Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Best Dog on a Stick?

“Established 1894,” says this sign on top of the brick building. It’s the old Wonder Bread building that Mission Brewery has taken over (1441 L Street, 619-544-0555).

But it’s what’s outside that interests me. There’s this truck that looks like a, well, dog shack. And Dog Shack is what it’s called. As in hot dog. The deal is when they’re here, you can order dogs and take them in to the brewery and chow down with your beer.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/09/22524/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22541/

Bill, Jessica his daughter and Erika are trying to keep up with the beer crowd here.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22540/

They have straight “Diego Dogs,” on a stick or on a bun, for $3.50, or $5 for a quarter-pounder. “The Boxer,” wrapped in bacon goes for $4.50/$6.

And whoa: wish I was man enough for the scrumptious-sounding “Great Dane,” – two battered ’Diego dawgs “sandwiched together with shredded cheese, chopped bacon, chili, and crushed tortilla chips.” Oh man. Only trouble is they cost $7.50, or $10.50 for the quarter-pounders.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22542/

But in the end I go for the ’Diegos: one in a bun to take to Carla, one on a stick for me.

Jessica plunges my dog into the deep fry while Erika makes up the bun dog.

I forget to put any of the condiments on, but take the dogs in to the big barn where Mission makes and serves its beer. I’m in a rush, so just get two sampler size $1 glasses of the most delish beer (in my book) they’ve got: the dark stout-ish “Shipwrecked” double IPA out of the barrel. Think the gal says 11 percent alcohol. Usually it’s 9.25 percent. At this level, two sippers is about all you need.

But what I find is that they’re the perfect match for my dog on a stick. It is totally delicious, beefy, not salty like most hot dogs. Even without those condiments, it really tastes of beef. And the batter has a sweetish thing going on. Dang, but it’s good.

I glug the two little glassfuls down and head back out to the Dog Shack.

“How come it tasted so good?” I ask Bill.

“Well, family recipe,” Bill says. “It’s all in the batter. We’re actually working on changing that a little bit. Sweeter? Still experimenting. But the hot dogs themselves come from Lodi, California. Millers. 100 percent beef. Heck they’ve been making them since 1910.”

Gosh, almost as long as Wonder Bread right here.

Where to find them: See The Dog Shack website, and on Twitter.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Why you climb El Cajon Mountain at night

The man with no rope fell 500 feet
Next Article

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, y'all

Fried chicken, biscuits, and things made from biscuit dough

“Established 1894,” says this sign on top of the brick building. It’s the old Wonder Bread building that Mission Brewery has taken over (1441 L Street, 619-544-0555).

But it’s what’s outside that interests me. There’s this truck that looks like a, well, dog shack. And Dog Shack is what it’s called. As in hot dog. The deal is when they’re here, you can order dogs and take them in to the brewery and chow down with your beer.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/09/22524/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22541/

Bill, Jessica his daughter and Erika are trying to keep up with the beer crowd here.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22540/

They have straight “Diego Dogs,” on a stick or on a bun, for $3.50, or $5 for a quarter-pounder. “The Boxer,” wrapped in bacon goes for $4.50/$6.

And whoa: wish I was man enough for the scrumptious-sounding “Great Dane,” – two battered ’Diego dawgs “sandwiched together with shredded cheese, chopped bacon, chili, and crushed tortilla chips.” Oh man. Only trouble is they cost $7.50, or $10.50 for the quarter-pounders.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/10/22542/

But in the end I go for the ’Diegos: one in a bun to take to Carla, one on a stick for me.

Jessica plunges my dog into the deep fry while Erika makes up the bun dog.

I forget to put any of the condiments on, but take the dogs in to the big barn where Mission makes and serves its beer. I’m in a rush, so just get two sampler size $1 glasses of the most delish beer (in my book) they’ve got: the dark stout-ish “Shipwrecked” double IPA out of the barrel. Think the gal says 11 percent alcohol. Usually it’s 9.25 percent. At this level, two sippers is about all you need.

But what I find is that they’re the perfect match for my dog on a stick. It is totally delicious, beefy, not salty like most hot dogs. Even without those condiments, it really tastes of beef. And the batter has a sweetish thing going on. Dang, but it’s good.

I glug the two little glassfuls down and head back out to the Dog Shack.

“How come it tasted so good?” I ask Bill.

“Well, family recipe,” Bill says. “It’s all in the batter. We’re actually working on changing that a little bit. Sweeter? Still experimenting. But the hot dogs themselves come from Lodi, California. Millers. 100 percent beef. Heck they’ve been making them since 1910.”

Gosh, almost as long as Wonder Bread right here.

Where to find them: See The Dog Shack website, and on Twitter.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.