Da Beef

Born and raised Chicagoan here. Of course I’m biased, but I LOVE Chicago style hot dogs. I won’t even eat other kinds of hot dogs. It’s either Chicago style or nothing. And the ladies that run this cart do them quite well. They’ve got all the ingredients right — all the way down to the poppy seed buns and neon green relish. The only thing really missing is jardinière, a condiment which is as common in Chicago, if not more common, than sport peppers.
This is a great late night snack to soak up some of the copious amount of alcohol you just drank.

Oh goodness, the Frito Pie is everything good in one little bag: crunchy corn chips, beef chili, loads of creamy cheese, and onions. Also, get the California Dog which has bacon and avocado, it puts dirty dogs to shame.

After not consuming solid food since lunch and about to embark on a night of heavy drinking in SoMa, our hero desperately looked for a place he could grab a bite from that wasn’t a convenience store and stumbled upon this friendly little cart near the Oil Can Henry’s sign. The woman here was really friendly and was chatting up all her customers and providing great recommendations and explanations of their menu. They have a wide variety of toppings on their hot dogs here and are able to provide a pretty fresh taste for a simple street side hot dog stand. Our hero actually came with a friend from Chicago, who assured him it was a fairly legit Chicago style frank. Thumbs up for this place as some good pre or post-​drinking eats.
PROS:
— Cheap prices compared to everything else within walking distance.
— Pretty authentic Chicago style dogs.
— They have great customer service and they take credit cards too!
— Open late on drinking nights.
CONS:
— The hot dogs are on the small side.

Excellent find on a cold rainy night. Got a Chicago style hotdog with everything for just $ 4. The hotdog was topped very well, an even thick layer of mustard, lots of onion and so forth.
The poppy seed buns are stream fluffed to the right temperature and do a good job staying together as you eat.
And, they’re open till 2am on Friday, Saturday!

4.5 STARS
It’s past 3 am. I’m sober. I’ve been up for 23 hours and I can’t sleep. And I’m totally breaking my rule of «no writing Unilocal reviews on the weekends».
Why?
All I can think about is trailer trashing it up with Da Beef’s Frito Pie ($ 3):
. Crunchy corn chips smothered with hearty beef chili and deliciously creamy cheese sauce topped with enough raw onions to make your breath h-​u-​m for days.
Perfect creepydudewho’sbeeneyeingyou ALL night repellent.
Just b-​l-​o-​w.
In his face that is…
OTHER NOTES:
*Super friendly service.
*A must stop after a night at Raven or Bloodhound.
*Great quality ingredients; everything was super fresh and the veggies were crisp.
*Handful of hot dog varieties including veggie dogs (~$ 5).
–Better half proclaimed his CA Dog w/​bacon and avocado as the «best hot dog» he’s had.
*Add a drink and a bag of chips for $ 1.
*CC’s accepted.

I’ll make this short and sweet.
Get the Chicago Dog or any other one for that matter. They are delicious and you will not regret it. The lady is awesome and she has Square.

Last Tuesday night I was in the city and I was telling someone that one of my friends said they could eat a hot dog every day. My friend agreed… I was like really??? He said try the place down the street…
OMG! I can eat one of these hot dogs every day! Thank God I am blessed with one cheat day a week. Da Beef here I come!
The customer service was amazing, the woman was friendly and kind.
Worth the trip…

You know people doubt that god exists.
Da beef is god. California hot dog is the best thing I’ve ever tasted at 2AM any given Friday

This is kinda the perfect low key (as hot dogs were meant to be) hot dog. Nothing gourmet. Just perfect.
I got the Chicago dog with everything which includes mustard, chopped white onions, a slice of sweet/​sour pickle on top, bright green relish, some jalapeño-​looking but mild peppers, plus more?
Who knew the secret to the perfect hotdog was lots of sour vinegar balanced with a little sweetness and spice.
Also major props for knowing how to communicate via their website and twitter. They keep it up to date on where and when every day. It’s so refreshing compared to other food trucks.

