Despite a widespread affinity for sausages in Hungary, we know of very few places in Budapest that offer tasty, authentic hot dogs. Let’s not think of the life-saving three bites provided by a street vendor after a party, or the fast food offered at the city's largest furniture outlets, because even though such hot dogs go as well with a cabinet purchase as popcorn with a movie, these frankfurters simply cannot be regarded as high gastronomy. The thing is, we can choose from plenty of variations if we want a hamburger, but hot dogs have been neglected in the Magyar metropolis. We may think that this is no surprise, since a piece of sausage with some bread and mustard is roughly the same anywhere, but it is a waste to underestimate the potential of this classic food that can be better than a hamburger when prepared right – especially if they are offered in several variations.
Victor Friedman is not a new face in Budapest's street-food scene, since his name can be linked to La Pizza di Mamma Sofia – a downtown pizza place that immediately became the leading spot for slices right after opening for business. They make freshly oven-baked, Neapolitan-style pizza with premium ingredients to this day. However, Victor wanted to work with something other than Italian dough, and his brother came up with the best idea: why not make hot dogs? Real hot dogs, with soft buns, chunky frankfurters, delicious sauces, and maybe unusual toppings. Months passed until everything was put in place in the small shop on Zrínyi Street, and until they found the perfect sausage supplier, the perfect mustard, and the perfect buns. Finally, they opened the place under the name Hot Dog Cold Beer, near the Basilica. They have 30 square meters with a black-white-red-yellow retro design and a beautiful copper beer tap.
While we stood in the line, we immediately spotted the surprising and very tempting Japanese Dog (890 HUF) – this is made with wasabi mayonnaise, pickled ginger, red cabbage, and sesame seeds. We asked for a chicken version, as we can choose between chicken and pork links. The taste experience is quite new, but if we look at the basics, the most important things are the bun and the sausage. Usually, there are two typical mistakes when it comes to hot dogs: the bun is either tasteless and too soft, or baguette-like and too hard. Here, they use a milk loaf-like bun to hold the franks and the toppings. It is easy to bite, and the sweeter flavor goes well with the savory sauces. After the first taste, it is obvious that the sausage is not your ordinary meat roll, either. Victor told us that they come straight from Italy.
We tried the more traditional German Dog (890 Ft) as well, which has sauerkraut, onion, and sweet Dijon mustard on it. With a glass of beer in the other hand (Borsodi 450 HUF/0,5 l, Staropramen 650 HUF/0,5 l, Hoegaarden 650 HUF/0,5 l) we could even celebrate a mini Oktoberfest here, but for lunch, dinner, or after a party, it is best to eat and drink our meaty treats on the steps of the Basilica or the riverside. Hot Dog Cold Beer stays open until midnight for now, but they will extend the opening hours to 4am on weekends.
We quickly tasted some accompanying crisps, which complemented the main course well. All of the hot dogs were filling and rich, but we simply had to try a corn dog (690 HUF). We feared that the batter would be too sweet, since in order for the outer caramelization to form, there is some sugar added to the batter. However, Victor and his crew put together a recipe that fits Hungarian tastes, and so we could be relieved. Therefore, we can safely recommend the batter-coated frankfurter on a stick, preferably with the similarly presented crisps as a kind of side dish.
We saved the most unique attraction of Hot Dog Cold Beer for the end of our visit, in part because we also feared it a bit. Although we'd heard about this for a long time, we could not imagine that fried candy bars could actually taste good. However, according to the words of Victor, the deep-fried Bounty named sweetdog (690 Ft) is sex itself. It is a sweet guilty pleasure, and the memorable flavor will stay with us for days, making us want more. Fried Bounty. From now on, we will not miss a single chance to eat it!
UPDATE: Closed
