Haute Links

I like Haute links but sometime they totally over cook your food. I love the selection of meats from beef, to turkey, buffalo and ostrich! The dogs are yummy!!! If you stop over cooking my burger you would get 4 stars! 3 stars for your links!

I’m normally not one to admit I like hot links in my mouth, but this is quality stuff. My favorite is the Cajun link with spicy mustard. Unfortunately, they are moving to a location in LA and Irvine. The owner told me I could follow the move on Twitter. Almost busted up laughing because a 50 year old man was asking me if I had a twitter.

I’ve had a hard time finding a decent hot dog place around Irvine, but I found this place because it was right next to where I work. Only problem it’s never open on Saturdays or Sundays when I work. I finally found myself around this food plaza on a weekday and decided to try something new after feeling not in the mood for Quizno’s or Flame Broiler. I saw that they had a good selection of about 10 different links (variations of turkey, chicken, beef, and pork dogs). They also had a fair share of specials that came with fries, a soda, and chili. Upon ordering, they give you a stamp card as well. I had the Warsaw link combo and after they gave me my order, I found myself by their condiments bar. The bar had a good variety of toppings and sauces, including a chart that gave suggestions of good toppings and condiments to put with a certain order. I was pretty satisfied with what I got for $ 6 — a decent sized hot dog, chili, chips, and a drink.
I guess the location of Haute Link here wasn’t too prime because they cater only to lunch for 9 – 5 workers in the area. I was kinda disappointed to hear that I’d have to drive out to Foothill Ranch to get another fill of their hot dogs. The guy working there also told me they were getting a new location in LA by USC. Too bad that space in Irvine they had by the airport was too expensive…

3 stars for the food, it was ok.
But an extra star just because it was so different from any place around where I live.
We went here before dropping my sis and her bf at John Wayne. The guy was really nice and they have a nice spread of toppings to put on your link. Plus, hey even have a chart telling you what traditionally goes on each link.
I would recommend checking this place out, who knew there was so much variety when it comes to hot dogs.

I’ve tried this place so many times because its hard for me to believe how a hot dog/​sausage place with so many options cant be good. well… it isnt. hot dogs are average, fries are whatever, no urge to ever come back here.

Haute Links has a knack for knackwurst and weinerwurst.
Haute Links in Irvine creates some yummy, plump smoked sausages that contain finely minced, lean chicken, beef and spices. Haute Links reinvents the weiner wheel with it’s Sicilian and Greek sausage. It’s a Mediterranean twist on knackwurst, with olives, sun-​dried tomatoes and garlic. The Sicilian and Greek weiner are my personal favorites. I like ordering the 2 sausages (Sicilian and Greek sausages), and the build-​your-​own salad with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and mounds of pepperccinis. In addition, I pill on warm sauerkraut and some German mustard on the side of my sausages, and I am JA-​GUT!
The owner of Haute Link really cares about the sausages his store sells and gives new guests a chance to sample and experience something new. The owner is friendly, welcoming and creative with sausage making. His weinerwurst — the famed «Obama» hot dog that has red peppers, two pineapple halves, pickles, and peanuts sprinkled on the weinerwurst is available and is on my list of tries. I love a good frankfurter, knackwurst, hot dog place. We need more German sausage eateries and places like Haute Links. I am glad a place like Haute exists for good knackwursts and weinerwursts.
Hhhmmm… I think I might talk to the owner about introducing the «Ripper» to Haute Links. Oh-​Yeah! A deep fried weinerwurst on a bun. Now, we’re talking. What do you think? Mounds of kraut and maybe some chili. Sure it would clog an artery, but it would taste soooo good.
Geniet die Speise!

Before I say anything to upset any other reviewers, let me say this: I’m reviewing this based on my high hopes I had for this place. Yes, it’s freaking hotdogs, but how they try to perceive you by making it sound like there’s something special going on here is just wrong. The food is not that terrible, but it left me lots more to be desired about. The skinny fries were very average tasting (had to sprinkle lots of seasoning/​sauce on it.) That’s fine because the place is not trying to make a name with its fries. So I try the Chicago-​style Obama Dog. The bun was little dry and alot bigger than the wiener. The rest of hotdog was nothing to rave about. Don’t come here thinking about Pink’s, Grey’s, Nathan’s, etc. It’s more in line with ghetto dog carts in L.A. It should’ve been a redflag when I barely saw anybody in here. It’s sad because this is a pretty busy center during lunch.

Im not sure why people are so down on this place.
On a whim, some co-​workers and I tried this place out instead of the ‘safer’ chains in the complex. And lets say Im glad that we did (We’ve been back numerous times).
I personally have only had the Atkins plate, so that is what I will review.
The Atkins plate which runs about $ 9 includes two sausages of your choosing (The El Paso and The Greek are personal favs), a bed of salad lettuce and a soda fountain cup.
The sausages are excellent. Crispy outside, soft and juicy inside and are filled with interesting items depending on the sausage.
While generally I am not a huge fan of iceberg lettuce, the store offers a solid condiment bar with the usual salad toppings and some other assortments such as raisins and banana peppers. The salad dressings are also top notch. There is also really good mustard available for your hot dogs.
Also I have no complaints about the cleanliness of the place, and the guy behind the counter (who I think is the owner) is always very friendly.
Another also, parking does get a bit crazy out in the main parking area around lunch time, but just take a left (If you come in by the Carl’s Jnr) and theres a lot more parking and even more behind the eateries.

