Happy Dog
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This remains one of my favorite NEO venues. Attended a friend's birthday party in their "Underdog" event space downstairs. I can't say enough about how *good* the kielbasa sausage I had was - not your average dog! There are a gazillion toppings, sauces, cheeses to choose from and the brioche bun was incredible. Finally our bartender, who was having to manage all of the food and drink orders from a group of 40 or so people largely solo, was just delightful. Great return visit and look forward to the next one.
My hotdog cravings have honestly been the hardest thing I've had to endure after switching to vegetarianism. GOOD THING THEY GOT ME! Happy Dog is everything it needs to be. It has hot dogs. It has burgers. It has sides. All the sides! You can get something crazy and live a little. You can lay it back and build your own. This is the definition of a choose your own adventure - Hot Dog Edition. It is definitely bar, and the low light, red vibe they have going on is great. There won't be normal servers running up to you to serve your every need, but the people behind the bar are super chill, so if you need anything please ask them. AND GET AS MANY SAUCES AS YOU CAN HANDLE. Try them all. Get a plate of fries or tots and have a dipping party. They are all so good and elevate the whole experience.
The Happy Dog is a fun bar with hot dogs and tots with a variety of toppings. We visited on a day they were hosting a craft fair, so several vendors were upstairs and downstairs. We sat at the bar and ordered a dog and soda. To order food you fill out a menu with your choice of protein and choose from many toppings. The toppings include everything from escarole to fruit loops. It is a fun concept. The service was fast and efficient. The Happy Dog has a typical bar set up. They have street parking and a lot across the street.
This was a fun place that showed up on my radar while searching for chili dogs. This was definitely more than that! We got to design our own specialty dogs and bratwurst. I appreciated being able to put hot Cheetos among other toppings on mine. Although mac and cheese on the fries proved to be more indulgent than we planned for! We sat at the bar and the service was very friendly. The bartender even made me a margarita with just lime juice upon request and was really good natured about it. We were there before the band started so I don't know how loud it gets. But it was pretty chill earlier in the evening. I think this would be a fun place to take people who are visiting the area as well as just a casual spot for lunch and dinner.
The hotdog was so good! It was loaded with toppings. The only thing was the bun basically disintegrated when trying to hold it so I ate the whole thing with a fork and knife. Nothing too bad about it though. It's called happy dog not happy bun. The tatertots were pretty good too. I wish they loaded up more on the toppings (I got nacho cheese and bacon) like they did with the hotdog. Seating is first come first serve. The establishment was busy so we had to ask someone to clean off a table for my group to sit. Our food did come out fairly quickly once placing the order. The peachy queen drink was like a peachy mojito and strong!
these combinations were crazy but honestly were delicious. fun food to try when you're out visiting. service was quick! bar wasn't to crowded! lively crowd! ambiance was dark and some loud music was playing
I was in the mood for a chili dog and found this spot. It's pretty big inside with a great vibe and live music at night. We ate at the bar and the service was terrific. All the bartenders seemed to work together to ensure enceinte was being taken care of, so e never lacked for anything. The cool thing about this place is that you can put some crazy sh!t on your dog and it's wild. I wasn't real beaver my first time out but may get a little wilder on my next visit.