This place is on the corner of Folsom and 7^th. Came here after going to Ravens Bar and just wanted to hang out afterwards. Boyfriend and I shared a polish dog with everything on it. It was good! They sliced the polish dog in half when they place it in the bun. All together, I thought it tasted great for it being late night! Sourkraut, jalepenos, tomatoes, and pickles! Yumm! Pickles were kind of sour but that’s okay!
Check in for a free soda!

Yum

Whether you need a pre-​drinking belly liner or a post-​party pig out, you can’t really beat a street dog. We brought a skeptical valley friend to Da Beef before hitting the SOMA streets for a night of crafty cocktails and he was immediately sold on the city!
The ladies are super friendly and it’s really clean for a cart. They use tasty Vienna hot dogs but also have a vegetarian option and make a mean Chicago dog – neon relish and all!
Bottom line: You know you want one. Your liver will thank you.

Came here after a night filled with Guinness. It’s pretty much the definition of a hot dog cart.
In terms of review, I don’t really know what you can critique about a hot dog cart other than the hot dog itself. It’s kind of pricy for a dog and I found the size a little lacking. Still, it’s pretty popular, and the lady is nice, so you’ll feel safe with all the people around during those late late nights.

After long nights of drinking you just want something quick and delicious off the streets, and if you can’t find that, you can get a hot dog. Those «Mission» dogs are all over the place, but after the initial wow of those dogs, they really fall off. In fact they start becoming down right gross. Enter Da Beef! If you guys remember, there used to be a National Hebrew Commercial about what part of the cow the comes from, with their coming only from the «best» parts of the cow. The thing is you could tell when you have a quality dog, versus scrap parts that taste like @$$…literally. Although not National Hebrew (they use Vieanna) you could tell these dogs are quality dogs.
Go for the Chicago dog. The beef sausage is plump, juicy and firm, like a good dog should. For the toppings, as my friend put it «They are legit,» tomatoes, relish, mustard, sport peppers, celery salt, and a pickle. YUMM! Completed by the poppy seed bun! Dog’s don’t get better than this.
Recently I also got a chance to try the Frito Pie! Okay, this was pretty amazing. Open up a pack of fritos, throw in some chilie, onions, cheese and peppers… ON HIT!!!
Yvonne and Natalie hold this place down late at night. There is no mistaken their Chicago loyalty as their cart has a picture of Mike Ditka on it. And just like Chicago, you get the midwest familiarity in a big city environment. LOVE THIS PLACE.

5.17.13 It’s a simple Chicago style dog, yes that means it comes with a pickle… I’m not a hot dog person, but I definitely enjoy theirs. It was juicy, how can a hot dog be this juicy and flavorful? Well the owner did this place right.
My all-​time favorite thing was the Frito Pie. I had no idea what that is, until I order it. I thought it was a name of the style of the hotdog, but it wasn’t. Chili cheese in the Frito chip bag. It’s so freaking amazing. I had chili before but this tops it. The peppers they put in there was pure genius.
*Lips Smacks* So mouth watering… can’t wait to go back!

A great late night snack!
The ladies are sweet and the Chicago dog is perfect!

The person working there was nice, and the food was satisfying. Not sure how I feel about the pickle in the hot dog, and there are several other hot dog stands at night from Thursday — Sat that I prefer.
Best dish: Chicago dog, chips, and a soda
Food: ³⁄₅ stars
Ambiance: It’s a food cart
Price: 6/​person
Service: the lady is nice

