Wiener Works

I finally tried this place after seeing a segment on a local news show about their food. I love a good hot dog and really love Parker’s but it’s all the way in Roseville so figured I should give this place a try since it’s much closer. I had very high expectations and am left feeling disappointed. The positive was I really enjoyed the flavor of the hot dog itself which they say are made special just for them so that was a plus. The bun/​roll was kinda rubbery — like when you microwave a roll. So that made it too chewy and I ended up tearing most of it off. It seemed like a roll for a larger sausage like a Polish or hot link. I ordered a «mustard, relish, tomato and onion dog» minus the onion. The relish was just pre-​made store bought relish (Heinz or something). I was hoping for homemade since it’s a hot dog joint. Not like relish is a difficult thing to make.
The fries were the real bummer though. They fresh cut them each day but mine tasted funky — I’m guessing maybe the oil is old or something. They had a weird taste and were not golden and crispy, more like greasy and burnt looking.
Service was really crappy. When we first walked in a man was sitting in a booth and since he didn’t acknowledge us, I figured he was another customer. We walked up to the counter and there was no employee there. We stood there for a couple of minutes and then I noticed the «customer» walk to the back into the kitchen. I watched him as he stood there biting his thumb nail and was praying he wasn’t going to be making my food I was about to order. A minute later a younger guy came out from the back and took my order at the counter. He seemed nice, but not friendly or welcoming at all. When I said to him «This is my first time here, can you tell me how big your orders of fries are?» He said, «tiny, small or large.» No duh… I can read. I knew they were known for large portions and didn’t need 8 pounds of fries. I was looking for a container size or hold your hands up to show me how big. I ended up with a «mini» and that was more than enough… especially since I threw them away since they tasted funky.
I went at 4:45 pm and was the only customer. I doubt I’ll be back.

I must say, coming from the Bay Area where we have Casper’s hot dogs, and finding places as good in Sacramento is kind of tough. However, this joint was pretty good. I ordered a cheese and tomato hot dog and a «small» fry (their small fry can feed two people). Needless to say, I walked out satisfied and with a food baby. Lots of memorabilia to look at while you wait (I think I waited a total of 5 minutes). If you like hole in the walls with good food, this is the place for you.

Great! Had a chili dog with some fries everything came out wonderful. This will be my next lunch spot. Big beer selection helps haha

Here are the basics of my experience.
1. Cashier with an attitude, looked like she was high on something.
2. Food was decent but on the pricey side for what you get.
3. Cashier walks out to smoke outside and lights the cigarette before leaving the door. To her credit, she does look like she should be working as a casino cocktail waitress in Reno.
Even with decent food, the whole experience was crappy. Not somewhere I’m coming back to again.

Made the mistake of stopping in here… Something I will not ever do again. Unsanitary doesn’t even begin to cover it. Ordered a German sausage for $ 7.85 — one of the most expensive dogs on the menu. After the first bite that tasted mostly of bread, I looked inside and noticed the sausage was cut in half. No joke. I’ve never been to such a cheap, poorly run establishment.
Want to pay 8 bucks for half a sausage, experience the worst service of your life, clean the table off yourself with a dirty kitchen rag, and sit in filth while you eat? Then head to Wiener Works!
These owners should be put out of business. Guarantee they wouldn’t pass a health inspection.
Heading home to take a shower and forget about how disgusting that entire experience was.

My son and I hit up Weiner Works last Sunday and both had a hot dog and shared a large order of chili cheese fries w/​onions. My hot dog was a mustard, relish, tomato and onion and my sons was a chili cheese dog. The hot dog would have been better if the bun didn’t dwarf the hot dog inside. The bun would have better been served holding a quarter pound frank. The only saving grace was the titanic sized chili cheese fries! They were excellent however I think will get a smaller order next time. We simply couldn’t finish the large order. I hope they address the bun issue to better balance the right size bun with the right size hot dog.

Awesome dogs. Bread was phenomenally fresh, great beer selection. Info is out dared and they do take credit.

