The DogHouse — Restaurant in Dennis

As good as always! A must stop while in Dennis Port. New owners a few years ago and they’ve kept up a great tradition. This is a quirky little different spot to grab a quick bite. It’s all outdoor seating or to go orders. Picnic tables with umbrellas are the available seating. There are quite a few but I have seen them all full on days we go by to Glendon Rd. Beach. There is no indoor dining. But isn’t that’s what a great little Cape eatery should be. Love their dogs and the option to have yours “split” while it’s cooked is a great treat. If you’ve never had a “split” dog do yourself a favor and try one. I’m a simple “M&R” guy but they have a bunch of crazy ways to have a hot dog; cheese, chili, pastrami, etc. My dog was grilled just right and delicious. The bun is also grilled and added to the experience. Fries are hand cut and came out hot. They too were excellent. My son had recently visited and told me the Chicken Fingers were good so I got a small order to try them out. They were different but good. Don’t expect large meaty ones like you would find in a sit down restaurant. These are smaller and the best part about them was their dark crispy crunchy coating. While we settled traditional soda from a fountain to drink they’re lots and lots of selections of canned soda and beer to choose. Another little twist that makes The Dog House unique and special.

The Mrs tried a grilled chicken sandwich ( she’s not a hot dog lover like me) and she was disappointed. I peaked at it and I could understand her displeasure. The unsatisfactory part was the chicken itself. It wasn’t cooked right. She was expecting a nice char grilled piece like the was the hot dogs are cooked. It wasn’t. There was no char or grill on it at all. It almost seemed like it was microwaved and she said it wasn’t hot like my dog or the French fries.

Overall I love this little local spot for so many reasons. The dogs are great, fries are awesome and beverage selection is off the charts. They also cater if you’re in the market for someone to do that for you, with a colorful large truck. I also like that they offer a GF bun. My grandson has Celiac disease and I’m looking forward to next summer to see how he likes it.

They also have a nice little souvenir stand incorporated into the spot where the previous owners had their condiments set up. I like to grab a T shirt from all the local places so I got one to finish off the night. Prices are typical for these items, like tee shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc. You can also purchase these on line. There is also adequate parking available, as on street parking in the area isn’t allowed. There are spots for about 6-8 cars out front but if is full go around back, there is a good sized parking lot.

The staff was very friendly and efficient. Even if there’s a line to order it moves pretty well. The owners appear to be on sight which I think adds to the experience. If they are as I believe so then they probably read reviews. If so my only 2 issues were the way my wife’s chicken was cooked and the bathroom being padlocked and not available to customers, thus bringing my review down 1, to 4 stars instead of 5. I’m sure the owners will ask why she didn’t bring the chicken to their attention but she just doesn’t do that unless something is not edible. The chicken was, so she just finished it. Her school of thought is unless she’s cooking it , she doesn’t complain. She only criticizes herself. (she cooks for me and extended family all the time) As a great cook she just can’t understand how a chicken sandwich couldn’t be consistently served cooked right. The place wasn’t exceptionally busy so it just didn’t make sense to her why it would happen. That being said we will definitely be back and make The Dog House part of our...

Thursday, August 18th, 2022 - The day the Dog House died.

For years the Dog House served as a welcome refuge upon returning to the Cape to vacation with my family. Each year we rent in West Dennis to enjoy the cool breeze, sunny beaches, and linguiça subs. I can't even begin to describe how excited I'd be to get through all that traffic, roll into that gravel parking lot, and see that beautifully constructed dog-house looking building. It was euphoria.

Our last experience with the DH in 2021 was so-so, but we wanted to give it one more try. When I went to get take-out for the family I stepped up to the plate to order. "One linguiça w/ peppers and onions please!" To which the person behind the counter said, "one ling-whata?"

I was stunned. I said it was a spicy portuguese sausage, a staple of Southeastern Massachusetts, particularly Cape Cod, and she said they didn't have it. I looked at the paper menu she gave me, I checked online, I couldn't believe it: she was right. Much to my dismay, I stepped aside and had to change the entire order (my usual personal order there is a plain linguiça, grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, and bacon grilled cheese with a lime-aid, sharing some fries and onion rings for the whole family).

After getting what everyone else wanted, I got my order and went home. The food? Just ok. The grilled chicken wasn't the same juicy breast it used to be, and the fries weren't the same either. The hotdogs were fine, but it just wasn't what I knew. Though the cherry on top was them forgetting my mother's grilled cheese, she was famished all evening until the next morning.

Moral of the story, the Dog House I once knew is no longer, a chapter of my life is closed, and that's hard to think about. I don't want their specially brewed beers, or fancy tater tots, or trendy mac and cheese-topped hot dogs, I just want...

We stopped here for an early lunch after missing them during the season last year and we're really glad we made it a priority during this vacation. We ordered the Mayflower Beach Dog, the Fourth of July Dog and the Chicken Bacon Ranch Tots to share. It was a bit chilly and had just rained so we decided to take our food just down the street and enjoy it with the view of the beach.

I loved my Mayflower Beach Dog! There were a lot of fries on it and they were soft and went perfectly with the snap of the hot dog. The cheese was gooey and added a nice flavor. It didn't even need any condiments on it. My mom ordered the Fourth of July Dog with the bbq sauce on the side. She really liked the fried onions and the hot dog but said next time she would just get a regular hot dog and add some of the toppings they have to it. The dogs have a really nice snap to it and the size is massive. I ended up taking part of mine home and ate the rest the next day; it still tasted really good.

The Tots are a massive portion. We saw plenty of pictures beforehand but truly did not understand how huge the portion is. You could easily feed a family of four with that; we have leftovers for days! My mom liked it more than I did; but that's on me since I realized I don't love toppings on my tots. The ranch had great flavor and there was a good amount of chicken to it. Could have possibly used a little less time on the chicken, but that didn't take away at all. I'm very interested in trying the loaded fries on our next visit but will definitely be ordering the Mayflower...