First visit: Jan 2022 (North Gate - closed)
HQ: Pasadena, CA (founded: 2010)
Locations: 64 (-13 from last year). There are 4 in Colorado (+1), with only this one here in the Springs. There are 4 in DFW (-1), and still nowhere near NE Tarrant.
Back again at the Dog Haus for the first time this year and only third time ever. Mrs. RJG's mom is back in town, and so there's family events to attend to. Which gives me a bit of freedom to eat at places she doesn't really enjoy much. Like here. It appears they've more or less eliminated bar service, and you have to order at the counter. Now that may be because it's a Sunday late morning, I don't know for sure. This time I wanted to try something different and had the Chili Idol (lol) which is a hot dog with chili and onions. A compliment to my visit to The Varsity apparently. Dog Haus' is larger and comes on an Hawaiian roll, which adds that touch of sweetness. Everything else was good, though not sure the flavor of the chili penetrated much. Had one pale ale from the Denver area, sat at the bar quietly, and moved on. Don't think the meal was enough sustenance, so I probably should have added fries or something similar. That's OK, I can snack at home. For what you get, too high priced (once again). Though the good news is there was a decent crowd, despite my reservations. All the same, I'm pulling Dog Haus out of the RJG rotation, but certainly wouldn't object to going again. Beer selection, while containing many different options, is fairly static. Prices high. Not filling enough. Nope, we can stop here.
---3/11/23 update
Finally back at Dog Haus, where the review below represents my only visit prior. This time I brought Mrs. RJG with me, but I probably should not have lol. A burger sounded good to her, but I should have made note that the King Hawaiian was not going to be well received. It didn't help that the bread got stuck to the plastic container they serve it in, leaving a bad first impression. For her, the bread was sweet and mushy, the worst possible combination. They also stated that all of their hamburgers are well done, and yet this one came out with pink. I fear I'm losing my opportunity take the Mrs. out again unless it's Thai food. None of which swayed my personal opinion. I went back to The Fonz (see below) and enjoyed every minute of it, though I could argue the bread should have been toasted more. But I'm not so picky that way. Found one beer from Goat Patch that I hadn't tried prior (see Bier Reise), and I'm a happy camper. I'll be back - by myself apparently. Sigh.
As of this writing, Dog Haus currently have 77 locations across the country with 13 on the way. There are 3 in Colorado (same as last year), with 2 in the Denver area and the one here. They had planned to open up one near downtown, but it doesn't appear that happened. They are, however, opening one up in Windsor. For my legacy DFW readers, they have 5 locations (up 2 from last year), some only co-locating. Nothing in NE Tarrant yet, which would be a perfect location for this chain.
---original 1/9/22 review
Dog Haus is a fast growing chain that first opened in Pasadena, California back in 2010. They have different types of restaurants, going from fast food stands, to locations inside of event centers, to full blown craft taverns. Fortunately our local location is of the latter. Walk in and you can order at the counter (to-go or to grab a table) or have a seat at the bar, and be served. They have 30 beers on tap, with a healthy craft selection. Though nothing too unique, and there was nothing new for me to try. That says more about my obsessive habit than it does about the selection. So I settled on a dark lager from Call To Arms in Denver. As for the food, it's a mix of breakfast and sandwiches, with sausages, hot dogs, and burgers leading the way. They stress they are all-beef. I went with The Fonz which is a spicy Italian sausage, pastrami, and mozzarella sandwich on a King Hawaiian roll. I got just what I asked for, and the bread was perfectly toasted. Really enjoyed the spicy sausage as well, which comes from Creekstone Farms based in Kansas.
So we're on a roll (so to speak) with two straight new-to-us winners!
1/9/22 (new entry); 3/11/23; 4/21/24
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