Papoo’s Hot Dog Show

As a veggie in LA, I find it difficult to find a cheap and delicious breakfast spot. I’d rather not pay over 12 dollars for an omelet, and instead head over to Papoo’s! This spot is quick and serves great coffee, plentiful portions and has just about everything you could want for breakfast for less than 10 bucks. I go for the oatmeal (so good), with fruit, toast, and egg whites for 4.50. Even if you are a meat eater, you can surely find something that strikes your fancy.
The atmosphere is homey, as it is very much an old classic diner. Anyone that visits LA, or is just looking for a good meal, head on over. You won’t be dissapointed!

I just found out hotdog show is gone. I now live in San Diego, for me hotdog show is one of those places that tied my to my childhood in the valley. The food was great and the décor was a bridge to another era. Its truly sad to see papoos go.

This place is still such a local star that it was mentioned on an episode of «The Cleveland Show.» Miss it! Thank you, Seth MacFarlane.

Rest In Peace Papoos. I loved this place when we lived close by. This pace will sorely be missed. We moved away two years ago, and I just found out they closed. Some of the best dogs in LA came from ths place. I hope you one bak one day!

I just found out that Papoo’s old breakfast menu is being served at the Honey Baked Ham restaurant just up the street. One of the breakfast/​lunch waitresses is there. She greeted me by name and told me they have my breakfast burrito.
And guess what, it’s good! Pappoo’s breakfast burrito lives!

My jaw dropped open in sadness when i saw this got shut down.
This was my first favorite place upon moving to LA.
RIP — Pappoo’s Hot Dog Show. You were too good for this world.

Very sad that this place is closed. Great place. I drove by the other day and the signs are down. DAMNNN SONNN.

THIS PLACE IS CLOSING AT THE END OF AUGUST!!!
I love this place. It’s a rare jewel among the many cookie cutter restaurants in Southern California.
GO WHILE YOU CAN! I recommend the fried zucchini, onion rings and sloppy burger…

Tuna Avocado melt w/​french fries is pretty good. Beats nearby Honeydew Café. Amount of avocado is good value for $ 1 — as if you bought avocado and put it on yourself.
Pastrami is good quality but not 1 of the best of LA and definitely not the largest bang for the buck.
Prices already include tax so there is no guessing — plus they are even quarters to reduce need of coins other than quarters.

Stumbled upon this while doing my taxes in the area. The sign is classic and drew me in more than anything.
It is what you would expect… nothing too special, filled with locals, and serving up proper dogs.
Can see the appeal as the local hangout, but it really needed to be a little more tended to. There were trays of old food on more than a few tables, papers strewn about, it def didn’t look/​feel so clean.
Ordered a chili dog and beer, was respectably good. Hung out to eat it.
It wasn’t busy at all, but yet no one cleaned up anything. By the time I left I seriously wanted to clean it up myself, just my Monica Geller screaming out! Really? Your not doing anything person behind the counter! Oh well. It was good, and will probably never eat here again, mainly due to logistics. I’m never in this area. I would still recommend if someone was out this way.
Loved that a Grateful Dead song played out of nowhere! Jerry?

I was on one of my bi-​monthly trips to frys. I usually stop by porto’s bakery either before or after the trek, but on this very sunday it was more packed than usual. I perused Unilocal to find a hot dog place. Me and my friend rolled into Papoo’s.
The prices were manageable for hot dogs, and the creations had me reminded of pink’s, without the ridiculous line. I ordered the Show Dog and the Pastrami Dog. My favorite of the two was the Pastrami dog, which came with bell peppers, grilled onions, swiss, and yes pastrami. It was delicious and hot, and the hot dog had great flavor. The Show Dog came with grilled spinach, bacon, onion rings and cheese, which was also tasty.
They weren’t the best hot dogs I’ve ever had, but I was immensely satisfied, and the leftovers for dinner filled me up well too. I will return to try the other dogs.

I used to come here a lot and stopped for some reason. Anyway, I was sitting in traffic on the 134 freeway thinking how I haven’t had a good burger in a couple months… and remembered Papoo’s so I took the Hollywood Way exit and found my way to the parking lot.
On this night, I ordered a double cheeseburger with steak fries to go. I got home and everything was great, just like I remembered. I will have to come back again soon, perhaps for a Sunday morning Denver Omellete.

