Big City Hot Dogs

Closed :(

Wanted to try this place. It has a Chicago/​NY cart feel to it. I felt like I was ordering from a cart — a clean cart!
I got the LA dog and it was messy… I couldn’t really eat it together. I ordered the turkey dog and it was ok.
The chip choices were limited. No baked chips.
I felt like it was like a cart… Not many choices.
Overall… Dog Haus is nearby for better dogs.

Got the LA veggie dog. I’m not a vegetarian so I wasn’t expecting it to be delicious as it was.
the dog itself was well seasoned, the roll they used had this sweetness to it. The grilled onions, grilled bell peppers and jalapenos made the dog spicey with a hint of sweetness from the roll. The server was great as well.
Overall a good production and if you factor in the cost, a great buy. Just wish they had better sides, therefore ³⁄₅.
I’ll def. go back.

Met up with a friend who frequents the joint — I’d never been, though, so it was time to see what all the fuss was about.
They have specialty hot dogs (with your choice of hot dog meat: beef, turkey, hot link, etc.) named after cities throughout the U.S. I ordered a «New York» hot dog (with the hot link), because it had saurkraut and I just happen to start craving it right then and there. It was also topped with a nice chopped red onion sauce. It was pretty killer.
I’ll be trying the Los Angeles hot dog next, because that one looks like the typical dog that they serve around L.A. out of the carts.
It was good eats.

During a recent trip to Pasadena via the Gold Line train system, we found this spot. It’s next to King Taco and another restaurant, so it’s easy to overlook.
Upon entering, we immediately could smell the delicious porky goodness. The menu included several types of hot dogs with names from different places, ie: LA Dog, Wisconsin Dog, etc. My favorite has always been, and will continue to be the LA Street Dog. It’s a large hot dog, wrapped in delicious crispy bacon, topped with onions and bell peppers.
The best part is that it’s inexpensive.
I’ll return, but there are several more places closer to me than Pasadena, including Der Wienerschnitzel, although they suck.

Came in because I was craving sauerkraut, and their NYC dog has a good amount on there.
I chose the veggie frank, which was a little spicy and not bad for a veggie dog. Most veggie dogs are pretty inpalatable to me, so this is a compliment.
I will probably come back when that hot dog craving hits, one that I kind of get a lot. I’m thinking chili dog next time. Great place for a cheap meal in this Old Town area.

I really don’t like when reviewers go on and on about useless details when it comes to such simple food because they use Unilocal as a means of wannabe freelance writing.
Point is, Big City is not bad at what they do, but they’re not amazing either.
I went for a good chili dog with cheese, mustard, and onions which is what I got and was totally happy with my order.
The guy at the counter was very friendly (good service with a smile), took my money and gave me my dog.
The bun was fresh, the dog was large, and the chili was tasty. None of the ingredients overpowered each other. I’ve yet to experience other employees or menu items, but judging by the quality of ingredients, none of it could be all that bad, maybe just not outstanding.
Perhaps, Big City is nothing like Fab Hot Dog in the valley, or any other over-​the-​top hot dog stand, but they’re capable of making a pretty good dog. Are hot dogs all that worthy of elitism, anyway? C’mon people, they’re just hot dogs!
Give credit where credit is due, sans comparison.

After hearing one of my friends rave about this place I decided to add it to my list of local places to try. I decided to drop in for a late lunch around 2:30pm. I pull up and find parking right in front with money in the meter.
As I walk in I realize its small place, a few tables, big menu board behind the counter with all the different big city options. Being as I grew up in L.A. I get the L.A. hot dog because I have to represent.
The lady behind the counter asked if I want to make it a meal I get one side and a drink for $ 5.50. Yeah that’s $ 5.50 for lunch, where else can you go and get any meal for around $ 5.
I had just purchased a cell phone and being as I had this new toy I wanted to go outside as I was parked right in front of the place and see what all this phone could do. I was probably outside for about 5 minutes when one of the workers came outside and handed me my food as I had gotten it to go.
Folks you can’t find this level of service anywhere anymore not for any price.
The hot dog was great and I will definitely be back to try some of the other options. It also looks like they are open late night during the weekend so maybe when I’m not feeling the taco trucks I will come here.