We love hotdogs! Whenever we have out-of-town guests who are kinda down-to-earth, we always take them for hot dogs at Happy Dog! On the outside Happy Dog is a nondescript corner building, opens 4pm most days and noon on Sat-Sun, with a free parking lot across the street and some 1-hour street parking. It's a gorgeously-real 1940s neighborhood bar (it's ok to say "dive" in the best way) west of downtown on Detroit Ave, with local bands many nights. Before the band starts, everyone you ever met is here for the planned and build-your-own dogs and veggie dogs. You use a paper menu to select your ingredients, like a sushi menu, or in this place, maybe like a lottery ticket ;-). I always ask for a Chicago dog, "dragged through the garden" with (almost) all of the real ingredients, including an all-beef dog, the bright bite of genuine sport peppers, and the scarcely-noticeable-bitterness of celery salt. I gotta remember to double-up on celery salt next time. Alas, no poppy-seeds on the pillowy fresh bun. And if you're gonna notice, the tasty "alien"-green relish is not quite the "neon"-green color you can get in Chi-town. Every dog or kielbasa we tasted here was delicious, including their veggie-decorated vegan dog and a no-chili coney. Two of us shared the delicious piping-hot lightly-crisped fries because a dog and a beer will fill you up. They also have tots and lots of sauces and toppings and dips. There's plenty of ice-cold classic and craft beers and hard bevs to choose from: ciders, seltzers, tea, lemonade, even a couple of nitros. I liked the dark amber nitro Green King Old Speckled Hen British bitter-ale on tap, and I thank theDog for hopping beyond everyone's nitro-stout and for tapping this! We also mellowed with a can of smooth three-malts Cleveland Great Lakes Brewing Company Easy Buckets blonde, and a mildly tart blonde Urban Artifact Capy(bera) Fruit Ale on tap. We love the local bands Wed-Sat, which often start around 8pm or 9pm, but we didnt stay this time. We haven't yet made it to Trivia on Monday. We're definitely going to make a breakfast dog at noon one Sat or Sun: add a fried egg, bacon, "Froot" loops!!! This is a classic if not "The" Classic Cleveland hotdog shop. Great dogs, great brews, real music, and real people. Come one Come all!
Husband and I visited while in Cleveland. The joint is definitely has a dive bar fee. Tater tots are to die for, fyi. I built my own burger with house made PB, bacon, jalapeños and spicy grape jelly (chefs kiss). Definitely worth the visit.
Went here with my mom and dad, usually love this place. Very fun hotdog place where you can put virtually anything onto your hotdog. You fill out your order on a bulleted list and then give it to the server. Service was good. They have burgers as well. I didn't get spaghetti-o's this time but I did get pulled pork, lettuce, diced tomato, pineapple, and caramelized onion. It was alright. The sweet potato fries were great as well as the tater tots. The many sauce they had were great as well. One star off because there was an odd smell. Otherwise, rad place. Will return.
This was a delectable meal. Went on a Saturday and it was very easy to find food and parking. Service was quick and good. Lots of water refills. I loved the simplicity of the menu and the ambiance was good. Loved the pinball machine. I will say my dog was delicious, I fear my companions got the alien relish and did not feel the best after but I think they might have weak stomachs so not sure how correlated the two are.
We stopped in on a Wednesday for their weekly After School Special. From 4-6 PM hot dogs and draft beers are half off! Bartenders are always super attentive. Bar is comfortable and cozy.
6 months ago
What a diamond in the rough. Unassuming on the outside and the inside. Tons of beers. Service is very good. The real reason for the excitement is bc this place has a crazy DIY, mix and match, build your own dog and tot/fries menu. We had basically just come from another restaurant (I say basically to soften the blow but we did, in fact, leave a restaurant before embarking on the walk to come to this place. If we weren't kinda full from that, we could have provided a more legitimate showing. GF was grossed out by the thought of other food but I was not going to succumb to the satiety Gods. I perused the menu thoroughly. I wanted something that kind of resembled a Polish boy so I went with classic slaw and bbq sauce. I added pickle relish and pimento mac and cheese for good measure. Love the vegan options (two dogs, vegan chili, there was a vegan cheese if memory serves. Some of the other options and I kid you not were spaghetti o's and peanut butter. There was literally an entire page worth. I was really planning on only having a taste but you know I ate basically the entire thing. It was spectacular. I have no other words. Worth a stop, without a doubt. read more