Orange County… not the melting pot, tossed salad, mixed greens, (or whatever other social science food related terminology you’d like to use) that places like New York or San Francisco are. A good sausage or hot dog can really be hard to find. In the Bay Area, there is Top Dog. In Manhattan, there is Papaya King. Even in Los Angeles, you could try Pink’s (which is somewhat overrated but more on that later). If you live in Orange County, and are a fan of sausages or hot dogs, then you’re pretty much out of luck. Especially if you really want one at lunch time and you’re working nearby.
Okay…I know what you are noisily being frustrated about. Like a fool, I’ve narrowed the patronage to hot dog loving 9−5ers. Hold your frustrated horses for one second though. Isn’t that exactly the aim of Haute Links? They have a store in a little shopping center surrounded by office buildings and warehouses. What is their goal? To serve lunch patrons and to serve a lot of them.
Haute Link’s menu is simple and this affords them to also be fast with preperation and service. The staff is polite, they have good quality food, and a very decent selection of sausages. In cooking, they sear the outside of the sausages very well so that they are tender on the inside and firm on the out. They have fries that you can sprinkle with curry powder from their pretty good condiment selection or a salad bar. I’m not dissapointed nor surprised which makes Haute Links a safe choice (safe is always a good thing at lunch). Past reviews have mentioned the cleanliness as an issue. As far as makes no difference since I eat outside or on the go, it seems that they’ve cleaned up the whole place. Haute Links completes what it sets out to do and I give them the A-​OK for that.
If you don’t want to lose your daily earnings, or you’re looking for a hot dog, and you’ve got work to get back to… then this is the place to go. It’s clientele is small so their aim is narrow as well but who said being specific was ever a bad thing? Try a dog and get back to work please. =)

I’ve been a Haute Links regular since visiting the Lake Forest store near my old office. Now, when I’m near JWA at lunch time, I have to stop in for my favorite lunch: the Atkins Plate. While I’m not on any particular diet, this is the quintessential sausage lunch: two sausages and a salad. For a reasonable price, one gets to try two of the many sausages HL puts out… and they’re awesome sausages! The buns… not so much. If you’re into mustard, this is also the place! I love the stoneground mustard they have on hand. When making gumbo, I’ll use their sausages with flavorful results. Pass on the Coney dog, get a REAL sausage here.

Haute Dogs is a few steps up from Weinerschitzel. They offer a variety of sausages, made from beef to chicken to pork. I came here for lunch and it was pretty crowded. Service was quick and the food was served hot. I had the Sicilian (chicken blended with diced red & green bell peppers, onions). Served on a toasted bun. With a side of fries and a cold Coke. They have a good condiment bar with a variety of mustards and toppings such as chili peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.

I eat hot dogs occasionally, but Haute Links didn’t do it for me. There are many specialty hot dogs available and several different mustard to choose. Based on the two hot dogs I tried, the meat were dry and old, and the buns were big and hard. Try Top Dog in Norcal if you ever want to have a bite of the best hot dog.

i’ll admit, i’m not a die-​hard hot dog connoisseur, but i do crave a good bratwurst every once in a while (mustard’s deli in irvine has a decent one). went to check haute links out, from the myriad of hot dog selections i find the warsaw dog, a polish style «bratwurst» smoked pork sausage. i guess i should have never expected it to taste like a german bratwurst (since it wasn’t). this one had a little more crunch than i expected. i bit into every bite with care, making sure the resilient casing didn’t splash scalding hot juices everywhere. the sausage was too salty, and the chicken chili i got as a side was a step above tommy’s chili in flavor. the bun was crusty and soft though. there’s a lot of other things on the menu i could try, which are probably decent, but i think i’ll hold off on coming back for a little while.

This hotdog joint is a rare gem considering the lack of specialty food restaurants in Irvine (it’s all franchises here!). I love beef hotdogs and it sucks that the number of hotdog places in OC are few and far. But this place doesn’t serve just your standard hotdog you can buy at the store, but a wide variety of gourmet sausages and other sandwiches if you’re not digging the dog. They even serve a variety of breakfast dishes.
I happened to stumble across this shop while on lunch break and to my amazement, there’s quite a lot of choices ranging from the bratwurst dog to my favorite, the cajun (spicy!) link. There’s also specialty sausages that have tomatoes/​cheese/​apples/​etc in them if you’re feeling adventurous and crave flavor. About a dozen or so link choices.
The hotdogs are then grilled and served in a toasty soft-​baguette style bun. After you pick up your order, head straight to the condiments bar to add whatever sauces (ketchup, mustards, bbq) or toppings (onions, sauerkraut, relishes, pickles, etc) you want to round off your meal. There’s about 6 or so different choices of mustards to choose from and a handy chart on the wall to tell you which mustard/​sauce goes best with whichever dog you purchased. But nonetheless, the combinations are plenty.
The meal itself is very tasty. The links have a crunch to it when you bite in and is both meaty and juicy. Everything is grilled after your order so you know it’s fresh. Prices are reasonable and they have a variety of lunch specials to choose from.
The only downside to this place is that it’s only open weekdays M-​F and from morning till 3pm. That means, it’s obviously catered only to the lunch crowd for the working people in Irvine business district. But if you don’t work in the area and happen to have free time on a weekday, check this place out if you’re craving a sausage or dog. And don’t forget to buy a package (4 links for $ 6) if you prefer to cook them yourselves.