Nothing to wow over. but the food was excellent… but then again at 2AM, anything might taste as good!
I stopped by to check out the menu after finding out King Taco was closed next door and was talked into trying a hot dog by one of the owners friends. Of course he claimed to just be a customer, but great people nevertheless. We had some laughs while waiting for the food to prep then we chowed down!
The food beats the hollywood danger dogs in both quality and taste. Ingredients were fresh but it’s a hot dog at the end of the day. You cant really mess up a hot dog…

So after a night out at the bars with the girls, we all had a craving for something delicious and unhealthy. What better than a hot dog place? There was only one guy in front of us but the cashier took forever to take his order (and the guy only ordered like 2 hot dogs!). Minus one star for that. Another minus one because it took a little longer than expected (15 – 20 minutes) to get our hot dogs. I mean, yay that is was all cooked to order, but sometimes when you’re out late at night and want a quick bite while on your way home, waiting isn’t an option.
Other than that, the hot dogs were decent. They were a decent size too, none of that wimpy «WTF is this sh*t?» I ordered the LA dog. What can I say? I just can’t say no to a hot dog wrapped in bacon. It was juicy and the grilled veggies were actually pretty good.
Overall, this place is alright if you don’t mind waiting a little bit to order and to get your food.

I thought the theme was cute, big city hot dogs (specialty per each city) — except I couldn’t quite figure out the correlation between the type of hot dog for matching city. I ordered the LA hot dog, it wasn’t that great. The veggies weren’t grilled long enough and the mayo threw me off.
(approx. $ 6 for a gourmet hot dog) Oh how I miss New York’s $ 3 bomb street dogs…

I usually like this place. The hot dogs are really tasty.
Today, however, was horrible. I ordered two hot dogs with only mustard and ketchup on them (I saw the guy write this down) and received two hot dogs with a bunch of other stuff on it with very little if any mustard or ketchup.
I normally would ask for someone to fix the mistake but it already took them 30 minutes to get the food to me. No hot dog is worth waiting 30 minutes for.
On top of everything, the cashier tried to charge me twice for the meal because it had been so long since I had paid that he forgot that I already paid.
The food here is pretty good, but the employees are terrible.

I can’t believe some people gave this place 5 stars. They must be friends of the owner or they’ve never had a real hot dog before.
Great idea for a specialty hot dog joint in Old Pasadena, but the dogs they serve are just average. Nothing special. I could probably produce the same product at home for $ 2.
The place is clean and the staff is nice. Not sure why it takes 5 – 10 minutes to serve up a dog. They have George Forman grills, which makes me think they should be able to serve a dog in 5 minutes or less.
They need to add a few side orders to their menu, like fries or coleslaw or something. They have chips and chili, but the chili is from a can. I’m never satisfied after eating one dog.
Bring cash because they don’t take debit or credit cards. And the ATM machine in their store charges $ 1.50 or something.

Atmosphere:
It was clean. But we were just there for Hot Dogs so it was fine. (1Star)
Taste:
The Hot Dog was actually really good. Good enough to come back. But I don’t live anywhere near Pasadena, so I doubt it. (1 Star)
Price:
Kinda pricey for Hot Dogs, but it has way more flavor than the 7-​Eleven hot dogs. (1 Star)
Service:
The guy was kind of a jerk. Didn’t like him at all. (0 Star)
Overall:
Good hot dogs, high price but I’ve never been to another location so I can’t compare. Aside from the guy there being a jerk, I might go back. (1 Star)

Hot dogs are a tricky business, especially when you are trying to replicate the taste of a certain US city’s signature dog. No matter where you are from, there is a way to do the hot dog right — from the toppings to the bun to the dog itself. The biggest issue with Big City is that the dogs aren’t that authentic. For example, I loooove Detroit coney dogs, but the chili on their Detroit dog is not coney chili.
With that said, the food is good, the service is friendly, and the prices are on the high side of not-​too-​bad. Go without getting your hopes up for that just-​right taste of home and you won’t be disappointed.

