Mandy’s Korner

Holy mother of hot dog, Batman… it’s that red color trailer that I pass on the way to work (when I used to live in San Jose, when I took the wrong way and was decidedly angry at my job).
Oh hey, it’s still here.
You don’t know how delightfully yummy these things are, as would Anthony Bourdain categorizes as meat in tube form. Don’t pretend that because it’s served in a bun, you have some aversion to it. I would argue that meats in tube form (hot dogs) are the best delivery systems of the finest flavored infused meats. You head me, a hot dog is not only tasty, but it’s gourmet.
What makes this particular joint so wonderful, other than me discovering it a long time again on a freak of nature drive? How about the fact they don’t cook the dog until you order it? Eh? Eh? Yes sir, freshly cooked preserved meat. They have a wide variety of meals, including my favorite, the Cali Dog.
As you expect, anything food wise with is call «Cali-​» pretty much means Avocado. If you put Avocado on pretty much anything, it pretty much becomes the best tasting thing out there. If you doubt me, have you ever had just one chip dipped in the Guacamole? If that isn’t enough, what’s in California Roll (in the sushi world)? Even non-​raw fish eaters will eat that. Avocado is what makes the world go around.
So back to their ordering process.
1. Wait in line.
2. Order food.
3. Wait somewhere else.
4. Comeback and get food.
5. Go sit and eat.
6. Feel better.
DONE

Just got back from Mandy’s Korner for lunch and am feeling good. I was first in line and it surprisingly took a while to get my food. When I finally got it I realized why it took a while. The dogs are fresh and they don’t cook the actual hot dog until you order it. I had the Cali Club Hot Dog with a side of the the Chili Potato wedges. I loaded up the dog with lots of different types of mustard and the bqq sauce. I’m not even a big fan of mustard but the variety that they offer makes it easy to find something to like. It was definitely the best hot dog I have had in a long time and I’ll will definitely go back.
We got there at 11:45 on a Friday and by the time we left there was a smaller line and lots of people sitting and eating. I can see it getting real busy between 1 and 2 so try to go earlier if possible.

I didn’t know what to expect from their hot dogs here but the website menu made it sound super appealing. The combo of ingredients is mind boggling. Sauerkraut, chili, cheese, avocado, bacon, tomatoes, mustard, relish, ketchup, onions (grilled or raw)…there’s even that Mexi-​cali hot dog that has jalapenos on it!
I tried the sauerkraut and chili all beef hot dog and for $ 5, it was well worth it. So happy that I didn’t get cheese with it but I didn’t want to lose the taste of the hot dog itself. I thought about getting the Cali Club with bacon, tomatoes, avocado but I couldn’t get used to eating bacon with a hot dog…
My friend tried the hot link and she enjoyed it immensely. The link was butterflied/​cut in the middle and it had grill marks on both sides of the sausage for more flavor. These little things makes me appreciate that they do know what they are doing inside that red trailer car.
Will definitely come back again to try another hot dog or sausage variation!

from the website:
Posted May 18, 2010:
«Hello from Amanda!
Since it can be difficult to run an outdoor food cart during the rainy season, Amanda closed Mandy’s Korner for the past few months but is pleased to announce that she will soon be back up and running! Moving forward, Mandy’s Korner will be open for business 9 months out of the year.
Mandy is looking forward to re-​opening soon and has a lot of demand for events during the summer season, and will be taking her cart to places like the Mountain View Theater, sports events, and wine festivals. Her website is under reconstruction at the moment, but soon she will be posting her new hours and summer events!
»

I’ve often asked myself, «Where’s a good place to get a tube steak?» Mandy’s steps up every time! I’ve only gone here a couple of times so maybe I’m not a true expert yet, but I haven’t been disappointed thusfar. Service with a smile and fresh roasted doggies. How is that a bad combination?
If you get a weenie, make sure you get the «deluxe» version with all the stuff on it. Make sure to enjoy the seating, too. That corner is sometimes a hotbed of intrigue.
Okay, maybe not quite a hotbed, but the weather in San Jose is fantastic for outdoor seating, and Mandy’s is a great, low-​maintenance place to enjoy the sunshine while you’re diggin’ on your doggie.
Oh yeah, don’t be a cheapskate and make sure you tip the ladies. It is an above-​average hotdog. Honestly, you’re lunch will still come out to less than ten bones, which is still a pretty good deal around here.

