It can be tricky finding place to eat in Manchester city center that’s new and exciting and genuinely good. The struggle isn’t made any easier by the fact that the new cool thing to do with alternative eateries seems to be to make them secret and not that easy to find. Ace burger place Almost Famous probably deserves all the credit for kick starting that craze – and it certainly worked. Now, the quirky diner Dogs N Dough has arrived in the city, also borrowing from the word-of-mouth promotion technique that’s so big at the moment, to provide hungry visitors with a new food spot to Instagram the heck out of. But is it any good?
The short answer is: well, yeah. It is. The first thing we should probably talk about here is it’s location. Dogs N Dough is tricky to find. On your first visit, make sure have Google Maps to hand because you’ll need it to locate its alley-dwelling doorway. Once you find the place though there’s loads to like. Don’t be disparaged by the darkness of its entrance, trust your instincts and head down into the gloomy stairwell. At the bottom you’ll find a dimly-lit dining area that sounds like a 50s-inspired milkshake bar but looks like some sort of dark-green tiled, dark-oak furnished poker hall from a 70s mob movie. Don’t worry though, there are no Tony Sopranos here. Approach the staff and you’ll find that they’re not only happy to help but really friendly and super upbeat, a winning combination to encounter whenever you’re absolutely starving. So far, so good…
As you might have guessed, this place specialises in just two things; hot dogs and pizzas. If you’re looking for something a little fancier, you might want to head elsewhere. Happy with some lovingly made (an innovatively created) dogs and dough dishes? Then you’ve come to the right place. In addition to some colourfully named dogs like The ADB (poached egg+baked beans), Hawaii 5.0 (Smoked ham+pineapple salsa+onion) and The Reuben (Corned beef+Swiss+1000 Island+Sauerkraut), Dogs N Dough also feature a brand new ‘Special’ dog every week. When Northern Noise visited we tried the Bruce Lee, a delicious 100% beer frankfurter covered in a generous helping of pulled pork, hoisin sauce and onions. The line up changes each week, so it’s well worth making repeat visits.
The dogs themselves are enough to fill you up but if you do decide to go for sides, there’s a variety of options available. Fries are available in regular, cheese, chili cheese and gluttony edition (hot dog+chili+cheese) and the sides are well worth a shout. We had Dog Bites, a delicious mix of dough, cheddar and jalapenos that definitely hit the spot but onion rings and BBQ beans are available too. What’s more, if you visit during Happy Hour (weeknights 5pm-8pm) you can get 2 dogs and either a 4 pint pitcher of beer or a bottle of wine for just £20. Unfortunately we didn’t try the dough side of Dogs N Dough but that’ll soon be rectified the next time we visit. Food aside, the place boasts a high-tempo mix of classic 50s tunes that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. All in all, Dogs N Dough is well worth finding.
Words by Simon Bland (@SiTweetsToo)
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