HOT DOG REVIEWS: Korean Corn Dogs

My search for the best hot dog in New York continues….

Every once in a while a tour attendee asks me where they can try a truly American dish: a corn dog. The problem is that corn dogs are really a thing at street fairs or out in the mid West. It’s hard to find an American corn dog at a food shop in NYC.

What is no longer difficult to find is a Korean corn dog. Did you know there was such a thing?

It’s a hugely popular street food in Korea that only really found its way to New York in the last year or so. And since the beginning of the year, there have been a handful of Korean chains serving up these unique creations in the city.

And, as you can imagine with something so trendy and new in the NYC food world, the lines go down the block. So all three of these businesses, if you come at the “wrong” time, will have huge lines. Thankfully, I timed my visits at the right moment on a rainy day or an off-time and managed to not wait too long.

OH K-DOG   

The first of these businesses to open (and the first I visited) is in the Lower East Side. This is an area that makes sense for this trendy and late night street food, They have since expanding to the West Village right on the border of NYU territory. The first time I stopped by, there was a massive wait to order and then another wait to get your food.

So these corn dogs are actually more accurately called rice hot dogs, since the batter is made of rice flour. The batter itself has a nice texture but none of the sweetness of corn. That’s ok because they make up for it with all the crazy and oftentimes very sweet additions to the fried dog on a stick.

Since I later discovered, the choices here a bit more modest and straight forward than some of the other spots. Mostly you get a choice of a dog or a block of cheese (or half and half) and if you want, you can get the dough studded with chunks of potatoes.

Pretty crazy. I went even crazier and ordered the Squid Half & Half. As you can see from the photo, presentation is everything here. Half of the stick is a half hot dog sliced open to look like the tentacles of the squid. Then the top is supposed to be a small wedge of mozzarella cheese and the batter is dyed black with the addition of squid ink. And I forgot to mention the entire thing is sprinkled with sugar!

What a way to start my Korean corn dog experience. And to be honest, it put a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t like much about this experience.

Most upsetting was when I bit into the top half, I got a big chunk of sweet greasy fried dough surrounding an empty stick. Not sure what happened with the cheese but there was nothing there!! Could it have fallen out into the fryer? It was very strange.

So I was left with a stick of batter and a very generic lukewarm hot dog. The “tentacles” were crispy and a guilty pleasure, but the rest of it was not great.

TWO HANDS SEOUL FRESH CORN DOGS

So Two Hands might have garnered even more attention than the popular Oh K-Dog. Their second location in ultra-trendy Nolita makes them ripe for huge success with Instagram royalty. This location might be even smaller than Oh K-Dog, but they offer similar stick options of hot dog, mozzarella, and half-half. They also have a spicy beef sausage which was intriguing, as well as a classic American corn dog.

But I thought I should stick with their namesake Two Hands dog. Once my order was ready, a creepy automated voice rang out “Please take the meal!” Ok.

The Two Hands is one of their more simple offerings with signature seasonings in the batter and a drizzle of their ranch sauce.

I thought this worked much better than the one I tried at Oh-K Dog. The batter was a bit more refined and less greasy. There was also less of a sweet sugary quality.

And maybe most importantly, the stick was full of ingredients. The top part had a chunk of mozzarella and wasn’t so different from a fat mozzarella stick. And then the bottom half had a snappy salty dog that actually balanced the cheesy richness of the top half.

Still not something I would eat all the time, but an interesting take on the corn dog.

JONGRO RICE HOT DOGS

Finally I made my way to Jongro in Koreatown, which is a name I was familiar with because of a nearby Korean BBQ spot. I can not tell if these businesses are related but it seems that Jongro is a street in Seoul. Jongro Hot Dog has expanded pretty rapidly with four locations in the city (mostly in Korean neighborhoods) including a spot in a new Williamsburg food hall. 

I discovered the somewhat hidden location in the middle of Koreatown. Here it’s as self-service as it comes. You order at a kiosk, wait for them to call your numbers, and then add your choice of sauces.

The corn dogs are all battered with rice flour and there are a few options in terms of what else goes in the batter. For me, the most intriguing was the Ramyon Noodle Chip Dog. Ramyon noodles are a crunchy snack you can find in packaged bags at Asian markets. I’ve had them before and they’re as addicting as any American chip.

The crunch experience is full on and is complemented by the chewy rice batter. There was also a smattering of sugar which I thought was unnecessary but it was restrained and was pleasant enough.

I added some mustard (I’m an NYC hot dog guy), but I think I may have gone too easy on the self serve station. The corn dog was great without any sauces, but next time I’ll try a few more to see what they do.

I must say the dog itself was also a stand-out. It was a quality meaty dog with a nice juiciness and hint of smoke. Of course no crisp skin here, but the batter and additions do what a casing normally would in terms of texture.

This one was the best of the bunch and gives me hope for this probably fleeting hot dog trend.

Is Oh K-Dog the best hot dog in NY? Despite it being a corn dog, it still doesn’t past muster with the one sample I tried. Greasy, overly sweet, and lacking quality ingredients, I can’t give it more than a  5 out of 10.

Is Two Hands Seoul Fresh Hot Dog the best hot dog in NY? It fairs much better with quality ingredients and an expertly fried batter. Ignore the Instagram hordes and it’s worth a try at least once. 7 out of 10.

Is Jongro Hot Dog the best hot dog in NY? It’s the best of the Korean-style corn dogs I’ve tried so gets an 8 out of 10 thanks to interesting crunchy toppings, a perfectly chewy batter, and a really nice hot dog. This is one to try more than once.