I normally like making my own monstrous dogs but when I am not in the mood to prep I might consider Mandy’s Korner again for a quick wiener fix.
Mandy’s Korner is a food truck on the left side of the road on San Carlos, just before you pass Mel Cottons and Safeway.
I ordered the «Cali Club Dog» because it looked delicious in these Unilocal Photos. Just the combination of avocado, bacon, and cheese sounded like it would hit the spot. I also ordered a grilled Jalapeño to try, it just sounded good when I read it off the menu.
Hotdogs are made to order there, it was kind of a long wait but that ensure me that they didn’t pre-​cook there. Service could of been better, our ready food was just sitting there until another patron informed us our food was ready. The presentation of the hotdog was very messy, oily paper, and my Cali dog did not look really appetizing. Despite the unappealing nature of the dog, the flavors were still there and the condiments were very fresh. The only other disappointment was the very dry stale bun. It did not taste fresh at all, although it was toasted. The Jalapeño popper was nothing memorable. I did appreciate getting a whole fresh grilled Jalapeño but there was hardly any cheese inside and it was very clumpy.
It definitely filled me up but I don’t know if spending that $ 6 was worth it. I think I would of been just as content with a $ 1.25 Costo polish dog which comes with a free drink.

I remember driving by here a few times and thinking I should try this, and I finally got to it today. I ordered the chili cheese dog because I tend to find those orgasmic.
The lady inside was very friendly as she took my order. I like that they cook the hot dogs as you order too instead of them just sitting there ready, although that means you have to wait. My dog was ok. I thought it was a little on the small side in terms of the chili and cheese. It tasted just fine though.
I’ll come back to sample the rest of the menu because some of it sounded pretty good.

Look for the red trailer… it’s a tad bit to find if you’re not looking for a big red thing…
They’ve got this cutest thing at the counter were you can top your dog with different kinds of ketchup, mustard and whatnot. It’s in a shape of hot dog. You press the end part of it and it opens to reveal plastic containers and lids. It closes after about five seconds. I hardly correlate food with cuteness… but this thing was cute. I literally found myself petting the cute hot dog thing. If you go to Mandy’s, don’t forget to check out the cute hot dog thing.
They’ve got a ton of options: dogs (polish dog, italian dog, hot link, chicken apple dog, garlic dog) and condiments (onion, relish, kraut, chili, cheese, avacado, bacon, etc)
I had the Best wurst hot link… It was big, lots of toppings, but that’s it… big lots of toppings. The hot link was so-​so, chili was ehhhh… kraut was okkay, bun was toasted.
The red trailer is neat… but not sure if I’d come back again.

They offer up the old school dogs here, calling them «Snap Dogs» (aka Original Dogs), which are your basic beef/​pork dogs with a nice skin casing. I had a cheese dog, which included a original dog, tomato slices and a dill pickle spear. I had to add mustard myself. As a side, I ordered the small chili cheese potatoes.
The hot dog was not huge, but it was tasty, and the bun was toasted. It had that snap to it, as advertised and was delicious all around. The only thing that was a disappointment was that the bun was split in half when I received it as well as the guy wrapped it upside down, so when it was unwrapped, it was laying face down. I had to carefully flip it over while trying to hold the two bun halves together.
The potatoes were a story all their own. they were basically home fries, squared fried chunks of potatoes covered in Chili? and cheese. The cheese was shredded and partially melted, while the chili was more like a re-​fried beans consistency. I thought that it was re-​fried beans at first, and who knows, it could have been slightly seasoned re-​fried beans made to taste like chili. The portion was small, but I ordered a small, so that was not bad, They were a little on the dry side but I still scarfed them down.
My overall opinion is that the hot dog was nice, but the side was a little off. I will come back here sometime and try the other options, like Tri-​tip and Hot links.

SO i finally got to try out this hot dog korner. And thank i did! It was sooo delicious. Hot dogs aren’t my favorite, but i sure love them now! especially if it’s from mandy’s korner!
I actually took a friend with me and when i pointed the hot dog stand outside, she gave me this wierd look! and i told her trust me! so we went and ordered our hot dogs and the guy who took our order was really nice. My friend ordered the cali-​dog and she loved it and i ordered the mexi-​cali dog (hot link, grilled onions, jalepeno, cheese, cilantro, salsa and mayo OH and BACON!!!) i’m so craving for them now!!!
Now my friend is hooked on them! lol.
Next i’m taking my bf and he is just going to love me even more for taking him there!
seriously! this place is where everyone has to stop by!!!

