The Hungry Dog: For People Who Aren't Hungry

Come hungry. Leave hungry.

The Hungry Dog should really be renamed The Perpetually Hungry Dog because if a hungry dog were to go there, that dog would still be hungry. The Hungry Dog aims to be an all-around American diner with many of the typical greasy spoon offerings - tuna melts, burgers, sandwiches, eggs and meaty things, etc.  They don't do any of these necessarily well.  I cook better than them.  You probably do too.


For those days that you're hungover and not in the mood to deal with flames, frying pans, and combining separate packages of ingredients in a tasty way; Hungry Dog may seem like an acceptable option.  Except for the issue of portion size.  The "Hungry Morning" (8,500 won) is said to come with two eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, and toast.

Okay, what the eff is that.  Two quarters of a single button mushroom.  Wow.  Did they think it was a white truffle?  A single sausage scored to make it look bigger?

Wahhhh???!!! A thin tomato slice cut in half?  Four potato cubes?

To wash down my half mushroom, half tomato slice, and 4 potato cubes; I ordered a glass of orange juice.  It was 3,500 won for a small tumbler.  Okay, so may it's fresh-squeezed.  Wrong.  Maybe it has some vodka in it?  Negative.  The Hungry Dog employee walked across to the fridge and pulled out a carton of Tropicana orange juice and poured.  That entire bottle didn't even cost 4,000 won.  Why do these people have to act like total poor people?

I won't dog a place (haha, get it?), unless I've been there multiple times.  Time and again, I'll show up to Hungry Dog with an empty stomach and renewed hopes only to leave with a still empty stomach and cruelly dashed dreams.

On another occasion, I've ordered the "Turkey Reuben on Rye" and the "Green Chili Burger".  The turkey reuben on rye wasn't on proper rye bread - no caraway seeds.  But this is Korea so whatever.  In sum, the sandwich was whatever.  I found the cherry tomato split in half and the half mini dill pickle very amusing.

I split this sandwich with my dining partner, so we had to share the half mini dill pickle.    Awkward.

The "green chili" in the green chili burger is not actual green chiles nor does it have has any green chili in it.  I was intrigued by the name because I thought there'd be steamy, delicious green chili piled on top of the burger.  Then I discovered their idea of "green chili" is charred green bell peppers.

What we have here is a burger.  This is just a burger with bell peppers.  The saving grace is that it actually tasted decent.  The patty was juicy and beefy, and the veggies were fresh.  I don't know what greenish mayo dip is supposed to be but it tasted like straight up mayo.

One thing I really do like about Hungry Dog is their "Edamame Hummus Dip".  It's creamy and garbanzo-y though a bit on the dry side.  However, I am not the biggest fan of the niggardly encoutrements.

The pita serving. 

The amount of pita given is downright cheap.  But worse is the size.  How am I supposed to spread anything on this?

Given their name, I would expect their "dogs" to be the highlight of their menu.  Their hot dogs aren't anything beyond what you could accomplish at home, microwaving a frank and sticking it on a bun.  The side of pretzels is really weird.

I've never experienced a restaurant which made it so apparent they're out to SAVE EVERY PENNY.  I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them counting out pretzels for portioning back there.  Splitting cherry tomatoes and serving half a button mushroom is not smart business.  It's painfully obvious to the customer that this place is cheap as hell, and in a place named the Hungry Dog, the expectations are for the contrary.  Much worse is that the food isn't very good.  To put a moldy cherry (sliced in half) atop the melted sundae, their customer service is terrible.  On several occasions, I've heard one of the two owners yelling at each other or another employee.  Why do this in front of the customers?  It reminds of the time I sat through my friends' parents marital spat during a sleepover.  So unpleasant.

Hungry Dog can be found on MangoPlate, a restaurant discovery app available in English and Korean.