Really like this place! My sister is a Chicago veggie dog addict. After her bugging me a few times to try it out, l finally had the Chicago turkey dog. Yum! The veggies were fresh and the turkey dog was great. All around a really filling and great tasting dog– extremely affordable too. The girls helping me at the counter are very nice and answered all my question. I’m super indecisive, so it was awesome that they took the time to help me out (I was thinking for a good 10 minutes).
Will definitely be back!

This place has to to have THE BEST hot dog I have ever tasted. I tried the LA Dog and it was AMAZING. I’m going to go back and try all the other city hot dogs.
The Dogs are made FRESH while you wait. If you want a great hot dog, this is the place to get one.

Big City Hot Dogs is probably the most accurately/​truthfully/​simply named eatery ever — hot dogs named after the big cities that inspired them. Pretty easy to understand. I had no idea what to expect here, but with a buy one get one coupon, why not try it out?
Right off the bat I got a good vibe from this place, not busy and owner/​hot dog expert Perry was there to greet us warmly. We gave him the coupons and it didnt seem to matter a bit to him that we were each getting a free dog. He was courteous and friendly.
Basically there are about 10 H-​Dogs named after big cities, each with its own style and ingredients. Everything from the Cincinnati and Detroit dogs (with chili) to the New York dog (red sauce onions) to the LA dog (peppers, mayo, and bacon-​wrapped). Cool options for about 4 bucks each. I think you definitely get what you pay for.
The LA and New York h-​dogs were fantastic, though I probably didnt need two, because they are big! And, you can choose beef, turkey, veggie, or hot link.
This place is exactly as it would seem — a great place to get a hot dog. He is open until 9 (or 10) during the week and until 2:30 on weekend nights for all of the drunkards. I appreciate a good local place that is unique and sticks to their guns. And, I can appreciate a sincere, hard-​working entrepreneur when I see one.
Thanks Perry — and keep it up!

I gotta hold these guys at just 2 stars. It wasn’t bad or anything, but the NY Dog I had there was unspectacular, especially when you compare it to the great dogs LA has to offer.
They offer 8 styles of dog each named after an American city, but they don’t really make any effort to be all that authentic. For example they use the same chili on the Detroit and Cincinnati dogs, WTF???
Cincinnati chili is a unique sweet concoction, with a strong hint of cinnamon. Detroit Coney sauce is meat, tomatoes and spices. You can’t be both. So I decided to head east and ordered a New York Dog that was topped with mustard, sauerkraut and what the menu said was «Red Sauce Onions»
TIME OUT FOR A GRAMMAR LESSON.
What’s the difference between «red sauce onions» and «red onion sauce»? The latter is what one might expect to find on a NY dog, its a sweet red relish with a hint of onions. «red sauce onions» are apparently humongous chunks; nay let’s call them arcs of raw onion that apparently were dipped in some of the «red sauce».
BACK TO THE REVIEW
I wound up with literally 5 times more onions than I have ever seen on a hot dog before. By weight I probably had a ³⁄₁ ratio onions over sauerkraut. It should be the other way around!!! These «arcs» would have been at home if you dipped them in the batter at Outback and hid them in a blooming onion. I pulled much of them off, yet the remaining ones overwhelmed the dog. My friend Teresa P. summed it up best when she said «Onions with a side of hot dog»
.

I was ecstatic to find a hot dog place that serves turkey dogs with turkey chili, but I was a bit disappointed with the meal.
The turkey dog I got tasted like it was boiled (like my mom used to make hot dogs) — not good! I also asked for relish, which they left off. The dog (even with chili) was not enough to fill me up and I ended up going next door to King Taco for two tacos afterwards (ok — I have a big appetite!).
I did like the photographs on the wall, which were on sale from a (local ?) photographer. They were very good urban city photos from (I believe) New York.
Overall, this place was a disappointment. The food was bad and it seemed like the place was understaffed.