Definitely a nice treat. The sausage dogs there is really good. The menu is defintely not boring at all with everything from dogs to sausages to prime rib to stuffed jalapenos. The prime rib just melts in your mouth. One Cali Club Sausage really filled me up all the way. Mark’s Hot Dog does have a perfect snap to it but the menu is traditional and dull, so go there if you are in the mood for a plain traditional dog. Otherwise, your taste bud will run wild at Mandy’s. The hot dog guy at Mandy’s is really nice. He even gave us free samples because it was our first time there. Definitely, on the top of my list for for best hot dog joint in the 408.
Happy Grubbing!

HEADLINE: Met very high expectations!!!
Well, after seeing all the hype about this spot here on Unilocal,I just had to go forth in search of a good dog this past Saturday.
I hit the place around 2:30 in the afternoon … a spectacularly sunny day after a protracted rainy spell here in the Valley … with no real crowd at all, though there were people in line ordering all the while I was there.
I ordered a Cali Club Polish and a Coke … based upon all the advice from previous Unilocalers.
I got my soda and sat down under the canopy’s edge in the sun enjoying a beautiful afternoon. As apparently everything is made to order, it took about 5 minutes for my order to come up … not bad in my opinion, though some in a hurry might bristle at that.
The dish arrives as advertised … a grilled (to the point of crispy) Polish sausage, 2 or 3 crispy strips of bacon, cheese, avocado slices (no discoloration at all … I checked), and fresh tomato slices … all on a toasted bun … nice touch, I love my buns toasted!!! ;-))
I noticed as well that they slit the sausage down the middle … I was introduced to this method 40 years ago at Jimmy’s of Savin Rock in West Haven CT where they grilled all their Hummel Brothers’ hot dogs that way … more surface area to get crispy AND hold a bunch of other stuff to be piled into the bun as well like kraut. Lenny and Joe Goldberg «borrowed» the idea … both the slitting and the Hummels … for their dogs at Lenny & Joe’s in Madison and Westbrook CT … famous seafood shack and sit down restaurant local to the CT shoreline.
I slathered the concoction up with a tasty brown mustard and dove in. It’s a very good idea that they give you half a dozen napkins … I used all of them.
The ‘crunch’ combination of the grilled sausage and the bacon was very satisfying and completely unexpected. The flavors melded together perfectly, especially the tomatoes. It took me a good ten minutes to devour said beast, but I was in no hurry enjoying my weekend afternoon.
Outstanding!!! A great ‘dog’ and a cold Coke … what better for a weekend afternoon’s drive?
Only reason this didn’t get five stars (and I’m probably nit picking here) was the condiments cart … it really only had a selection of mustards, some ketchup, celery salt and I think a BBQ sauce. It would be nice to have raw onions, peppers, relish, Tabasco, etc. available to all out there on the cart to customize your dog to your heart’s content … but I guess you have to order your dogs that way and they’ll provide them in the order inside.
And, besides, being a die hard Gray’s Papaya cult member, I can only reserve five stars for a «Recession Special». I’ve not met a finer dog (actually two and a soda) in the land.
I’ll be back for sure … I don’t know how weekday lunch crowds will affect the experience, but on a weekend afternoon it was just perfect.
I’m looking forward to exploring the beef dogs next time!!!

If you want to overindulge on an overloaded hot dog, then come here! I actually kind of… ditched work so that I could eat this small bundle of goodness! Man if only this place was open on weekends or weeknights! The hot dogs may take a while to make so I recommend that you have some extra time and just lounge around the seating area.
Cali-​Club ($ 5.75) — Bacon, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, and a polish sausage. This was like a sandwich! The avocados were fresh and the tomatoes were thick slices. The bacon was crisp, some pieces a little charred. The cheese is shredded and not completely melted. The polish sausage was so juicy! Every bite warranted some fat and oil secretion. Just look at the picture; it will make you drool.
The Best Wurst ($ 5.75) — Chili cheese, sauerkraut, purple onions, and a hot link instead of a bratwurst. We really should’ve gotten this with a bratwurst but the hot link was nice and spicy! I recommend you eat this with a fork and knife because the chili is oozing out. The sauerkraut was nice and sour; the purple onions raw. I would definitely get this again. Puts Wienerschnitzel’s chili dog to shame.
Kraut Dog ($ 3.50) — ¹⁄₆ lb. 8 inch pork and beef dog. This was just okay. The dog was a bit dry and just didn’t have the juicy factor that the specialty sausages had. I would forego this one. I do like how they load up on the sauerkraut but this one definitely needs condiments. You can go to the island the have, and choose from a variety of mustards, ketchup, hot sauces, and celery salt.
Guy was very friendly and honest. We almost overpaid him for one of the dogs but he made sure we didn’t. It wasn’t too busy at around 11 a.m. but that’s only because the lunch rush hasn’t started yet. So if you decide to come here, get a SPECIALTY SAUSAGE! It’s much better and totally worth it. The joy of eating here is precisely that all of the toppings are fresh so even though these hot dog combos may be unhealthy, I didn’t feel weighed down at all.

