Have you tried an Oki Dog?

Have you ever had an Oki Dog?  Have you ever even heard of an Oki Dog?  In all honesty the outside of this building didn't really call me in.  I'm not sure I would have ever made the stop if it were not for the advice of someone else.  You get 24 hours in a day.  365 days in a year.  If you live to be 80 you get about 700,800 hours to live.  Everyday we make the choice to sit back and watch life go by or get out there and live it.  We choose to live. We chose to fill our moments with new experiences with new memories and that brought us to the Oki Dog.  

Oki Dog is located at 860 N Fairfax in North Hollywood, on the corner of Willoughby.  Its not hard to find at all.  Behind a chain link fence is your parking. From your parking spot this photo is your view.  I have a lot of words I feel like could describe it but I'm just going to call it character.  This place has a lot of character.  As you exit the lot you walk by the front of the restaurant.  Here is a window and menu if you want to order from outside, but I don't recommend it.  I recommend going in for the full experience.  Out front is a line of chairs.  Imagine if you and your twenty closest friends all took one chair from a family member who collected old things and you lined them up.  This is kinda what you see when you walk up.  Chairs like the ones I remember from my early childhood, but not the fancy ones. 

The inside was equally eclectic with a style that is a one of a kind.  There was music playing and fans blowing.  The menu was written on the wall and next to it was a window you could order from.  Inside the building it was warm but those brave souls in the kitchen, wow!  As you talked into the window you could feel a burst of heat pouring out.  It was like a sauna except for the smell.  The smell was wonderful and it made the hot burst so worth it.  We all picked our spots and looked around while we ordered and waited for the food to be prepared.  We had no idea what an Oki Dog was and after asking the guy at the window I still had no idea.  I couldn't understand a word that was said.  It totally might be me though, the customer in the corner behind us with the one large dreadlock peeking out of the bottom of his very well loved hat said something as well and I have no clue what he said either.   

Brandan was less than impressed by our potential adventure.  He said he was pretty sure we were all going to die, he just wasn't sure if we would get stabbed, shot or food poisoned.  It wasn't that bad at all, but it sure wasn't someplace that we would look at and think that amazing food would be tucked inside.  This is his "What did you get me into now?" face.  His tune changed when we broke into our meal. 

I asked the guy at the window how large an Oki Dog was.  He said it wasn't that big using hand gestures that led me to think it was the size of a standard hot dog.  Its not!  We ordered four Oki Dog combos and two basic burger combos for the ones who weren't interested in a surprise.  Here is the big kicker, an Oki Dog combo with a large bag of fries and a soda set us back $6.  I didnt know you could get anything in Hollywood for $6 let alone an entire meal.  Earlier in the day we got doughnuts and they were about $3 a piece.  For $6 I felt like we were getting a steal of a deal.  Since they were just a hot dog we also ordered two Oki Burgers for sharing, just to try.   

This is an Oki Dog!  This is nowhere near the size of just a hot dog.  It is two full sized good quality hot dogs,  covered in chili and cheese and a good serving of pastrami all wrapped in a perfect tortilla.  Huge is not a big enough word to describe it.  It was a meal and a half of amazing flavors in a fun shell.  I am not a huge hot dog fan.  Do you remember the line in the movie The Great Outdoors when they are talking about what is in a hot dog?  Ill just leave that there.  This was seriously good eats and I would love to have one again!  


Remember when we decided that they were just a hot dog so we should try a burger too?  Yeah, the hot dogs are huge but the Oki Burgers colossal.  This here is one Oki Burger.  One half is filling the plate and the other is waiting to be taken.  I loved this even more than the Oki Dog.  They put a pile of cabbage on the grill with three hamburger patties.  They cooked it all up with onions and green peppers.  When it was all cooked up they wrapped it all in two full sized tortillas and topped it with chili and cheese.  We had two of those! It was like a Philly cheese steak with a twist.  I loved the cooked cabbage and the blend of flavors.  Between all the food we got there was a full meal left over to feed our little family of four the next day. 

When we travel to places we don't often stop at little shacks like this one.  Its off the beaten tourist path a little bit but worth the venture out.  Come see us and we will take you there.  Even if it is just once you have to experience the adventure of an Oki Dog and Burger.  

I think in life we will look back an regret the chances we didn't take.  Take the chance and make the memories.  

❤ Misty