JJ’s Red Hots – Ballantyne

The food was really tasty.
I ordered a double dog combo Joliet jake (tomatoes, sport peppers, diced onions, relish, celery salt, mustard, and a pickle spear)
I subbed grilled onions for the diced onions
Grilled onions and peppers are considered a premium topping at .49. They charged me .50.
I dislike paying a premium for a hot dog to begin with and then being charged for subbing something without being refunded for the regular topping (.25).

Cool ambiance, and interesting offerings — the hot dogs themselves are always good. I’d like to see better-​prepared sides (e.g. mushy french fries, uninspired chilly) and better service — it’s a little spotty.

Came in for dinner a few months back. I ordered the Char Heel and loved it. They also have a small bar with side items like pickles and jalepenos.
I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a local musician performing on a small stage. It really added to the atmosphere. I’m not sure on what nights they do this though.
Overall, it was affordable, had a great atmosphere and simple but tasty hot dogs.

I agree food is just ok. The menu items look delicious on the board but what you get is entirely different. I got the Southern Girl with chili fries. Crinkle cut fries fried too hard and the chili — not fresh it just sat on the fries seem as though it was straight from a can. I had to come home and add some shredded cheese on top to make it edible. Needs improvement. The hotdog was ok.

Now this is some good food. Pretty good bang for your buck. I have stopped here twice for lunch and it just seems to get better and better. They have wifi which is really nice. The fries are really good and their homemade lemonade is delicious. I have yet to go wrong with selecting a different type of hotdog. I highly recommend going here!

Pros: very cool environment ! I love the inside of their restaurant
Cons: the food
Ok so my husband recommend we come here because the other JJs he went to was amazing. So I order a hot dog and fries to-​go. When I get home I have a huge burnt hot dog in a tiny bun and a small order of soggy fries. Considering that cost me around $ 6 – 7 I was disappointed. Plus my husband ordered 2 hot dogs with fries and was not satisfied either.
My whole order came to $ 20 for 3 hot dogs and 2 sides of fries. Kind of ridiculous.

Cute restaurant. Good bit of options on the menu. Hot dogs are delicious. I love their pickle pepper bar. I would definitely come back.

Ordered my linner (lunch-​dinner) here on Tuesday for the $ 2 Tuesday special.
Since I’m a vegetarian, I ordered the Vejjie sandwich, which is basically grilled portobello mushrooms and onions in a balsamic vinaigrette and other sauce spread on a potato roll, it was pretty good. A little too heavy on the balsamic vinaigrette, but it wouldn’t stop me from ordering it again. I got the combo and could have got fries, chips, coleslaw or barracho beans. I went with the beans– pinto beans, onions, peppers, beer and melted cheese. They were very tasty. It also came with a drink– any soda, lemonade, orangeade, un/​sweet tea. I got the sweet tea which was pretty good too. The combo was $ 7.99 and very filling.
Next time, I’m going to try a milkshake, orangeade, salad, and some of the other choices. Can’t wait!!!
Good job, JJ Red Hots in Ballantyne!

I am a fan! I came with one other person and together, we were full off of a $ 10 meal.
We got the double dog combo. It’s 2 dogs (doesn’t matter how many toppings you get), a side and a drink! They were very generous with us and gave us 2 cups for beverages. Their toppings are limited but I enjoyed the grilled onions and peppers and the cilantro lime crema.
I’ve read many reviews on the onion rings. They were just alright to me. While the portion is generous, they were lacking in flavor and there was so much oil and grease! You feel kind of gross after eating them. I would recommend trying something else. Other than that, I’ll definitely come back! Especially for $ 2 Tuesdays.

Creative menu, stellar execution. What a fun place!
They did well to round out all their food options with a strong bar showing. You can bring the kids, but you can just as well have a casual hang out here with your friends.
You get the sense that this place is run by good people. Who also care a lot about their customers.

Several dog varieties based on toppings or you can make your own. The dogs are excellent, grilled and somewhat charred– very tasty. Generous amounts of toppings are created with a regional flare, like Coney Island and Chicago.
Onion rings are vey good.

Awesome place. It has a great vibe and delicious dogs! My favorite is the Chili Cheese Coney! They also have $ 2 dogs on Tuesdays. I think the name is misleading because we thought it was going to be the nasty red hot dogs my dad would always buy because they were cheaper! We finally decided to just give it a try and I’m super glad we did!

They’re so nice. The first time I came through it was like 5 minutes before closing time and they were still super nice. Food was still hot and they were accommodating.
Sooo I’m craving things I don’t normally crave and although my dude was getting a salad trying to be on the healthy side, I still had to appease the fat girl (or pregnant me)… So I had to get me some dogs.
Now I used to make boiled hot dogs in the kitchen. You know, something quick and tasty, but who really wants a woogly wiener??? Surely not I. I love that they grill their wieners until they’re a little charred. I like a little burntness for some flava.
Char-​Heel is my fave!!! Perhaps I’m biased being I’m a semi-​Carolina gal. But I love me some chili and slaw… Pretty much on anything… Burgers, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream… Okay just hot dogs and burgers. Add some mustard to that bad boy and what else is needed? Seriously, if this is your style such as mine… Get It!
The other dog, (check the pic) is pretty good. I couldn’t finish it since I’m experiencing pregnancy symptoms and really need something fresh when I eat… Hence the reason why my other dog was good. The freshness from the cole slaw almost made me feel like I was eating something healthy.
Basically, whatever your taste buds are craving, you can’t go wrong. Burnt hot dogs… Need I say more?

