Formerly known as Myung Rang, Holy Cow Hot Dog, Corn Dogs by Mr. Cow, and now Mr. Cow, it was founded in 2019 by Yunho Kim with its franchised first business in HI. Mr. Cow is a Korea inspired, sugar-dusted fried hot dog on a stick with various topping and sauces, or literally street food that are a variation of a corn dog.
The 1st Mr. Cow was started in 2019 at Ala Moana Shopping Center and expanded to a total of five franchised locations in HI by 2025 (Pearlridge, Ewa Beach, Maui, and Mililani); however, the Maui location closed in 2024.
The creative and unique corn dog snacks basically use a beef hot dog on a stick and a rice flour (or mochi flour) as a batter to that when they're golden fried to order, they're crispy and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They can be sprinkled with sugar to make them savory and sweet.
I would have never known about Mr. Cow or would have any interest in it if it weren't for my 10-year-old granddaughter, Kayla, who lives on Maui. She loved these corn dogs and would frequent Mr. Cow in Maui as a special treat but was saddened when it closed in 2024. Her recent trip here to Oahu brought us to the Makai Food Court at Ala Moana Shopping Center when she immediately eyed out Mr. Cow in the middle of the food court. She knew what she was going to have for lunch. As I pondered what I would get, I could see the popularity of Mr. Cow with people lining up to order. Okay, let's try it!
Unless you know what it is or how it's made, it may be confusing to order; otherwise, you're in line asking a lot of questions and holding back the line. To order, you need to know the following:
Step 1. Choose your flavor (sweet or savory)
* Mr. Cow Classic - basic beef hot dog
* Fried potato - wrapped w/ bite size of potato fries
* Flaming potato - hot or mild sauce with Cheetos
* Flaming Cheetah - flaming Cheeto crumbs over spicy mayo sauce.
* Firecracker - spicy & sweet
* Yam-yam churro - wrapped with bits of sweet potato fries coated with cinnamon sugar
* Caramel puff - wrapped with sweet barley puffs
* Fruity pop - wrapped with crunchy fruity rice puffs
* Spaghetti stix - sprinkle of parmesan cheese over marinara sauce
* Messy kinako - condensed milk with sprinkled with kinako (roast yellow bean powder)
Step 2. Choose your filling
* Whole 100% beef hot dog
* Whole mozzarella
* Half mozzarella (on top) & half beef hot dog (bottom)
* Half cheddar (on top) & half beef hot dog (on bottom)
* Half cheddar (on top) & half mozzarella (on bottom)
Step 3. Choose your sauce
* Parmesan cheese
* Cheese
* Honey butter
* Honey mustard
* Cheese mustard
* Ketchup
* Sweet chili
* Cheddar cheese
We ordered the following:
* Whole mozzarella. Sprinkled on the outside with sugar, this is Kayla's favorite. No hot dog, as the inside is entirely melted mozzarella with an amazing cheese pull! Not a snack, but her lunch which made her full until dinner!
* Mr. Cow Classic. This was a whole beef hot dog sprinkled with the outside sprinkled with sugar after frying and with honey mustard sauce. Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised how huge this hot dog was and how crunchy the batter was! It was indeed savory and sweet! Now why would you want to sprinkle sugar over the fried batter?! Not bad, and it works! I opted to use a honey mustard sauce for dipping, which was good, but next time, will try the sweet chili sauce. Loved that this was made to order and that rice flour (mochiko) was used, as it was fresh, crunchy, and chewy! I loved it! I had figured this would be just a treat, but it turned out to be a filling lunch instead. Not a healthy item, as it's fried, has sugar, and is a hot dog, but is a good "once-in-a-while treat."
We didn't have any problem with customer service, as the ordering process was quick, efficient, and problem-free. You order, pay, and wait for it, which was about five minutes. Staff was young, and we did not have any problems, despite complaints by customers who reported on Yelp. No long lines like when it first opened.
This is a kiosk in the middle of the food court, so you will elect to takeout or to eat there. It is difficult to find an open table during peak hours, but we managed to. During peak hours, diners are like vultures, trying to claim tables before they're even cleared! I felt it was best to eat it fresh than to take it home, should it become soggy.
Hours of operation are Mon to Sat 10a to 8p, Sun 10a to 7p. Free parking is available at the shopping center.
Thank you, Kayla, for introducing me to Mr. Cow, as I would have never ventured into this realm of popular Korean street food that are enjoyed by many! And I enjoyed it too! Trendy novelty item for sure! read more