Pittie Dog Grill
★★★★★ 4.6 (58)
"The Pittie Dog Grill held their Grand Opening early last month in November at their location in the Riverview Village section of Norfolk's Granby Street, intersecting 42nd Street with a small parking lot available. It took over a spot that was previously occupied by a number of restaurants, including a location of Capt'n Crabby that closed in 2022, and before that, a Subway. Riverview Village includes a family of close knit businesses that lend mutual support to each other, and the Pittie Dog Grill is the latest one to join the family. Hot dogs are the name of the game at Pittie Dog Grill, which has also dedicated its business to the support of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Their interior decor is highlighted by an abundance of creative pit bull art. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of their merchandise, which includes their Pittie Dog T-Shirts and NuLand's Hot Sauce, is donated to local animal rescue centers. They also sell house made pup treats in pumpkin and peanut butter flavors. If you buy one, they also donate one to a dog at a local shelter. All proceeds go to Norfolk Animal Care and the Norfolk SPCA.In addition to hot dogs, they serve burgers, custard shakes, jumbo sized cookies from the Wigglebutt Cookie Company, and a number of sides that includes jumbo dill pickles, fries, onion petals, and others.Happy Puppy Hour is held daily from 2 pm to 5 pm, during which you can get 2 Puppy Pittie dogs, a small order of fries, and a drink for $9.99, including tax.Their hot dogs are charbroiled Sabrett Beef Hot Dogs. They offer a regular sized Pittie Dog, a larger sized quarter pound Pittie Dog, and a foot long Pittie Dog, all with a natural casing. Their smaller Puppy Pittie Dog is skinless. After three lunch time visits, I have tried the following:CHICAGO DOGS: Poppy Seed Bun with Yellow Mustard, Sweet Neon Relish, Tomatoes, Diced Onions, Pickle Spear, Sport Peppers, and Celery Salt.I ordered two of these in their regular Pittie Dog size. I have never tried an actual Chicago Dog from Chicago, but these were the best versions of the Chicago Dog I have ever tried in this area.The Sabrett dogs delivered a nice snap and flavor. The flavors of all of the other ingredients came together beautifully, and I especially loved the sweet neon relish, sport peppers, and celery salt. My Rating: 5 Stars.BLOODY MARY DOGS: These are not on their regular menu, but were featured as a special addition on a recent Sunday. They were described as follows on their Facebook page:"Any Pittie Dog with Diced Tomatoes, Pico, Pepper Relish, a Pickle Spear, and our Homemade Bloody Mary Sauce from the NuLand Hot Sauce Company, Mr. Picklesworth's Dill Pickle Hot Sauce, and other secret ingredients."The combination of ingredients intrigued me, and I was able to get them to make me a couple during a weekday visit. The Bloody Mary flavor came through nicely and was further enhanced by all the other ingredients.I ordered them in the Puppy Pittie size by mistake, which come skinless without the "snap" of the others. I will order them again during a future visit in their regular Pittie Dog size. Their flavors came together beautifully for an exhilarating taste experience. My Rating: 5 Stars. NORFOLK DOGS: These are described on their menu as "Mustard and Onions on the bottom and Hot Dog Chili on the top." I ordered two of them.The Norfolk Dog was first invented by George Bacali, a Greek immigrant who began to serve his hot dogs in 1934 at Bacali's Hot Dogs on City Hall Avenue in downtown Norfolk. Mustard, onion, and hot dog chili are the only ingredients.The Norfolk Dog later made its way to Tony's Hot Dogs on Lafayette Boulevard in Norfolk, led by Tony Mirable and his wife. His three sons later carried on the tradition with hot dog spots on their own with their family recipe.These Norfolk Dogs were made with the Hormel brand "snap dogs", which were discontinued in January of 2019. The Sabrett version does not give me quite the snap as the original Hormel version, but they are snappy enough. The charbroiled taste of the Sabrett dogs and the flavors of the mustard and hot dog chili came through nicely.If I can make one suggestion, it would be to show at least a little bit of the mustard and onions on top for greater eye appeal. I have an old photo of two Norfolk Dogs from Tony's Hot Dogs that show a drizzle of mustard on top with specks of onions on the buns. My Rating: 4.5 Stars.CHOCOLATE CUSTARD SHAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM: This was my dessert treat during one of my visits, and this one blew me away with an explosion of flavor and texture. I loved the creamy custard texture and the swirls of chocolate inside, topped off by the light and airy whipped cream. My Rating: 5 Stars.This review comes with a well-deserved 5-star rating. The Pittie Dog Grill has brought my long lost love affair with the All-American hot dog back to life, and I am looking forward to my future visits."
"Someone took me for a birthday lunch. I chose the location for a first time visit. They have a very extensive menu. The burgers we both had were ok, we finished them but dont think I would return to have again. The fries were overly browned on the outside but partially raw on the inside, so very unpleasant to eat. The dining area is small and clean about 4 tables and surrounded in art befitting of the theme. The experuence wasnt a wow."
"I've gone here several times throughout the past couple years, and I've been satisfied every time! Their menu has simple yet delicious options that are super affordable, which makes it ideal for a college student like myself. I've gotten their burgers, fries, onion rings, and some of their desserts, all of which I've enjoyed. The inside has a plethora of writings from customers on the walls, creating a very unique charm. One thing I've noticed that is popular is their "cheapskate" meals, offering certain budget-friendly meals on specific days, which seems like a great way to get the most bang out of your buck."