I was in there today and they had all this satanic holloween stuff all over. The hot dogs are WAY OVER PRICED FOR WHAT YOU GET. Big bun, little tiny hot dog and really terrible chili on the dog. This was AWFUL!!! I will never go back $ 20.00 for 2 dogs and fries that had old fries in them, they were greasy and tasted terrible. YUCK

I ordered the beer steamed hot dog with chili & onions. BF got the plain one with fries.
We weren’t really impressed with it, it wasn’t anything spectacular. Although the fries were fresh and crispy. That’s the only thing I liked. The hot dog & chili were lacking flavor. I definitely could’ve gotten a better hot dog for cheaper somewhere else.
Thumbs up for the cashier for hooking it up with free onions for my BF tho.

Still great dogs and a load of bomb fries!
The weiners are delicious and crisp, the buns are fluffy not doughy, and the fresh cut fries with there special light seasoning are to die for! And they give you the biggest serving of fries ever!!!

best greasy lunch i have had in a while! great service! i will come back! chili cheese fries where the bomb!

The only way this place could be any better. Is if they were open a little earlier and a lot later.

Been coming here for 15+ years! Nothing’s changed much. Beer steamed dogs still snap when you bite in to them, chili no beans still the best chili ever. Chili Cheese fries is their staple. Could use an update on décor for sanitary purposes.

If there is one thing that Sacramento is lacking, it is definitely a good solid hot dog restaurant. Having lived in San Francisco, I was spoiled with a wide variety of options. And after «Capitol Dawg» (in Midtown Sacramento) closed their doors back in 2012, it gives me the sense that the only time I’ll be eating hot dogs is by cooking them in my backyard BBQ grill. Well, low and behold I was able to come across «Wiener Works» in the Foothill Farms neighborhood of Sacramento.
Located in a less than inspiring strip mall on busy Madison Ave., «Wiener Works» looks as plain as you can get from the outside. And the inside has that nostalgic 70’s feel with interesting wall décor throughout. Think of it as stepping into an episode of «Happy Days» and you will know what I am talking about. There are also several tables to accommodate large families as well as a menu that shows the extensive options to truly customize your hot dog experience.
As my fiancée and I went in during a weeknight (around 6:30pm), it wasn’t busy at all. In fact, we were the only customers to step foot as one of the employees was mopping the floor. Since we didn’t want to get overly full, we decided on splitting their «meal deal» (for $ 8.30 + tax); this consisted of a plain 7″ hot dog complete with an order of seasoned fries and a 16 oz. drink. Other toppings such as chili and cheese are offered for an extra charge. However, we decided on just going with basic yellow mustard and ketchup.
Our meal is brought out to us in less than 5 minutes. I particularly loved the bun as it was warm and spongy while the hot dog was juicy but a little on the thin side. The good part though is that you definitely get your moneys worth with the fries. They were crispy and seasoned very well as the order filled both of us up without having that bloated and full feeling afterwards.
I will definitely check «Wiener Works» out again; only I will expand my options by opting for chili and cheese. I do have to say that the prices are a tad bit on the steep side yet the quality is what you’re really paying for here. I still say if you want a good basic hot dog and are on a tight budget, then go to the «Costco Food Court». But if you’re looking for a different experience in a cozy, retro atmosphere, then give «Wiener Works» a try!

Having a hot dog reminds me of spring, baseball and family. I had a craving today for one and couldn’t find anything close to me so I googled Wiener Works on Madison Avenue.
They’re a little bit difficult to see, stashed away in a strip mall next to Sweer Dozen Doughnuts. They have a very wide variety of food and an excellent choice of toppings for your hotdog if you so desire, unfortunately those toppings come at lofty price. I had a super dog which had cheese, onions and mustard on it and a diet coke and it was northward of $ 13. In my opinion it’s overpriced for what you’re getting. I don’t think the value was there nor would I come back again based on the prices.

Good hot dogs, though the larger sausages are served split which just doesn’t seem right (I’m not a chef however so there must be some reason for doing that.)
They get a BIG demerit however for something I see at FAR too many eating establishments– they have a widescreen TV showing a 4×3 letterboxed feed of a sports channel that is then STRETCHED to Cinemascope ratio on the screen making everybody look short and fat! This place even has a picture of their mis-​adjusted TV on their web site! What is going through the minds of people who do this? From now on I am calling out EVERY business on Unilocal who does that!

