What's Up Dog!

I found a great little place in San Francisco that does one of my favorite foods right. I’m talking about hot dogs – those wonderfully flavorful little meat sausages that bring me indescribable joy. A good hot dog reminds me of so many things from my childhood – going to baseball games with my family, summer picnics, hanging out at the beach. One time I ate 14 hot dogs and won a contest in college. I got really sick later, but I didn’t care.

The restaurant that I’m talking about is called What’s Up Dog! Owned and operated by a couple of hard-working young guys in San Francisco’s trendy Union Street district, What’s Up Dog! is a hot dog lover’s dream.

They have 13 links/sausages to choose from – from your basic hot dog all the way to gourmet sausages like kielbasa, Italian sausage, Louisiana hot links, bratwursts and more. Then, they feature 12 customer favorites, consisting of classic dogs, produce and condiment combinations that will have you waxing nostalgic. Some of these include the Chicago Style, the New York Style, the Texas Dog and the North Beach Dog. They even have some unusual selections like the BLT Wrap Dog, the Pastrami Dog (I can go for pastrami on anything, so why not my dog?), and a Four Cheese Dog. My favorite (and I’ve tried most of them) is the incredible Southern Dog, with chili and cole slaw. The chili at What’s Up Dog is awesome – full of meat and flavor. Throw in the creamy cole slaw and you have one amazing dog.

They grill all their hot dogs at What's Up Dog! which is the way to go. I used to like my hot dogs boiled, and I had a very intense argument about the concept of boiled vs. grilled a long time ago with a good friend. But, as I got older, I began to realize that grilling a dog brings out the flavor and is really the only way to go.

What’s Up Dog! also has sandwiches if you’re all dogged out, featuring things like hot pastrami, rib-eye steak, meatball and grilled chicken. They also have great French fries, chili/cheese fries, garlic fries, onion rings, and get this – bacon cheese fries! These guys are my kind of people – they’ll put chili and bacon on just about anything.

One of the main things I like about What’s Up Dog! are the buns. A great dog can be ruined if the bread surrounding it isn’t perfect. And, believe me, WUD! has the ideal buns – large, soft and delectable.

What’s Up Dog! is located at 2211 Filbert Street at Fillmore, San Francisco, CA 94123.
You can phone in your order ahead of time at (415) 776-DOGS (3647). To take a look at their extensive menu, visit their web site at http://www.whatsupdog.com/.