The Wienery

414 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
612-333-5798
http://www.wienery.com/

Category: American-Casual

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 7
Service: 9
Ambience: 9

Recommendation: Very Good. This classic neighborhood diner serves a nice selection of hot dogs at prices that will make you freak.

At the Wienery, what you see is what you get; a small entrance that we’ve driven by a hundred times and never blinked an eye, and a space that’s the size of a two car garage. When we stepped in the doors, with a group of 9 (including a baby in a stroller), we wondered if we’d stick around for the meal. A narrow passage way separates the tables from the long breakfast bar and there’s no table that would even fit a party half our size. But this place had charm (be it from the memorabilia on the wall, the torn leather chairs, or the homely atmosphere) and we were greeted with a smile and a willingness to accommodate so there was no way we were turning around. We did have to wait while the packed interior cleared up.

The kitchen is in the back, but within plain sight – a large sink, a stove and some prep space is all there is. That particular day there were two staff members managing the show and serving up fresh, hot food. We managed to find a table and some seats and the bar and waited – it did take a while, but watching the staff at work was a whole lot of fun.

Although the menu has a whole page of breakfast foods, we decided to stick with burgers and hot dogs. The selection is impressive (and too long to recite) – we guarantee you’ll have trouble deciding. We indulged in a few types of dogs and they were all really good. The Chicago Style Dog was good and made with Vienna beef, although missing the poppy seed bun. We also liked the Manhattan (with Chili and Cheese) and adored the Drive-In Dog (with slaw, chili and cheese). It’s a killer combination you can also get as a burger. The Chili was fresh and chunky and was great in the Chili Burger as well. And if you like Italian Roast Beef, you should give theirs a try – juicy and flavorful. The fries were good, but we would have preferred melted cheese on the Chili Cheese Fries. We didn’t much care for the Upsetter Dog (bacon and egg) mostly because the eggs were overcooked and dry – it would have been much better with warm, moist scrambled.

Service was great, but be prepared to wait because a meal here could take a couple of hours. Time flew by for us because of the company and the atmosphere. The kicker is that the average tab for our group worked out to about $7 – this place is a steal.

$. Street parking is available.