Mad Dogs of Utah

The SLC street food scene is becoming increasingly competitive. In the last few weeks I’ve discovered a taco cart selling cheese steaks, a cart solely dedicated to bratwurst, and heard of a vegan Mexican cart. So in light of all the competition, how do you stay competitive?
Here’s one thing I know: the cart you visit can have as much to do with the food as it does the dude running it. So when I bellied up to Mad Dogs with no idea of what their food was, it was nice to see a fellow named Rudy talking with his customers and sharing his love of made-​to-​order meals.
While he isn’t quite the charismatic show that other food carts proprietors are, he’s a heckuva guy and really likes what he’s doing. You’d have to, to be out there slinging grub all morning and afternoon. He’s on the SW corner of the SL City & County building grounds so he’s got a built-​in breakfast crowd that he regularly caters to. When lunch comes around, he does up dogs, burgers, tacos, and some sammiches. I chose the Ortega turkey sandwich (don’t quote me on the name) which was made of deli turkey, grilled sourdough, and a big fat chile with sauce. As bang for the buck goes, I came out on top. His food is quite inexpensive.
Expect to wait. Not an excruciating amount of time, but if there are a few people in line ahead of you, pull up a chair to chat because with such a diverse menu it’s not likely to come off of the line quickly. Hopefully he’s trimmed down the wait time a bit, so don’t let a few folks in line keep you from trying it, especially if you’re already in the hood. Once you’ve got your food, there are a few tables on the building grounds where you can take it to enjoy plein aire dining. In winter months, scarf down your bacon-​wrapped dog and be on your way.

Take a hot dog, wrap it in bacon, fry it up and try not to love it. I dare you! If you don’t love it then you should be put on a no fly list because you hate America!
Pro Tip: Rudy will make you a bacon dog on a corn tortilla if you have gluten allergies.
Burgers are good, my favorite is the avocado burger, but the Ortega Burger has looked tempting as well. Tacos that I’ve seen (but not yet tasted) are fully loaded. For breakfast, 2 fresh biscuits and gravy (bacon gravy, not sausage) for $ 2 can’t be beat.
There’s some quirks with this cart though. Mostly, don’t go when it’s crowded. Rudy seems to get flustered and then he screws up. He’ll either overcook your burger or mess up on your change… or forget you order altogether.
Every time when there’s just been 1 or 2 people it’s been great though. If you’re looking for cheap, decent grub from about 6am to 2pm, you’ve found your spot.
Pro Tip part duex: There’s usually parking on State just north of 5^th south. Just watch for Meter Maids or your breakfast/​lunch will get significantly more expensive.

Love Rudy! Such a nice genuine guy who really knows how to run a food cart. He’s sweet, friendly, and really accommodating. When I was there, he was out of turkey so he made some chicken for a gal.
I’ve had the ortega burger, carne asada tacos, and turkey and ortega grilled cheese. All of them were finger-​licking good! The ortega on both the burger and grilled cheese added great flavor. I need to go back asap for another grilled cheese. Yum! I also got the bacon wrapped hot dog for my boss and she devoured it!
I love that everything is made to order. No precooked stuff here. This means you might wait a little longer but trust me, it’s worth the wait. He toasts the buns and chats with you while you wait.
Did I mention how cheap the food is? It’s such a steal! I saw their breakfast menu which includes biscuits, gravy, and hashbrowns. All for mere change! I can’t wait to go back for their breakfast one of these days.

I’m gonna try something new because Alison H and Ryan K already mentioned everything I was going to say about Rudy and his cart. It’s really really really good. Go, what are you waiting for?
Rudy doesn’t do any pre-​cooking of his meats like others, he cooks it to order, good thing he’s good to talk to so the wait really doesn’t seem that long at all.

The bacon-​wrapped dog is so good. Like, so good I’m contemplating making the drive from middle-​of-​nowhere Draper back to downtown tomorrow to have another one. And that’s at $ 3.75 per gallon. The crispy, crunchy bacon and the toasted bun is perfection.
Rudy is really cool. Super nice guy who loves to tell everyone about his story.
The Garcia sandwich is quite good as well. Grilled sourdough, American cheese, grilled turkey and grilled green chiles make this a great sandwich. Next time I’m going to ask him to add the «Mad Dog special sauce» to the sandwich to give it a bit more kick.
He also makes asada tacos and burritos. One thing that sets him apart from a lot of the other carts is that he grills the meat right when you order it, rather than pre-​cooking it.
The cart has only been open seven weeks, but he’s doing things right. Can’t wait to go back.

My new favorite food cart in the downtown SLC area!
Two, okay maybe three, things make this cart special.
1.) Rudy — super nice guy who believes in excellent service and ingredients. He will customize however you like (gluten-​free friendly) and will even let you call ahead and order.
2.) Biscuits and Gravy — a food cart that does biscuits & gravy, hash browns, and… breakfast sandwiches for only a buck and a half? Seriously.
3.) Drumroll please… BACON! Rudy uses quality dogs (which honestly makes a big difference), wraps them in bacon and lets them bubble and crisp up on the grill. He also grills the bun. Those little touches make the difference. These dogs are delicious and my new fave in SLC. Add A1 or syrup for your own flair :)
Rudy has plenty of other diverse offerings — all made with love. French dip was also lovingly grilled — meat and bun — fresh. No precooked/​overly cooked food here. You can also add grilled onions or mushrooms. Burgers aren’t shown on the menu but are available.
Bacon and accessories make Mad Dogs, LLC a food cart must!