University Town Center welcomes its newest addition, Berkeley Dog, located in the space which was formerly Arriba Baja Grill, between Lee’s Sandwiches and Focus Dance Center. Berkeley Dog, which opened on May 12th, adds even greater variety to the selection of eateries in the ever-popular town center, conveniently located just across the street from UCI making it an easy choice for a quick lunch or late night food run for students.
Berkeley Dog, although it currently only has locations in Orange County, associates itself with the more well-known Top Dog which has various locations in and around the Berkeley area (hence the name).
Like the majority of the other restaurants in UTC, Berkeley Dog has a very casual atmosphere, making it a great place to grab a quick bite to eat between or after classes. The décor isn’t anything out of the ordinary, colorful cartoon posters promoting some of their menu items, a good sized dining space, although the UCI banners, Cal football helmets, and other college memorabilia give it a unique touch.
Berkeley Dog, as its name suggests, specializes in gourmet hot dogs. A few of their sausage choices include the Kobe Beef, Louisiana Hot Link (a combination of beef and four kinds of peppers), Bratwurst, Juicy Habanero (beef, pork, cheese, habanero), and Smoked Chicken Apple. They even have vegetarian options.
I opted for the original Frankfurter (nothing too fancy), and to me it tasted perfectly normal. Juicy, flavorful, and with a good bite to it. I’ll admit I’m no hot dog connoisseur. What did stand out however was the bun, as other reviewers have pointed out. Instead of your standard white bun, the bread is more like a baguette with sesame seeds, toasted just the right amount.
The service was friendly, helpful, and relatively quick. They cook each hot dog to order and it took about five minutes for my order to come out. Another stand out feature are the toppings you can add to your hot dog. Kimchi and fried egg are just two of the unique options. Eight varieties of mustard are also available to pile on your hot dog.
A good selection of sides are available as well. One of the most popular sides are the “Monster Fries;” these are fries topped with chipotle ranch sauce, bacon, grilled onions, and nacho cheese. Needless to say, the caloric content for each item is not listed at this place. Other selections include funnel cake, sweet potato, and chili cheese fries. The “Freestyle” Coke machine — where you can use a touch screen to make our own soda creation with the additional option of adding flavor shots to any regular soda flavor — is another bonus.
Some Yelp reviewers have made comparisons to the beloved Costco hot dog and while there is a significant price difference ($1.50 vs. $3.85), if you’re in the mood for something a little different, Berkeley Dog is a good bet. Since there aren’t many places in Irvine or even in the south OC area that specialize in hot dogs, this place is definitely worth checking out.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Irvine chapter.