Man Bites Dog

Sorry to see you go.
This was the hot dog place that worked for the entire family.
We will miss you Stephanie!

I used to like the S. Lamar location however that closed a couple of years a go. This location will be closing on March 22^nd. I decided to try this location last week.
I purchased a Danger Dog. I wasn’t impressed. The bread was stale. I liked the buns at Man Bites Dogs, so this was a huge disappointment. The buns usually have a nice have nice flavor and is lightly toasted. The hot dog was over cooked as well another disappointment. The Danger Dog is deep fried with bacon, cotija cheese, jalapeños, and danger sauce. It was edible, but not enjoyable. Made me wish I went to Sonara Dogs’ food stand a little bit further up the street.
Alas, I will keep this review succinct, because it is going out of business and no point in kicking a dog when it’s down.

When you’re tired of tacos and can’t stomach any more Tex-​Mex, Man Bites Dog has an arsenal of flavor bombs waiting to deploy.
My single complaint about this place is that the toppings are piled high on the dogs and they fall apart pretty quickly in your hands. They should probably add a hand-​washing station like Rudy’s.
That said, the Half-​Smoke and Dog Named Sue are totally worth it!
Also, Tater-​Tots!

The food was ok but what brought down my rating even more was the service. The guy taking our order seemed very annoyed by questions we had to ask. I overheard him with customers that came in after us and he was the same. Plus they have no high chairs. All restaurants need to be family friendly and offer high chairs and booster seats.

This place is awesome! They have great food with creative menu options and a pretty cool atmosphere. I grew up in Chicago so whenever I come here I order the Abe Froman. Ordering anything else would seem like a sin. My husband is more adventurous and has tried the Hair of the Dog and the Danger Dog and liked both a lot. The hot dogs come on a really tasty, fluffy kolache bun. They’re fries are fresh-​cut and their fried pickles are thin and crispy with a horseradish-​y ranch. While you eat or wait for your food you can play some of the games they have available for use by patrons. We will definitely be back.

Well, after the second try, I don’t think we’ll be back. The first time was just unimpressive. We’ve had better dogs from a trailer outside of Lowe’s, but we figured this place’s claim to fame was less the dog and more the gimmicky flavor combinations in the specialties so we came back to try again. We ordered three dogs and two fries for take-​out, but we were only given two of the three dogs and no receipt. I should mention that while we waited, only two other customers came in and placed orders after us, and only two or three tables were seated at the time of our arrival so the place was in no way busy at the time our take-​out bag was readied.
While I admit we should have checked the bag before leaving the restaurant, I still believe the customer service that followed was poor. When I called to inform them of the error, we were refunded the missing dog and one of our fries but were not offered any other compensation. I understand the employee who took my call had just gotten in, but if he’d been a little less dry, I’d have felt a little less aggravated at the lack of customer service. There was no encouragement to return to the business and give them another chance, so we definitely won’t.
The fries were absurdly greasy, much like the fried pickles I’d had my first time here. When we first visited, I’d had an Old Fashioned, and as I said before, it wasn’t anything to write home about. The bun was actually more impressive than the meat. I wanted to try the Bratwurst, but unfortunately, that was the dog that was left out of our order. My partner said the Chili Cheese Dog was pretty standard but, like the fries, very greasy. We haven’t touched the Buffalo Hottie, mostly due to sheer disappointment in the customer service, but by the looks of it, it’ll hold to the recurring grease on a bun theme.
If I’m taking any of my friends visiting Austin out for dogs, it’s not going to be Man Bites Dog. For the price, the quality of the food is really over-​rated. I hate having to peg a place on customer service, since I work it and know how tough it is, especially if the folks working here only earn minimum wage, but management ought to have a policy in place for situations like this to actually encourage customers to return.

