{"id":261,"date":"2019-04-03T15:44:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T21:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=261"},"modified":"2026-04-04T13:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:25:20","slug":"dog-house-drive-in-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=261","title":{"rendered":"Dog House Drive In – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
The World-Famous Dog House on Old Route 66 in Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Culinary history is in dispute as to the origin of the term “hot dog” to describe frankfurters, a cooked sausage named for the city of Frankfurt, Germany.\u00a0 Some historians mistakenly credit a newspaper cartoonist for coining the term “hot dog.” According to a popular urban myth, that cartoonist used the term in the caption of a 1906 cartoon depicting barking dachshund sausages nestled warmly in rolls. Not sure how to spell “dachshund” he simply wrote “hot dog!”\u00a0 (By the way, The Dude, our debonair dachshund, hates the term.)<\/span><\/p>\n

My dear friend Becky Mercuri <\/a><\/strong>blows the lid off that theory in her fabulous tome, The Great American Hot Dog Book<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. She cites several sources which prove without a doubt that a cartoonist did not coin the phrase “hot dog.” So, just where did the term originate?\u00a0 According to Becky, extraordinary word etymologist Barry Popik <\/a><\/strong>“doggedly pored over issues of the Yale Record, and triumphantly found the elusive evidence in the October 19, 1895 issue…describing students who “contentedly munched hot dogs<\/em>.” Popik’s research is always unimpeachable.\u00a0 So is Becky’s knowledge about all things hot dog and sandwich.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Albuquerque's<\/a>
Albuquerque’s famous Dog House (Courtesy of Sarah Rose)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There’s no dispute that hot dogs are as American as apple pie, the Dallas Cowboys and well…hot dogs. In the Duke City, there may be no better example of the quintessential hot dog than at the Dog House Drive-In on historic Route 66.\u00a0 The Dog House’s vintage neon sign, circa the 1950s, celebrates the cultural heritage of Route 66 with an animated neon sign that, when lit up, depicts a dachshund wagging its tail merrily as it consumes several sausages strung together. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Dog House is an absolute institution, a local legend and and example of living memorabilia reflecting a bygone era! Its current location was built in the 1960s and remains one of the most enduring and popular neon-spangled representations of the halcyon days of Route 66. The actual restaurant itself is the size of a shoe box, a bona fide hole in the wall with more charm than ambiance. With extremely limited seating (about five four-top tables and an old-fashioned counter with stool seating), many diners park their cars and wait for the sole (sometimes harried but seldom hurried) waitress to come take their orders. Because there are no shaded canopies under which to park, mid-summer dining under the blazing New Mexico sun can be a smoldering experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Several Generations of the Duke City’s Finest Dine at the Dog House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Still, the parking lot is crowded with a phalanx of parked vehicles (including on the day of my April, 2019 visit, the 1962 Ford Galaxie 500<\/strong><\/a> pictured above) toting hungry patrons willing to endure the sun’s scorching rays to partake of some of the very best hot dogs in New Mexico, maybe the southwest. The most popular dog is the foot-long chili cheese hot dog<\/em><\/strong> (with or without onions and cheese). This isn’t the Tex-Mex aberrational “chili” (a pathetic brown sauce with ground beef) we’re talking about. It’s a fiery red hybrid New Mexico style chile with ground beef ameliorated with a pinch of cumin (its only flaw).\u00a0 In March, 2019, 10Best named this hot dog among the 10 most interesting chile dishes in Albuquerque.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, Becky’s Great American Hot Dog Book<\/a><\/em><\/strong> includes a recipe for the Dog House’s world-famous chili (SIC) dog.\u00a0 Taking a cue from most self-respecting New Mexicans, she points out the distinction between chile (“New Mexico’s state fruit<\/em>“) and chili (“what those fruits in Texas eat<\/em>“) even though the Dog House doesn’t.\u00a0 Her tome clarifies: “Note the spelling is chile, not chili, which New Mexico frowns upon as some kind of perverted Tex-Mex soup<\/em>.”\u00a0 With a wicked sense of humor like that, is it any wonder she and I are such great friends.\u00a0 By the way, her recipe is accurate to the point of listing that accursed one pinch ground cumin ingredient even though like me, she has a rather low opinion of that spawn of the devil spice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
One of the Busiest (and Quickest) Cooking Staffs in the City<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though your friendly neighborhood blogger rarely succumbs to the wiles of any chile ameliorated with cumin, the Dog House’s chili has an addictive alchemy that has ensnared my affections.\u00a0 Rather than repel me with its odorant qualities, the cumin-laced fragrance wafting toward me makes my mouth water.\u00a0 Thankfully the well-practiced cooks construct and serve hot dogs faster than the babysitter\u2019s boyfriend when the car pulls up. Tasting the chili dogs is far better than smelling them.\u00a0 Yes, it’s a weirdly addictive chili with enough heat to frighten most Texans.\u00a0 Dog House’s dogs are thin and trim, sliced in half.\u00a0 They’re the antithesis of the plump behemoths you can’t fit into your mouth unless you’re a politician.\u00a0 The Dog House uses sweet bready buns that help temper any piquant qualities the chili might have.\u00a0 So do the chopped onions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically not only does the Dog House make a great hot dog, its burgers are better than those served at many burger joints. A double meat, chili and cheese burger<\/em> <\/strong>with onions is red chili’s best retort to New Mexico’s sacrosanct green chile cheeseburger. It’s got the same great red chili that’s served on the chili dogs and it’s even messier, if possible.\u00a0 You can also get a green chile cheeseburger at the Dog House, but few diners do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As for “American style” hot dogs (mustard, relish, onions), the Dog House doesn’t disappoint. The only Albuquerque hot dog in the same class (until it closed) for hot dogs that aren’t classified as “gourmet” was the incomparable “Ripper” at Howley’s. The Dog House is also an absolute rarity in that it serves decent French fries<\/em><\/strong>. These fries aren’t flaccid and oily like at many other restaurants. They have a crispy texture and are excellent for dipping into the red chili. <\/span><\/p>\n

Milk shakes and malts are also available. Alas, the chocolate shake<\/strong> <\/em>has that indistinguishable “generic” shake taste that makes you wonder why they call it chocolate.\u00a0 It’s also cloying, almost tooth-decaying in its sweetness.\u00a0 Still, they’re served cold and can put out the fire in your tongue (if you’re Texan) from that oh-so-good red chile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The World-Famous Dog House Foot Long with Chili, Cheese and Onions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, you’ve read my take on the Dog House Drive In. Now let’s get the perspective of Bob of the Village of Los Ranchos (BOTVOLR) with whom I’ve shared Jack Handy level deep thoughts for a few years about the Albuquerque dining scene. Over the past forty years or so Bob has consumed about 586.75 foot-long chile cheese dogs with onions, so you can trust his observations. Bob observes that:<\/span><\/p>\n