Good Chili Dog in The OC?

I've seen posts asking for chili dogs in other areas, but can anyone tell me where I can find a really good chili dog anywhere in Orange County? I haven't been to Jerry's Dogs yet (is their chili good?) but will try them soon. A good chili dog depends not only on the dog, bun, and toppings, but the CHILI itself---and too many places seem to serve bland flour-thickened slop that can be bought in the can section of the 99-Cent Store. Any recommendations?

[wienermobile]

Portillo's around the corner from Knott's has great chicago dogs with chili.

[HBfoodie]

I too remember enjoying a chili dog at Portillo's and I think it had grilled onions on it, but I don't remember exactly what type of hotdog it was. By the way, there is another Pch Dog here in Huntington Beach facing the pier near Pch/Main St.

[kevin]

has anyone been to East Coast Dogs in Huntington Beach?

[HBfoodie]

Its been shut down and replaced with another business for quite some time now.

[Outsider]

In Orange County, the choices are limited, but I must say PCH Dogs are pretty good for a decent steamed hot dog and chili. PCH Dogs in Orange FTW!

As for Jerry's, which has a decent grilled dog, has anyone caught on that the 'chili' they use is actually Hormel?? Cuz if it's not, it tastes just like it.

[nikinaka]

The Hat in Brea or Tommy's, Fountain Valley.

[Itslikeimsayin]

I've been to the Tustin Jerry's and had chili cheese fries. The chili tasted almost identical to Wienerschnitzel chili to me. In other words, this ain't the place for a great chili dog. I did like my dog, though (no chili on it).

[kevin]

pch dogs still the best in that part of town, love their crappy style soupy condiment style chili. that's actually a rec.

[SouthOCHound]

Yeah, i'm jumping on the PCH bandwagon as well. Chili-dogs absolutely kill me and PCH's are no exception, so I try to limit my gluttony to rare occassions. You want some serious arterial damage? Get the chili-cheese fries and wash them down with some pepcid ac. This place must be making a killing b/c it is just a shack with probably little overhead staffed by a min. wage employee and every weekend [and most weekdays] it has a line around it at lunch time. Their Chicago dog 'aint bad either.

[BabyDaddy]

Anybody tried The Hat? Best known for their pastrami. I haven't had the chili dog, but I have had the chili burger. there are two great locations to serve you in OC, Lake Forest and Brea.

[parabellum]

The hot dogs at the hat remind me of the hot dogs they served in my grade school cafeteria. I don't understand how they can get the get the rest of the menu right but comepletely miss with such a basic item.

[JohnnyGourmet]

I think PCH is really good.
Pacific Coast Hot Dogs
3438 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
[phone]
Daily: 11:30 am to 9 pm

[kingkong5]

I agree about PCH hot dogs. Whenever I go motorcycle riding, it's a definite good place to stop and fuel up on their chili dogs. The place is strange, in a supermarket type parking lot, it's a random little hot dog stand sitting there off Chapman, south of Orange Hill restaurant.

If you continue north on Chapman, you'll get to Santiago Canyon road, one of the better roads to ride your motorcycle on in OC. PCH chili dogs always fit the bill when we're on group rides, the fries are fresh and hot, and the chili dogs, with mustard and onions, are just great.

I visited Jerry's on Sat, I had their Signature Dog (with natural casing) with chili. The Signature dog was great (snaps when you bite into it); chili was good, ground beef, not too spicy (not exceptional chili, but good). I also tried one of their All American skinless dogs; also good but I would recommend the Signature for the snap. They BBQ their dogs over a wood fire, which gives a good flavor.
And they serve beer, nice companion with a dog!

Link: http://jerrysdogs.com/home.asp

Thanks for the info!...I will try a few different dogs at Jerrys (but at their new La Habra location, which I hope is as good as their Tustin location).

[SeaCook]

Rich

You must also try Jerry's homemade potato chips. They're hot and crspy goodness!

[peppermonkey]

i like their dogs and toppings but the bun is just too thick...that's all you end up tasting...still better than most...

[josephnl]

Agree...but it's better if you ask for it toasted.