Holy moley did I hit the jack pot in the lets try something new lottery! I was an avid Dog Almighty fan when it was still around but of course it’s no longer with us may it rest in peace… So I’m with my brother Piggy comic book shopping when we decide to go get a bite to eat and we’re driving down good old Burnet road when I see this place and cut dangerously in front of traffic and pull into this place. Let me just say to the gargoyle two reviews before me, what are you trying to screw every guy at what ever cash register you go to? This guy today was extremely helpful to say the very least, he recommended the fried pickles and the Chicago dog which is named something I don’t remember. Now let me just say I spent like $ 14 on two dogs and tots and a soda so I was a little upset and the price up until I got me meal. These dogs are huge! The bread they used was nice and soft and I’m almost certain they took the time to hire a real cook cause the kid behind the grill got down on me and my brothers food. The tots were just right and by right I mean cooked to a golden brown crispy perfection. The fried pickles my brother ordered are some of the best I’ve ever had and they truly don’t half ass on the amount they give you! They have this mustard called beer brat mustard which is incredible. I’m a big boy and can put some food away but on this day one dog was all I could handle! Luckily they have Togo boxes. I nearly got arrested because I threatened to shoot the kid behind the grill since I knew he’d never cook my meal as perfect as he did today. The cops let me go provided my brother trashed my copy of «Once Upon a Time in Mexico» which gave the idea of shooting chefs. All jokes aside this is a good place to pig out on your cheat day, which lately has been everyday for me le sigh…

Dude! Broseph! Bra (h)!
One of the bad reviews for this spot described the cashier as sullen. I love it when Unilocalers use SAT words! Clearly a symptom of over educated person in an unfulfilling day job. Or so I smugly thought. As only another over educated underemployed smug rapscallion can surmise.
Indeed, the Google vice president from NBC’s attempt at dystopia, Revolution has landed on his feet as a hot dog slinger. He indeed looked sullen. At one point he left his post to peer out over an overcast and cold parking lot.
And every other cliché about modern yuppies, sorry I mean hipsters, was present.
Man Bites Dog, in addition to being a clever riff on the journalism truism is also coincidentally (?) the name of a documentary about serial killers. And what’s the best way to dispose of human remains aka long pigs? The plot thickens!
Some feminine presenting presumably hetero chick who resembled Velma was having an erudite soliloquy about the ages of the Scooby Doo team. Her bearded companion was convinced that they were college aged, but she asserted that they were indeed high schoolers. Oh so!
I got the Pepperwurst. Grilled sausage with mustard and cooked onions and peppers. And a half smoke to take me back to those depressing three years in DC. Fries too. The dogs were excellent, best I’ve had since I left by. I would order the half smoke without the coleslaw. Good Dog in Houston could learn a lot from this place.
So some former yuppies walked in. Mama yuppie says Do you have
— Sweet potato fries?
— Waffle fries
— garlic fries?
And in the greatest deadpan I’ve seen to date, homey says
«No ma’am, we just have fries.»
I love that dude. (In a healthy way, not that there’s anything wrong with any other sort of admiration)
Sullen?
No that man is a comic genius. And since I stayed there for three hours working, I got to see ol boy is actually a cool dude. His green hoodie matched his new balances, and layered that with a corduroy jacket that had leather elbow patches.
Man Bites Dog is actually performance art with good hot dogs

