Pink’s Hot Dogs

This location is closed!
Unilocal needs to be updated. More importantly, the LAX concourse map needs to be updated!

I had a layover in LAX before my international flight to Taiwan, so I headed to the food court on the second story of the departures level of Tom Bradley International for dinner. I was starving because I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and I had already traveled 7 – 8 hours from Richmond.
I looked up places to eat in LAX on my phone, and one airport restaurant guide mentioned Pink’s Hot Dogs, which apparently is popular in its original location downtown.
The stall was really small, but I found it, and I ordered a hot dog with pastrami and sauerkraut. It was warm, tasty, and fairly large, but still kind of an expensive hot dog in my opinion.
Comparing Pink’s to City Dogs back in Richmond and Top Dog back in Berkeley, I think Top Dog is still my favorite.

I was excited to try out Pinks Hot Dogs at LAX other then having the usual Mc Donalds or Sushi Boy. So time for something new and Pinks it is!
I know this Pinks location doesn’t offer as much as it’s original location because it’s such a smaller version tucked away in the corner of the food court on the 2^nd floor of terminal 3. Great service but the food in my opinion is just between average and excellent. I ordered the Great American Hotdog with bacon and Pastrami and it wasn’t too bad, the bacon was a bit soggy and the pastrami was not bad. The bread and the hotdog tasted excellent but the price was kinda high but that’s airport pricing for you.
Would I come back here?
Maybe, if I’m craving for hotdogs…
I have yet to try the main Pinks restaurant but I’m sure it is high quality and a better experience of mainstream LA then this corner restaurant.

So much for putting your best foot forward. While the chili cheese fries were good I was less than impressed with the hot dogs and sausages. The bun was too big and hard for the hot dog. Overall I was left with a strong feeling of «meh» after this meal. Maybe the real location is better but this has decreased my motivation to find out.

Having been to the Pinks up in Vegas, this stand inside a crowded terminal building at LAX is just not worth it. Well because I happened to be at the airport, I ordered only the Mullholland Dog. Here’s my review of that dog I ate:
1. The mushrooms are disgusting! They taste like they came straight out of canned mushrooms. Well because they are.
2. The dog is just ok. The regular dog.
3. Nacho cheese is fine.
4. Bacon strips are stale… because they store them inside metal containers and just take them out to put on the dog. If you’re curious just watch them make it in front of you while they take all the ingredients stored in metal containers.
5. Tottally not appetizing.
I don’t like this one. But it’s airport food so I’ll let it go. This dog costed 6.96!

Believe it or not… I’ve been avoiding eating hot dogs in general due to health reasons. Haha or at least thats my excuse.
Been in the Tom Bradley terminal a couple of times and I can’t resist their chili cheese fries so thats pretty much all I order here. It’s such a great thing that they have Pinks and nicer establishments available.
Service was prompt and my food came out in a timely manner. Very pleased. Okay next time I will definitely try their hot dogs and compare it to the original location. =)

I love that there is a Pink’s at LAX what a great sendoff!
The Chili Cheese Fries from Pink’s is one of my favorites, and of course all of their sausages are delish!

This place is perfect if you’re in LAX Int’ waiting to get through the gates and board. I really like Pink’s hot dog (although I like Top Dog from Berkeley much better), I really enjoy their Chili Cheese Fries!!! (I’m so hooked to their CC fries!!) Unfortunately they don’t open until 11am I believe so we had to wait for 15 minutes. My sister and bf both really enjoyed their hot dog (one had Chili and bacon in them, the other not sure). That’s a great variety on the menu and prices are fair ($ 8/​per dog). Other food spots near the area is $ 10+ (even Panda and mcD). I wouldn’t try their Burrito since it doesn’t look that great in person plus, people usually get their dog anyways. I’m sure the menu is not as extensive as the Original spot, but if you’re a fan of Pink’s, this might satisfy your craving just a bit.

Pink’s Hot Dogs…
I had a 3-​hour layover at LAX airport and was beyond starving. However, I don’t just eat anything just to eat. All the «restaurants» in the area by me had terrible Unilocal reviews so I was a little disappointed. But, alas, I found Pink’s hot dogs on Unilocal,and I immediately wanted to try it out… however, they are located in the Tom Bradley International airport Terminal (TBIT) …I mention this because the LAX and TBIT terminals are NOT connected. I had to leave the LAX airport, and walk about 7 – 10 to find TBIT, and got my meal. Then I had to come back to LAX, stand in line and go through TSA security all over again. The line was about 20 minutes long! –_​_​–
But, all in all, I enjoyed my hot dog. It was worth the adventure. I rate it 4 stars (and not 5), because I have had better hot dogs before, but it was still worth it. I had the Mullholland Drive dog, a 10″ hot dog with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, nacho cheese & bacon! I feel that I didn’t get to enjoy it as much, because I was in a rush. But I would love to try the real Pink’s anytime I’m in Los Angeles! However, the good thing is that now I know my way around LAX. Plus it was a good way to kill time. hence, I would only advise you to try it out if you were in similar situation as me at LAX, with a 3-​hour layover. You may risk missing your flight if its less.