[peppermonkey]

good tip...will try next time

Most of the other posts are right, there aren't many good suggestions for great chili dogs in OC. About the only decent ones I've had are at Tommy Burgers, and it's good more because of the chili than the hot dog. I love the chili at Tommy's, and they smother the entire hot dog with it. Also put a large pickle and tomato on top of it.

Some friends of mine went to Red Rock Chili (in the Fashion Island food court, I think) last week, and while this is more of a chili place, I believe they have chili dogs there. My friends raved about the chili being excellent, but I don't think any of them tried a chili dog there. It might be worth checking out. I hope to try it sometime soon.

I've been to Jerry's Dogs several times, but I tend to try their bratwursts and Polish or Italian sausages whenever I'm there, so I haven't sampled their chili dog yet.

Haven't tried any of these following places yet, but they're on my list of hot dog places to try in the future. If any are near you, you can give us a report and let us know:

Mustard's Chicago Style Hot Dogs
3630 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos

Pacific Coast Hot Dogs
3438 E. Chapman Ave., Orange,
& 300 Pacific Coast Hwy. Ste. 106-A, Huntington Beach

East Coast Hot Dogs
19092 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach

Champs
12161 Seal Beach Blvd, Seal Beach

Chicago Harv's
410 E Chapman Ave, Fullerton

Fat Daddy's Auto Spa & Chicago Eatery
900 W. Lincoln, Anaheim

Hollingshead's Delicatessen (German deli)
368 S Main St, Orange

Hollingshead's dogs ROCK! Saturday only and the place is usually packed, unless there is a day game at the stadium.

They fly the dogs in from Chicago. I'm a fan of the fire dogs and the brats (which are also served on nights the Packers play, like last night).

Link: http://www.hollingshead4beer.com

BTW, Hollingshead's isn't German. The family background is English and the food there is midwestern/sandwich type stuff. Everything is homemade on site and good.

Deviled eggs, baked beans to die for, pickled eggs, great big ole' pickles and amazing array of sammiches. Not to mention a beer selection that currently hovers around 400 types (although, Ken is into British and has a huge selection and Kenny is into Belgian ales and yet another huge selection).

15 taps that rotate all of the time... best beer in OC hands down!

[Oh Robin]

Is Hollingshead's far from Disneyland area?

[kevin]

like 10 min by street (given taht's there's no traffic).

[Harry Nile]

Does Hollingshead's Delicatessen make the monumentally hotdogsimplistic claim that they "fly the dogs in from Chicago," or do they say, "We use Vienna Beef"? If the former, then I wouldn't go near the place, because of the, er, hotdogsimplisticism; if the latter, it might be worth a try, although it is possible to screw up even a Vienna Beef dog -- witness my meal the other day at Portillo's.

[kevin]

i don't think they're even open on saturdays anymore nor serve up those dogs anymore either.

[peppermonkey]

yeah...portillos is juss not very good...tastes like any other hot dog...don't think they use vienna beef...or at least doesn't taste like a chicago dog

I've tried many hot dog places throughout OC and none were good enough to write home about. If you want a good chili dog you're going to have to travel to Hollywood or the SFV. You won't find places like Carney's, Wiener Factory, Skooby's, or The Stand in OC.

The best chili dog is 50 miles from Orange County and it is called Carney's. There are two of them. One is on the Sunset Strip and the other is on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks

Try Hot Off The Grill - 16522 Bolsa Chica St, Huntington Beach

Bad recommendation, my friend, because Hot Off the Grill is terrific for burgers, huge salads, quesadillas, and sandwiches---but their chili and hot dogs are very mediocre...I'm still waiting for some suggestions for chili dogs in Orange County!!

I don't know of any places in OC but in LA in Hollywood there is Skooby's which has the natural casing (it snaps), steamed bun and good chili. Not as good as a place I know in Michigan for coney island (Leo's) but closest thing I've found in LA. Drive up and have 3 dogs or so to get the fix in good.

They also have good seasoned fries that are made from real potatos.

I second Skooby's. Good stuff...but you'll have to buy more than one if you've got the munchies.

In specific regards to their chili, you can actually taste and see chunks of beef; unlike the sludge they serve at Pink's.