Jordan's Hot Dogs & Mac — Restaurant in New Haven

(Last visited in September of 2023.) Hanging out in New Haven, CT after doing some day-drinkin' and it's time to soak up the alcohol before we head back home so we stopped into Jordan's Hot Dogs & Mac who have been around for over a decade to see what it's hittin' for!

Atmosphere/Appearance: No frills. Straightforward comfort food spot. TVs on the wall, black wooden paneling, some beat-up booths, bright-lighting and loud music. Lol. You're here for the food, nothing else.

Service: You go up to the counter to order your food then it's brought out to you so nothing crazy, but very simple.

Food: I got to sample quite a few things here, so let's go through them, but first I just want to let y'all know that this is a B.Y.O.B. spot! Woo!

The O.G. Mac Dog: It's macaroni & cheese, bacon, jalapenos on an all-beef hot dog. There were so many different hot dogs to choose from, but I had to go with the original. This was SO FLAVORFUL. It tasted like a Nathan's dog, (but is actually a Hormel's dog), but altogether it was fantastic. The mac & cheese was creamy, the bacon was crispy and the jalapenos added just a hint of spice and a little acid. This would be the perfect thing to sober you up after a day/night of partying.

Sweet Potato Fries: These were cool. They were crispy and very simple. They could use a bit more salt, but it was all good.

Onion Rings: These didn't look like they were made here and that's fine. It's like I've seen these before at other restaurants and that's okay. Restaurants get stuff from the same suppliers so it saves them time. Moving on...

Lemon Pepper Wings: These were a dry rub and the wings were crispy. These were very lemon-y and I liked that compared to them being too salty. The flavors were balanced very well.

Garlic Parmesan Wings: These were delicious. The ingredients were caked on and that's always a good sign. It was creamy and the parmesan was a bit stronger than the garlic. It tasted like there was some extra hidden ingredients like a ranch or something that was in there, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I wish there was a bit more balance there, but it's all good. I liked them.

Sweet Chili: These were not your traditional "sweet chili" wings. They had a Buffalo flavor aspect that I really enjoyed and I was literally licking my fingers after eating these!

Jordan's Glaze: Another delicious flavor. The wings were excellent. There was a good hoisin flavor here that presented itself up front which gave a sweet, salty, umami flavor and was well-balanced.

Philly Cheesesteak: On their cheesesteak is sliced sirloin, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapenos and cheese wiz. The bun was nice and soft. It was executed so well. The Maillard reaction on the little bits of steak added an extra touch that I really enjoyed. Though.. the sandwich as an entirety was a bit salty.

Banana Pudding: This was really good, but comparing it to the best I've ever had (Magnolia Bakery), but this was EXCELLENT. The wafers were soft, but I was just hoping for a little more banana.

Strawberry Banana Pudding: Everything mentioned above, but a little more exotic with the bold strawberry flavors. Really, really good.

Value: The food is cheap, but doesn't necessarily taste like it. You won't blow your budget here and that's kinda the point. Without all the frills and overhead, Jordan's is allowed to bring you comfort foods and they can solely focus on the flavors.

In conclusion, I loved it here. The food will stick to your ribs. Lol. But visit here in moderation. There's a reason they've been here for so long and I'm so happy I got the chance to...

Popped in here on a whim for a quick lunch and was not disappointed. Only 3 booths, but they are large, comfortable and in great shape.

Three screens show relatively random things, a silly Internet game show, soccer and something else. There's a very nice jukebox, quite modern with a large selection.

The person we ordered with at the counter was pleasant and polite and she delivered our food quickly and it was nice and hot.

My fried chicken sandwich was exactly as described, crunchy, yummy breaded chicken breast, delicious, but not earth-shattering. The Mac & cheese is very yummy and they give a good portion. The banana pudding we spotted in the fridge was great, but the Nilla wafers were quite soft from being in the pudding. It came home with us and we added fresh cookies and it's went from a a 7 to a 9.

The loaded fries were the surprise winner of lunch tho. To start, you pick all the toppings you want from a list of about a dozen things like chili, cheese, ranch, bbq sauce and such. It was nice to pick exactly what I wanted without having to tell them to remove anything. Well, then we tried the Jordan sauce (spelling might be wrong) and yummmmmm!! Deep flavor, reminiscent of bbq sauce, sweet with a sneaky little bite of heat at the end. On the fries with cheese and chili it was really, really good! I will have it on my sandwich next visit. It's certainly not a white tablecloth restaurant but that's one of the best...

First things first the Georgia red hot was not spicy at all. I asked for ketchup and cheese sauce and they gave me a Georgia red that looked like a drunk clown has thrown up all over it. As soon as I opened the foil ketchup and cheese sauce just came flying out. Second my cheese fries that I ordered the fries seemed old, older than my grandpa. The fries seemed like they were left drenched in the oil for sometime. It was horrible. Third not to mention the pictures online of the Mac and cheese seem very well done and cheesy. Which made me crave the Mac and cheese made my mouth water. However when I ordered for my child. As I opened the lid, so much disappoint slapped me in the face. It was dry and plan very cold with shredded cold cheese on top. Now you may think that we are exaggerating but we have taken pictures. This was very disappointing. The only thing that came out good in this order was the plan two mini dogs that turned out to be 10 inches long each. So that's your mini dog. The whole order was very expensive, this is sadder than inflation. The total came out to be almost 50 dollars. NOT MY MONEYS WORTH. MY GRANDPA CAN COOK BETTER THAN...