Jerry’s Famous Dogs

Jerry’s is closed

Sorry really bad dogs. When I see anyone in a restaurant using a microwave I feel cheated I can do that at home. The two stars are for cleanliness. Cute place, I just had the urge to get back behind the counter and start cooking to show them how a real dog is done.

Not everyone shares my affinity for meat in tube form but for those of you who do, you may find Jerry’s Famous Hotdogs to be a mecca to this American culinary icon. The metro Detroit area has several spots that claim to have great hotdogs and coneys. Hippo’s on the northside, American and Lafayette Downtown and Lupima’s has been touted when approaching the east. The newest and most notable addition has to be Jerry’s and it’s the real deal!
On the north side of 14 and just east of Main in Clawson, sits this very poignant nod to tubesteaks. I walked in to find a very clean operation with 6 – 7 tables each with 4 chairs covered in red and blue vinyl seat pads. My first impression… this place breathes Americana.
After looking over the menu with it’s 20 hotdog choices including a Soy and a Veggie option, I chose their Chicago dog and I ordered the special, one dog (your choice) with chips and a pop for $ 5. Being a glutton for punishment, I also ordered two more dogs to «walk», their coney and a BLT dog. Can I just say that this is the best Chicago dog I’ve had outside of the Windy! NO JOKE. The bun was poppy seed and steamed until pillowy soft. The sporty peppers were authentic, the tomatoes ripe and juicy, the pickle, onions, relish, mustard and celery salt were all in perfect harmony with the dog, which is by the way, a Michigan’s own Koegel dog — all beef with no fillers (so no lips and, well, you know). Totally authentic and nothing but quality here. More on my other two dogs in a minute.
The man making these beauties is Jerry’s son, Jarrett, (spelling?, sorry) who mentioned that his dad used to be into home building and remodeling but when the market tanked he started selling dogs out of a cart and did so well that he decided to open a brick and mortar location and give this place a go. I was completely endeared at this point as his dad sounds like a man after my own American Dream.
Anyways, the other two dogs… this only gets better folks. The coney was superb which I know is reaching when talking about chili dogs but it was really SUPERB. The bun, again steamed, but the chili was homemade, meaty (I could actually see the ground meat) and flavorful, and completely unlike the standard canned Coney Island stuff (I’ll call it diaper chili) that we’ve become too accustomed to being served. The onions and mustard were supporting roles. Magnificent truly!
The clencher for me was the BLT though. Did you see my pic… It looked like freakin’ Christmas. The lettuce was so green that I thought I was hallucinating and the tomatoes were, again, crazy ripe, fresh and juicy. The bacon was tasty and the mayo was the icing on the cake, which they went a little light on, I’d guess so as not to scare away mayo haters. This was maybe the best hotdog experience of my sheltered existence second only to the first hotdog I had with my dad at the first Tigers game he took me to.
On top of all that, they have 4 sausages, homemade chili (as I mentioned), a chicken wrap for non-​tubesteakers, chili cheese nachos, baked beans and something I should’ve ordered that I missed… Boston Coolers, very nice! Also, coming soon, a fryer system for fries and such. Additionally, they cater events and on Friday and Saturday nights they have a live banjo player for entertainment. A true triple threat between the family run operation, great fare and interesting entertainment. I truly hope this place sticks around for a long while. Nice work!

Delish! Detroit, Chicago, and Kansas City dogs. Hot dogs have that lil snap when you bite it. Yummy.

Jerry’s Famous Dogs is dog-​gone good! Tried it last night for the first time and I will be back :)

This is a nice little spot on a busy street that has a lot going for it. There are parking spots right in front, you can’t ask for better parking options. There’s a handful of places to sit inside so don’t think big group, but this is a hot dog place so you shouldn’t be thinking that to begin with! It’s tiny, tidy and has a nice feel about it since it’s very new.
The menu is straightforward with a lot of combinations of dogs to keep you interested. The big plus for me was taking my kids. They have meal deals that are inexpensive — dog/​chips/​drink for $ 4 for kids and an adult version that is $ 5. Plus, at the time, the owner offered my kids a scoop of ice cream and a picture on the wall with other kids who could finish their dog. Not a bad deal at all.
So, they won me over on being nice and personable. It’s not like it’ll replace your favorite coney from Lafayette/​All-​American or Athens but it’s a nice change of pace at a little spot that’s trying to create it’s niche. They said they’ll have an outdoor patio by the spring of 2012.
The food itself is nothing outrageous. It’s hot dogs. They said they’re looking into a variety of dog options which, hopefully, is a good thing. There are plenty of local options and I’m sure everyone would like a few choices.
You can tell they’re trying to get going, it’s only been a few months. Small place, nice guys running it and they really seemed to be into making improvements.
I hope they succeed. The three stars is because it’s a nice place, good people and the food is decent. It’s not spectacular, but, it’s not supposed to be gourmet.