Pink's Hot Dogs

My next installment of Dog Days of Summer is not only pooch friendly, but a Los Angeles landmark, Pink's Hot Dogs.  When my cousin came down from Oregon, she had a fine list of food establishments she wanted to visit. We hit the Kogi Truck one night, trundled through Little Tokyo, and tried the dogs at the venerable Pink's in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize that where I live in Orange County is actually about 1-2 hours from Hollywood, depending on traffic. If you live in Southern California, people tend to think you are from Los Angeles, not Disneyland country, I guess.

Travel didn't daunt us, and we took the trip up to try our hands at chili dogs and tasty treats.

Pink's was originally a hot dog cart on the corner of Melrose and La Brea during the height of the Great Depression in 1939. A hot dog topped with Betty Pink's chili, mustard and fresh onions cost ten cents back in those days! Even today, they are very reasonably priced for what you get, considering they only use Hoffy's all beef hot dogs. Pink's moved into a building in 1946 at the same spot of the cart and has been making history, doling out hot dogs and burgers from the same establishment ever since. They have an impressive celebrity clientele and have fun naming their specialty hot dogs after them.

Lots of Chili!

For instance, the "Martha Stewart" dog takes a 10" hot dog and tops it with bacon, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, relish, onions, and sauerkraut.

We tried the 9" stretch chili dog ($3.50) and the mild polish with mustard and onions ($4.50). Pink's hot dogs are made all-beef with a natural casing that separates them from inferior dogs. I happen to love natural casing hot dogs because they have a nice snap when you bite down, almost like a good deli pickle.

The Polish

The chili was sweet and mild, which was nice because even the generous amount provided still let the mustard and onion to stand out. The polish was nicely seasoned, and the mustard and onions backed it up. The juiciness of the polish made it a favorite for me; when you bite through the casing it gushed with flavor.

The actual restaurant is pretty tiny, but they have a nice and sunny outdoor seating area in the back so your puppy can drool over your hot dog and lick up any stray chili that drops. The painted mural in the outdoor area was very fun and colorful and I made sure to take a picture of how nice it was.

The bathroom exceeded every expectation. If you are in the Hollywood area and need a nice and safe place to use the bathroom, it would be worth getting a hot dog just to use their facilities.

Pink's Hot Dogs

709 N. La Brea Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 931-7594

See Also:
Dog Days of Summer