The Hotdogger
You really can’t miss The Hotdogger in Davis. Spend enough time in the college town and you’ll stumble upon it. This little hot dog shoppe has been in Davis for years and years and they serve up exactly what you think they would serve… hot dogs!
The Hotdogger is a very small shoppe. When you walk in, there may be only enough room for 3-4 people to be in there comfortably. There are a couple of bar seats inside, but I wouldn’t say you’d really ever dine-in there. Typically you’d order your food and then take it to go or sit outside where they’ve set out some tables with umbrellas to protect from the sun.
You can tell that The Hotdogger has been around for a long time because the inside shows its age. It’s quirky and a little dingy inside the main inside area - kind of reminds me of a place out of the 80’s.
You can order a variety of different kinds of sausage links. There’s standard, Polish, hot, amongst others. Toppings include the standard ketchup and relish along with a pretty exhaustive list of mustards to select from. They do all the topping for you and give you the dog fully completed.
Taste-wise, The Hotdogger gives you a nice variety of dogs that you can’t really get anywhere else. I like that you can select the exact kind of sausage that you’d like. On my last visit to The Hot Dogger I went for the Polish dog as there aren’t too many place I know of that offer it anymore.
The Polish dog has a nice mild flavor and a very soft bite to it. The bite on the dog was a bit too soft for my liking as the give was similar to that of the bun. Next time I’d probably go for a regular or hot link.
Speaking of the bun, I found the buns offered to be of premium quality and they work just-so with the sausages at The Hotdogger. Though I enjoy the everyday super soft hot dog bun, these buns don’t feel like they get in the way at all and in fact enhance the eating experience a little.
The only really only complaint I have about The Hotdogger are the prices. It’s a terrible comparison, but you can get a hot dog and a soda at Costco currently for a buck fifty. A hot dog and a drink at The Hotdogger is about ten times that amount. If you really want a hot dog, it’s hard to choose The Hotdogger over Costco if both are available to you.
I know it’s financially possible for them, but a place like The Hotdogger should have rock bottom prices with a constant line out the door of people wanting hot dogs. Unfortunately it’s not like that. I’ve rarely found The Hotdogger to be too busy or crowded.
Thankfully for The Hotdogger, there really isn’t any place nearby that serves up a quality dog so they have at least a little advantage.
Feel free to give The Hotdogger a try either at their main location or at the Davis Farmers Market where they set up a tent.
Website: www.thehotdogger.com
Address: 129 E St, Davis, Ca 95616
Rating: C
You can also order yourself some piping hot fries to go alongside your hot dog.