In the mood to satisfy a hot dog craving, we stopped in to indulge in one of their tasty treats. As we approached the register, it appeared to be having issues. The manager started to fix the problem and asked the cashier to go and start cooking the orders. I watched him walk from the register to the food prep area where he immediately began preparing a couple of hot dogs, then placed raw burgers on the grill with his hands, and, finally grabbed the buns. I couldn’t believe that, not ONCE, did he stop to wash hands or put on gloves. I finally had to say something to the manager, who promptly told the boy to throw out the buns and ushered him back to the register after having him FINALLY wash his hands. She washed her own hands, after apologizing, and began working in the prep area.
Isn’t hand washing basic food prep 101 knowledge??? While I was able to see that my own food was prepared properly, knowing that this kid didn’t even know why he was told to throw out the buns raises some red flags as to what the day to day operations are like here.
Aside from this, the food was, and always has been good and over-​abundant in portion size. It’s nothing fancy but there are plenty of topping options and good dogs. I appreciated that the manager didn’t make me feel like a jerk for pointing out the issue.
I do think they should spend a little more money on their plastic ware (super cheap and flimsy, makes it hard to get fries on a fork) and napkins (needed a new one after each bite, they were so thin), considering what they charge ($ 25 for 2 dogs and a small — yet large for being a small– chili cheese fry and their extra charges for toppings at 50¢ for a tiny cup of jalapeños).

I LOVE a hot dog so I was super excited when the bf and I decided to drop by spur of the moment. With Unilocal reviews this good this place had to be awesome, right? Well, yes it has it’s great points but also leaves some things to be desired. The fries are GINORMOUS so definitely get the «tiny» if you aren’t huge eaters. We split one order between the two of us and we couldn’t finish them! The hot dog is pretty standard fare but I found that the bun was a little too much for a hot dog without a billion toppings… I actually had to pull off much of the excess just to get to the meat and not get full on the bread. If you like a hot dog as much as I do please check out this cash only establishment but don’t be expecting to be blown away! That being said the service is awesome!!!
PS who only takes cash these days?!? There is an atm there but I’m sure there are fees you shouldn’t have to pay just to eat a hot dog…

The place isn’t much to look at and the prices on the menu might even cause some people to walk away. You’ll easily be in for $ 12 for a chili cheese dog, fries and a soda — it’s not what you would expect from a place like this. Although initially enthusiastic about my visit due to the positive Unilocal reviews I had read, after reviewing the menu in person I was uncertain.
The person behind the counter was friendly enough and quick to offer help with the menu. Begrudgingly I paid for what I assumed would be my overpriced (and over-​hyped) lunch and as I waited for my meal I took time to take in the setting. It had a certain charm with a lot of distinctly Sacramento articles and pictures spread throughout. A SN&R and a TV playing sports waited for me once I got tired of exploring.
Well. it’s all about the food. The chili cheese dog was great. The bun, frankly was fantastic — one of the best I’ve had on a hot dog — and really not one bite of my meal disappointed. I’ll begrudgingly return to enjoy these weiners of superior quality — I just wish the prices were more reasonable, as I wouldn’t mind picking these up for my co-​workers on one of our regular lunch-​fetching trips if the price was right.

I’ve been eating at Wiener Works since the 80’s. I’ve always loved it! The price is unreasonably high now. If I didn’t already love it and wasn’t a dedicated customer, I don’t know if I would try it due to the prices.
The fries are amazing! We get a large chili cheese fry with the onions on the side and share it between 3 – 5 people!!! It is a full tray of fries with chili and cheese on top!
Two of us will share a large chili cheese dog that we ask to be cut in half (it’s cheaper than buying two 8″ chili cheese dogs).
We buy a large soda to share, while refills are not free, they are only .50. (even the sodas are expensive)
This is a CASH ONLY establishment. I wish they would suck it up and pay the fees to accept cards. I know to bring cash but I feel so bad when I see new customers come in with no cash. They do provide an ATM in front of the register but who wants to pay those fees… especially on top of the high price of the food.
This is a very casual place. They have a tv which will be playing any sports game that is currently on. They have 2 and 4 person tables… it is a small dining room so may not be great for a large group unless you don’t mind sitting at multiple tables.
I would recommend you try this place and try to overlook the price. It is worth the splurge occassionally.