usually only one employee working. The thing that disappointed me the most is the quality of the poke. Since the beginning they have always made the poke really good, well seasoned. However, it seems they keep changing the recipe. Today our poke didn’t come with rice, which it usually does. When I asked the host, I said «do they not come with rice anymore?», he said «oh yeah they usually do I just didn’t make any batch today.» I was very upset. Bad customer service, no courtesy for making us wait, and the one item we looked forward to the most was terrible. Enough said. Not quite sure I’d like to come back here.

PSA: For the diabetics out there. Blood Sugar SPIKE warning. If you are diabetic, this may not be the place for you — carb heavy and suagr/​sweetness in the sauces. But of course, tread lightly… This was a «cheat» meal for me since I have been in well control of my diabetes. Check your blood sugar… check it often ;)
Took the family on an outing here in Newport Beach and Hula Dog — as seen on KTLA5 Burrous Bites. Traffic, of course, especially coming from the San Fernando Valley to the OC is quite the nightmare, but we roughed it out and made it. It’s a small shop with dining area of high tables along the walls and high chairs. We asked the gentleman up front what he would recommend and he gave a nice recommendation per bread type/​sausage/​spiciness/​sauces.
The hotdog is quite big, and was very delicious and filling. It definitely lived up to our expectations. Thanks Hula Dog and Thanks KTLA Chris Burrous!

Love everything about this place. You walk into a little piece of Hawaii …& I noticed immaculate everywhere… even behind the counter which I can appreciate as carrying over into their food. I’ve had every kind of combination when it comes to the dogs! A couple of my favs the honey wheat w all beef dog (my dog of choice and when I asked its high quality custom made all beef dog), I found it more lean than the polish (but I still love the polish too almost a tie)! I compliment the beef dog w guava mustard BBQ sauce, Maui onion relish and banana relish… May sound crazy but so so good! I also love the white bun w polish dog, lilikoi mustard, pineapple relish, and coconut relish… I typically pass on the aioli base sauce but it’s tasty too depending on your choice of sauce experience and heat level of your choosing. But if I feel like some spice I add a dab of secret sauce called «chili water.» My all time favorite eats at Hula dog may surprise some who don’t know this spot has more than those famous dogs— it’s The POKE!!! I know the owner picked up his recipes and ingredients from his local neighbors in Hawaii & it is obvious w every bite!!! The Ahi literally melts in ur mouth! Everyone knows I’m a seafood lover!!! So I recognize quality! This ruby red ahi is cubed to perfect bite size pieces is marinated in two fashions… «Shoyu» a sesame oil and soy sauce traditional Hawaiian flavor & «Spicy» a mayo Siracha and secret seasonings mix that is amazing! I get half & half over sticky rice! Happy Crystal! Now the lemonades… Best I’ve ever had! Fresh pressed right before your eyes! Born and raised in OC I thought hot dog on a stick was awesome until I had my first Hula Lemonade I prefer original but I get a pineapple one when I mix it up! «Shave» Ice Mmmmmmmm! Authentic! The ice is like a cloud! And of course I asked!!– the flavors are all shipped from Hawaii made in Hawaii w real fruit! No corn syrup no fake sugar! All natural ingredients.
In conclusion. If you want a taste of a Hawaiiian favorite you should most definitely give Hula Dog a try! Anthony Bourdain, Burrous Bites, & me all agree it’s a craving you can’t get rid of, once it hits the palate! Yum! Now I’m heading there today for sure! Got all worked up about em!
Almost forgot fresh cracked open to order young coconuts!!! Only $ 5!!!

Great quick Hawaiian hot dog counter service. Honey wheat and taro bacon buns toasted on the inside are delicious. Had the taro bacon with polish, hot secret sauce and mango relish with tangy mustard was yummy.
Friendly service encourages trying relishes. Seating for 8 with counter along wall for standing. In strip mall with a little parking. Single clean bathroom. Walking distance to beach.

Good hotdog… as suggested I tried the taro bacon bun and polish dog with Their hot secret sauce, mango and the tangy mustard
Was a great combo… wish the bun would have been toasted more
Great lemonade
Tempted to try their shave ice and iced coconut but took a pass
Ran low on cash… they DON’T take AMEX
THEY are expensive for a weekly meal
But great for a treat now and then
Started to get busy as channel 5 news did a piece on they
Reason why e looked for them

Great quick meal. If you’ve never tried a hula dog, you absolutely must! Don’t worry about asking to sample the toppings, they want your experience to be a good one, so they want you to!
It’s a wonderful tasty way to brighten up your day!

