Nestled in the heart of Pensacola, The Dog House is a hip counter-serve restaurant that’s known locally as a go-to spot for creative hot dog mash-ups and savory American grill fare in an upbeat location.
You will find this Pensacola restaurant right along the popular shopping avenue of Palafox Place, which lies within the town’s downtown area. They have a bright and welcoming facade with rustic orange framing and a top wooden border atop which is a massive dog’s face with sunglasses. This cute floppy-eared pup is emblazoned on all of their menus and much of their promotional items as their big logo because while dogs aren’t welcome on the interior of the restaurant, hot dogs do play a massive role in the menu here. Plus, this Pensacola restaurant has really built up a gorgeous back patio area that, as well as their front tables, offers comfortable outdoor seating that does welcome dogs.
When you head inside The Dog House, you’ll find yourself in an elongated dining room with a row of tables and booths along each wall. The walls have been kept a basic gray color with one big accent wall featuring repurposed wood. The overall decor is simple with a young and hip vibe. If you kept walking all the way through the restaurant, you’d find yourself in a small hallway from where you can access the bathrooms and a sizable outdoor patio that was recently renovated and opened up to patrons.
The Dog House operates as a counter-serve restaurant so all orders are taken at the counter. When ready, a friendly restaurant staff member will bring your meal or your table’s meals to you. They have a massive chalkboard menu just above where they take counter orders, or you can grab one of their paper menus to more closely peruse as you wait in line. Which, yes, there often is a line and this popular American grill restaurant.
We say American grill because The Dog House is big on hot dogs, sandwiches, and po’boys — which are essentially a special kind of sandwich (some might even argue that a hot dog is a sandwich!). These are all items that are either grilled or fried in-house just behind the counter. You can watch the cooks prep and make your and others’ entrees if you opt to sit at the bar that runs alongside the ordering area.
Popular menu items at The Dog House include:
Chicago Dog
You can build up your own hot dog, choosing between first your hot dog size and type — they have several all-beef selections as well as a 7″ Kobe beef hot dog and two vegan hot dog varieties — and then adding up to six toppings from a couple of dozen options. Or, you can choose from one of their signature hot dogs of which the Chicago Dog certainly tops the favorites list. This signature hot dog features onions, sweet relish, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and mustard and celery seed drizzled on top.
Shrimp & Chorizo Breakfast Burrito
Florida, especially Panhandle Florida, does a pretty bang-up job with breakfasts overall. This is, after all, still the South, and the South loves mixing up savory early-morning meals and serving them up in big style. If you likewise fancy big flavors in the morning, then we have to recommend waking up to one of The Dog House’s breakfast burritos. We especially love the Shrimp & Chorizo breakfast burrito which features two cracked eggs, spicy chorizo sausage, shrimp, potatoes, green onions, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and comes served with aioli and sour cream topping.
Insider Tip:
Have a big vacation group or otherwise need to feed a lot of people with some hearty food? They have an outstanding breakfast delivery service that’s pretty unique. This delivery service offers eight popular menu items that are all priced lower than their in-restaurant counterparts. However, there are some big stipulations with your group having to complete a $150 minimum order and make the call 48 hours prior to delivery.