Sumo Dog — Restaurant in Indio

UPDATE: Forget the pro tip at the end, the $5 special on Mondays has ended. Not sure it becomes a regular stop at their regular prices.

Sumo Dog, in the recently development adjacent to the Ralphs has been in the back of my mind to try. I'm glad we did, the dogs we tried were of high quality, we attractive to eye and the service was very good. We found the decor a bit stark but not unplesant. I think the only disappointment was the fries, not bad but definately the weakest item we tried.

This is located directly acoss the parking area from the Chipotle. It is a narrow inline, with a fenced patio. The restaurant itself is counter service, it has a fairly large dining room that was empty when we arrived at about 11:45 on a Tuesday. The menu is extensive and a bit confusing. We could have spent an hour reading it, but the counter person was very good at explaining it.

In the end we chose familarity over adventure and tried the Chicago Dog and New York Dog. With fries and one drink that came to over $22, which seems a bit expensive (see pro tip below). The food was brought to the table, served in a plastic basket.

Both dogs were on a soft bun with topping and the sauces added in way that shows the build off. I think the Chicago Dog was the best of the two. Both had a robust sized dog, good skin crunch and the experience was good. The New York Dog had a bit too little sourkrout to my taste, but it was acceptable. The fries were hot and fresh, just a little bland. They were to thick for string fries and to thin for regular.

But I am a french fry snob so make the judgement yourself. PRO TIP- on a monday all dogs are $5 except the Godzilla dog. I can say I liked our experience. The dogs were of...

Excellent First Experience!!! The restaurant is very cool inside, and I love the Japanese style decor. We were helped right away. You order at the counter and then find your own table. I got the Godzilla Dog. It was FULL of flavor. The first taste is sweet and followed by a little kick of spicy deliciousness 😋. Definitely great Asian flavors that are unique but very good all together! The quality of the beef was also very good. The warden ordered a half dog... that's right, they offer half dogs!!! It's super convenient if you want to try a couple of different ones or if you're just not that hungry. She had the Canopy Dog, and she said it was also full of delicious savory and refreshing flavors. The fries and tater tots were phenomenal! Perfectly crispy, and the oil they used seemed extremely clean tasting. Great portions all together, we will definitely be back to try more of the menu! Service was really great as well. The woman at the front was extremely nice and helpful with the menu. She also let me try their house made lemonade, which is delicious. I ended up getting a cup and did...

Let me start by saying the food was great, the cashier was friendly and helpful, and it has a cool interior design. I had the Sumo Dog with tater tots; my husband had a Sumo Chili Dog with tater tots; and my son had a plain burger “dog”. Everyone agreed - the food is delicious! My son was so happy that the burger in a hot dog bun (literally as it sounds) was an option because he’s not a huge hot dog fan… plus, he got cheese to drizzle on top, and a new Sumo Dog fan was born.

Now for the negatives. The tater tots are too salty. And, more importantly, the meal isn’t cheap! For the 3 hot dogs with sides and 3 drinks the total came out to $46!!! That’s crazy for a meal of hot dogs. We’ll be back, but it won’t be often.

If you haven’t tried it, yet, I recommend going. Just be ready to shell out some cash if you plan on having the signature hot dogs...