Most Popular Doggy-Style Asian-Fusion Hot Dog?

A customer might be forgiven for thinking that toppings are top dog at Doggy-Style Hotdogs in Alameda.

If you walk in the front door and look down at the bright, illustrated menu on the counter, you'll see a riot of various combinations of ingredients piled on top of hot dogs stuffed into buns.

The dominant theme is Asian.

The most popular choice, according to co-owner Milton Pang, is the "Doggyzilla," a Japanese-themed combo featuring a bratwurst with Asian slaw, seaweed, wasabi mayo and teriyaki sauce. You have to take the presence of the bratwurst on faith since it's buried under the toppings in the photo.

Or if prefer something, say, spicy in the Korean mode, you could go with the "Kimchi 'Pyro,'" packed with hot link, kimchi, cucumbers, and spicy red hot mayo.

Pang says the volume of business depends on the season and the weather and ranges between 300 to 900 pounds of franks a month.

"It really varies," he said. "The restaurant business is not an easy business."

The little establishment at 1234 Park St. makes its home in a small, one-story blue building that almost looks like a dog house next to its check-by-jowl big neighbor, the lumbering two-story brick home of the Alameda Athletic Club. 

Not everything is Asian. Lovers of Mexican fusion food can opt for "Fiesta" with a hot dog, pico de gallo, cilantro mayo and tortilla chips. (The chips are part of the topping.)

And those who favor more traditional frankfurter fare can have the "Dirty South," a hot dog with chili, cheese and onions. Or you can order any of a variety of franks served plain on a bun. The full menu is on the diner's website.

On the day that Patch visited, one of the three specials was "Ka-Re Dog" featuring a beef hot dog blanketed in "homemade Japanese curry slow cooked w/ potatoes, carrots and onions" and "topped with 2 types of Japanese pickled radishes (Takuwan & Fujin Zuke)." The term "ka-re" is the Japanese word for curry.

Doggy-Style has received quite a bit of publicity since its opening in Sept. 2011, some because of its name and much because of its distinctive menu. It was recently featured in a face-paced Hot Dog Paradise 2 video on the Travel Channel.