My bloggingbuddy and I checked this place out for our blog Burbank Bites! We go on and on about the details of our meal there– but quick & to the point for Unilocal!
I could kind of care less about hot dogs honestly, but if you want one, this place has got em. I got a turkey dog– so no you do not only have to be a beef eater to get a dog here. Atmospherewise, it’s kind of like eating in an old soda shop. SO if you are looking for an out of the ordinary lunch spot to shake up your routine– it is not a bad bet. I mean… they have ELK burgers!

When I started working in Burbank I was on a quest for a good lunch spot. glad to say, I found it here at Papoos!
I hate to admit, but I’ve never tried their hot dogs. Although, I have tried many other delicious items. I’ll start by saying this: Their portions are pretty generous!
— Salads: excellent! (huge portion)
— Cold sandwiches: simple, yet great (also huge)
(Note: I tend to ask for a half sandwich, half salad since the sandwiches are so stuffed)
— Hot sandwiches: try the fish sandwich! My friend likes the charbroiled chicken w/​bbq sauce (beef dip is on the salty side)
— Steak fries: great. not to mention, the onion rings are awesome!
— Burgers: awesome! turkey and garden are equally yummy! (good portion size)
Ok, I can go on and on. if you’re looking for good food for a reasonable price, eat here!

I think I have found a serious contender to rival my favorite Burbank hot dog joint, Larry’s.
I frequently passed by Papoo’s and giggled at the sign. I mean, come on, it’s called Hot Dog show (with a cute dog cartoon mascot) and they sell hot dogs.
Anyway, I love that it looks like a retro diner, complete with a jukebox, 50 cent toy machines, and vintage signs galore.
My hot dog and fries were delicious. Check out their menu online – they have more than just hot dogs. You can even specify how you want the dog cooked.
Also! If you order fries, make sure to get a side of ranch dressing. It must be homemade because it was delicious and not runny like Hidden Valley or whatever.

Breakfast or supper you can’t go wrong. The B.E.L.T. (bacon egg lettuce tomato) sandwich is To.Die.For. Crispy bacon. All I really need to say. I get mine in non toasted rye (to prevent the toasted razor blade feeling). Big enough for two light eaters to split but still enough for a heavy eater to have trouble finishing. If a hot dog is what your belly desires (it IS a hotdog show), then the show dog is your guy. Add some sweet tater fries and you could be in Heaven. Kick Pink’s and their stupid line to the curb and get your LA hotdog fix here.

This is to update for my previous review of Papoos to show that even a hot dog conessiuer like myself makes mistakes even, the owner Leona, read my review and went out of her way to help me realize my mistake, by graciously inviting me for a taste test, that had me feeling like a total douche-​bag after not TRYING it for a couple years before wirting my previous review.
What I had tried before my taste test, which was what i had described a no casing hot dog. I tried both the hot dog i had before and their newest dog, i was severely embarrassed at my previous review. their chicago red hot version which was like a sabarett, VERY hard to find dog here in LA, the only other place that had it was wiener factory and that had closed down, since then i have been looking for my wiener factory replacement and i found it here. I felt my taste buds saying YES YES YES YES like Sally from when Harry met Sally.
its going to be called the LA dog, make sure you order it when your there!
As per her gratitude for me for trying she also bought me breakfast.
The breakfast is equally awesome, and I am sitting here trying to finish it off now it is so good! What i got was the fairfax, and the pistrami, eggs, cheese are all just very well done! the pistrami is like bacon and that gets HIGH HIGH marks from me! They also do not skimp on the portions. And the pancake it comes with gives mcdonadls, and dennys a run for their money. very homemade, i could taste the buttermilk in it, so fluffy and very good, as could my mom who also loves pancakes.
Leona knows her hot dogs, and that only a few i can say, about. As I said before i have been searching for my weiner factory replacment and, and i had to search out several places that were like that, and Papoos is it! so far my list of hot dog places i reccommend are as follows
1)Papoos
2) Larrys
3) fabs
4) Scoobys
5) Vicious
As for the service (scoobys take note please): A++ Marie is the best and really knows her stuff, and tries to make you as happy as she can she Leona make sure you go home satisfied and full! Its a very big family atmosphere, like cheers where people know your name.
good prices, heavenly food, what more can you ask for?
Dennys eat your heart out!
ya all got convert and a customer for life :)

