From under dog to top dog, Westside favourite Hot Dog Hustle brings the flavours of Japan and LA to Melbourne.
When they first fired up the engine of their food truck in 2017, the team behind Hot Dog Hustle called a drive-thru coffee carpark in Braybrook home. This may not sound like the usual start to a success story in the making but it wasn’t long before locals started arriving in their droves to sample the Japanese-LA hot dog fusions on offer. Fast forward to 2020, and Hot Dog Hustle was voted Melbourne’s number one food truck, and with three brick-and-mortar stores, their hot dog domination shows no sign of slowing.
With locations in Braybrook and Footscray, Hot Dog Hustle has become a Westie mainstay, and now they’ve crossed the West Gate to serve up hot dogs with an Asian flair to Melburnians across the board with the opening of their Chadstone store. It’s no mean feat to open up shop at Australia’s biggest – and busiest – shopping centre, but Hot Dog Hustle are holding their own at the Fashion Capital, with shoppers falling in love with their one-of-a-kind dogs, and plenty of East and Southsiders making the journey just so they can get their hands on one of Melbourne’s favourite hot dogs.
If I say ‘hot dog’ and you’re picturing a footy frank in a bun with a squiggle of tomato sauce, think again. Say goodbye to the humble hot, because there is nothing humble about the dogs flying out the door at Hot Dog Hustle. These hot dogs are sexy and they know it. Taking inspiration from the classic LA hot dog, they’ve added a Japanese and Korean twist to turn the flavour up to 11 for a hot dog experience that is innovative and unique. In addition to Aussie beef hotdogs served on lush brioche buns, you’ll find nori, shichimi pepper, and bulgogi making an appearance as dog toppings along with plenty of other Asian flavour favourites.
When we checked out their Chaddy store, we couldn’t go past the Hustler and the Bulgogi Cheesesteak dogs. Knowing these are two of Hot Dog Hustle’s best sellers, we had to know what all the fuss was, and we were not disappointed.
The Hustler is a classic smoke grilled beef hot dog served in a brioche bun, topped with caramelised onion, Kewpie, Hustler Mayo, fried shallots, nori, and furikake. The creamy sweetness of Kewpie (always a winner) and rich caramelised onion was perfectly paired with the crunchy saltiness of the nori, shallots, and furikake. The Bulgogi Cheesesteak is the indulgent dog of your dreams. Piled high on the beef dog, the Bulgogi steak was an absolute dream of melt-in-your-mouth tender shaved steak with not one, not two, but three cheeses for a Fromage frenzy that will have cheese fans drooling. The addition of grilled capsicum and spring onion brought a freshness to the dog that really cut through the richness of the steak and cheese for a perfectly balanced dog. It’s no surprise that these two are absolute stars at Hot Dog Hustle.
If you’re after a little surf, but not turf, for your pescatarian pals, we recommend hitting up the Ebi Prawn Dog. A newcomer to the Hustle menu, you’ll find tempura fried prawns nestled in a brioche bun and topped with Japanese slaw, creamy kewpie, and nori. For your plant-based pals, you can swap out the Ebi prawns for a crispy, crunchy curry croquette.
Also on the menu, you’ll find fried chicken, classics like onion rings and chips, as well a bulgogi toastier for a twist on the classic Aussie grab and go brekkie. So, head to Chadstone and grab yourself Melbourne’s hottest hot dog and you’ll have plenty of fuel in the engine for a little shopping spree. Find your nearest Hot Dog Hustle location here.
When we’re at Chadstone, we also love to check out Omi. You can read more about our visit to Omi here