I’ve had hula dog in Honolulu, so I was surprised they opened one in Newport. They have a small parking lot in front if you can’t find any by the beach.
It’s simple to make your hula dog, pick a bun, sausage and sauces. I went with the wheat bun, polish dog, mango relish and lilikoi mustard. I wish the bun was a little more toasted as well as the hot dog. I like my sausage to have a nice crunch as I bite into it. The sauces are what really make this place unique. The relishes are all fruity, and the mustard adds a nice kick.
Overall, It’s just okay, especially for the price you pay. If you check in, you get a free lemonade that was really good!

This is a small little spot near the beach, a bit off the boardwalk, and can easily be passed up. On the islands, this place is known as Puka Dog. They have a unique Hawaiian style take on hot dog preparation. The relaxed, islander ambiance is set with island style décor and music that fills the room. Staff is nice and very helpful.
When ordering your Hula Dog, you first choose the type of bun you want (we chose Taro Bacon). Second, you choose the type of hot dog (we chose Polish). Third, you can choose a secret sauce (we decided not to choose any). Lastly, you choose your relish/​mustard (we tried Mango Relish/​Lilikoi Mustard on one and Mango Relish/​Guava Mustard on another). The freshly baked buns were nice and soft and encased the hot dogs and condiments nicely. Because of the way it’s all put together, it’s not very messy and is easy to eat. You hold the Hula Dog vertically instead of horizontally like you would a normal hot dog. The combinations we put together were yummy and flavorful. We tried one of their lemonades, as well, which was very refreshing.
They also serve Hawaiian Shave Ice, which we haven’t tried yet, but looks delicious. We’ll have to go back to see if they’re authentic and as good as the ones served on the islands.
Show this place some love and give them a try… A hui hou (until next time), Hula Dog…

I ordered the turkey dog, honey bun, coconut shavings and luiluika mustard. Can’t spell the mustard.
This was their food truck I ordered from. fyi
I showed them my first time check in to redeem my free lemonade and was denied it because I could only redeem it at their store… –1 star
When my order was done she called Irene and not Eileen… grrr
The hot dog: it was good. The tangy flavors were different… good different.
Would I try again: sure

Like a number of other newport businesses, Hula Dog is a cool little spot with a unique menu and somewhat disappointing food. But hey! You probably just stopped by because you wanted to have fun at the beach and Hula Dog was in the vicinity.
This place has taken the iconic american hotdog and implemented its own Hawaiian twists. First you choose your protein (polish dog, veggie, or turkey) and bun (honey wheat, taro-​bacon, and white). Then decide how spicy you want that secret garlic-​lemon sauce. Finally, top your dog with one of their tropical fruit relishes and a one Hawaiian mustard.
I ended up with a turkey dog, taro-​bacon bun, hot garlic-​lemon sauce, pineapple relish, and lilikoi mustard (tangy). It wasn’t terrible, but I was still disappointed. The bread that was supposedly fresh seemed stale and I could’t detect any bacon flavor. As for that turkey dog, it was rather pedestrian. Furthermore, while the garlic-​lemon sauce was tasty, it was not that spicy. However, I did enjoy that pineapple relish and the lilikoi mustard.
I also had a bite of a polish sausage on honey wheat with mild sauce, mango relish, and lilikoi mustard. The bread was forgettable and the mango was very subtle (pineapple was more prominent… would probably recommend that). I would like more mango flavor.
They also offer shaved ice and fresh lemonade. I tried the lemonade and it was a bit sweet.
Service was good. Props to the guy that works there! He was the only one working that day and had to take our order as well and make our dogs. Also, he was pretty helpful when we had trouble deciding on our order.
All in all, the food here isn’t good enough to justify the high price. If I’m ever back, it would probably be to purchase a bottle of the lilikoi mustard. No mediocre dogs for me!

Decided to try this place because my S.O. has been to the one in Hawaii. From what he remembers, they taste similar. We tried a turkey dog with a honey wheat bun, mango relish and lilikoi (no idea what it is) mustard and a polish dog with honey wheat bun, pineapple relish, and guava mustard. I’m a fan of sweet and savory items so I enjoyed them.
They’re Hawaiian style hot dogs so they’re like a cone and you hold it vertically instead of horizontally. Besides the way you hold it, the only differences are the unique exotic fruit relishes and the flavored mustards.
They also sell Hawaiian shaved ice and Hula Dog merchandise like shirts and hats.

