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Emigh Hardware, located on El Camino Avenue in Sacramento, has been a premiere Ace Hardware outlet for many years in the Sacramento area, and sells everything in hardware, house wares, and much, much more. But, we're more interested in FOOD than hardware... when you visit Emigh, bring your appetite with you, as Emigh's Cafe is located in front of the store, and will satisfy your hunger for hot dogs, polish sausages, smoothies, soft drinks, and a lot more. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just a little past high noon on Sunday, June 30, 2019, and I've arrived at Emigh's Cafe to enjoy one of their amazing hot dogs. The restaurant is located in front of Emigh Hardware, and offers shaded patio seating, courtesy of tables, chairs and umbrellas the hardware store sells.
Photo: Do you want 'dogs? If so, you've come to the right place, as Emigh's Cafe sells delicious hot dogs at prices that you can actually afford. Like the sign posts, besides hot dogs, you can enjoy hot links, German bratwurst, Polish sausage, chicken apple sausage and lots more. I love the saying, "Eat a dog, for God's sake!"
Photo: The menu is posted at the order window. Besides hot dogs, and various other varieties of "dogs," the menu offers 40+ varieties of "Sno-Cones!" I can't say they're my favorite treat, as I think I have up on them, when I was about 12 years old. I'm not a "fan" of mochas, chai, flavored drinks, or anything remotely like this, so I focused on the "dogs," as there isn't a "dog" on the planet that I don't love.
Photo: The small, very compact kitchen of Emigh's Cafe. I am always a fan of "open kitchens," as it's nice to see where your meal comes from. The restaurant is located inside a small, utility shed or "kiosk," in front of the hardware store, but has all amenities needed to produce delicious hot dogs, including electricity, hot water, and a friendly and dedicated staff.
Photo: Today's server, Annette, who is the owner of Emigh's Cafe, is hard at work in the compact kitchen, making some of the best hot dogs that you'll enjoy in the greater Sacramento area.
Photo: After you receive your dog, you're greeted to the condiment bar, at the end of the restaurant, that offers just about everything you could think of for a hot dog. You're treated to such delicacies as dill relish, sweet relish, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, sauerkraut, diced onion, mustard, ketchup, and several varities of hot sauce. A napkin dispenser is handy, as the hot dogs are juicy!
Photo: Meet Annette, the super-friendly owner of Emigh's Cafe, who greets me with a smile, and the "Big Dog" that I ordered. Emigh's features FAST service, as my "dog" was ready in just a few minutes after I'd placed my order.
Photo: Thanks, Annette, for snapping my photo, as I grin with anticipation of the joy that is about to come when I bite into my "Big Dog." You pick up your order at the end of the restaurant, where the condiment bar is located, so it's easy to dress your "dog" to your preference.
Photo: From the "top of the list" on the menu, I went with a "Big Dog," as when it comes to dogs, bigger is definitely better. The "Big Dog" is regular hot dog, but it's really BIG... maybe a quarter pound dog? It's grilled on the "hot dog Ferris wheel griller" which is the way most hot dogs are grilled in California, thanks to stringent health rules. Whatever the case, the dog is grilled perfectly, and as you bite into it, the casing "snaps," and you get to enjoy the tender inside and the delicious juices. This "dog" is great! The bun is just a plain, regular bun, commercially obtained, but it's soft, fresh, and it holds together well when you add the "dog" and the condiments. The bun wasn't toasted, as it was just out of a package, but who cares... it worked with the "dog" and the condiments. In my case, I generally like to keep my "dog" simple, so I simply added dill pickle relish, mustard and diced onion from Emigh's ample condiment bar. Such a delicious "Big Dog!" The grilled "dog" really "snapped" as I bit into it, the fresh, soft bun held together, and the fresh condiments tied the whole package together to make for a really great hot dog. At $4.00 plus tax, you can't go wrong with a "Big Dog" at Emigh's Cafe. Today, I enjoyed a delicious "Big Dog," along with the charming company of Annette, the owner of the restaurant. She's a nice person, and she serves delicious hot dogs! Just "thing" to make your hardware shopping trip complete... When you're shopping for hardware, and you're hungry for a fine hot dog or two, pay a visit to Emigh Hardware, and Emigh's Cafe, located in front of the store. You'll be enjoying one of the best hot dogs in the greater Sacramento area, at a bargain price. It's been a few years, but let's review a couple of previous visits to Emigh's Cafe, that I enjoyed back in September, 2012. Emigh Hardware has been a force in the local economy for many years, and is well-known to everybody who resides in the capitol city of California, Sacramento. However, Emigh Hardware has a well-kept secret that resides on their front porch, a little diner that exhibits the name Emigh's Café, and is known by locals to serve what could be one of the best hot dogs in the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento.
