Photo by Philip Lambert

The Original Hot Dog Shop is prominently located on a corner just a block from the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. The "O" has been feeding the appetites of The City of Pittsburgh and its students (Pitt, Carnegie-Mellon and Duquesne) since 1960. The "O’s" dogs are 100% Vienna beef and they use a local bakery for their buns. The dogs are grilled and the buns are steamed. Unlike the skinless hotdogs in the South, these dogs have a natural casing on them. My two dogs were topped with onions, hot spicy brown mustard, chili, relish and whole dill pickles. The slaw I ordered as a topping came on the side. The coleslaw had a light sweet taste and was made of green and white cabbage with specks of carrot in it. You could also get mayo, sauerkraut, ketchup or a cheese-dog. The dogs with their natural casing were very juicy and very good. The toppings just made the dogs even better. One thing I didn’t get to try, and I know I will regret it until I get back to Pittsburgh again, are the "O’s" fries. The fries come in baskets; a small basket of fries (two pounds of potatoes) feeds 1-2 people, A medium basket of fries (four pounds of potatoes) feeds 2-3 people, and a large basket of fries (six pounds of potatoes) feeds 3-4 people. After two loaded dogs and a drink, I was full. I love fries, and eating them when they are warm, lightly salted and dipped in ketchup is a great thing. However, having a ton of cold fries leftover is not good and they never taste the same re-heated.

Photo by Philip Lambert

Photo by Philip Lambert

Photo by Philip Lambert

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