Gateway Dog House

This review is for the California french fries (They have pork in all of their hot dogs, so, unfortunately, I was not able to try any of them).
The California fries are crinkle cut fries smothered in garlic butter and salt and they are amazing. You must try them. Some of the best garlic fries I have ever had. Ever.

First time, because I had judged a book by its cover. NO MORE OF THAT. I tried this place today only because the truck next door only accepted cash. I only had my debit card and I was still skittish about doing so. I looked at the menu and it was too much for me to read it all being in a hurry, it was COLD. I asked the pretty and sweet woman in the truck what I should get, she asked if I liked blue cheese, I said YES, I love aaaaalllll stinky cheeses. She said I should get the Bleu Apple Brat. I said OK. I cannot always trust myself when picking food I am worried about liking so I let my server or someone else choose for me, it always tastes better that way, no expectations. Every brat I had ever tasted before was greasy and drippy and just plain UNHEALTHY tasting and I had never like a single one until now. This was everything I never expected from a brat. It was juicy… yet not greasy and just perfectly cooked. I will definitely be back and recommend it to everyone who ever thought badly of brats, this one had apples on it and who doesn’t like BACON???

I work in Fenton, which is a culinary wasteland, for the most part. I’m used to it now — and my wallet (and waistline) appreciate the fact that I eat out a LOT less and bring my lunches from home.
But when I found out that the Gateway Dog House food truck was not just going to making a stop in Fenton, but was going to be parked within WALKING DISTANCE of my job, I was super excited.
I went with the Gateway Beer & Pretzel Dog: a frank, topped with bacon, a dill pickle spear, spicy brown mustard, and beer cheese on a pretzel bun. Wowza. I skipped the pickle spear and subbed a spicy andouille sausage for the frank. Oh, and I ordered fries.
The dog was ready pretty quickly, and was served piping hot. The ‘California’ fries were topped with parsley and garlic and were amazing.
I loved my hot dog. It was delicious, flavorful, and the portion was hearty.
Service was super friendly, and they accept credit cards (they use Square).
This food truck gets two thumbs up from this girl! I’m looking forward to their next stop in Fenton.

After having such a pleasant experience at Gateway Dog House last weekend at Crestwood Mall, I decided to stop in again for an order of fries. They were yummy, they involved garlic, and the service was fast and friendly, so why not? I arrived at the tail end of the art event (about 3:40), and lots of trucks were either gone or were packing up. Luckily, Shell’s Coastal Cuisine was still there with tacos, which I wanted to try, as was Gateway Dog House, for my spuds.
Because I was their last customer, they gave me an extra large order of fries, which is awesome in itself. They were still the best crinkle cut fries that I’ve ever had. And the woman by the ketchup warned me about squirting ketchup on them before trying them, which I appreciated (it does kind of wipe out the garlic flavor). However, I assured her that I was using a ketchup cup, AND that I had tried them last weekend at Crestwood Mall. She asked if I was there for the Pokemon tournament… um no, I just like food trucks. I reminded them that I don’t eat meat, and they said, «We have a killer mac and cheese today!» No way! They told me that they were thinking about doing that, and they did! Unlike some food trucks that promised to have something special for vegetarians (hypothetically, some vegetarian arancini) and didn’t, they actually listened to me! So I get out my money to try their mac and cheese, and the guy just hands it to me… like, for FREE. Now that’s carrying about all of your customers! And it was pretty yummy! It was baked with bread crumbs, and very rich and buttery.
Basically, even though I wouldn’t touch a hot dog with a ten foot pole (I’m sure these are amazing if you like hot dogs… I do not), these guys STILL have my vote. And their service means that, no matter what other trucks are around, I’m always at least going to stop in for some fries.

I have tried Gateway twice now and both times the service has been fast and friendly. As far as the dogs go my favorite thus far is the Hot Papa, the Grilled Chipolte onions relish give it a great sweet and spicy tang.
The Blue apple brat is fantastic if you like blue cheese, I was surprised to like the sweetness of the cooked apples. The only miss thus far is their namesake Gateway Beer ‘n pretzel dog, the pretzel bun was delicious and chewy, but it went downhill from there with soggy microwave looking bacon and watery cheese sauce. If you go get the california/​freese fries. you wont be disappointed, but may need a breath mint!

As the beautiful wife put our lunch plans in my hands, I stepped out of work this afternoon and there was the red truck and trailer of Gateway Dog House (a.k.a. Papa Tom’s Gateway Dog House). So be it!
Here’s a run down:
1) They’re currently doing an «11 for $ 11» special — in celebration of the Cardinals’ winning their 11^th World Series, for $ 11 you get two dogs, a side of fries, and a drink for $ 11. Sweet. I presume this will end at the end of the year, otherwise it would be a numerology nightmare.
2) They have a number of menu options available, some are standard hot dogs, other are andouille or brats (you can substitute hot dogs for the andouille or brat for $ 0.50). Unfortunately, there isn’t a vegetarian dog option and I’m not sure what meats are used (I assume pork is in everything), so if you have other dietary restrictions, you’re probably out of luck as well.
3) The meats are from G&W Meat & Bavarian Style Sausage Company, which admittedly, I’m not their biggest fan. Fortunately, the dogs as a whole are pretty good.
4) The dogs appear to be prepared on a flat top grill, so there’s none of that wonderful flame charred exterior.
5) For our two dogs, we had:
–the Bavarian Brat (beer braised sour kraut, brown mustard, and pickle spear on a pretzel bun) — this is one of the more basic in terms of their offerings and it is «fine.» If there was a killer brat in this, it would have been better. Also, the preztel fun just didn’t mesh with this for some reason.
–the Gateway Beer ‘n Pretzel Dog (bacon, pickle spear, brown mustard, with beer cheese sauce on a pretzel bun) — this was the winner of the two. All the flavors meshed well together and here the pretzel bun made sense (probably the familiarity of pretzels with cheese)
6) We also had an order of their California fries (fries with garlic and parsley) — these were cooked well and pretty tasty. They’re crinkle cut, so if that’s an anathema to you, well, too bad for you.
7) Unlike a number of food trucks, they’re able to turn around orders pretty quickly, which is a good thing, especially now that it is getting chilly and wet.
8) Cash or credit cards accepted (with Square).
So what’s the verdict? I’d say they’re a 3 ½ stars due to their creative offerings, great fries, and quick service.
We’ll certainly try them again.

An up and comer in the STL food truck scene, Gateway Dog House has an incredibly friendly staff, and equally delicious specialty ‘dogs. They’re generally downtown, but travel around the area to various events, such as Food Truck Fridays, and most recently, Lou Fusz Toyota’s Grand Re-​Opening.
They have different ‘dogs to satisfy any craving. The menu currently has 12 to choose from. I’ve tried the Santa Fe: tortilla strips, corn, roasted pepper, chipotle-​lime mayo, and the Carolina: mustard, chili, slaw, and onions… they didn’t skimp on the toppings either!
Never would I imagine a hot dog requiring a fork and knife, but I thoroughly enjoyed each bite.
The fries are served crinkle cut style, and have a light garlic taste to them, with small leaves of parsley added. That little extra goes a long way, flavor wise, and makes these fries considerably better than just a plain ‘olé basket you could order elsewhere.
As for price, you can expect to get fries and a specialty ‘dog of your choice for around six bucks. The ‘dogs are assembled as you order them, and come out quickly.
Gateway Dog House fills the niche of specialty hot dogs quite well, and I hope they keep serving STL as food trucks continue to grow in popularity. You can find their full menu on their Facebook page — [