I dig dogs and have always been curious about this place. A lot of nice reviews, but alas, in the end it came up short of expectations. I’d say a 2-​star is appropriate = I’ve experienced better.
The sequence of events:
— Customer Service was flat and cold. When experiencing a new place I sometimes like to ask the staff for suggestions, but this dude wasn’t in the mood. Short closed-​ended responses and shrugs, I don’t think he wanted to be there. This was a big turn-​off, I nearly walked out as I didn’t feel welcomed and he didn’t seem eager to earn my biz.
— I got the Chicago and Bahn Mi to go, it was placed in a huge brown shopping bag. The bottom container wasn’t shut and secure so when I reached in to take the top dog that bottom Bahn Mii dog tumbled over and spilled. I had to scoop up the mayo and condiments from the bag — — kewl beans.
— I paid $ 12 for 2 hot dogs (wow) — — no fries, no drinks. One’s all beef, the other’s pork. They both have onions and tomatoes on them, one has cilantro and cukes with carrots and sriracha mayo. The other has 3 hot peppers and relish. It’s a hot dog w/​condiments — no truffles or anything special, so $ 12 is quite alarming to me. An 8 pack of Nathan’s costs $ 3.69. No bang for the buck here.
— The bread on my Chicago Dog was stale — — this was disappointing for a $ 6 dog. The flavor was good, lots of onions, liked the hot peppers, but the damn bread was stale and that was disenchanting.
— The Bahn Mi Dog was better, although would have liked more condiments (4 individual cilantro leaflets) but flavor was solid and the sriracha mayo rocked. Still not worth $ 6 — — but if you throw in some fries with that price and now we’re talkin.
The dogs tasted good, I like the creativity, but the stale service and stale bread and super premium price and lack of bang for the buck here is my experience. Maybe it was an off-​day, but I would still go back as I think they have HH or daily specials because like I said — — I dig dogs and their food had solid flavor.

Love their dogs. We’ve been many times. Have had many but my favorite is the Abe Froman. Fun games.
Really disliked surly counter dude with glasses and green sneaks last time on a Sunday however… no hello, thank you or words at all for that matter — nothing but a constant annoyed look stapled to his face while he owned his ‘worst job in the world’ feelings. Clearly the patrons were taking away his precious iphone surfing time which he continued by stepping to the side of the counter behind the wall (SORT OF) when no one was at the counter at every possible minute.
The best part was when he swept the floor, while our food was waiting patiently — READY — under the heat lamp and he knew it (he looked up directly at it) — and he continued the sweeping for another 30 – 40 seconds only to then put down the broom, pull his pants AND underwear up in the back and then finally touch our food to hand it to us (without a word) without cleaning his hands. After pushing the food toward us on the table, he filled a couple of new baskets with paper liners — with the same hands — before returning to his phone.
4 stars for the dogs!
Unfortunately, negative 4 stars for surly and dirty service on our last visit.

It’s currently my goal to get enough Belly points here for the party. I love Man Bites Dog.
I’ve yet to try anything other than the buffalo hottie, but it’s soo good. The bleu cheese is so good, the cheese tots are amazing.

Really enjoyed this place. Awesome and original hot dog choices. Hair of the dog (bacon wrapped frank chili, cheese, and an fried egg with tobasco sauce) was great but trust me, you only need one! (learned that the hard way!).
The danger dog (bacon-​wrapped, cotija cheese, fresh jalapeños & danger sauce) was also really good. Spicy! The danger sauce is one-​of-​a-​kind.
French fries were great, perfectly cooked but another great side is their fried pickle chips. Unlike most pickle chips I’ve had, these are lightly battered and crispy. Really good! Try and get there for happy hour from 4 – 7. Great deals on their side items and beer.

waooooo!!! Came to visit this place last nite and give a try… i am back today these are best hot dogs in town after the ones in maracaibo, venezuela!!!
my new favorite place! !! just delicious! !!

This place is not bad. The dogs are interesting, the tots are nice, atmosphere is family friendly, but there’s nothing really outstanding about this place that makes me crave it every week. However, everyone should have the hair of the dog at least once.

Awesome fried pickles & awesome chicago dogs! This place is filling and is a GREAT bang for your buck! I got the half-​smoke and it was awesome. The Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce was unique and delightful. You can sit inside or out (dog friendly) and it would be great for lunch or dinner. Its easy to get to especially if you live central.

Enjoyed the Abe Froman: essentially a Chicago-​style hot dog. (Abe Froman is the unseen «Sausage King of Chicago» character from Ferris Buehlers Day Off).
Man Bites Dog is the most accessible and least pretentious gourmet hot dog spot in town.

