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Includes, Gail's Special Potatoes, 2 eggs any style, 2…
Mon-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
I go to Weeneez every so often when I am craving a hot dog. They use good hot dogs, but everything is very average. The service is usually a bit slow, but I just kill time by checking out the art gallery around the back of the restaurant.
I usually get the L.A. Hottie Dog, which seems to be their best item. Its a chilli cheese dog with bacon and jalepenos. I must say that their homemade chilli is pretty damn good!...but it better be for $5.
The verdict: They use quality dogs + good ingredients + overpriced food + slow service = an average meal
People thought this was:
What a waste of a hot dog joint. You're better off finding a hot dog vendor in downtown for your craving for a long tube of meat because you're not finding anything in terms of affordable or good here. That's for certain.
Hot dog didn't taste good. Would have rather gone to tommy's and gotten a hot dog there.. Which is saying a lot because I never go to tommy's for a hot dog. That's like going to Outback for seafood (or for that matter just going to the outback)
Prices were pretty high. I mean, I know it's downtown, but you don't want to overcharge for the simple reason of over charging. Do you?
Then you have the dogs that are covered/topped with just about anything and everything. I have to give it up to pinks for keeping it to some moderate level of what to put on a dog. They know you don't want to mask the good hot dog with crap. This place, doesn't know that.
Very colorful inside and it was creative, to say the least. That's why it gets 2 stars. You're not missing much if you don't come here for a dog. That's for sure.
People thought this was:
Hmmmf. I've been watching Travel Channel quite a bit and there have been a few episodes on hot dogs. Got me craving a dog and Weeneez is my local doggery (that's a word now).
I ordered the Gnarley Dog. Footlong with kraut, ketchup, spicy mustard and pickle spears. It was pizazzless (that's a word now too). The bun seemed store bought, the link was almost tasteless and even the kraut on top seemed like it was out of a jar.
There was no character to the food that I ate and it bummed me out.
Pass!
This review is entirely about the taste of the Hot Dogs, and it gets 1 star. I've had more than one shot at Weeneez cause I have ordered some specialty dogs before, so that could have easily been why they sucked, because I was going all crazy on the thing and it's really easy to make hot dogs suck if you put too much shit on them... so my last chance at Weeneez came when I ordered a good ole' plain Hot Dog, with mustard. Period, nothing funky, nothing special, just a fucking hot dog.
Well, it sucked ass. It was terrible, and really, you gotta suck to blow a regular hot dog. It was just so dry and chewy, it was like eating a rubber hot dog toy or something. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work, if your gonna have a hot dog place downtown, you gotta make good hot dogs... and I'll happily give Weeneez another shot if someone can tell me they got a damn good dog here, cause for lunch it's super easy and right across the street from my office.
People thought this was:
Best damn chilli I ever had ......hands down
People thought this was:
Went downtown last night for the "Downtown Art Walk" and I stopped by here about 5 p.m. to kill a lil time and pick up something to eat.
The first thing I can tell you is they have a menu hanging on the window before you enter so you can look at it first to see if it's something you'd like to eat...to me that's smart...esp. being in the area their located in....keeps alot of unwanted peeps out hopefully 8)
Not sure what they are doing in the back of the place next to the booths...where that door was. Remodeling of some sort.
Employees come in and out of their ALOT too....and the FUMES of the FRESH PAINT were killin us 8((...every time they opened the door
At one point a gentleman eating in there next to me asked an employee to please keep that door closed....it stinks he said
Nice art work on the walls (most being cats of some sort) it seemed. The one painting I looked at up close was over $3,000 8--/
I ordered a chili dog combo $6.00 even
Comes with drink, chips and a salad ..I got the the cole slaw
Bun was SOOOOO Soft...Just perfect
Weenez was cooked just right (Kinda had that snap) when u bite into it...I like that...now the bad part....The chili was Ewww
Didn't care for it
The cole slaw had this weird orangish color to it...I was like~~~Hmmm...I'm NOT gonna assume anything till I at least taste it...lol
It was Good though
Woulda gave the place ''2'' stars...but I bumped it up to a 3...because the cashier who helped me when I first came in was friendly...and I liked her. Kind of a MOD looking girl who had two toned hair and was real young ..like maybe 20
I wouldn't go back for anything they have as far as CHILI goes
People thought this was:
Feeling adventurous, we headed out of our normal 2-3 block radius for lunch. We have to walk through urine scented streets to get to Weeneez so my expectation was kind of high given the effort. Also, I was told that there is a art gallery inside so I imagined the place to be hip and cool.
