Hot Dog Heaven

Cheeseburger was pretty good. Fries are unfortunately not fresh cut potatoes… But if you have a taste for the type of fries you’d get at a fair it’s worth it. Prices were normal for fast food.
The joint is really tiny though. Probably only 10 – 12 seats. I’m not sure if there is seating elsewhere (upstairs for example).
I probably won’t go back because of one of their creepy customers. He just stared at me when I entered until after I’d been sitting for a few seconds. Very odd.

Great pancakes and egg sandwiches. Sometimes they have veggie got dogs which is great.

Lovely food from a lovely lady. Coming to this place totally gave a fresh kick to start a day. My food was served just the way I wanted it. The lady cooking heard me quite right. Very nice old place to go and chat with fellas too if they like to. Lolz looking out the window reminds me of NYC. The prices are low. Tip them well. Lets support small businesses.

I really want to give at least 3 stars to support a local business, but I can’t come up with enough reasons for now.
First time I went here to eat in, the burgers and all the fried stuffs (onion rings, fries, etc) were good. It’s interesting that I can watch the way they prepare the food. However, watching my food went into the deep fryer was a good reminder that I’m going the opposite direction of eating healthy.
So yesterday, I decided to go for a take out grilled chicken caesar salad instead. Too bad the dressing wasn’t put aside and my salad was swimming in thick caesar dressing. The chicken wasn’t properly grilled too, it was fully cooked, but it didn’t have the beautiful grill mark and tasted bland.
So. 2 stars for now, but I still hope to come back & find better tasted meal.

I had a chicken sandwich, which was very mediocre. I also had a bowl of soup, which was above avarage.
The staff was very friendly. Overall, a pretty forgettable place that I likely won’t visit very often, if at all.

«Sometimes Smaller is Better»
by Josh K.
It must be the Albanian in me, but I think our Capital Region Mini Hot Dogs are better than the dirty water foot longs pushed around Central Park and Midtown on those New York City food carts.
This may offend some, so to that I am sorry. But home is where the heart is. And the Capital Region, not NYC, is home.
Wherever and whenever I order mini-​dogs, I always order «The Works» — loaded toppings of the requisite and classic Meat Sauce, combined with spicy mustard, and onions. The fact that the guy sitting next to me is reading a newspaper and enjoying a coke, and the lady a few stools over is doing her knitting over some scrambled eggs and bacon, leaves a soothing feeling whenever I enter Hot Dog Heaven.
The definitive Lark Street greasy spoon (nearby Uncle Sam’s should be noted as well), Hot Dog Heaven serves up the Albany classic mini dog fast and cheap on the their dirty, flat grill. They even grill the bun and ‘kraut too. This is the classic Albany dish served in the unpretentious surroundings of the standard old school lunch counter.
Also serving traditional American breakfast and lunch fare of omelets, burgers, and sausage, the ladies that work here know how to throw down on the flat iron grill. Having a thin line between greasy and juicy is sometimes all that is required for a restaurant to function properly.
There is nothing fancy about it, but at times, a few mini hot dogs is all I need to get through the day.
Although I prefer the classic, longer running establishments of Gus’s and Famous Lunch in Troy as they have a tastier, tangier meat sauce, and the dogs have more of a snap to them, Hot Dog Heaven is closer and cheaper.
It would be awesome if they were open earlier to partake more in their breakfast; even better if they were to stay open later. I don’t normally crave Hot Dogs until much later on in the day. I as well as many others would come here with greater frequency and appetites if the hours were expanded.
But then this may be for the best as my physician would warn me of increasing cholesterol levels.
I’m just not quite ready yet to start taking Lipitor because I consumed too many greasy, meat sauce smothered mini-​dogs.

I tried hot dog with chili, sausage burger w/​peppers and onions, tuna sandwich, vegetarian sandwich and mozarella sticks in multiple visits and I can say I was not disappointed once. Sausage burger is a winner for me though I liked other items as well. I suggest to order the food for take out as the interior seem like a run down with a laid-​back atmosphere and senior people all around. The server/​cook are very friendly and give suggestions for the order. Bring cash it’s a cash only.
For food I give 5 stars but for the neatness I need to reduce a star overall.

Until I went on a Tour de Hot Dog, I had no idea Hot Dog Heaven existed. I actually had to ASK someone on the street to point me in the right direction. Normally I’m the one giving directions, most of the time without even being asked. So yes, a humbling experience, to say the least.
It’s a damn shame Hot Dog Heaven doesn’t receive more fanfare down on Lark. It’s a seriously awesome place. Nowhere on the tour did I particularly enjoy eating the plain mini hot dog. It was always a warm up before the glory of mini dogs with meat sauce, onions and mustard. HDH’s plain mini dog was incredibly unctuous. It had such a meaty flavor, deliciously dripping in grease. The grease gave it the juiciness the other plain hot dogs tended to lack. As for the the main course, they did not disappoint. Hot Dog Heaven seriously has some of the best mini dogs w/​meat sauce around. The sauce has a good balance between meat and spice. They use spicy brown mustard. Everything on the dog works really well together, especially the ever present grease.
In reality, Hot Dog Heaven probably deserves five stars. The service was quick and friendly. While it doesn’t have the same type of history or atmosphere ala Famous Lunch or Gus’, it still has the fluorescent lit, neighborhood lunch counter vibe. There are obviously regulars, ordering from the breakfast menu while playing cards at a tiny side table. Two negatives bring it down: packed parking on Lark St and the hours. I doubt I’ll ever again want to eat mini hot dogs before 1 or 2pm on a weekend.

If you want to sit on a stool and enjoy a quality greasy meal, this is the place you’ve been looking for. Hot Dog Heaven offers a pretty extensive menu; a whole lot more than most of the other local hot dog joints. They’ve got a full breakfast menu, various types of sandwiches, burgers, and of course hot dogs. They even offer garden burgers and tofu dogs for your vegetarian friends. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Tell me – where else can you find a good meal these days for less than $ 5?
The only downsides: Going anywhere on Lark Street means you may have trouble finding parking. Also, their hours. Last I checked, they open at 9:00am and close at 2:30pm during the week, 2:00 on Saturday and 1:00 on Sunday.
So, take my advice and work Hot Dog Heaven into your busy schedule. You can thank me later.

I go here at least once a week because it’s so close.
If you have a taste for some mini-​hotdogs, these ones a pretty good (not as good as Gus’ in Troy, but that’s too far away…). Burgers are also very good and are how I would cook them at home — thick, juicy and a little pink in the center.
Also, great place for a deliciously-​greasy breakfast sandwich (good for hangovers). I wish they opened before 9AM though…