Sometimes we get into comfortable patterns. Much earlier in my career, I had project assignments that had me visiting Edwards AFB frequently, and for a variety of logistical reasons it was far easier for me to fly into LAX than other area airports, and then drive up to Palmdale. Usually I’d take a late arriving flight (to avoid the worst of LA-area traffic), and on the way out of town, I’d stop off at Pink’s Hot Dogs for a late evening treat. Well, it’s been a minute. Over the years, my work assignments shifted, I no longer have client visits to Edwards, and I tend to visit the southern LA suburbs a lot more instead of going to Palmdale and Edwards all the time, so my last visit to Pink’s Hot Dogs was 2014, and my original review of them was waaaay back in 2007 (when this blog was still on blogger, and the world of blogging was a very different place). But Carol had never actually been to Pink’s, so we decided to check them out while we were in the neighborhood and see how they are doing.
Interestingly, I think this was my very first visit to Pink’s in the daytime, but the overall experience has changed shockingly little from my visits over a decade ago. It’s an old classic hot dog stand (replacing an early hot dog cart on the site), built in 1946, and having many, many renovations since then (particular in adding dining area in back, and modernizing restrooms), but it’s been pretty much the same experience since 1946: after waiting in line out front, looking in through the windows at them making hot dogs, you enter a door on the left, place you order, and wait for them to assemble it. Aside from a few extra plexiglass shields added during the Covid area, and the periodic pricing increases, and the occasional new addition to the quite expansive menu of hot dogs and sausages (including some particularly subtle differences, like a chili cheese dog being a different item than a chili dog with cheese, the latter having cheese sauce… but the menu has over 30 “hot dogs”, “special” hot dogs, and “super special” hot dogs, along with burgers), the basic experience has been the same.
The servers at Pink’s do a great job balancing “efficiency” and “friendliness”; they are trying to move the line quickly, but they’ll take the time to explain menu items to you, make sure you order is right, and serve everything with a smile. One thing that’s always impressed me with Pink’s is that the staff is quite good at remembering orders: a family of four can order 8 different hot dogs, two orders of fries, and onion rings, and the server will track that in their head. Quite impressive. We each ended up wanting the same thing: a Chili-dog with Cheese, and a Help Ukraine Dog (Polish dog with pastrami, cole slaw, and Swiss cheese). And some onion rings.
After ordering, there’s a small waiting area that’s primarily decorated with signed endorsement photos of various celebrities: primarily Hollywood celebs, but also television, culinary, and political figures as well. This is another of those places where you can see a few changes since my mid ’00s visits: I’m pretty sure when I came in ’06 there weren’t yet photos from Jimmy Kimmel or Katy Perry. Which does make me wonder… if they are always adding photos, who decided which photos to retire? I’d love to see an album of former photos…
After just a few minutes of waiting, our order arrived. Retreating to a nice table in the patio in back, we rather enjoyed the meal. My chili dog was good, with a nice, rich and meaty coney reminding me a good Mi-style Coney sauce, and the hot dog itself has a pleasing natural casing “snap” to it. The Help Ukraine was a surprisingly good Polish sausage, garnished with a bit of surprisingly good and tender pastrami, and topped with a nice crunchy cole slaw and Swiss cheese. The combination was both flavorful and filling. And the onion rings were nicely executed, with a good crisping coating.
Overall, I still enjoy Pink’s. It’s a classic mid-century hot dog joint that’s still staying pretty true to form, and there’s a reason the place has racked up so many endorsements over the years? Is it touristy? Definitely. Is it expensive? A bit (hot dogs start at $7.50 these days, and some of the Super Specials crack the $15 mark). Can I get a good hot dog, cheaper, someplace nearby in Hollywood? Almost certainly. But can you get the experience? No. I’m glad we went, and Carol enjoyed her visit as well. Pink’s is doing as well as ever, 86 years into their history.
