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Pink's Hot Dogs

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bgray00
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

"Hotdog to the Stars.."

  • October 19, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Red Mezz from Inverness, Scotland
When I came into Los Angeles to spend the month of December leading up to Christmas on the California coast - I was fortunate enough to know someone locally who could point me in all the right directions for what to do and see while visiting the area.

As I mention often in this journal - the size of LA is something that is really hard to comprehend until you are in the midst of it - and even before you are aware of just how vast the driving times can be from one end of the city to the other - it might still be daunting knowing just where to start your Hollywood adventure.

Not only was I lucky enough to have a few friends dotted around this mammoth city, but I was even more fortunate to have a few friends in film who'd been in the city almost a decade. And though I can't give you the most obvious and helpful advice I would like to give about visiting LA (That is, to know someone who is familiar with it and can tell you all the great things to see and do) I will try to pass on some of the knowledge I got while I was there.

Hollywood is a strange place - and I won't spoil it by telling you too much about it, in case you've never been. What I will say - and I feel that I can say this with a decent amount of confidence - is that it won't be what you expect. I'm not entirely sure what it was I did expect of Hollywood - but I do know that it was much different than any image I had in my head before I left.

And though I'm sure everyone has an idea of what they specifically want to see and do in 'Hollywood' California - there are a few little gems I found via my local friend which I think are certainly worth mentioning.

And the first and oddly one of my favourites, is Pink's Hot Dogs.

I will be honest - I came to LA mostly to visit friends at the tail end of a round the world journey. I'd been scouring travel guides and leaflets for the past year for things to see and do around the globe, so I hadn't really researched much in LA and didn't have any set notion of what I wanted to see while I was there. So when my friend told me that we had to go to Pink's during my visit - I had no idea what she was talking about.

The things you can do in LA with out spending a lot of money are somewhat limited, (though they do exist if you know where to look) and this is one I can highly recommend if you want a little taste of the Hollywood 'star' scene in a realistic setting.

On a little corner on North La Brea Ave is Pink's Hot Dogs. A little, almost nondescript building which you would probably pass by with out noticing if it weren't for the inevitable long line always looping its way out of it.

It’s tiny building, with a very small selection of rickety tables and chairs - this is not the Hollywood glamour you may have been imagining - but it is a Hollywood institution, for locals and stars alike.

Do expect a bit of a wait (it's all part of the historical Hollywood Experience...) as there is almost always quite a line, despite how quickly the staff manage to put out orders and move people through.

And if you are there in the winter - be sure to wear a coat (yes, even in California) as you'll be standing outside waiting for some time, and even in the little building it's not much warmer.

Inside are dozens and dozens of headshots of celebrities who've eaten at Pinks - you soon realize as you make you're way through your messy meal you are getting a real taste of Hollywood.
Not only does the staff manage to get your order right despite the fact that you had to shout it to them over the din of the crowd behind you - but the hotdogs themselves are pretty tasty, too.

But the true pull for tourists, and the reason I think you should add a trip to Pink's to your time in Hollywood is the selection of hotdogs. The menu and selection is enormous - and aside from the great selection of dogs and toppings, there are also the 'star' dogs - hot dogs which have the claim to fame that certain celebrities have come and ordered them special. (Yes, you can order a Rosie O'Donnell Long Island Dog, or a Patt Morrison Baja Veggie Dog - there is even a Martha Stewart dog.)

The price is pretty reasonable, too. Most of the hot dogs are around $4, a little bit more for the specials.

It's kind of a strange taste of Hollywood - but one that it well worth seeing (and tasting) for yourself.

From journal A Little Wander around Hollywood at Christmas...

Pink's Hot Dogs

  • January 8, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Michael Green from New York, New York
Best Hot Dog
Celebrating its 67th year in Hollywood, Pinks has gone from a tiny hot-dog cart to a citywide treasure, expanding in space and menu, but never relocating. The corner of Melrose and La Brea is the place for 10-inch New York-style chili dogs, nacho cheese fries, and other fried depression-era delicacies. Over the years, Pinks has expanded into burgers, burritos (filled with hot dogs, of course), and catering, but the style remains the same: great dogs, low prices, and no ego. A true Hollywood icon.
www.pinkshollywood.com

From journal Los Angeles: Best of the City

Editor Pick

Pink's

  • July 30, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by ak1 from Auburn, Washington
Pink's

Pink’s is the ultimate hot dog stand. They have been around since 1939 and are a landmark in Hollywood. The biggest difference between Pink’s and your normal hotdog stand is that Pink’s piles on the toppings; nacho cheese, mushrooms, olives, guacamole, you name it they probably have it.

This was the busiest hot dog stand that I’ve ever been to. We got in line at nine o’clock at night on a weekday and were in line for an hour. During our wait I think I changed my mind on what I wanted to order once every ten minutes, probably because everything sounded so good.

I finally decided to get the Planet Hollywood Dog which included: a polish Sausage, grilled mushrooms, onions, bacon and cheese. My fiancé and I also decided to get the spicy polish dog thinking it would be fairly mild. To our surprise spicy in this case actually meant mouth burning and perspiring spicy, my mouth was so on fire that I couldn’t even finish mine. To relieve the burning sensation we had to go out for ice cream afterwards. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite that spicy before.

