Yo Dog! I Heard You Like Corndogs!

May 8, 2009 9:52 AM

Where can I get the best corndogs in California?

Yesterday I had one of the Main Street cart corndogs at Disneyland, and it definitely did everything for my tummy that a corndog should. It got me to wondering, though, am I possibly missing out on even better batter-fried pork on a stick elsewhere?

There are some obvious options outside of the state of California (my friends from Chicago will not shut up about the duck fat corndog from Hot Doug's, for example), but there are limits to how far even a devotee such as myself will travel in order to get his hands on a good corndog.

Where in California (or its immediate surroundings) can I find the best corndogs?

posted by Parasite Unseen to food & drink (13 comments total)

Those Disneyland corndogs are something else, huh? I'd say they're the best in southern California. Here is what Chowhound LA says. I don't think there's a big corndog market in California.
posted by jabberjaw at 10:02 AM on May 8

Ok, now, it may seem déclassé, but ever since I moved to the Midwest from California I have missed Hot Dog on a Stick. Piping hot and greasy, and you can even get fresh lemonade, cheese on a stick, or a veggie dog!
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:15 AM on May 8

It's partly in the atmos., no? The corn-dogs at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk are no great shakes; but it's still a damn good place to get a corndog.

But yeah, the Disney ones. Corn Dog Castle in DCA has hot-link corndogs. Hellish good.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:16 AM on May 8

Whiz Burgers in SF (18th and South Van Ness) has great corn dogs. Pair them with the onion rings and prepare yourself for a rocket ride to Planet Fried.
posted by blapst at 10:26 AM on May 8 [3 favorites has favorites]

Yeah, the Disneyland ones are the best ones. No need to go searching elsewhere. They alone justify the full cost of an annual pass.
posted by The World Famous at 10:28 AM on May 8

We had a deal, Kyle, don't tell me those Boardwalk corndogs aren't great. I've been having a nostalgic* craving for months that I will finally fulfill in July!


*The only time I ever cut school was to go to the Boardwalk for a corndog. (but it wasn't even really cutting school since I was over 18 and wrote myself an excuse. also, )
posted by vespabelle at 10:55 AM on May 8

I suggest using Alton Brown's recipe here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corn-dogs-recipe/index.html

as a jumping off point and making your own. They will be amazing and worth the effort and mess. Have some friends over, buy some beer, and make an afternoon of battering and frying everything you can find. I can't think of anything more fun. I suggest modifying the recipe by substituting a bottle of your favorite hot sauce for some of the water.
posted by prozach1576 at 11:54 AM on May 8

Go down to Venice beach. There's a whole row of different types of um, well, meat on a stick, options you can buy and most of them are great, including the corn dogs. Stroll by the ocean or watch the body builders working out. Okay, I'm headed for the blue right now!


Also the fair, the County Fair, Orange County or LA County. Yeah.
posted by effluvia at 1:09 PM on May 8

Whiz Burgers in SF (18th and South Van Ness) has great corn dogs.

Holy crap, you're the first person I've ever heard of who has eaten at Whiz Burger. And I've lived here all my life.

Come to think of it, you can't really do anything bad to a bag of frozen corn dogs. Which is probably why the ones at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk taste perfectly fine, especially with fried artichoke hearts. But an upscale corn dog is pretty exciting. Flora in Oakland has Niman Ranch corn dog bites for bar snacking. At 15 Romolo in the City you can get a dog deep fried in a corn tortilla, which I have yet to try.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:31 PM on May 8

Seconding Hot Dog on a Stick!
posted by puritycontrol at 1:41 PM on May 8

Count me as another Whiz Burger aficionado - the 'whiz burger' makes me happy
posted by bitdamaged at 2:22 PM on May 8

The best corndogs in California are at the Minnesota State Fair.

The best corndogs in the world should be stored forever at Yucca Mountain.
posted by gum at 7:35 PM on May 8

I'm a fan of the fair corndogs, period. Any fair.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:21 PM on May 11