Da Beef Is My 3AM Spicy Tofurky LOVE Dog
DA SITREP
Adorable Ladies Alert! The ladies who work «Da Beef» Stand the corner of 7^th & Folsom Streets in the SOMA hood of San Francisco, are adorable and sweet to the core.
DA SETUP
After a late night of clubbing at the Cat Club (corner of 8^th & Folsom Streets), this is where I light to hop & skip to so I can getz me mah hot dog!
DA OPERATION
Completely outside, but covered by a large LARGE umbrella, Da Beef has a pretty spiffy operation.
One lady takes all the orders, takes the moneys, hands out the dogs to peeps. The other lady does all the cooking and prep. $ 5 for da dogs. They got a system down.
Sometimes I get the Regular Dog. Other times, I fancy the Polish Sausage. But of late, I have really enjoyed the Vegetarian Spicy Italian Tofurky dog. It’s THICK and HEAVY. Heavier in fact than the meat dogs. And it comes with all the same trimmings, including the neon colored relish. I LOVE IT.
DA OTHER MENU ITEMS
The ladies also sell canned drinks, bottle water, I think even some ice tea selections from time to time. And chips.
They also do a Cheesesteak sandwich. Haven’t seen one yet. My be interesting just to see what magical container or drawer THAT pops out of.
So there are lots of good itmes to grab.
DA SOCIAL MECCA
It’s kinda funny the mx of people that will be congregating around «Da Beef» stand, from many different clubbing genres, but all united in their hunger for hot dogs. It makes for a pretty fun time of conversation and chilling at 3 AM in the morning!
DA LOWDOWN
Da Beef is my most favorite (Outside) Hot Dog Stand in Da World.
[On the survey questions, I checked the radial buttons that said «Formal (Jacket Required)» and «Has TV» because I like to be an ASSHAT when it comes to asked-​generic questions that have no relevance to the business being discussed. STUPID SURVEY MANAGERS. I don’t GIVE A FUCK if it’s template-​survey. YOU’RE STUPID for using a restrictive statistical software product.]

Chicago and I may have a tumultuous past, but man, they know how to build a great hot dog. (New Yorker friends, shush.) Yvonne is doing all of us a great service — and seriously savvy business given that no kitchens are open while she’s out and about on that stretch of bars near Folsom — by bringing those Chicago dogs to the crowd in Soma. For $ 4, pick yourself up a dog with all the traditional Chicago fixins (tomato, pickle, onion, relish, mustard, peppers, celery salt) that hits the spot to either rally your team, or send them to bed full and happy after a night conquering the town. Service is quick, although they do get busy because word has gotten out. I’ve seen more than a few taxis pull over while riders get out and order, and there’s rarely ever a time when I’m the only visitor, regardless of the hour.
I make it a point to swing by Da Beef when I’m out on Folsom, and you should too!

Yvonne must surely be the bravest woman in these parts since she keeps her cart open at such an ungodly hour for all of SOMA’s hungry club-​hoppers until 3AM. Understand that I am hardly ever out late in the ‘hood. As you know, I’m too busy at home writing Unilocal reviews. However, Jamie W. and I had come out of the Sloan show at Slim’s well past midnight last night. I saw Yvonne’s cart out of the corner of my eye and remembered that her little mobile stand has one the highest ratings for hot dogs in the city.
How could we turn our backs on authentic Chicago-​style dogs? They’re $ 4 each and overflowing with mustard, chopped onion, bright neon relish, sport peppers, tomato and a split Kosher pickle on top. Seasoned with celery salt, it reminded me of my student days on the University of Chicago campus. Delish, and she prepares them with the unlikely combination of speed and care. For an extra buck, I got a good-​size bag of Cheetos and a Diet Coke. How does that sound as a post-​midnight snack? (BELCH)…oh excuse me.
HOT DOG — 5 stars… it ain’t pretty but it’s awfully good stuff on a late, late night sprint through SoMa
AMBIANCE — 2 stars… it’s the club scene past midnight, frickin’ cold and I’m eating a hot dog next to a closed tune-​up shop
SERVICE — 5 stars… Yvonne rocks
TOTAL — 5 stars… hey, don’t judge me… I had the munchies