The Dog Pit

Grand Rapids, MI

Whoever decided to open a hot dog restaurant in the center and heart of downtown Grand Rapids hit the target with a perfect bulls-eye. The entire menu consists of six dogs, your soups of the day and any ‘specials’. That’s it. A simple menu for what was made to be a simple food…a hot dog. I partook in two dogs, both the Big Dog and the Chicago Dog. Though the toppings were bountiful and the dogs were boiled perfectly, the dog itself was lost amongst the coverings. Just putting tomatoes and celery salt as the last two toppings on a dog does not make it a Chicago dog, nor does it make it an acceptable imitation. This ‘Chicago dog’ would go over in the windy city about as well as the Cubs moving to Las Vegas. C-

Value- Before walking into The Dog Pit, I had to do a double take at the sign which read ‘All dogs $2.00.’ No matter the toppings, or selection it is just one price. Two bucks each…unless you eat twelve or more (read the sign inside) or dine on a Monday (3 dogs for $5). If you are going to pay one price, you might as well get as much bang for your buck as you can. Two bucks = two thumbs up for a price. A-

Atmosphere- Conveniently located within walking distance of many of the downtown office buildings the Dog Pit is an easy in- easy out stop for a dog. Ample seating is inside and the industrial looking décor of the building is offset by the hard wood floor which I am assuming is original to the turn of the 20^th century. Sit yourself at a high top table, pull up a bar stool to the counter, or sit at a booth and view outside. While you are dining, reach into the ice bath of beverages and pull yourself out a Stewart’s Root Beer or other beverage to wash down your meal. B-

Side Dish Jody says…Although they offer a soup of the day, I chose to try the interesting Dog Pit Nachos. With the choice of Doritos, Fritos, or Tortilla chips as your bed it is then topped with chili, cheese, tomatoes, onion and jalapenos. The serving was very generous with the amount of cheese and the taste was good, but the temperature of the chili was just warm and I would have preferred it to be piping hot. C