We visited Happy Dog with a group, and overall it was a good experience. The food was tasty, and everyone else in our group enjoyed what they ordered. My main complaint is how dark it is inside. I understand that it's part of the vibe, but it feels a little odd for a place serving food, and I would have preferred a bit more lighting. I did get pretty sick after eating, though no one else in my group had any issues, so it may have just been bad luck on my part. The male bartender was a little grouchy, but our server was nice. Despite that, the rest of the group had a good experience, and I'd be willing to give it another try. read more
We wanted hot dogs so why not go build our OWN! Service was fast and friendly especially since it' was trivia night. Packed house. Food was still fast, accurate, and delicious. My vegan options didn't miss I got a Chicago dog read more
This remains one of my favorite NEO venues. Attended a friend's birthday party in their "Underdog" event space downstairs. I can't say enough about how *good* the kielbasa sausage I had was - not your average dog! There are a gazillion toppings, sauces, cheeses to choose from and the brioche bun was incredible. Finally our bartender, who was having to manage all of the food and drink orders from a group of 40 or so people largely solo, was just delightful. Great return visit and look forward to the next one. read more
My hotdog cravings have honestly been the hardest thing I've had to endure after switching to vegetarianism. GOOD THING THEY GOT ME! Happy Dog is everything it needs to be. It has hot dogs. It has burgers. It has sides. All the sides! You can get something crazy and live a little. You can lay it back and build your own. This is the definition of a choose your own adventure - Hot Dog Edition. It is definitely bar, and the low light, red vibe they have going on is great. There won't be normal servers running up to you to serve your every need, but the people behind the bar are super chill, so if you need anything please ask them. AND GET AS MANY SAUCES AS YOU CAN HANDLE. Try them all. Get a plate of fries or tots and have a dipping party. They are all so good and elevate the whole experience. read more
The Happy Dog is a fun bar with hot dogs and tots with a variety of toppings. We visited on a day they were hosting a craft fair, so several vendors were upstairs and downstairs. We sat at the bar and ordered a dog and soda. To order food you fill out a menu with your choice of protein and choose from many toppings. The toppings include everything from escarole to fruit loops. It is a fun concept. The service was fast and efficient. The Happy Dog has a typical bar set up. They have street parking and a lot across the street. read more
This was a fun place that showed up on my radar while searching for chili dogs. This was definitely more than that! We got to design our own specialty dogs and bratwurst. I appreciated being able to put hot Cheetos among other toppings on mine. Although mac and cheese on the fries proved to be more indulgent than we planned for! We sat at the bar and the service was very friendly. The bartender even made me a margarita with just lime juice upon request and was really good natured about it. We were there before the band started so I don't know how loud it gets. But it was pretty chill earlier in the evening. I think this would be a fun place to take people who are visiting the area as well as just a casual spot for lunch and dinner. read more
6 days ago
3 months ago
The hotdog was so good! It was loaded with toppings. The only thing was the bun basically disintegrated when trying to hold it so I ate the whole thing with a fork and knife. Nothing too bad about it though. It's called happy dog not happy bun. The tatertots were pretty good too. I wish they loaded up more on the toppings (I got nacho cheese and bacon) like they did with the hotdog. Seating is first come first serve. The establishment was busy so we had to ask someone to clean off a table for my group to sit. Our food did come out fairly quickly once placing the order. The peachy queen drink was like a peachy mojito and strong! read more
2 months ago
these combinations were crazy but honestly were delicious. fun food to try when you're out visiting. service was quick! bar wasn't to crowded! lively crowd! ambiance was dark and some loud music was playing read more