After a 10 minute walk, we finally got there. When I stepped inside, I thought to myself "this is it". By then, it was too late to turn back so I looked at the menu and ordered a chili dog with drinks and a bag of chips. The total was $6 which seemed like a a good deal.
There was only 1 person working there at the time. She was the cashier, the chef and the waitress. The hot dog wasn't good at all. It was just a plain hot dog with chili and raw onions in a steamed bun which the chili broke apart in few minutes. Fortunately, I had a fork and finished my very disappointing lunch without creating a big mess. Given the quality, $6 is not a deal at all. To sum it up, I rather eat at Costco. At least the hot dog is good and only costs $1.50.
Apparently this place does not take kindly to OPINIONS. My original review:
"anyone who says these are the best hot dogs are either lying through their teeth or really good friends with the owner. the place doesnt even have a kitchen. get with it peoples!!! if you don't demand good food DTLA will stomp all over you. I've been here for 4+ years and i still think the best food is tacos mexico, mai's, and all the trucks you can go to further east."
And what I got in the mail from "biggy R." who "knows the owner Julie."
PUNK
Too bad that your brain is so dead that you dont realize that all of the food comes from a main kitchen out back. Everything is homemade at Weeneez.
So are you trying to do your friend a favor? Or deter people from writing reviews. If I don't like something I don't. If you want to convince me otherwise, go ahead... but if you had any business sense you would know that what you sent me is not the way to go.
I'm sorry if it doesnt look like the workers are putting much effort into making hot food at your place, it's just my opinion and others have stated them as well. Maybe more eloquently than I do. These hot dogs don't hold up. And I dunno what "restaurant war" you are talking about, where else can you get hot dogs/veggie dogs downtown?
when you say "out back" you mean where The Must is right?
The weeneez were dry.
The employees seemed clueless.
It was overpriced.
There were some ghetto @$$ guy on his cell phone talking really really loud. We don't have to know his business.
Haha. They have Sunday brunch.
You will not see me here again. Ever.
People thought this was:
2.5 stars really.
I've walked past this place everyday for the last two years, and finally set foot inside.
I had the cheeseburger, and it was decent. Potato salad was a little on the bland side. lunch companion had the Broadway dog and loved it. Prices were pretty fair, $7 for my combo meal of cheesburger, chips (cuz they don't have a fryer for fries), side salad and soda.
For a place that's fairly new, the place is a little run down already. The furniture inside just looked tired. And I don't know if the place doesn't have AC, or it it was out, but it was WAY humid and hot walking in today. You know how it is when you walk into a bathroom after someone just took a hot shower? And how gross you feel? Yeah, it was like that.
Service was friendly, but a little on the slow side. My companion finished his entire lunch before I even got mine. I get that a burger probably takes a little longer, but still.....I felt like I had to wolf down my food so we could get outta there and back to work on time.
Breakfast deal looks pretty good...I'll have to stop by and maybe they can get bumped up a star or two.
People thought this was:
I'm giving this two star place three stars because I still have a Weenee in my stomach and it has taken over my hands. But even he knows his birthplace isn't that great.
I mean, if you go so far as to register your business name as "Weeneez," you ought to at least run with the cheeky name and plaster the walls with phallocentric decor. Instead, the place resembles a low traffic food court afterthought, so empty that you're never sure it's still in business.
The two bright spots: the cheddar/tomato dog was ok, though not on the menu. The bar stools resemble sitting on a cartoon smooshy mushroom.
Don't feel bad if you die without going here.
People thought this was:
The hot dog ordered was the Chicago Weenee... It was pretty good... If you're a fan of pickles than that's your Weenee... I did try their chili and it reminded me of cafeteria chili (personally... I did like)... The homemade lemonade is awesome!
