Hot DOG! That's a good hot dog

 by Mel Flores
 published on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Dylan Winkler / STATE PRESS MAGAZINE

What's that word? The one that pretty much means "amazing" or "fantastic," but it's better than that? There needs to be a word to describe the three best hot-dog joints near campus. "Astonishing"? No. "Miraculous"? Maybe. Whatever that word may be, Johnny's Dogs, Ted's Char Broiled Hot Dogs and Dave's Dog House are three of the best, if not the best, in Tempe.

Dave's Dog House is the closest to the Tempe campus, sitting on University Drive. The dogs are appetizing, but what sets Dave's apart from the rest are the buns. They use "New England Style" buns, which look more like a long slice of bread, as opposed to the standard hot-dog bun that most are familiar with. The buns are buttered and slightly toasted, which gives the entire dining experience a boost.

Johnny's Dogs is also delicious and close enough to campus to walk for some food. Johnny's offers basic hot dogs, bratwurst and several different Italian sausages. Although the seating area is roughly equivalent to Dave's, Johnny's offers two big-screen HD televisions mounted on the walls, Italian Ice desserts, purified water re-fills at 25 cents per gallon and Johnny's Dogs T-shirts for only $2.

Ted's Char Broiled Hot Dogs, although located a little farther away from the Tempe campus, doesn't offer HD television, but does offer superb hot dogs and burgers. They broil the dog as soon as the order is placed, and within minutes, heaven awaits. The char-broiling really brings out some of the natural juices and flavors of the dog. The buns are pretty standard, but they will toast it upon request. Ted's also offers the largest seating area of the three, a gum-ball machine, a mini pinball machine and a coin-operated rub-on tattoo machine.

Don't fear the health risks associated with eating brats and dogs. Just enjoy it while you're young. After all, these places are phenomenal.

If you go:
Dave's Dog House
130 E. University Drive, Tempe
480-967-3647
davesdoghouse.com

Johnny's Dogs
725 S. Rural Road, Tempe
480-656-5609
johnnysdogs.com

Ted's Char Broiled Hot Dogs
1755 E. Broadway Road, Tempe
480-968-6878
tedsonline.com

— mel.flores@asu.edu