I was in the mood for a chili dog and found this spot. It's pretty big inside with a great vibe and live music at night. We ate at the bar and the service was terrific. All the bartenders seemed to work together to ensure enceinte was being taken care of, so e never lacked for anything. The cool thing about this place is that you can put some crazy sh!t on your dog and it's wild. I wasn't real beaver my first time out but may get a little wilder on my next visit. read more
We love hotdogs! Whenever we have out-of-town guests who are kinda down-to-earth, we always take them for hot dogs at Happy Dog! On the outside Happy Dog is a nondescript corner building, opens 4pm most days and noon on Sat-Sun, with a free parking lot across the street and some 1-hour street parking. It's a gorgeously-real 1940s neighborhood bar (it's ok to say "dive" in the best way) west of downtown on Detroit Ave, with local bands many nights. Before the band starts, everyone you ever met is here for the planned and build-your-own dogs and veggie dogs. You use a paper menu to select your ingredients, like a sushi menu, or in this place, maybe like a lottery ticket ;-). I always ask for a Chicago dog, "dragged through the garden" with (almost) all of the real ingredients, including an all-beef dog, the bright bite of genuine sport peppers, and the scarcely-noticeable-bitterness of celery salt. I gotta remember to double-up on celery salt next time. Alas, no poppy-seeds on the pillowy fresh bun. And if you're gonna notice, the tasty "alien"-green relish is not quite the "neon"-green color you can get in Chi-town. Every dog or kielbasa we tasted here was delicious, including their veggie-decorated vegan dog and a no-chili coney. Two of us shared the delicious piping-hot lightly-crisped fries because a dog and a beer will fill you up. They also have tots and lots of sauces and toppings and dips. There's plenty of ice-cold classic and craft beers and hard bevs to choose from: ciders, seltzers, tea, lemonade, even a couple of nitros. I liked the dark amber nitro Green King Old Speckled Hen British bitter-ale on tap, and I thank theDog for hopping beyond everyone's nitro-stout and for tapping this! We also mellowed with a can of smooth three-malts Cleveland Great Lakes Brewing Company Easy Buckets blonde, and a mildly tart blonde Urban Artifact Capy(bera) Fruit Ale on tap. We love the local bands Wed-Sat, which often start around 8pm or 9pm, but we didnt stay this time. We haven't yet made it to Trivia on Monday. We're definitely going to make a breakfast dog at noon one Sat or Sun: add a fried egg, bacon, "Froot" loops!!! This is a classic if not "The" Classic Cleveland hotdog shop. Great dogs, great brews, real music, and real people. Come one Come all! read more
8 months ago
Husband and I visited while in Cleveland. The joint is definitely has a dive bar fee. Tater tots are to die for, fyi. I built my own burger with house made PB, bacon, jalapeños and spicy grape jelly (chefs kiss). Definitely worth the visit. read more
9 months ago
3 years ago
1 year ago
Went here with my mom and dad, usually love this place. Very fun hotdog place where you can put virtually anything onto your hotdog. You fill out your order on a bulleted list and then give it to the server. Service was good. They have burgers as well. I didn't get spaghetti-o's this time but I did get pulled pork, lettuce, diced tomato, pineapple, and caramelized onion. It was alright. The sweet potato fries were great as well as the tater tots. The many sauce they had were great as well. One star off because there was an odd smell. Otherwise, rad place. Will return. read more
2 years ago
This was a delectable meal. Went on a Saturday and it was very easy to find food and parking. Service was quick and good. Lots of water refills. I loved the simplicity of the menu and the ambiance was good. Loved the pinball machine. I will say my dog was delicious, I fear my companions got the alien relish and did not feel the best after but I think they might have weak stomachs so not sure how correlated the two are. read more
2 years ago
We stopped in on a Wednesday for their weekly After School Special. From 4-6 PM hot dogs and draft beers are half off! Bartenders are always super attentive. Bar is comfortable and cozy. read more
1 year ago
Tasty beef, add your own toppings (plenty to choose from) restaurant. Free parking across the street for Happy Dog customers only. Friendly service with server & waiter. Building is easy to find. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
A Cleveland essential. Bring your friends and your fam here for the best bar food, service by your favorite local bartenders, a chill non-fussy ambiance... you can't lose! Grab a bite and see a show here for some weekend fun read more