They wouldn't make me a grilled cheese even though it was on the menu.Employees were lame. something about the place screamed "health hazard" despite how hip they were trying to make it appear.
lastly but perhaps most key , being in some place called " Weeneez" generally just makes me uncomfortable.
Go to Pinks.
Just a little FYI to the readers : I'm almost 100% sure all the 5 star reviews of this place are from the owners under various accounts. I could be wrong but i doubt it.
People thought this was:
Ventured over here on one of my lunchtime walks looking for new venues. I've always seen it, but never was impressed to stop by. Now I know why. LOL. Its an ok place to go if you happen to be passing by.
Im a fan of hot dogs with natural casing, and they offer up som nitrate free selections. The dog has a decent snap, but beyond that I wouldn't write home about it.
I found the chili dog and potato salad combo I ordered to be a bit flavorless and bland. The Pink's Dogs they used to offer up at Pacific Theatres were much better.
Considering all that, it seems a bit overpriced for what it is.
The service seemed sketchy too. I was the only one there and the guy STILL got my order wrong. LOL. The manager glared at me when I corrected her about the mistake.
Doubt I will venture here regularly.
People thought this was:
I love coming here for the cheeseburger. Julie Rico and the gang serve up (besides a good hotdog) a most excellent cheeseburger and now as of this past Sunday the 13th, brunch!
I had the sausage gravy with biscuits which was excellent. Sausage gravy with just the right amount of spicyness and the eggs benedict (served with ham instead of Canadian Bacon) was highly praised too. They serve at the table and what great service it was! Michelle, the server who waited our table was very attentive and sincere. She checked on us regularly and made sure we were ok.
I love coming here for lunch or for a before 8pm cheeseburger craving, and now I think I have a regular place to go to for Sunday brunch! (oh and they had mimosas on the brunch menu too!)
People thought this was:
Weeneez is like the only good place for hotdogs in downtown. I love the Kosher Polish. It's a meal… Read more »
I think the word I'm going for is "underwhelmed."
Side note: is there such a thing as "whelmed"? Just wondering
Anyways, after a long and confusing wait, first in an incohate line, then at a little table in the too-well-lit dining room, I had perhaps the most bland and indiifferent hot dog this side of my friend Annie Holbrook's mom, who used to pop them out of their plastic container, boil them for a few minutes, and then hand them to us as if they were lollipops. Ah, my memories of upstate New York. They give me goose bumps.
So I was saying: hot dogs here are pretty much flavor-free (we were there for art walk last month, and I sampled the dawgs of several of my co-walkers), the bread gummy and too-sweet, and the "relishes" ordinary. Very, very "meh."
Side note: yesterday during the intermission of the staged version of Point Break (see my review, if you're interested) we had a not-bad meatball sub, I think courtesy of Weenez. However, I should point out that at that point I'd had two scotches, and was in a laissez-faire mood.
I know there's no truth in advertising, but Weenez does say they have the best dogs in L.A. Ummmm. No, okay? How about they say: "Our hotdogs are better than Annie Holbrooks's mom's." And it would be true. They get a second star for the meatball sub, but I'm going to go back there sober someday and try one, just so I can retain my "credibility." Stay tuned!
People thought this was:
Hands down my favorite place to go for a quick, cheap lunch or dinner downtown. Tasty and reliable, neat atmosphere, and delivers just what it promises. Who could ask for more? I find myself lingering here, reluctant to leave, dawdling over my potato salad and frank. Bring a friend.
After a year of development, Weeneez finally opened last week. It's a hot dog restaurant with a few non-dog menu items. The hot dogs are grilled (foot longs and sausages are steamed) and have a nice snap. Chili dog is good. Chicago dog is missing sport peppers, celery salt and poppy seed bun, but otherwise okay. Mustard dog is with spicy brown mustard. Veggie dog option is not available. Bleu Cheese dressing is made on the premises and fantastic. No french fries now, but they are working on that. Drinks are served in biodegradable plastic cups. All in all, a fine place for a quick bite downtown. Hours are 10 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.
New info learned on December 18th. The hot dogs are now being grilled instead of steamed. I have edited my review to reflect the new information.