As I bid the USA, a fond farewell. as I was off to my Asian tour! ^_^
I found a «Pink’s» in LAX. I, honestly, wasn’t expecting much,. since I had been to the original, that’s close to my high school. It’s the fare for the tourist and the post-​clubbing crowd… I don’t see much for going there for a «real Dog!»
But, it was my last real taste of the good olé USA before i departed…
BOY! Was I surprised! The casing gave it a SNAP! A snap that reminded me of Skooby’s and some other Hot Dog shops high on the list in LA.
I had the «regular,» well, as regular as possible, since I wanted to taste the Dog.
The price was OK, but LAX prices. LOL!
So, if you are in for a Dog and have a parking space, you go up the stairs past the Airline check-​in desks. And you got some good dogs…
Weird, among all the airport fast food, and other outings, there is a diamond in the rough. Get your Dogs here! If you are in the Area!
Parking and traffic is like CRAZY! And short-​term prices are… well, if you’ve been in LA and LAX you know the drill!

And the battle round winner is Nathan’s.
I was on layover at LAX in the International Terminal before my flight to Tokyo. I tried my first Nathan’s hot dog the previous month in Vegas and visited Pink’s to compare the two.
Choices at Nathan’s are limited to the basic one and a chili dog version (the one I had) pretty much. The menu at Pink’s is more comprehensive when it comes to hot dog choices. There are even some burrito selections that acknowledge the SoCal origins of this chain.
Intrigued by the burrito selections, I decided to try the pastrami burrito ($ 6.40). The burrito consists of two hot dogs, chili, melted Swiss cheese, pastrami and onions wrapped in a tortilla. Description sounds promising.
Having tried the burrito out, I was disappointed it did not match my expectations. The hot dogs were quite salty. I know they are loaded with sodium, but these tasted excessively so. The chili was kind of bland. I think it may have been dulled by the Swiss cheese. Cheddar or American cheese would have been a better match. And while there was pastrami, it seems the flavors of the burrito overpowered the meat. Simply put, there was too much going on.
Based on my taste test of the hot dogs, I have to say that I prefer Nathan’s. I just found the hot dogs at Pink’s kind of ordinary. Saying this, if you are at LAX in the International Terminal, I do think Pink’s is one of the better places to eat out of the limited options there. It is reasonably priced and a classic LA establishment. If you have the time though, I would eat elsewhere before you get to LAX.

Wasn’t planning on Unilocaling Pink’s. It was just a hot dog joint in LAX. But then we saw it, the Pastrami Burrito. Flour tortilla wrapped around two hot dogs. Grilled pastrami. Swiss cheese. Chili. Onions.
Not making this up. I didn’t have it, but my friend did, and I watched in awe the entire time. He gave it two and a half stars for taste, another star for concept.
I’m rewarding the above brilliance four stars, and I was also a fan of my own $ 5 turkey and sauerkraut dog. Nowhere near as interesting, but on par with dogs back in San Francisco.
And I’ve yet to see a Pastrami Burrito.

Pinks has made TV fame over and over, they’ve expanded to Las Vegas and LAX. I think sometimes while expansion is good, I think in this case it kills the quality in such a well known dive.
The Las Vegas restaurant, located in Planet Hollywood, is just that a restaurant that sells hot dogs, no ambiance, no dive location and this is the same problem that you get at LAX.
A hot dog is a dive experience, and pinks in LA, Arbetters in Miami have it down pat, just Pinks dogs are more interesting, and a more condiments to ad on to your Pinks dog.
While at LAX I went to pinks, it was ok, just ok, the quality wasn’t there and either was the cleanliness. I know in real life it’s a dive, but that’s at the original location. Here at LAX it was filthy. The dogs were in fact dogs.

This past weekend I went travelling to a few countries in Asia, and I was 3 hours early. The last time I travelled to Asia was 6 months ago, and Pinks was still under construction. I couldn’t get myself to brave the lines at the brick and mortar location in LA, but when I went travelling this past weekend, I was pleasantely surprised to see this place in business and without a line.
I wanted something good to eat while I watched the Laker game. I decided to try the Mullholland Drive Dog (I think), which consisted of a hot dog, hot dog bun, melted cheese, bacon, and I’m not exactly sure what else (I was pre-​occupied with the Laker game). It definitely did the job, as it was a nice and hearty meal before my flight.
After my experience at this location, I am glad I never braved the lines at the larger location in LA. It is good, but it’s not as good as I thought it would be. It’s just a hot dog with a bunch of other goodies. I don’t know what all the hype is about because you can easily duplicate their dogs at home, and probably with better ingredients. Nonetheless, it was a good meal before a long flight.

