Jimmy’s Mart

Want a good hot dog? Come on down!
Best Chile Dog I’ve eatin in awhile.
Quaint deli-​like atmosphere.

Can’t give Jimmy’s a very good review. I’ve been there three times now. My wife twice. First time she went there she cam home and immediately spent hours in the bathroom. Something didn’t sit well with her hot dog.
Last weekend we decided to give it a try since our neighbor raves about their hot dogs and goes every weekend. We both went and ordered the hot dog. My wife ordered it with onions and mustard. I ordered mine loaded, onions, chili and mustard. The buns are sort of steamed, and I thought ok. My wife didn’t like hers at all. I used to always order coney dogs with the chili… so that’s why I decided to try it at Jimmy’s. I think my first trip there I ordered it with the Chili on it and didn’t care for it. 2^nd trip I tried the cole slaw w/​o chili. And this time I went back to the chili. I don’t care for the chili at all. It had a definite taste that just didn’t taste good.
Prices are reasonable but you have to take your tray up to the gas station attendant and pay there, rather than back where they give you the food. Any drinks or chips are purchased at the register. Jimmy’s just isn’t our cup of tea. Maybe it’s being from Chicago where hot dogs are served differently than down here. Sesame seeded, steamed bun, with huge selection of sides.
We liked Sonic’s hot dogs much better a couple blocks up the street, where they have a great selection of dogs — Chicago style, New York Style, etc. Don’t think we’ll be back to Jimmy’s.
I tried their catfish stew on my 2^nd visit and wouldn’t order that again also.

The best catfish stew I have ever tasted. My kids love to go here. Hot dogs are good as well.

I have been eating at Mr. Jimmy’s «Jimmy’s Mart» since I was a kid. The hotdogs are great, the BBQ is great and Ms. Vickie makes the best catfish stew around! The service is fast and pleasant and if Mr Jimmy is there, be sure that he will greet you with a smile and thank you for stopping in. I love this place as it holds a special place in my heart and many memories. If you get a chance, give them a try, I bet that you won’t be disappointed!

Food served here 6 days a week! Really good biscuits for breakfast, but the chili dogs are oh soo good. But the best menu item here is the catfish stew. If you haven’t tried it you are missing out. It’s a nice hearty stew that’s great on a cold day. I usually get two chili dogs and a small catfish to go. Stop by and check this place out its great!

These are great hot dogs! I’ve been a customer all my life. Jimmy has owned this place since 1975 and has been feeding hungry people from all walks of life, ever since. I get mine «all the way» with mustard, chili (no beans!) and onion. They also have great sweet tea. The sweet ladies at the counter serve hot dogs with no frills on a tray lined with wax paper. They also have Catfish Stew that people swear by, but I’ve never had any. Picnic tables/​booths are available for seating. They sell beer in a cooler, like a gas station. They also have all your typical convenience store offerings.

Great hot dogs and cat fish stew.

Jimmy’s Mart has been serving up hot dogs in Northeast Columbia for 34 years. There have been several iterations along the «old» Two Notch corridor but one thing is still constant, owner Jimmy Koon is still there behind the counter.
Jimmy and the Hot Dog Heaven crew serve up anywhere from 800 to 1000 hot dogs a day. For real. And that’s not all. They have sausage dogs, pit-​smoked barbeque, chili and beans and breakfast, too. They are very well known in catfish stew circles. Vicki Corley, a 25-​year employee of Jimmy’s Mart, makes it from scratch. Maybe there needs to be a Catfish Fight, too. Hmm… brand extension?
At Jimmy’s, all the way means mustard, onions and chili. You can add ketchup, ooey-​gooey cheese and slaw, too. It’s not a fancy place, but it does have plenty of seating and parking but absolutely no profanity, please. Eat in or take your dogs to go. And enjoy free refills. Score!
Jimmy’s was a high school hangout for Julie so there was some worry that it might not be as good as she remembered (see the Edna’s review). There was also plenty of jabbing remarks about the fact that she missed the Alpine Road exit so the drive out there took 20 minutes longer than it should have.
How the Dog Fight went down.
Jeff:
Dog 1: All the way
Dog 2: All the way
Dog 3: All the way, add slaw
Tim:
Dog 1: All the way
Dog 2: Relish, mustard, ketchup
Dog 3: All the way, add cheese
Dog 4: Sauerkraut, mustard
Julie:
Dog 1: Chili dog, add cheese
Dog 2: Slaw dog, no onions
Karolynn:
Dog 1: Slaw dog, slaw only
Dog 2: All the way
Dean:
Dog 1: All the way
Dog 2: Relish, mustard
Dog 3: Sausage dog
Dog 4: Slaw
Dog 5: All the way
The Dogs
The good news? Jimmy’s hot dogs still rock the house as any Spring Valley High School Viking worth his or her salt knows. Jeff started things off by noting that for boiled wieners, Jimmy’s weren’t overly mushy and still had a good texture. The steamed buns are not center cut but stand up to the generous toppings very, very well.
The Toppings
Karolynn found the slaw too sweet for her taste and thought it almost bordered on dessert-​sweet. It had good crunch but just too much sugar. Julie, who’d never strayed from the chili dogs, gave the slaw dog the old college try and proclaimed it pretty good.
Jeff says Jimmy’s has the best hot dog chili in Columbia. Most of us agreed. Tim missed most of this discussion while waiting in the long but fast line for more hot dogs. Dean, who had already eaten three hot dogs, took a few extra noting that the relish one was for the Dog Fight and the extra all the way dog was just because he wanted another one.
The Verdict
One thing Dog Fight fans don’t know is that when a place is good, there’s usually a second round. If it’s really good, round two is not one but two hot dogs. And that was the case at Jimmy’s today for several Dog Fighters. Jimmy’s Mart, so far, is the place where we ate the most hot dogs in one sitting (16 … wow). And then contemplated ordering a small chili and beans that we could share.
According to Jeff, Dog Fight Director of Math and Spreadsheet Maintenance, Jimmy’s Mart came in with a 24.04 with the chili dog + cheese coming through as top dog.
The bottom line? This place truly is heaven if you love a good hot dog.
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