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Sumo Dog Brings Japanese Hot Dogs And Soy Milk Soft Serve To Koreatown
The Sumo Dog (Photo by Juliet Bennett Rylah/LAist)
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Sumo Dog has moved into Koreatown with hot dogs topped with furikake, soy milk soft serve and sushi rice tater tots. You can find Sumo Dog on Western Avenue, in the spot formerly occupied by Mexican eatery Romero's. Romero's, according to Eater LA, had been there for 29 years and closed on December 30. Though Sumo Dog's curious brand of hot dogs piled with Japanese toppings began via a pop-up at Coachella, this is the brand's first brick-and-mortar establishment.
Sumo Dog comes via Chef Jeffrey Lunak (Morimoto Napa) and partner Mark Stone. The compact menu includes eight different hot dogs, which can be made with pork sausage, waygu beef or vegan. Their signature Sumo Dog is topped with pickled peppers, wasabi relish, spicy mayo, teriyaki sauce, minced onion, furikake and seaweed. It sounds like an odd mashup, but it works, and it'll work especially well if you are leaving nearby Beer Belly or Frank N Hank after a long night. Meanwhile, the Bacon Bahn Mi offers a fresher take on the beloved dirty dog. It comes wrapped in bacon, then topped with shreds of daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño, fish sauce, spicy mayo and lime. if you're really hungry, the Godzilla is a foot-long, all-beef hot dog with pork chili and cabbage slaw. The buns are soft, but not soggy, and the dogs are plump. They are pricier than a street dog, as they run $8 or $9 a piece, or $13 for the Godzilla.
Sumo Dog also offers fries, tater tots, or tots made with sushi rice, which have the texture and flavor of the crispy rice dishes at a sushi restaurant. You can get the tots plain or sprinkled with furikake for $5, but for $8, you can get them loaded with toppings including chili (available with pork or tofu), miso cabbage, pickled peppers, jalapeno, spicy mayo, teriyaki sauce, fish sauce and spicy cheese sauce.
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Soy milk soft serve (Photo by Juliet Bennett Rylah/LAist)
For dessert, we'd suggest their soy milk soft serve. The flavors vary (we tried their coconut), but it's a remarkably creamy, yet non-dairy treat, kind of like Dole Whip.
Soft drinks are available, but no alcohol. They'll be open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday., but until 2 a.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
If you're one of the first 100 people to show up when they open their doors at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, you'll get a free dog.
Sumo Dog is located at 516 S. Western Avenue in Koreatown.
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