LET’S BE FRANK

From middle school to high school, my daily afternoon snack was two hot dogs, microwaved with a healthy helping of ketchup. Then during my university days, grabbing a grilled hot dog (oh street meat) was a treat in between classes. Let’s Be Frank puts a new spin on the simple hot dog with their creative menu, full of fusion dishes and classic flavours, providing a whole new reason to eat hot dogs regularly.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Let’s Be Frank has been 5 years in the making, starting with festival booths, then a food truck, a temporary pop-up home and now a permanent location at Spadina and College. Our group of bloggers were introduced to the three owners and heard the story of how their business came to be. Through plenty of hiccups and successes, their enthusiasm for creating and sharing great food has grown stronger.

Each specialty dog at Let’s Be Frank can be ordered in slider (3.5″), regular (6″) or big dog (8″) size, all priced under $10. The Hot Dog’s served are all Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, juicy, meaty and some of the best dogs I’ve tasted. Let’s Be Frank is always trying out new recipes and with weekly specials like the Doritos dog. They also feature have a great drinks menu with a good selection of cocktails and Tall Boys (even Stiegl Radler Grapefruit!).

We sampled four different dogs in the slider size, two sides and a “hot dog” dessert:

Pulled Pork Po’Boy
Slow-cooked pulled pork, tangy coleslaw, zesty homemade BBQ sauce & hickory sticks
The first and my favourite of the night. I liked the tangy coleslaw, the spicy BBQ sauce and the crunchy hickory sticks
Katsu Dog
Panko crusted, deep fried, with wasabi mayo, sesame BBQ sauce & green onions
This was a really interesting dog, lots of crunch and the dog inside is so juicy, I would’ve liked a touch more wasabi mayo on the bun
Corn Dog
A frank doused in our own batter, deep fried, and topped with Dine Alone Foods’ Southern Blues BBQ sauce
Can’t go wrong with a corn dog and the one at Let’s Be Frank was good with a sweet batter and tangy BBQ sauce
Hot Dog Wings
Hot dog bites, breaded and fried, tossed in buffalo sauce
These were similar to the Katsu dog in breading but a totally different taste profile, very close to a boneless chicken wing but even better, because it’s a mini hot dog
Mac & Cheese
Creamy, sharp, topped with bacon bits and Southern Blues BBQ sauce
All of the strong flavours mixed well in this dish, I found the cheese a little runny
Hot Dog Gravy Poutine
Seasoned fries topped with fresh curds and our signature hot dog gravy
With fresh cheese curds from Kensington market and a creamy hot dog gravy, a solid poutine
Ivana Banana Dog
Deep-fried banana with peanut butter, jelly & Nutella
Self explanatory, the deep fried banana was sweet and creamy, the addition of Nutella to peanut butter and jelly, genius

Let’s Be Frank transforms hot dogs into awesome new delights. There’s chili, kimchi, cheese curds and bacon involved , but if you’re looking for something simpler, the Naked Dog is always available as well.