Aloha Huladog!
Mmmm Lilikoi Lilikoi Lilikoi :) aka passion fruit. is my new favorite! Love this local Hawaiian style hot dog and shaved ice shop. The boy and I decided to enjoy the sunny California weather in mid March and ended up in Balboa. Nonchalantly, we parked our car, fed the meter and got ready to head to the beach. Lo and behold, not too far from us we spotted a green Jeep parked a couple vehicles away from us with a huge sign that said «Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs Straight From Da Islands» whaaaaat? We were immediately intrigued and knew we had to follow the signs! We took a few steps which led us away from the beach and was brought to a roomy Hawaiian themed shop with reggae music blasting. I was literally jumping for joy when I saw that the shop was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. I felt that I had unexpectedly stumbled upon a gem!
Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs:
First: choose your bun of choice from white, honey wheat, and taro bacon
Next: choose your dog, either polish or veggie
Then: choose secret sauce — they have mild (original), medium (jalapeño), hot (chili pepper) or Hot Hot (Habanero)
Now: choose your relish&mustard. Relish options were Mango, Papaya, pineapple, banana, star fruit or coconut. Mustard options were Lilikoi (tangy) or Guava (sweet)
Here’s what we ordered, Polish dog on taro bacon bun, Hot Hot secret sauce with mango relish and Lilikoi mustard. I loved the combination of sauces together! I didn’t quite enjoy the taro bacon bun as I felt that it was a bit dry and didn’t taste very fresh but my boyfriend loved it! I honestly didn’t think it tasted like bacon either! I couldn’t taste it! I didn’t even know it was taro «bacon» flavored until I looked at the menu again. Also, the bun to dog ratio was out of whack. A whole lotta bun and not enough dog.
Hawaiian Style Shave Ice: 5 stars!!! So delicious and refreshing with many flavors to choose from! You can either get a combo of flavors already picked out or choose up to 3 flavors of your choice. They have some basic flavors such as lemon, pineapple, coconut, orange, lime and banana to the more exotic flavors like guava, Li Hi Mui (plum flavored), Lilikoi, Tahitian Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Coco Cream. There are toppings to add like snow cap, boba balls, vanilla ice cream and Adzuki beans (red beans!!) The shave ice is $ 4.00 with add ons for an additional fee. Made from 100% natural syrups. We tried the banana, guava and Lilikoi. The guava and Lilikoi was my favorite!!!
Don’t forget to check in for a free original handcrafted lemonade! So delicious! The guy let us each have our own lemonade! Hehe. Now I just can’t wait for summer to roll around. Shave ice ALLL DAY I’m so glad they parked their Hula Dog vehicle in the parking lot close to beach visitors or else we would’ve never spotted it! Mahalo!

Yummy stuff!
Personally I’ve never been to «the Islands» but my family all has, several times. So, we set out to go have us some Puka/​Hula dogs, apparently these are pretty darn close to ones they love in Hawai’i. Brah, they are AWESOME!
It’s not just a hot dog, oh no sir.
DOGS/​MENU:
First, choose your kind of bread; white, honey wheat or taro bacon. After trial testing, we all agreed that the honey wheat is best. Next, they impale that bread on a heated rod, right up the middle so that it makes a golden toasty cave inside that soft bread.
Next, select a weenie of choice. There is Polish, turkey and veggie.
Then you’ve got some other cool things to choose from and they let you try anything ahead of time, so go for it:
1) Secret Sauces ranging from mild to «hot-​hot»: Original, Jalapeño, Chili Pepper and finally Habanero.
2) Relishes: mango, pineapple, banana, papaya, star fruit and coconut.
3) Mustards: Liliko’i (which is tangy) and guava (a bit more sweet)
Once that bread is toasted and ready, in goes the yummy sauce/​relish/​mustard (any combo you want, one of each or none… it’s your weenie!) Then goes in the cooked dog with a bit more of the sauce/​relish/​mustard squirted in after that. Holy crap, so fantastic on the tastebuds!
THAT is what I call a dream weener. ‘Ono!
Wash that down with a freshly squeezed (and free with Unilocal Check-​in) lemonade (regular or mango… mango is perfect!)
There is also a large selection of Shave Ice and toppings. Haven’t tried these yet but I saw other customers devouring them with huge smiles on their faces.
THE PLACE:
Fantastic service and with pride and happiness is how you will be greeted and served. It does take a while to prepare your personalized Hula Dog and the fresh-​when-​ordered lemonade, so be patient… they’ve got it.
Not much seating inside, just 2 small bar tables plus a long bar to stand next to, that’s it. I recommend they put seating outside, if allowed, or even a few more chairs inside.
Located in an unassuming little strip, but such treasures you will find inside! Plus it’s just a short hoof to the beach…
Thank you for some fun eating experiences Hula Dog, can’t wait for the next visit.
CHEERS!!! or is that Hipahipa? Brok’ Da Mout!
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