restaurant review: red top hotdogs

mollyandgabriella
Aug 2, 2019
4 min read

Red Top Hotdogs is a local joint not too far from campus - probably a seven minute drive. They serve a wide variety of gourmet hot dogs and sausages along with plenty of choices of beers and sodas. There’s plenty of street parking, but it was exceptionally crowded the Tuesday we went which was our second time eating Red Top but the first time at the actual restaurant. When we walked in to the tall brick building, we found out why it was so busy: the restaurant hosts a monthly ping pong tournament every last Tuesday of the month! The place was bustling and beer was flowing.

Molly and I discovered Red Top Hotdogs from our stint as “bartenders” at Forecastle. After our shift volunteering for Gilda’s Club was up, we ventured through the many food vendors in search of some nourishment. I LOVE hotdogs and it was a no-brainer for me to get one. As it turns out, Red Top Hotdogs was right here in Louisville! -g

What Did We Order?

Gabriella ordered the Tatanka (Bison sausage on a pretzel bun with cheddar beer cheese, french fried onions, pepper veggie relish, & horseradish cream), grilled Brussels sprouts with bacon and bourbon molasses, and shoestring fries. She also had a Virgil's root beer.

Molly ate the famous Flight of Dogs (Mini versions of our top four hot dogs - Black and Blue, Nirvana, Cali, and Louisville) and tater tots.

In this (and all other restaurant reviews) Molly and I will both be judging each restaurant on four categories: Food, Service, Atmosphere, and Price. Each category can earn a maximum of ten points and an overall score is averaged from those categories. Then, the final rating is averaged from Molly and my scores. Restaurants will not be compared to one another. You can see the top ranking restaurants on our home page!

Food

G: The Tantanka definitely deserves its name. The sausage was piled high in a pretzel bun with fried onions, amazing pepper veggie relish and loads of beer cheese. Although I’m not a huge fan of beer cheese and horseradish, I did enjoy the balance of all the ingredients. The Brussels sprouts were just okay. I really enjoy plain sprouts - pan-seared in some olive oil and salt and peppered - so the bourbon molasses was a bit much for me. The fries were standard, although I do love a good shoestring fry. I also love root beer and the fact that they had soo many different types of the soda was amazing. All in all, I was very happy with my meal! (8.0/10)

M: The Flight of Dogs was truly a culinary hot dog experience. Each dog was the perfect size to be able to get a true taste of what Red Top Hotdogs had to offer, and filled me up perfectly. After much deliberation, I have decided my favorite was the Nirvana. It was a beef hot dog topped with crispy fried onions, fresh jalapeno slices, garlic cream cheese, and jalapeno jam. The jam was HOT but the sweet, creamy flavor of the garlic cream cheese blended with the spiciness and the flavors came together as one sauce. Next in line would have to be the Black & Blue - topped with grilled onions, blue cheese, blackberry jam, and smoked onions. The blackberry jam not at all sweet and the flavor mingled perfectly with the flavor of the blue cheese. The Cali was just like a California burger- topped with guacamole, grilled jalapenos, pico de gallo, and their house M&M sauce. I enjoyed this one, but there seemed to be too much pico in relation to everything else and it almost overtook the dog. Finally, the Louisville dog. If I were to order this again I would leave off the mustard as it seemed to overtake everything else and I just wanted to experience the coney sauce and beer cheese that also adorned the dog. The tater tots were very obviously freshly made and perfectly crispy and crunchy. (7.5/10)

Service

G: Like most of these types of places, at Red Top you order when you walk in and then grab a number and get seated. It’s pretty typical, but the workers are real nice! (7.5/10)

M: When we first got there it seemed a little slow, but it was quickly apparent that everything was made to order! Well worth the wait. (8.0/10)

Atmosphere

G: We got there during the peak of the ping pong tournament so it was super neat to see how busy it was. The building is cool too, and also kind of confusing to walk through! There were murals, chalk drawings, and posters and frames all on the walls. The vibe was chill and vintage, if not a little frenetic because of the tourney! I’m pretty unfamiliar with Germantown but I do like the location of the restaurant. (9.0/10)

M: The shop is in an old building that’s recently been renovated, but still kept the charm of the original Germantown architecture. It was a little hectic the night we went due to the ping pong tournament, BUT it only proved that that many people enjoyed the restaurant and would come back again and again. (9.0/10)

Price

G: The prices were pretty standard in terms of food. There was also a special on Goodwood and PBRs because of the ping pong tournament! (7.5/10)

M: The prices ranged from from $7-$12 for entrees and $2-$4 for sides. It’s fair for the quality of food and you definitely won’t leave hungry! (7.0/10)

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Red Top Hotdogs is rated a 7.9 out of 10 combined between Molly and I. You can see our individual ratings below and any notes! We recommend checking this place out - they’re super chill and a good hot dog is always a must!