Top Dawg Restaurant

Met the owner about a year ago… while on the job across the street. We chatted and she gave me a coupon for two free meals at her hot-​dog joint. I kinda know this neighborhood but have never seen the small restaurant.
Anyways, went there about a week later and enjoyed a chili-​dog and some awesome garlic fries. The dog had that snap… if you know a good quality hot-​dog, then you know what that snap is. Very tasty and the garlic fries were to die for. I licked my fingers clean.
That weekend I decided to take my kids on a light-​rail tour of Sacramento. What a nice change of pace to driving. I made a point of getting off at the Arden/​Del Paso stop… just to get some dogs. The kids enjoyed doing something different but they loved the dogs. Once again, we all enjoyed the chili-​dogs and garlic fries. The people behind the counter were very nice and presented us with all the options we could make to our DAWGS. Afterwards, we had some of the Italian Ice… do you remember Merlino’s.
This is a nice place to stop by if you happen to be in the neighborhood. You have to look for it because if you blink… you will drive right past it. It’s definitely worth the trip.

Starving and driving down Del Paso Blvd we see a dancing hot dog from the street and pull in. Ordered the Chili Dawg w/​Beans (yes they do for some reason had an option for no beans), a Polish Dawg, Garlic Parmesan Wings, Macaroni Salad and a Corn Dawg. Yes i get down like that. They were 8 inch Miler’s Hot Dogs on some steamed buns to my surprise were really good. Corn Dawg is def a must have it is a hand dipped State Fair style corn dog. The wings were just like how i like my women, naked and tossed in garlic and cheese. They were amazing and the sour cream ranch that comes with it make it 100 times better.

I’ll be back! Corn dog was awesome!
Had the Philly Dawg too… it was pretty decent. I’d definitely go for something else though.
The dogs they use here are top notch.

Despite the challenging location, this place rocks for hot dogs! I have been there twice, and both times have enjoyed the classic Top Dawg with fries and drink. My wife has had the Nathan’s dog and the chili dog and both were also excellent. Let me say that the Top Dawg has a natural casing that «snaps» when you bite into it and is a healthy portion that is a full 8 inches long. The chili and the french fries are the only sides we have had, but both are excellent, espcially the chili which is home made. Today we were there and were surprised to see a full blown bbq setup outside which added chicken and ribs to the menu. along with the tri-​tip and pulled pork sandwiches we saw on the specials board. This is a local, family-​owned and operated eatery that does things right. It is clean and well maintained, and everything is made to order. If you are expecting to walk in and have someone slap a dog into a bun and run you out the door, look elsewhere. They take the time to make everything fresh and high quality. The first time we went, the three of us were shocked when one of the girls brought us extra fries halfway through our meal because she said she didn’t feel that our first portions were large enough!
If you love dogs, give this place a try. Their menu features all kinds of variations, and I intend to try them all. On my next visit, I am going to try the corn dorg.

good, but I wouldn’t send someone from out-​of-​town here…

I’d really love to give this place a good review, however, the hot dog was nothing special. For $ 3.25, I got a regular hot dog with relish, onions, mustard & ketchup. They put cold condiments on the hot — dog. And the bun was not steamed. I was the only one there and after I ordered I used the rest room, came back and waited another 10 minutes for one hot dog. I have to say that the wiener was quite good. A long skinny, Miller brand weeny with a bouncy bite (from the casing) like a Casper Hot Dog. And the employees were super nice so there ya go. After reading other reviews, I should have ordered a corn dog!

Best corn dogs!!! They are similar to fair corn dogs but unlike fair corn dogs they are more easily available. The batter is extremely crispy all throughout the corn dog which is rare to find!
They also have really fresh Orange Freezes!
I will definitely be coming back for more!

