Higley Hot Dog Hut — Restaurant in Gilbert

OK, this review is coming from a Chicago transplant (2011), who's enjoyed Vienna Hot Dogs for over 50 years back home. To be thorough, I'll review their quality (limited to Hot Dog and Fries this time), their prices, parking and their customer service. For the record, I am neither a friend nor relative of this business. In fact, I never met these people until last week.

I stopped in last weekend. Living only 13 minutes away, I didn't even realize the place existed until I was driving home from another business and spotted the VIENNA signage. I pulled a U-turn and made a beeline for their door. Let me cut to the chase and state that I WILL BE BACK FOR SURE!...

QUALITY Not sure what some other reviewers expect from a genuine Vienna Hot Dog -- its size, its plumpness & its inherent Vienna spices -- but they're either a competitor who feels threatened, one who's never tasted a Vienna hot dog, or just your run o' the mill troll. The flavor of the hot dog was EXACTLY what I had hoped for, and not at all like those at Tedd's, since they don't serve Vienna brand. Toppings - mustard, onions & relish - were fresh & tasty. I also ordered small fries (a good portion), and those were fresh, really HOT and decent-tasting. (FWIW, since the FDA banned the heavier fryer oil, it's tough to get the more flavorful taste of fries that existed in the previous Millennium.) I recommend ordering them "well done" to get ANY browning whatsoever.

PRICES I paid $6.00 for a Hot Dog & Fries-- a pretty reasonable price. Any detractors complaining about pricing here have never owned a business and had to cover expenses like monthly Rent, Utilities, Insurance and the Cost of Goods Sold. Trust me, $6.00 for such a meal in Year 2020 is a very fair price. Order a sub-standard hot dog & fries at Tedd's, as I have, and you'll be paying $7+. So let's put that kinard to rest right now.

PARKING Ample parking and small picnic area adjacent to the "Hut". When I pulled in, the man was just opening up shop, and only one other vehicle was parked there. Given that it's on a busy thoroughfare (Wms Field Rd.), you'll appreciate having quick pull-in access to its parking lot.

CUSTOMER SERVICE The man & woman who own the place were fast, attentive & polite. Time between ordering my food and getting my dog & (HOT!) fries was 3 minutes. No lie. Not sure what the other online reviewer was complaining about, describing them as "not friendly". These places are not there to show you pictures of their grandchildren, sing you a lullaby or ask you about your weekend. Just order your food, dude, and move along so the next patron can do the same and get fed.

BOTTOM LINE If you want to recapture that sensation of walking into a family-owned, cramped, neighborhood hot dog joint exactly like those back home on Chicago's North OR South Side, this is the place to step into and re-introduce your taste buds to a quality...

Update Feb 22 2024. You GOTTA try their Italian Beef sammy served au jus! Perfectly seasoned. Large portion, very filling. They keep knocking it out of the ball park.

Update Dec 29 2023. Oh yeah. Still the best! Great dogs, fries and sausages. Creamy macaroni salad. Unbelievable value. Great prices.

UPDATE MARCH 8 2022: STILL a solid 5 stars. Stopped in for lunch because we were nearby. Arrived at about noon and there was a short line out the door. Because service is so fast, the line was a non-event and moved quickly. Grabbed a couple of "the works" dogs, a plain dog, some fries, coleslaw and a fountain drink all for $18.50. STILL the best bargain around. Added some new pics.

Have read the reviews, have driven by the Higley Hot Dog Hut time and again but today was the day to grab a dog. No ordinary hot dogs here! My Chicago style dog was a meal in a bun. Every ingredient was crunchy fresh. And there are a LOT of condiments packed into this puppy. A lot. All for $3.50. Are you kidding me? What the place is reminds me of a lot of the food joints in South Philly. Built for speed. Built to get a crowd in and right out. By the time she made cash for my payment my dog was bagged and waiting for me at the next window. Tip: cash only. Fast friendly service. Very high quality beef hot dog. Soft moist bun. All I need now is a cold brew. You have to check...

I took my kids to try it out. I had not eaten there in almost 20 years. The Italian beef was pretty good. I got the peppers on the side, which was a good thing because they were really hot! The au jus was good, but not great. The Chicago-style polish dog was exceptionally delicious. My kids said the corn dog and chili dog were great. They polished them off. They only take cash. Thankfully, I had the cash in my wallet. I did not see an ATM in the place. I would have given them five stars except it is obvious they don’t care about the dining area. It needs a lot of work. It feels very grungy. You can’t tell by my pictures, but it is very dark inside there. There were at least two major fluorescent lights burned out. Also, the garbages were completely full. It takes only a few minutes to dump the trash. It would also be nice if they would remove the popcorn texture from the ceiling. It’s OK to have nostalgia in a building, but that appears to be simple neglect. Update the place a little inside, replace the lights, and take out the trash. I will definitely be back, but there’s room for improvement. This place could be spectacular! The customer service was...