Get Yocco'd

If you ever come to visit me and Gerry, one place we're sure to take you is...

...Yocco's: the Hot Dog King. If President Obama came to visit? We'd go to Yocco's. If the Queen came to visit? We'd take her to Yocco's. If the Dalai...okay, maybe not.

There are six Yocco's restaurants in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, but the one we go to most often is on Hamilton Boulevard, in Allentown.

This is where I went with my big brothers when I was a kid, and it remains my favorite location.

So what's the big deal with Yocco's? Hot dogs and fast service?

Is that why people stand in a line which often stretches out the door?

Yocco's is just a unique experience, beginning with ordering. One person takes your drink order; someone else will call down for your food order. Now don't screw up! Make sure you give your order clearly and completely, or you'll be pegged as a neophyte. Now I'm not saying anyone working there currently is like this, but...

No soup for you!

The menu has not changed much over the years. Fries and pierogies used to come in only one size, but I'm not sure what else has changed, because we always get the same thing, and it seems like everyone else does, too. (Okay, I admit, we don't do the popular chocolate milk and chili dog combination.)

The world-famous Yocco's hot dog. I'm probably not the best person to talk about hot dogs, though, as I've never eaten one, so I asked my husband what's so great about a Yocco dog. He said, "It's the sauce." Okay, he said more than that, but it didn't mean much to me as a vegetarian, so I refer you to the Roadfood website for more hot dog info.


Anyway, while we're waiting in line, we can check out the map...

...and see what the hot dog is wearing. Baseball season is coming, so he'll be holding a bat pretty soon!

Ah, finally we're at the head of the line! Our order is being put together.

Oh. My. Goodness. That's a lotta weiners.

I couldn't even get pictures of them making these dogs. They were just pushing them out lickety split. It's like a ballet or something, the way they assemble these orders.

A work of art.

In fact, that's so beautiful, here it is from a different angle. (By now, I was getting some strange looks from the other customers. "Friggin' tourists," I'm sure they were thinking.)

("Wonder what country they're from. Haven't they ever seen a pierogie before?")

The fried stuff is WONDERFUL. This is something about which I know a thing or two. Always hot, always perfectly cooked to goldencrispytendersalty perfection. I had an order of fries and a pierogie with an order of fries and a pierogie for dessert.

If you prefer something more traditional for dessert, there's a nice range of Tastykakes. (Get the peanut butter Kandy Kakes.)