I don’t crave hot dogs, but I’ll give it a go if its a legit option (heh, an option with options).
The location is great, off Burnet Road around lots of other businesses. We dined here for lunch and snagged the last available table/​booth. I haven’t had a hot dog in years. Their options are vast: pork sausage, bratwurst sausage, deep fried bacon wrapped beef, beef, beef, more beef, oh and um, beef. The most expensive dog is still under $ 7 and these babies are HUGE! For us annoying non-​meat eaters, eating in mainly meat establishments, they let you substitute a vegetarian frank (no extra charge, thanks), and they also have vegan chili. For you gluten free peeps, you can sub a gluten free bun for an extra 50 cents. While you can sub a veggie frank for anything, there really isn’t any option to sub since all the franks have additional meat on them. So you’re paying more to remove something. I got the house dog sub veggie for $ 2.99! Lunch on the cheap! I like! I think this was my first fake meat veggie hot dog, and it was weird. Not their fault. Just not used to it. I got a side of fries (for free because it was Tuesday) and they also have tots, fried pickles and a frito chili pie.
When you’re jonesing for a hot dog, Man Bites Dog is a pretty solid option.

Came here after seeing the interesting name and wanted to try my first hotdog place in Austin.
Overall pretty good for a hotdog place. They got some creative menu items from Bahn Mi Dog to Cartoon Dog («Beef frank, peanut butter, grape jelly & Cap’n Crunch cereal” – not sure if I’d try it). I had the Pepperwurst, which had some good sauteed vegetable toppings, along with a side of tater tots.
The portion size is on the conservative side, but all the dogs were about $ 5, so it wasn’t too bad.
Kind of a neat little place, and I’d probably take friends there in the future. Still want to try the Pulled Pork Mac ‘N’ Cheese!

Eaten here several times and it’s a great hot dog spot. Admittedly, I always get the corn dog, but they’re really good and I always have a hankering for a good corn dog (miss you Lucky Dog!)
You, however, should check out the rest of the menu because they have a Banh Mi dog that looks awesome and some other hot dogs that sound crazy good. They have Maine Root sodas on tap, always a good thing.
AND you can play board games while you eat! Woohoo Connect Four!

Upon walking in to Man Bites Dog, I was re-​introduced to several parts of my childhood that I hadn’t been reminded of in quite a while. I love the playfulness of the restaurant — from the Pac Man on the walls, to the cartoons playing on tv, being able to order juice boxes, and the funky blue color of the walls. First impressions are important, and Man Bite Dog got it right.
So, I chose the Half-​Smoke big dog — a smoked port sausage with chili, cole slaw an Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce. It was divine. Messy, drop-​half-​your-​stuff-​in-​the-​basket-​goodness. All of those flavors shined through individually and made for a really interesting dog that I frankly loved. I definitely would like to come back to try some different things — they have some interesting stuff on their menu. Not too sure about the Cartoon Dog… but other people in my party loved the Danger Dog in particular. I didn’t get tots or chili cheese tots or fries, or Frito chili pie but everyone else in my party did and everything looked amazing. No complaints… this place is great!
Until we meet again Man Bites Dog — I’ll be thinking of you fondly.

Stopped in last Friday after driving by it forever. Placed a to-​go order. Service was very friendly. Upon hearing that it was my first time visiting I was offered a few suggestions.
I settled on a dog with cotija cheese and jalapenos (actual menu name escapes me!) and an order of chili cheese tots. The dog was fantastic, loved the kolache bun that it was served on, and those chili cheese tots? Have mercy!!! The chili was great, not just a brown flavorless gravy (I’m looking at you, Sonic) but a very spicy, flavorful chili. The small order of tots was massive. Had some for a snack the next day… lol
I’ll definitely return – wanna check out more of the other dogs that they had to offer.
Good stuff.

I had the Bahn Mi dog and the pulled pork Mac and cheese and it was absolutely delightful. The Mac and cheese was perfect. It was cheesy, meaty and the chives with sour crème topped it off. The Bahn mi rocked my world. What an amazing version of the classic Bahn Mi Vietnamese sandwich in hot dog form. This place is great for a casual eat in or a quick take out.