Snappy dogs at Pink’s

I don’t know why it took me so long to try Pink’s Hot Dogs. It’s been a Los Angeles institution for the last 60 years. Equally impressive are their hours. Most days it closes at 2 a.m. with an additional hour on Friday and Saturday nights. I’ve passed by seeing lines wrap around the small structure and this past Sunday night it was shorter than I’ve seen in the past with parking readily available in front. Last night, it took approximately 40 minutes from waiting at the end of the line to finally getting our food. That’s a might long time to get a hotdog.

There’s a lot to keep you occupied while waiting. The menu is lengthy with additional supplemental specials posted around the lines. I must have changed my choice three times, sometimes choosing the basic chili dog to the more exotic Three Dog Night which are three dogs wrapped in a tortilla and three slices of bacon, three slices of cheese, chili, and onions. But heartburn was a major concern and no one would share it with me.

I finally decided on the bacon chili dog sans onions. Basically a dog with cheese and three slices of bacon and topped with diced tomatoes. It was a mouthful. My dining companion choose the Swiss Mushroom dog. We allowed each other two bites of each other’s dogs and both were equally good.

I appreciate that the buns were steamed which made them pliable to hold the mass of toppings. In addition, I liked the snap of the dog for the first bite. My eating partner thought it was gross and would prefer something that didn’t have such a tough skin but I thought it gave them flavor and a nice texture. Onion rings were basic and nothing special. So far, the best dog I’ve had in Los Angeles.