With a name like, «Papoo’s Hot Dog Show,» seriously, how can you not check it out? So, one day I’m babysitting my kids and I ask, «Where do you guys want to go for lunch?»
A: McDonalds!
WTH? So we go to Papoo’s. Papoo’s is an old-​fashioned greasy-​spoon diner, emphasis on hot dogs, with bar seating, tables or booth seating, a Ms. Pac Man arcade game, and a smattering of old fashioned diner regulars and half-​read newspapers to make it look real. (Kudos to the prop guy.) Papoo’s is like a Mensa IQ test in that the kitchen is in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by tables, the restroom is outside of the restaurant, surrounded by parking, and the menu is hidden. And just to throw in a few more variables, you can order at the bar, order at your table, pay at the bar, or pay at your table. You have 30 seconds. Go!
So, we’re looking at the menu, the Papoo’s HOT DOG Show menu, and I ask, «What do you guys want to eat?»
A: Grilled cheese!
WTH? So I order three hot dog kid’s meals and I get myself a ¼ lb. all beef chili cheese dog with fries. My chili cheese dog was — excellent. The perfect amount of faux chili and fake melted cheese atop a ¼ lb. all beef dog. The fries were steak fries, which are my kind of fries. Very Red Robin. They were hot and crispy and absolutely perfect with ketchup.
The kid’s meal menu said, «ice cream included.» To kids, the kid’s menu is like a written contract. So if it’s written there, parents can’t say no. To me, I can say no, but when «ice cream included» is written on the menu like that, I know they’re pretty much stuffing the food down just for the payoff.
Bottom line: old fashioned diner atmosphere, tasty hot dogs and fries, very kid friendly (i.e., dessert included). Oh, and best name ever. Four thumbs up!

Papoo’s Hot Dog Show has evolved over the last 61 years into a lot more than a hot dog place.
In fact, hot dogs only take up about ¹⁄₅^th of their menu, but that’s what I was craving so that’s what I ordered. Most of the dogs on their menu were typical fare, but they did offer a bean Dog, a hot dog topped with Heinz (or a a Heinz knock-​off) Vegetarian Beans. Or as everyone but the lawyers at Heinz calls them – baked beans.
it was a totally enjoyable dog, but the problem is while hot dogs work so well in a plate of beans; beans are pretty unwieldy as a dog topping. I’ll leave that oxymoron for others to deal with (I am still trying to figure out why there are so many Ho’s in NoHo), and tell you about my meal.
Papoo’s is sort of a hybrid of counter service and waitress service. I placed my order at the counter, but others took seats and let the waitresses come to them with menus. The waitress did bring my food (and knew to bring silverware without me having to ask), refilled my Diet Pepsi, brought my check at the end of the meal and collected my money.
the dog was quite good, a ¼ pound beef number slit lengthwise and grilled face down. It was topped by BBQ sauce and plenty of beans. I have to wonder why this was served on waxed paper in a plastic basket. I mean this is great for a chili dog, or a bacon wrapped; but if they know the toppings are going to fall off, shouldn’t they serve it on a dish. I had metal utensils and the breakfast eaters got dishes, so the infrastructure is there. C’mon Papoo help make it easier for the customers.
Two oddities — -the rest rooms were in a separate building across the parking lot, but were moderately clean and maintained. And they were showing «Jane and the Dragon» on one of the flat screens. mercifully they had the sound off.

Where shall I start?
The décor is tired, obnoxious and down right uncomfortable. The bathroom is dated, dirty and in the parking lot.
Pepsi no Coke; I guess we should all turn a blind eye to the big Coke signs out front.
The Order:
Fish and Chips: (minced definitely minced), the coleslaw was good.
Cheeseburger: stale bun, hard to go on past that but for Unilocal I will, plenty of pickles and I am pretty sure that was to drown out the flavor of the patty which was most likely purchased from the Burbank Unified School District, lettuce toms, etc. Standard fare yet so sub-​par.
Chili Cheese Fries: fine, whatever this is now the second item on my table that came from a bag and was thrown in a fryer. A very very small portion too.
Drum-​roll please — Chili Cheese Dog (after all we are at a hot dog show): Yes, it is a good dog — nice snap and served hot.
Service: I read English and the sign does say order here, but as I sat down and the Mr. went up to place the order, the gal says take a seat I’ll be right with you. She did take our order and that was the last of it.
Prices: I did not find them reasonable — burger was in the $ 7 range (no fries)
As I walked out and saw the quaint photo’s of happy children from a bygone era, I wished desperately that had been my experience.