Daddy’s Hot Dogs has been serving some of the best hot dogs San Diego has ever seen since the end of 2011. The place isn’t huge, nor does it have a lot of decor. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. William is a serious chef and stands by his dogs. In fact, he almost has as much pride in his dogs as he does his kids! We visited him early on when he first opened and try to come back as often as we can to see how he’s doing, and of course to see what he’s been cooking.
The classic dog we get every time is The “Manhattan.” Beef dog topped with grilled onions, deli mustard, and sauerkraut. It doesn’t get more basic than this. You won’t find ketchup around here unless you ask, and even then you’ll get a look that will cause you to rethink your favorite condiment of choice. I’d like to say I ate half of it so you could see what it looks like in the middle, but that would be a lie. The aroma from the kitchen coupled with my hunger made it impossible to wait. If you are in the mood for something clean, simple, and downright delicious look no further than The “Manhattan.”
William knows I’ll eat almost anything he puts in front of me, and I think he gets as much enjoyment seeing my reaction as he does actually preparing his creations. He’s made me a kimchi dog, one with spicy peppers, and countless others that don’t have official names on the menu. On this day he had something unique in its own right stewing in his head. This one had all sorts of things going on. It had capers, a squeeze of lemon, cream cheese, grilled onions, and some other shredded cheese (pecorino?) I can’t remember. I needed a moment to process all of the flavors. In the end it wasn’t my favorite, but one thing I love about coming here is that my least favorite dog is usually still quite tasty and would kill most any other hot dog place around. 
William understands people have different preferences and he does his best to cater to everyone by offering the various dogs he has on the menu. It does change every once in a while, so keep an eye out. Seeing that the last dog wasn’t high on my list, he cooked up something else he was sure to get me with. This one had deli mustard, red and yellow peppers, and some serrano chilis. I guess I was still feeling like a no frills, classic dog and he gave it to me. Certain ingredients are just meant to go together and it hit the spot. This one should go on the menu William! If you haven’t visited him yet I’d suggest you do.
Daddy’s Hot Dogs
1281 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
www.daddyshotdogs.com
[google-map-v3 width=”580″ height=”350″ zoom=”12″ maptype=”roadmap” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”true” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkerlist=”1281 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103{}restaurant.png{}Daddy’s Hot Dogs” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]