The hotdogs themselves were a little disappointing. The bun was a normal hotdog bun that fell apart first thing, the mushrooms were from a can, the bacon was good but it was in long strips and the cheese was a nacho cheese that saturated the bun. The building was a small hole in the wall that offered limited seating and the dining room was covered with photographs of famous Hollywood stars who all wrote something nice on their photo about Pink’s.

After seeing Pink’s on the Food Network my fiancé decided that this was one place we had to visit on our trip. I’m glad that we had the opportunity to try Pink’s but I won’t ever wait in any long lines again to have one of their hotdogs.

From journal L.A. for Beginners

Editor Pick

Pinks

  • August 17, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by SFPhotocraft from Altadena, California
Pinks

In a city known for it's $50 lunches and here today, gone tomorrow trendy restaurants, one Los Angeles institution still stands strong - Pinks on La Brea Avenue.

Pink's opened on this corner in 1939 as a hot-dog pushcart by Paul Pink and has grown into an LA landmark. You can't miss it; driving down La Brea, the bright-pink sign will direct you to the spot, but the long line will also let you know that you have found this famous spot.

Pink's open at 9am and stays open until 2am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, and the line never dies down. The average wait time to get up to the front of the line is 1 hour.

Maybe there is a little bit of hype involved with the desire to have a Pink's dog. The truth be told, LA does not have the wide variety of hot-dog stands that places like New York or Chicago have. Also, there is a frenzy in LA to have something that someone else has, so the longer the lines are here, the more the others folks crave it, and they too join the line.

Once up in front of the line, you have a choice of hot dogs, hamburger, and tamales. The dogs all come with famous names and can be loaded with chili, bacon, sauerkraut, or avocado. The last time I had a Pink's, I had the Martha Stewart. It was a 10-inch dog with avocado, sauerkraut, tomatoes, bacon, and sour cream. Now, how Martha's name got attached to this dog, I have no idea! It was good, but very sloppy, messy, and impossible to eat.

Most of the burgers and dogs here are a bit overloaded. We laughed as we watched the next table, all French students, struggle and wrestle with burgers that were piled so full, everything would spill out the opposite side at the first bite. The frustration and mess just grew at every bite.

You can eat indoors or in the small courtyard in the back. The walls inside are graced with stars who have eaten here. In the past, I have personally seen Rosie O’Donnell, Adam Sandler, Britney Spears, and Chris Rock all chowing down at Pink's. The walls prove that almost anyone who is anyone in Hollywood has tried a Pink's Hot Dog!

Parking is a nightmare. There are a few places in La Brea. The last time I was here, I parked around the corner and got a ticket.

So, is it worth it? Long line, tickets, few places to sit: I guess it is. The burgers and dogs are good. I may have had better dogs in Chicago and New York, but this is LA, and hype counts for a lot! The longer the line, the more folks will just have to have one. So, next time you come to LA, get in line and order a Pink's - you never know who you will be sharing the line with!

From journal Movie Stars, Freeway and Beaches - LA

Editor Pick

Pinks

  • May 7, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by UCLArocks from Los Angeles, California
Pinks

This Hollywood icon is always crowded, and with good reason. For those of us who only eat hot dogs when we go to Costco, it's easy to think of the simple frankfurter as a kid's meal or something to eat because all you have in your wallet is food stamps. But the 50 people in line in front of us begged to differ.

Pink's has a small parking lot, or you can park on any of the small side streets around. If you're with friends, drop them off as soon as you're near to get in line, because you are going to wait… boy, are you going to wait. We were there at 3pm in a pretty good L.A. rain and still had to wait 35 minutes in line to order food. The smells of chili and hot dogs whip you into a frenzy of Pavlovian salivation, a secret technique they surely must use to heighten the experience.

When we finally got to the counter to order, we had time to memorize the menu with its bewildering array of options. Who knew you can fit two hot dogs in one bun (the Today Show Dog)? There's even a crazy option with three hot dogs in a tortilla (Three Dog Night). At the last minute I saw somebody ordering a Spicy Polish dog (with onions; mustard; and, of course, chili for $3.45), and that made up my mind. My friends ordered the Rosie O'Donnell (mustard; onions; sauerkraut; and, of course, chili for $3.50) and the Pastrami Reuben Dog (mustard, pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut - no chili - for $5).

Another tip is to, when you're in line and about 10 minutes from the front, send a friend to go claim a table. If you wait, you'll be eating your dog standing up. The table friend will have flashbacks of Elaine in Seinfeld saving seats at the movies, but it will be worth the extra trouble to fully enjoy your dogs.

You can see them make all the food. There are no visible secrets here. They steam Hoffy franks; use a pretty normal-looking chili; and have a small, standard fast-food grill. So why does everything taste so good? The Spicy Polish dog was unbelievable - juicy, surprisingly spicy, and an unexpectedly good blend of two strong tastes, chili and the sausage. The fries are seasoned just right; I recommend getting them without the extra chili and cheese, though that's good, too. The onion rings aren't the best ever, but they'll do. Washed down with a black-cherry soda, I couldn't believe this meal lived up to the hype and was worth the wait.

We considered getting back in line for another go, but were a little too full and still had miles to go on our journey.

From journal Rediscovering Tourist Los Angeles

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