People thought this was:
Walked by this place many times, never been desperate enough to go inside. Until now. First and last time.
I'm not sure how this place qualifies as a restaurant, as they don't seem to have the ability to add heat to food by any other method than an electric warming plate that's plugged in next to the cash register. They cannot do french fries, as there is no deep fryer. I'm guessing that fire is really not an option here. The woman who took our order was trying to push the chili.
In any case, the hot dog my friend ordered was taken straight off the warming plate. No idea how long it had been there. The other 4 were still on the plate when we left, awaiting the next unlucky diner. My friend didn't make it past the first bite. As we thought: dead, chewy, ick. Coke was flat. Diet Coke was fine. Too scared to try the macaroni salad.
The woman working there made a very loud phone call to an employee who had apparently quit, asking him if he was coming in for his last shift or just bailing. So much for ambiance.
I really want to support local businesses, but bad is bad. One star for having dark green lettuce in their salad (yay!) but unfortunately the glob of dressing that drowned it made it completely inedible.
Why? Great art and space.
How can you get a weenie wrong, they need tips from the Danger Dog ladies in Hollywood!..dang I want a danger dog now!
People thought this was:
The food is not so great!
But it has a nice artsy ambiance, art on the walls, cool music, and very friendly staff.
I went with a group of co-workers shortly after it opened. I work with a lot of folks who can appreciate a good dog, especially if its within walking distance of our downtown office.
We set out to try the hot dog/gallery experiment and were, well, kinda let down.
The staff seemed a bit thrown by the size of our group (about 12), so orders were mixed up and several drink orders were forgotten. I can chalk that up to the jitters that come with opening a new place. When we all sat down and dug in, we thought the hot dogs were great. I'm a sucker for sauerkraut and pretty much mowed down my hotdog the way that conehead chick ate the Subway sandwich in the movie. So yeah, they do make a tasty hotdog.
The drawback was that the combo meals really didn't fill any of us up. We all SAID we were full, but I could tell that satisfaction was not met--I could see it in their eyes. I'd probably go back if I were right there and really wanted a hotdog, but it's been a few months since we made our field trip and none of us have gone back.
Who knows, maybe I'm just a pig and expect way too much for $8 or whatever it was I paid. If you do come here for a meal, eat a snack beforehand.
People thought this was:
So I don't know if the hot dogs were actually that good or not, but I do know my girlfriends and I were starved at Art Walk, and this was the closest relatively free place open.
I ordered a Broadway turkey dog, and it was excellent, as hot dogs go. I'm not the biggest fan of them, as evinced by my turkey choice, but it was hot, it was filling, and I LOVE peppers, so peppers + turkey dog = happy tummy. Plus the setting is cute. Paintings abound, and you can step right into Red Dot behind Weeneez.
The potato salad was good, the pasta salad was not. Choose carefully. The service was not very good, but the place was packed, so I'm giving them some allowance. Even so, while I waited for my order, I saw a finished order sit on a tray for about 10 minutes before a waiter picked up the ticket and called the number. They forgot to give my friend utensils and when she asked for a set, they gave her four. Everyone seems a little off-kilter there, and the open kitchen makes me automatically think of health hazards, but it's a hot dog. Whatever.
Prices were OK, a few dollars I think, which is more than I ever want to spend on hot dogs, but seems par for course for specialty dogs around here.
they say they are the best hot dog in la. that is not true. i passed by it on my way for an appt for work. wanted to get a dog. they've been open for 30 mins and they don't have chili yet. wtf? they are known for their chili dogs. secondly they were all out of foot longs and polish and a lot of other things. the place also looked bare but not industrial style downtown bare. more like bare but also messy looking. how strange.
the hot dog was ok. came with chili and bacon. what is cool about them is that they are owned by the people who own the red dot gallery so you can go walk through to it. the bistro is also now closed and only offers drinks instead.
blah!!!! but at least i had a hot dog in between work prior to lunch! this could be great if it was run well.
People thought this was:
definitely a diamond in the rough. outside of pinks and a few others, it's hard to get specialty hot dogs in LA
i got the broadway dog (regular, which means it has a natural casing) which comes with mustard, mayo, ketchup, onions and peppers. It was great.