We came back for dinner again, and loved everything again! The beer cheese, mushroom, onion, bacon, and egg combo continues to be our favorite, but our vegan chili dog with blue cheese coleslaw and nacho cheese also turned out delicious. I have to say that the marinated mushrooms are probably the single best topping we've had. Don't sleep on the mushrooms!!! read more
3 years ago
Awesome spot for great hot dogs with a ton of toppings to choose from! Service was very nice and very fast, the food was very hot and was assembled nicely. The pork kielbasa was cooked perfectly, the chorizo chili had great seasoning and spice, the caramelized onions added a nice umami flavor, the bun was perfect for the kielbasa, it was soft but didn't fall apart, the roasted garlic aioli was the perfect sauce, and the fried egg was the perfect touch on top. Awesome food, big portions for a good price, and good vibes. Definitely a cool place for good food. read more
3 years ago
Fantastic hot dog place/live music venue. Amazing hot dogs. Really nice staff. I had a vegan dog with marinated mushrooms, caramelized onion, garlic escarole, Italian giardineira, and roasted garlic aioli. It was AMAZING. Also had some fresh cut fries which were great. Tons of sauces to choose from. Will be back for sure! read more
Excellent vegan dog! Stopped here for a late lunch on Saturday and got seated right away. The place can get pretty loud with music playing or a band. So, I'm glad we went earlier so we could actually hear ourselves talk. The music was still playing a bit loud, but it was bearable. Seating ranges from booths, to tables, and bar seating. I'd suggest sitting a little away from the door as cold air tends to come through every time someone enters. The concept is similar to Barrio. You fill out a paper form where you pencil in type of dog, all the toppings, and choose dipping sauces to have with tater tots or fries. I was happy to find a vegan dog and many vegetarian friendly toppings like the veggie chili and coleslaw. What's great is you can choose as many items as you like. The same goes for the dipping sauces. So we got tots and five sauces to try. So good! Service is a bit slow, but overall friendly. There is a tiny parking lot, which fills up quick so you'll likely need to find street parking to dine here. Good food, decent pricing, and many options for vegetarians! A must do if you are near Ohio City/Detroit Shoreway. Bonus: Brewnuts (donuts) is a five minute walk away if you want desert afterward. read more
4 years ago
A must-go restaurant whenever visiting Cleveland. I love the freedom and flexibility in building up unique hotdogs. After first visit of Happy Dog a few years ago, all other "normal" hotdog places have lost their attractiveness to me. So fun to eat here. Happy! read more
I first found out about Happy Dog from attending a Cleveland Indians baseball game (well, I actually worked as a Brand Ambassador at the game but that's besides the point). Happy Dog has a concession stand at the stadium so I walked over to check it out. I didn't buy anything then because it was too expensive. I visited Happy Dog's physical location for the first time on 10 September 2019. My friend, Ami P., and I went to the Happy Dog for the City Club of Cleveland's Kashmir event discussion. I came here again in mid-September 2019 for dinner with my 2 friends (Ami and Henna). FOOD -- GET ALL THE TOPPINGS. So, at my first visit here, I was not hungry so I just ordered their sweet potato fries but I did not load it with any toppings. Bad idea because this is what everyone loves about Happy Dog, their endless toppings. I still got to taste their toppings because my friend Ami's fries (regular fries) was loaded with so many toppings; for example, she added an egg, chilli, and other toppings. Her order of fries were delicious but so was mine. -- The VEGAN HOT DOG did not taste great, in my opinion. I tried it during my 2nd visit to Happy Dog. I only had one small bite but I felt bad to ask for something else to eat since I personally ordered the hot dog. Some people may like the taste but I did not. I do not know what it is made out of but it is produced by Field Roast. The vegan hot dogs are not made out of beans, at least that's what I think. The taste was very strange to me especially since I love different types of vegetarian and plant based foods. You'll have to try the vegan hot dogs for yourself. BAR -- The bar is designed where there are chairs surrounding the immediate outside of the bar in a circular pattern.So the bar is in the center and tables and chairs surround it. MUSIC and EVENTS -- they apparently have live music here but I haven't experienced that. I have experienced one of their speaker series events. I'm unsure why the City Club of Cleveland would host speaker events here because the bar setting is just loud. I could barely hear the speakers during the Kashmir (Pakistan) event. Overall, this is a fun spot to hangout with friends but the food is average. I don't drink alcohol but they have drinks available. **** - 139 total reviews in 2019 - 348 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 20 November 2019 read more
