Surely you’ve seen these absolutely stunning corn dogs at some point in your feed. What we might know as a simple childhood snack has been taken up several notches in the form of the Korean corn dog, which is a popular street food in South Korea. It usually contains a hot dog, mozzarella cheese, or rice cake covered in batter and fun toppings including french fries, ramen, or panko. Fry it up, slather in your favorite sauce, and you’ve got a snack for the ages! Read on to discover some Bay Area hotspots offering these tasty morsels, and scroll to the bottom for a map.
1. STIX
STIX is San Francisco’s go-to spot for Korean corn dogs, because this is what they specialize in! They make the dogs fresh to order, using rice flour to achieve a chewy texture similar to mochi and coating in sugar for a delicious sweet/savory combo. Be sure to check out their corn dog happy hour Monday-Friday from 1:30-3:30pm, where you can get 15% off.
Location: 1353 Taraval Street, San Francisco
2. District Tea
This family-owned, women-run boba shop serves absolutely delicious boba teas, which are worth a visit in and of themselves. But they also have a solid food selection including fresh Onigiris, popcorn chicken, sandwiches, fries, and of course corn dogs. The dogs are filled with cheese, with the option to add Kurobata pork sausage inside. The panko coating gives them a delicious satisfying crunch, and you can ask to have them rolled in sugar.
Location: 2154 Mission St, San Francisco
3. Seoul Hotdog
This spot in Berkeley has a quite impressive corn dog selection (they are corn dogs, not hot dogs, despite the name). Your dog can contain ingredients including premium beef, cheddar and sausage, mozzarella, pepper jack, and more. Then top it off with things including squid ink batter, sweet potato crust, hot cheetos, and a spicy batter option!
Location: 2505 Hearst Ave Suite D, Berkeley
4. Myungrang Hot Dog
This spot in Cupertino is part of a chain with locations across California and the western US. Their menu includes fillings such as charcoal-grilled hot dogs, rice cake, mozzarella, cheddar, and premium sausage. Try them with toppings such as potato, spicy sweet potato, squid ink, and of course panko.
Location: 19540 Vallco Parkway Suite 150, Cupertino
5. UMAI Hot Dogs
UMAI Hot Dogs is best known for its impressive hot dogs featuring many Asian ingredients, but they also have several Korean-inspired corndogs on the menu. Try their “waffle dog” with maple syrup or their deep-fried mozzarella cheese sticks with ketchup, mustard, or mozzarella dipping sauce.
If you’re not a corndog fan but want to try some new flavors in hot dog form, they really take their hot dogs up a notch with ingredients including Nashville brisket, white truffle, Polish sausage, Umai teriyaki sauce, and furikake.
Locations: Westfield San Francisco Center, San Francisco; 1158 N Capitol Ave, San Jose
Featured image: Seoul Hot Dog. Photo by @life_of_ty23 via Instagram