River Dog Cafe: Gourmet Hot Dogs

I've been working on knocking restaurants off of the 2015 To Dine Challenge. I'm determined to get to them all this year! That meant a recent trip to River Dog Cafe in Rocky River.

This fast-casual gourmet hot dog and sandwich shop is family-friendly, and focused on serving up quality product that both kids and adults will enjoy. The hot dogs are made with all natural, grass-fed beef, and there are enough topping choices that everyone can find something that makes them happy.

The restaurant is small, but open and welcoming. Classic toys fill shelves on the wall, and the menus are hand-written on playful chalkboards. There were a lot of suggested dogs with interesting toppings (and a build-your-own option), so it took us some time to decide.

Mr. H got The Chubalub: split on the bun and topped with Mac n Cheese and a Fried Egg($6).

The mac can also be ordered as a side dish, and it had a nice subtle spice to it.

We both ordered ​​The Jenny Dog with Brie Cheese, Crispy Bacon and Honey Truffle Glaze ($6).

I also got a side of tater tots ($2.50).

The dogs themselves were pretty tasty, and the toppings were interesting. The only real downfall was that the buns are just too big, and you end up with pretty bread-y bites. I did see this tip on social media. I tweeted at the chef after our dinner there, and he said that they are looking into other bin options.

While this was a decent place, and we enjoyed our meal overall, Happy Dog it is not. This is a good option if you live close by, but for us, Happy Dog is closer and better, when it comes to the hot dogs.

They do have a good list of cafe sandwiches, wraps, rolls or bowls, and a Kids Menu. The meal was cheap, arrived quickly, fresh, and overall pretty good. Just not memorable enough to drive to Rocky River from our area for.

River Dog Cafe
19900 Detroit Road
Rocky River, OH
216-767-5559