Many of us are familiar with Costco hot dogs, and if you want a basic dog with traditional toppings — ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish — it isn’t half bad. But if you want a structured hot dog, one with a little flair, you have to do some looking around, as San Diego isn’t exactly known for its hot dogs.
Back in the day, we had Barrio Dog right in our backyard in Barrio Logan, but that has since shuttered, and a fun restaurant called Fonda Del Barrio has taken its place. So I went on the hunt for San Diego’s best hot dogs, and I discovered a place to get my fix very close to home in East Village. Right next to The Church Tasting Room, which features Lost Abbey beers, there is a fun little shack tucked back behind a fence line with shade trees and picnic tables called Doggos Gus (1313 J Street).
My daughter Sasha and I went to check out Doggos Gus on a recent day off, and it proved to be a very cool spot. The courtyard is shady and inviting. Orders are placed from an iPad, then you grab a seat. In addition to hot dogs and burgers, they do a fun-looking breakfast.
The menu has amazing pictures of all the hot dogs. Choosing just one was not going to work for me, so I committed to two. My daughter was happy with just one, as these hot dogs are not small by any means. Sasha went with the Birria Dog, a bacon-wrapped, all-beef dog with crispy, melted cheese, topped with birria, onions, and cilantro. I am a sucker for a chili dog, so that was a must. The Chili Cheese Dog is a bacon-wrapped, all-beef hot dog with nacho cheese, chili, and fresh chopped onions. My second dog was the Sonoran, an all-beef bacon-wrapped hot dog with queso, grilled onions, tomato, soyrizo, and crema, topped with crumbled Ruffles potato chips. With the World Cup in full swing, I am overusing the term “hat trick” — I am fully aware. This trio of dogs scored at every turn, a hat trick indeed.
At the core of Doggos Gus are the all-beef hot dogs and brioche buns, a winning combination. The fact that most of their dogs come bacon-wrapped is a feature that takes me back to my childhood, when I obsessed over the street dogs of Tijuana. What isn’t made better with bacon? There is an option for a turkey dog, but for the life of me I can’t see why anyone would go that route.
I will definitely go back to Doggos Gus when the Church Tasting Room is open. Not only does Lost Abbey have great beers, but you can also find one of Coronado’s most beloved bartenders, Jackson Boomer, pouring beers there several days a week.
There are a couple of other good dog spots in town worth mentioning. If you love Chicago Dogs, Lefty’s Pizza in North Park has a great one. Rosie O’Grady’s in City Heights not only has a great Chicago dog, but you can wash it down with a beer and a shot of Malort, a Chicago legend and one of the world’s worst-tasting liquors. I wrote about Malort in an article for San Diego Magazine because this notorious liquor has ties to San Diego.
No hot dog story in America’s Finest City would be complete without mentioning Daddy’s Dogs in Hillcrest. This guy does it right, and I have had just about every hot dog on the menu. He splits his dogs lengthwise and grills them open-faced for maximum char. His Chicago dog is top-notch as well, but I think my favorite is the Seattle Dog: cream cheese, grilled onions, jalapeño relish, BBQ sauce, and deli mustard. On a recent trip to Seattle, I experienced the real McCoy, and the Daddy’s Dogs version captures the spirit of the dog perfectly. Daddy’s Dogs is a stones throw away from the Alibi, one of San Diego’s most beloved dive bars; why not kill two birds with one stone. Hot dogs and dive bars, now your living.
One last spot that would never be on your radar is Fort Oak. They have a hot dog that they only sell at the bar on Oyster Mondays. This unexpected treat is a dry-aged hot dog topped with salsa escabeche, elote aioli, cotija cheese, cilantro, and radish, all tucked into a house-made brioche bun. This hot dog is a showstopper; you have to check it out.
I hope my quest for glizzys helps you with the Dog Daze of Summer. There is something so American about a meal brought to us by German immigrants. There is no better way to show your patriotism than having a hot dog to celebrate America’s 250th birthday — I hope you all have a happy Fourth of July.
