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It’s usually a good sign when a restaurant is busy at 1:30 in the afternoon — and Jimmy’s Hot Dogs in south Phoenix had a steady stream of customers and the phone never quit ringing on our recent late-ish lunch visit. We soon found out why this place was so popular: its $3.35 Chicago-style hot dog and super quick service makes that a perfect spot for lunch on the go.
Jimmy’s is a small corner restaurant, but easy to find with its big red awning wrapping around edge of the building. The inside was clean with cheerful yellow walls, red and blue tiled floor, and a small tv in the corner.
With every order, the same series of events took place behind the counter. We heard the pop of grease as fresh cut fries went into the fryer, then a metal lid slid back revealing hot dogs, releasing a billow of steam. Then it was assembly time. We had barely sat down and arranged ourselves at the table before our food was placed in front of us.
A hot dog at Jimmy’s costs just $3.35, and that includes fries — fresh cut, fried when you order, fries. The fries alone are worth the trip to Jimmy’s, though a colorful, “dragged through the garden” Chicago dog complete with mustard, onion, relish, pickle, tomato, short peppers, and celery salt also makes a good lunch choice.
If you’re feeling a little more on the starving side, go ahead and double dog; for an extra dollar you can have two hot dogs in your bun. We couldn’t resist and tried the double dog Chicago style. It was good, though we would have liked more mustard. Based on the orders from the customers coming in after us, we probably should have tried the chili dog too.
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While the name does highlight hot dogs, there are several other options on the menu that might be worth exploring. The restaurant’s Italian beef looked mighty fine, as well as the chili cheese fries. Since we missed our opportunity to try chili on something, we’ll definitely be back.
Jimmy’s Hot Dogs is located at 4022 E Broadway Rd. Suite 101 in Phoenix and are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