This is a genuine Pink’s outlet, using the same ingredients and fryer as the Original Pink’s on La Brea. Although the menu is much shorter, it keeps a lot of the good stuff (pastrami, jalapeño dogs, polish sausage, etc) for LAX patrons to enjoy. The onion rings are still amazing as are the seasoned fries. They serve Orange, Grape, and Strawberry Crush in the classic glass bottles!
The problem with this place is the service; Several times I’ve been here and the cashier is having a conversation with someone else and not helping the line of people, and the assistant is in the back room. This has happened more than once which is why it loses a few stars. As much as I like the food here, I usually pass it by unless there is no line.

Never thought my first time at Pink’s would be at LAX. I ordered the Millenium dog and forgot the fact these hotdogs are twice the size of an average. The dog itself was dry and not as juicy as I expected. I think our dogs were in the warmer for quite some time. I could barely taste the jalapeño, so it wasn’t at all spicy. Honestly, the entire Millennium dog was a let down because it tasted crappy. I liked the fries. Next time I’ll try Pink’s NOT in an airpot.

Pros:
The world famous hot dogs in an airport make for a pleasant surprise great amongst a sea of mediocre terminal food.
Cons:
The large hot dog is so big no human should be allowed to eat it.
Fun:
This place is so famous they made it into a System of a Down song. Can you name which one?

Leaving on a jet plane early in the a.m. I usually hit the bar, down a few and then pass out, (hopefully until well after the midway point in my flight).
Since I was flying to Guangzhou on a last minute ticket on the same date as the Asian Games were to begin, I was forced to fly bargain basement China Eastern (a negative star experience if there ever was one) and so decided to grub before the flight to avoid their nasty food.
Surprised to see a Pink’s, my girlfriend and I had to go. She’s never been to the real one, but after this experience, she’s not much inclined to make the effort.
There was a good, if incomplete, selection. But really it comes down to the dogs. The dogs were all pre-​made — even at that early hour — and tasted about as good as an Am/​PM or 7 – 11 dog. I don’t mean that to be an insult. Really. It’s just that Pink’s is a name, and given the cost it should be able to muster up something better than, «about as good as 7 – 11 hot dogs.»

Was at LAX on a 4 hour layover waiting for our flight to Beijing China. It was around 7 pm and we were starvin’ like Marvin. While we were having drinks across the way at the Daily Grill, The Better Half spotted a Pink’s Hot Dogs stand… I quickly paid for our drinks and headed over to place our order.
We porked out and ordered:
Pastrami Burrito ($ 6.40)
Polish Bacon Burrito ($ 6.40)
Veggie Dog ($ 4.10)
Bowl of Chili ($ 2.65)
Fries ($ 2.80)
Side of Ranch ($.90)
Side of Jalapenos ($.50)
2 Bottles of Water ($ 2.65 ea)
The reason why we ordered so much was because the Veggie Dog was nasty… it was cold and flavorless. So, we ordered a Polish Bacon Burrito and Bowl of Chili to replace it. The Pastrami Burrito was awesome! Full of flavor… the Pastrami, Dog, and Chili combination was soooo good. The Polish Bacon Burrito was awesome too. We couldn’t finish the Bowl of Chili and Fries, but they were very good. Glad we decided to eat here.
Will I return? Next time I have a layover in LAX, you bet!

I’m surprised no one has added a review to this place. Or maybe I couldn’t find it?
I use to work at the airport and it wasn’t open yet when I did work there. I finally got a chance to eat at this Pink’s location. $ 10 for a hot dog and a drink. Not bad considering it was in an airport and it was Pink’s. The pastrami, sour kraut, Swiss cheese, mustard hot dog I had was a heartburn waiting to happen. I also washed it down with a Mountain Dew and some Mexican fries from another establishment at TBIT, LAX.
My hot dog was yummy! There’s like 20 other hot dogs or so and I couldn’t really decide what to order… glad there wasn’t a line behind me. The hot dog preparer must of still been new since he had to look at the recipe list to see what was on my hot dog.
Not too shabby for a big hot dog before a 16 hour flt to Asia… or if you’re taking your lunch as an airport employee. See picture for details.
McD’s or Chinese warmer lamp fried rice? I’ll stick with the Pink’s! While you’re at it… take one togo for your first class seat!!!