The location is quite large for a hot dog establishment and there is a bar in the restaurant. The hotdog selection is vast and I feel the pickle bar is a nice added feature.
Being from Chicago I had to refuse to try the Chicago style. My questions about the chi town dog ended when I found out it wasn’t served on a poppy seed bun. Whats next… not Vianna Beef.
I ended up boycotting all the red hots and having a turkey sausage which was «ok.“Overall, im a firm believer that hot dogs were meant to be served from:
1. Stands
2. Hole in the wall grease joints
–or–
3. Portillos
The whole Americas’ dog deal just isn’t my thing. Dogs are ultra local and should be kept that way. Call me a purest but Com’on man!

I’ve always had a good experience at this location. The dogs are fresh and the staff loads it up with more than enough toppings.
My last experience came this past June with a lot of laughing as one of the guys who delivers the food had «sharted» and had a shit stain on his pants. My brother was in from MI, my Dad was in from FL and we thought of telling the manager, but didn’t think we could do it with a straight face. We weren’t the only ones either because others were laughing as well.
Other than that, I love JJ’s.

I’m updating this review and adding a Star because they have contacted me with an attempt to change my opinion.
Most businesses wouldn’t go out of their way to do so. I appreciate that. Still unsure if I’ll return.
You should try them out and come up with your own opinion. I don’t write «negative» reviews looking for hand outs, I write what I experienced.

Received the scolding from the owner, Jonathan L., that I missed the point and took it in stride. Although owners and business partners are touchy when they hear other than positive comments, those unsolicited and frank comments give businesses information that might help them grow and thrive. So sad when businesses falter and go away with the owners saying, «But everyone we asked said it was OK»!
Unilocal! can be very useful if a business is interested on just how their business is perceived by the anonymous public. So the reviewing journey continues.
My wife and I just returned from a month in Iceland. We rented a car and drove the island where hot dogs are the rave. Everywhere you go there are hot dogs. Gas stations, separate booths, in malls and along just about any street.
We are not hot dog fans and were stunned as how popular they are there and I thought of frequently about JJ’s Ballantyne.
Well, I GOT IT. The Icelanders sell a so-​so hot dog, but, like JJ’s they have lots and lots of TOPPINGS, which, similar to JJ’s is what they want and what they cherish.
Some of the popular toppings were unusual, like white tartar sauce and those canned fried onions and other sauces along with the standard mustards (plural intended) and onions, chopped tomato and other veggies. Icelanders put quite a load of things on their dogs because the hot dog is only a vehicle for the toppings. The toppings are the thing.
I GOT IT!
So my son and I were out and there was a JJ’s on East Boulevard in Charlotte. We ordered and on their roof top tried three different selections along with just a plain bun and regular dog. And of course, beer is the perfect hot dog beverage.
The dogs themselves were OK, but once you doctored them with whatever you liked they went down well and we were passing them back and forth to experience them all.
You can read my review on that location and in it I am clear in stating, hopefully to the satisfaction of Jonathan L., the miffed Ballantyne proprietor, I GOT IT.
If you like unusual hot dogs or I should say hot dogs with clever, unique, themed toppings and/​or have children with you, JJ’s is the place.

The Chicago dog is straight from The Windy City. The onion rings are from somewhere else — out of this world.
Food is really well done. Staff is always friendly and helpful.
Get here, and get yourself some redhots!

I love this place! The best place to get hotdogs. I’m sure everything on the menu is just as phenomenal, but I just can’t seem to order anything besides the hotdogs every time I go!
My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place and I am so glad we did. We go weekly and take other people every time.
I never would’ve imagined that I would put these crazy toppings on a hotdog. But I tried a hotdog with pimento cheese and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it? Order the big cheesy when you go!
Tuesdays are the best night to go. All regular dogs are $ 2 and all draft beers are $ 2. It’s not the cheap beer either — they serve local craft beers.
If you haven’t been you’re really missing out!

First of all, I REALLY want to like JJ’s. They have a great concept, a cool and clever menu, and a good atmosphere. They seem to be really involved in the community and use and sell a lot of local products (Local Beer, King of Pops, etc.)
We have been 3 times now, and really just find it to be sub-​par for our expectations. We have tried various dogs and sandwiches. Most recently, we both had the «signature dog» with Chili, onions, beans, bacon, jalapeños and mustard. We found the Chili and beans to be lacking in any flavor whatsoever. The bun and hot dog were high quality, and the hot dog gave that nice «snap» when you bit in. Despite all of those delicious sounding ingredients, we found it to be a bit pedestrian.
We also split a side of onion rings, which were greasy and flavorless. We each took a bite and decided to throw the rest away.
Overall, just disappointed. I hope in time, JJ’s becomes the Charlotte institution that it could be.