Photo: Emigh's Café is located in front of the hardware store of the same name, and offers plenty of comfortable, seating in the shade, for your dining pleasure. Emigh's Café is open seven days a week from 9:00 A.M to 5.00 P.M. and its strategically located in front of the store, so as customers exit the store, they can catch a whiff of the delicious hot dogs, polish sausages and hot links that Emigh's Café sells. The employees at Emigh's Café don't actually work for the hardware store, as the café is a concession that pays a percentage of their profits to the store. It's a win-win situation for all parties, as the diner receives a lot of foot traffic from store customers, and the store profits from sales of their delicious hot dogs.
Photo: Back on Thursday, April 05, 2007, I stopped at Emigh's Café for a Polish dog, and snapped this photo of the compact kitchen.
Photo: June 01, 2012 found me working a day shift at work, so lunch at Emigh's Café was in order. I photographed Suzie in the process of selecting a quarter pound dog from the hot dog Ferris Wheel grill. Suzie and I struck up quite a conversation, and like me, she's a "foodie" and a lover of fine hot dogs. She's very friendly, and a nice person. Talk about service with a smile!
Photo: The toppings and condiments are located on the side of the diner, and there's a wide assortment of practically everything needed to dress a fine dog in style. I chose not to order a drink, but Suzie gave me a glass of ice water, which was a nice touch. Emigh's Café has their menu posted on the front of the diner, next to the order window, for easy viewing. In addition to the hot dogs, they sell in-house made smoothies, soft drinks, coffee and the usual assortment of potato, corn and tortilla chips in individual-sized bags. The café is quite compact inside, and is usually run by one woman, but two women could fit inside and work together, especially if they're good friends. Inside, the kitchen has everything necessary to make great hot dogs, including one of those vertical grills, a small oven, blender, refrigerator, coffee maker, and all the other gadgets necessary to make a small restaurant function.
Photo: My two quarter-pound dogs, dressed-up, and ready to enjoy. Today, I simply opted to dress them with yellow mustard, diced white onions, and sweet dill relish. Note the trays of toppings in the background, and how each topping is labeled, leaving nothing to chance. Now that's a nice touch!
Photo: I proudly pose with my two quarter-pound dogs, dressed "to kill," as Suzie snaps my photo. Today, Friday, June 01, 2012, I enjoyed a wonderful lunch of two delicious quarter-pound dogs at Emigh's Café. Trust me, I didn't leave hungry...
Photo: My lunch of a Polish dog, back on Thursday, April 05, 2007. Yes, I frequent Emigh's Café, as my work is about a 10-minute walk away, and I'm always in the mood for a delicious dog. The dogs are grilled on one of those rotating hot dog machines, sort of like a hot dog Ferris Wheel, so all you need to do is to make your selection, and your dog is plucked off the wheel, and placed into a fresh, soft bun ready for the condiments of your choice. I might add that although a few dogs are pre-grilled, they're still hot, as Emigh's doesn't use any heat lamps or microwave ovens. The condiments are located on a shelf at the end of the stand, and they include mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce, sauerkraut, pickled jalapeńo peppers, diced white onions, relish, and diced pickles. They're kept in a covered tray with individual compartments, to help maintain their freshness and quality, and each bin is labeled, which is a nice touch.
Photo: Tuesday, June 19, 2012, and I'd just been released from the dentist, and I had an hour or so before I had to report to work. What to do? Enjoy a lunch of two delicious regular dogs at Emigh's Café! Today, I opted to dress them with pickled jalapeńo pepper slices - Mmmmmm good - diced white onions, dill pickle relish, and Dijon mustard. The next time you're shopping for hardware at Emigh's, or if you're just in the vicinity, and you are in the mood to take a trip to hot dog heaven, stop by Emigh's Café. You'll leave with a smile on your face. Emigh's Café Copyright(c) 2019 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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