Quality dogs and toppings. The sign on the trailers states «Made with Love» and it doesn’t lie.
Like a high-​end stripper, its truly …
A high end hot dog… you get what you pay for…
A happy ending and stomach satiety.
I personally recommend the Cali Club Hot Dog.
— Visualize. Avocados sliced to perfection, sliced red tomatoes, crunchy strips of freshly fried bacon, all sitting on top of a grilled ¹⁄₈ pound all-​beef dog … enclosed in a warm hot-​dog bun that is baked locally… top it off with condiments of your choice… O-​yeah! Super savory.
Friendly service. 5 kinds of diet soda… a plus
Dam, I’m hungry but it is closed Sundays.
Opens Mon-​Sat 10am-​6pm.

Thanks Unilocalers. Had it not been the venturous Unilocalers that found Mandy’s Korner, I might continue to pass by this awesome hole-​in-​the-​wall hotdogs/​sausage/​hotlink haven… The food is so good it doesn’t even need a wall as its operated from a trailer. I am simply amazed with the quality of the dogs and toppings made in this little trailer.
I went during off peak hour around 2:30ish, and ordered a California Club hot link with avocado, cheese, strips of crunchy bacon, and tomato. Instead of getting the soggy chewy bacon bits, I was pleasantly surprised with how good the bacon strips were. The bacon strips came out hot and crunchy, and I got many strips of bacon. The hot link was prepared to perfection, it also has a crunch on the skin the way it supposed to be. The portion was bigger than I expected. I came hungry, and left satisfied. The avocado, which discolors easily, came out nice and fresh. I doubt any five star restaurants can prepare dogs this delicious and with care. The hot link came out so pretty, I actually took my time to take a picture. The only problem was it came out out-​of-​focused. I might still post it though.
All in all, I am very impressed with the hot link that I got, and will definitely go back again.

4.5 Stars
I was searching for bacon wrapped hot dogs in San Jose and I have been in withdrawal for awhile now from the SF ones since they are so hard to get at times. So, a quick search through Unilocal landed me on Mandy’s Korner. I called to see what time they were open till and headed over there. A simple trailer parked out on San Carlos and I had found it easily because of the bright red trailer and outdoor seating. My friend and I had parked and both ordered the bacon Cali club hot dog which includes sliced avocados, cheese, sliced tomatoes, bacon, and an all beef hot dog.
The hot dog was good! I enjoyed every bite and it was big! Simple place and it’s nice to see more of these type of places popping up lately throughout San Jose selling everything from tacos, sandwiches, hot dogs, Asian rice plates, and much more.

I recommend the tri tip sandwich. The food is good and the prices are great. I also like the tacos! I’ve tried everything but the hot dogs. This is an excellent place to grab a bite for lunch. I love how you can just drive up to the cart. I give it up to Mandy’s because they have an excellent drink selection and condiments.
Oh ya the owners are super nice!

Bacon wrapped hot dogs.
Need I say more?
Mandy’s has EVERYTHING you could put on a hot dog!
Tapatio? Check.
Onions? Check.
3 different types of mustard? CHECK CHECK CHECK!
To top it off Mandy is the sweetest chick and hooks it up FAT with her dogs.

My encounter with Mandy’s Korner was a serendipitous delight. I was starving as usual, and couldn’t decide on what to eat as usual. Decide to just drive to Willow Glen and had to slam on the breaks when I noticed a red trailer offering gourmet links.
The dogs were great and Mandy was very cool. I will definitely be back.

Time for a rave!
Located on the corner of W. San Carlos & Sunol Street.
Mandy’s Korner is one of the best hot dog vendors in town. Mandy has a bright red trailer and covered seating where you can chow down on one of her great hot dogs.
The dogs are good, but Mandy’s sparkling personality makes it a treat to stop by.