Holy amazing hotdogs Batman! I love the vibes of this restaurant/bar. It is a Laid back and unpretentious dive bar. They were setting up for a live band while we were there. You get to make your own hot dog, burger, tots and/or fries. My husbands was the most impressive flavor profile out of all of ours even though it looked like . It was actually delicious so don't let the look of it fool you. He called his the "Big Al" and it had the following: Classic all beef dog House made peanut butter Habanero pickled red onions A little bit of Heinz ketchup A little bit of traditional yellow mustard Sweet baby rays bbq sauce All of the rest of our orders are in the photo comments. Our 9 year olds choice was exactly what you would expect a 9 year old boy to make! However, he ate the whole thing! (His is the one with the fruit loops! ) The only thing that was a miss for all of us was the white cheese fondue. It just wasn't our thing. The hotdogs were extremely filling and delicious. We can't wait to go back and try more combinations. Thank you for a great dinner! read more
5 years ago
OH MAN HAPPY DOG!!!!! I am SOOO glad it opened back up after COVID. I actually had never been here before, but every time I'd be in Cleveland, it was on my Yelp bookmark CLE list, so I'd look to see if they were open and they never seemed to be. I for sure was starting to think they'd become a COVID casualty. Even though I had never been, I had heard from so many locals how great this place was, so I wanted to try it out. You can only imagine my delight when I was in CLE in August for my sister's baby shower and saw that Happy Dog was officially back open for business! My brother-in-law and I went on a Sunday night. They had the Indians game on and we chose a spot at the bar to watch the rest of the game. I really enjoyed the vibe in here. There wasn't live music that night (which is a good thing for me because I wouldn't have wanted to deal with your noises). But it has a great dive bar feel. We had a few bartenders taking care of us. They were all really friendly. Initially I was apprehensive because they didn't have any "recommended" speciality dogs. I felt like that was a missed opportunity. But the bartender basically said "Just get what sounds good to you!" I opted for a classic dog with just mustard and ketchup (my fave!) and then I went with something that sounded good to me.... I call it the "Pasta Dog." It's a hot dog with Spaghettio's and Mac & Cheese! I was super nervous about how it would taste but DAMN it was good!! I actually really enjoyed both hot dogs and really cannot wait to get back. We also got an order of tots with cheese and Sloppy Joe sauce on it. They was also a definitive win. All told, I'm SO excited Happy Dog finally reopened and that I was able to make it there on one of my CLE visits. I for sure want to get back sometime soon. A new fave for sure! read more
3 years ago
Yum! Hobbog Love happy dog! Love playing trivia! Love seeing show! Love getting hobbog with fixins and sauces read more
2 years ago
A bar with hot dogs and live music. What more could you ask for? Plus you can top your hot dog with whatever you want. We went in the evening. At that time, you have to order your food at the bar. We shared loaded tater tot's and each got a hotdog. They have vegetarian options. The tater tot and hotdog toppings are plentiful and free. They only charge extra for a handful of things like an egg. It all was yummy and so worth the calories. read more
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More info about Happy Dog
5801 Detroit Ave
Cleveland, OH 44102
Detroit-Shoreway
Directions
(216) 651-9474
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http://www.happydogcleveland.com
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Ask the Community - Happy Dog
Can you bring kids?
It depends. I think they have some 21+ events later in the evening, but around dinner time you totally can. Saw plenty of families in here last time I was in.
How many bands are there?
Depends on the day. There used to be a polka night but I think DJ Kishka retired from it - and on Fridays I think one opener and one main. They usually have a schedule of bands handy.
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