Clowndog Hot Dog Parlor — Restaurant in Albuquerque

So far the experience was really nice. I walked in never patronizing this establishment before. I was greeted by the bartender and instructed to sit wherever I liked. I was then met at the table with a very enthusiastic and upbeat bartender/waitress. She promptly explained how the menu worked. I ended up ordering an all beef, regular bun, chili cheese dog with bacon and pickle. A side of fries and cole slaw. I was presented with a perfectly mixed Sprite. And given cutlery in anticipation for my upcoming meal.

Within about 8min my food was prepared and ready to serve. The metal plates the fries and hotdog were served on reminded me of old 50's-60's diner. The food was presented and boy did it look good.

I dug in, starting with the fries, they were slightly over salted but the ground pepper added helped with balance (not perfect though, dial back the salt 20%). The ketchup served with the fries was nice. The fries had a ever so faint snap to them, that comes with freshly cut potatoes as advertised. They seemed soggy but were quite well cooked. Next I had to try that cole slaw (I used to hate that stuff when I was younger, now i really like it). I will say it didn't leave a good impression. It had a metallic taste to it, thinking about it there really wasn't any flavor either. My guess was the cabbage used was fresh but the sauce was not. Nor did the creamy sauce have any flavor. I was eventually able to send it back and the waitress took it off my tab.

Finally, we come to the main course. It looked amazing! Even with the ripe, and delicious, crinkle pickles. I dug in and wow, the hotdog was amazing. The chili was packed fully of flavor, the nacho cheese wasn't sour and very cheesy. The bacon bits weren't overcooked, and were amazing.

The meal overall was very good and I ate it all. I was gonna give it 4 stars but it's getting 5 because they corrected the mistakes. Overall I 100% recommend Clowndog and it'll be a great experience.

(Please sweeten the coleslaw and add a little more...

I have been on the hunt for a new hot-dog joint since the one that filled that sweet childhood nostalgia spot for me closed a few years back, but my search is now over. I enjoy food much to the displeasure of my waistline, but it means that when I find a place that is worthwhile I really appreciate it. Clowndog is one of those places for sure. The location itself is awesome, and the owners did a great job turning the dirty old Ragin shrimp into a warm, friendly, clean, and relaxing environment (unless you're scared of clown art that is, but I'm not!). The waitstaff are friendly and attentive. On to the most important part, the food. The menu is expansive when it comes to the toppings you can put on your dog, and every single one of them that I tried (and it was a lot) was great quality. Their hot dogs are juicy and flavorful and the buns reminded me of what a hot dog bun should be. Lastly I would be remiss to fail to mention the secret star on their menu, their house made veggie dog. I am not a vegetarian. I love me some animal based foods, but I tried the veggie dog out of curiosity and I have to say I enjoyed it just as much as the regular hot dog I had. As a vehicle for toppings its by far the best non-meat sausage unit I have ever consumed. Clowndog is going to be a regular stop for me for sure. Go check it...

A great hotdog joint, with a build-your-own little placard for ordering.

They're pretty generous with how much they throw on the toppings so you should be careful not to get too many at once, otherwise it's a bit hard to pick up and have it fit in your mouth. They do have some odd toppings available if you want something strange.

I usually end up getting a beer, a hotdog, and a side of fries or tater tots and it fills me up. I think you can reasonably split a side with another person.

The clown theme is a bit odd, but it's only really in the interior wall decor which makes it pretty platable and gives the place some unique character. Amusing to look at a couple of times, but you'll probably not pay too much attention to it.

If I had to nitpick, I'm not especially a fan of their chili, but I think that's because I grew up on that wolf brand canned chili and their chili just isn't that. I think I chalk that up more to me having a bad personal preference. They do got some green Chile if you want that on your hot dogs.

They have outdoor seating for that season and the TV's are usually...