Good tamales too.
This place can suck a big weenee! I don't get very picky about food when I have had a few alcoholic beverages, but damn! You couldn't pay me to go here again. I'm not even going to get into my experience with this place, just don't do it!
People thought this was:
I've only had the Chili Weenee. I'm definitely a fan. The price is right. Wish they served french fries.
First of all, they are located in a difficult area so they are not getting the visibility & foot traffic that they probably hoped for. Ordered a cheesburger meal, which comes with a choice of potato chips (they don't have deep frying capabilities) & a choice of salad (green, potato, or cole slaw). The cheesburger (which is cooked in a frying pan) was ok. The green salad was huge (much larger than just a side salad). The place has beautiful artwork in the back & the staff seems friendly. However, the place itself feels a little lonely & desolate. Not sure that I would run back there again.
I wanted to like this place. LA has some cool hot dog joints (Skooby's in Hollywood is my personal favorite) and I was hoping Weenez, despite the lame name, would join the pantheon. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed. The people who work there don't quite seem to know what's going on, and I had to continue reminding them of what I ordered. Also, I ordered an Arnold Palmer and they said I would have to wait 4 minutes while the tea brewed, which I was cool with. Unfortunately, 15-20minutes later the tea was still not ready, and they ended up finally just giving me a straight up lemonade. I would expect them to have given it to me for free, or at least at a discount for my troubles, but nope I still had to pay the $2.50 for the glass of lemonade. At least the lemonade was decent, not too sweet or sour. The chili dog I ordered was decent, but not too satisfying. There's no particularly "special" dogs like at Skoobys, where they have such delicacies as the quesidilla dog and the garlic dog. No french fries either. The salad however, was a high point, the homemade bleu cheese dressing was great.
Overall, I'll give Weenez a few months to work things out, but if they don't massively improve to make the food and experience worth the fairly high prices, I won't be coming back.
-Fred Camino, MetroRiderLA
MetroAccessible: Red Line Pershing Square
People thought this was:
the mention of D.C.'s ben's chili bowl on the weeneez Web site was enough to put the place on the top of my list of restaurants to try. nostalgic for those late nights standing in line for spicy chili cheese soaked dogs and fries.
weeneez is kind of a strange but neat concept--a hot dog joint hoping to support the artists community (there are some very cool woven works by youn woo chaa hanging up now in the adjacent gallery).
so i hate to bust on what seems like an earnest effort. but the chili dogs don't quite make weeneez the "best hot dog restaurant in the world" that it promises to be. dj noted the dogs have a crisp snap to them, which is nice. but the chili isn't very punchy or flavorful. and, the dogs are steamed, while ben's has rows and rows of fat half smokes grilling in greasy juices that make your mouth water while you wait. weeneez doesn't have french fries yet either. boo.
so i dont' know. go check out the artwork. have a link and support some artists. but keep moving if your quest is to find the best hot dog in the world.
People thought this was:
Um, big fat ZERO if i could.
The staff are definitely post office rejects, if that. I keep on thinking there is a camera crew waiting to jump out and say "you've been punk'd" for actually giving money to this pathetic joint.
People thought this was:
with my first favorite hot dog stand missing from in front of the mexi-market on spring, i had to wonder if it had anything to do with weenez opening up. no bother.
hello, my name is alexia, and i really like hot dogs. i'm kind of a sausage connoisseur. favorite being bacon wrapped with grilled onions - which weenez does not do. also have been known to add roasted peppers or avocado, and switch it up with knackwurst or bratwurst. weenez has two options: regular and polish.
there are plus sides, though. it is two blocks from my good friends place in downtown, and we have a hot dogging tradition. when one friend went vegetarian, weenez started carrying the meatless kind, even though its not posted on the menu. there is an art gallery in there full of the most ridiculous sights you ever saw. and, if you ask nicely, the man behind to counter will wear a velour hat that is shaped like a hot dog, complete with fake relish. how about that.
People thought this was:
barf...no thank you! that's all i have to say about that!
People thought this was:
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Hot Dogs
Neighborhood: Studio City
Category: Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Art Galleries
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Gastropubs
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