Parking in front or across the street.
It has the dated (older) look but it was cute. You enter and the order counter is right across with a menu posted on the wall. There’s a few tables and a cushy bench. They also have an adjacent room with more seating.
You shouldn’t expect to order and eat soon after. It was a bit of a wait after ordering. You order, pay, and they’ll bring out the order when it’s ready.
I wanted macaroni salad ($ 1.25) and they happened to be out. I settled for onion rings ($ 1.75) instead with my BBQ Dawg ($ 3.75). Onion Rings were OK. It tasted more like breading than onion to me but the hot dog was pretty good. Lots of crispy bacon crumbles on top.
They get quite a bit of business as well as bums that walk by the front door and holler at the ladies working there. (Extremely amusing).
We enjoyed it.
Easy parking if it’s available out front. Affordable food. Nice place and staff.
Closed Sundays & Mondays.

Great little place, but hard to spot when driving down the roadway of life. The corn dogs are hand dipped and way better then any «fair food corn dog» I’ve had. A must try if you like corn dogs.
They serve all sorts of combo dawgs! I try and stop by weekly cause I love hot dogs! Oh yeah… The orange freezes are pretty tasty too!

Best Chicago dog in town… great service… fun ambiance…

I went in here on a cold, slow, Monday afternoon. I have my reservations about trying new hot dog places. I love hot dogs. But only the good kind. I sort of toot my own whistle that I can actually make a gourmet hot dog better then most hot dog shops. Perhaps it’s my traveling to Chicago and having some of the best. But seriously. This place sells hot dogs. Why were the buns not steamed? why would you advertise your «main course dog» with ketchup? and WHY WERE MY EFFING NACHO’S COLD? Please. Someone tell me. This was all wrong. I’m considering going around to each and every bad hot dog shop I’ve ever tried and demanding they pay me boat loads of money, so I can give them the secret to a good dog. Word of advice. This is not in a good area. The food was awful. The price WAS good. And the service was friendly.

Good, friendly service with horrible food! Oh, and don’t come if you’re in a rush. Took a good 20-​minutes to get our food and we were the only people there! And when it came it was all cold! The buns were old and stale. I could have honestly gotten a better hot dog from a girl scout’s fundraiser! Stay away from the nachos! Chips were old and the cheese was cold and clumpy. Though the fries were fresh and hot. Maybe they should call it Top Fries.

I’m not the type to give «faster» food a 5-​star rating. But this place was really cool and let me tell you why.
I was doing yard work all day and had to run to Ace on Del Paso for some stupid crap East Sac Hardware didn’t have only to find out the hours posted on the Ace website for its Del Paso location are totally incorrect. So Ace was closed, and since it was kind of far to drive to for nothing, I scanned the Del Paso hood for something else I might like.
Lately I’ve really been craving hot dogs. I think the greater craving is for salt but hot dogs satiate my need for high sodium food products. Add to that PMS and Top Dawg was really appealing to me. I walked in, with mud all over my shoes and looking like a total hick, and EVERY worker in there gave me some form of greeting. One waved, one smiled, and Tina, the owner (of this place and of the antique store down the street,) answered all my questions before I had a chance to ask them. Pretty cool. I wasn’t in a talkative way and I was starting to get shaky. Amazing service for a meal under 8 dollars!
I ordered a chili dog for the first time in ages, and it was very delicious. They give you the option of chili with or without beans, a good thing, and the chili was very tasty. The dog had the perfect amount of cheese, and the bun was very light, thank god. Oh and the hot dog itself was very salty and yummy. The fries were also perfectly seasoned and crispy. The Diet Coke tasted like Diet Coke.
As a side note, it was also interesting to hear all the bickering between the workers and the owner. I didn’t know places like this were allowed to exist anymore, where the help is allowed to have minds of their own. I give it three stars just for the civil banter. The owner was very good-​natured, and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as the help.
One thing that I’m not used to is Del Paso Blvd. itself. This is not my comfort zone at all. This area seems to have a serious propensity to get ghetto once the sun goes down. But I have that same propensity so I got along OK. But If you have to park too far away, just don’t if it’s dark out, unless you have a ninja. And, as always, take iPod with you.