Dad’s Dog & Burger Review

Dad’s Dog & Burger Does Right by the Classics

There is something to say about a fast casual diner that focuses on the food and food alone. You walk in, order your food at the counter, get served in minutes, eat, and are out the door all without breaking the bank. 

At Dad’s Dog & Burger, you get just that. They offer a simple menu of burgers, hot dogs, breakfast sandwiches, fries, milkshakes, and a small cooler of drinks. No bar program. No fancy creations. Just classics like plain hamburger, cheeseburger, and a chili burger (with chili from nearby Brothmonger!) and a similar spread on the hot dog and fries side- pretty much all for under $10 each.

For our first visit, we decided to take a trip around most of the menu and ordered one classic cheeseburger with all the toppings, one chili cheese hot dog, a side of fries, and a strawberry milkshake to round out the meal (which, we have to note, was also one of the cheapest meals for two we’ve had in quite some time).

Within minutes, our food was served, and we were in diner heaven.

In true nature for the diner vibe, the portion sizes at Dad’s Dog & Burger are what we would refer to as classic-sized. These aren’t your gastropubs gut bombs that will leave you feeling miserable if you eat it all, but rather what we’d consider normal-sized portions like you’d have at a cookout. Could someone easily eat two hot dogs or burgers for a larger meal? Absolutely. Were we content with an order of the fries and a milkshake for a decent lunch? You know it- although I was tempted to order one more just to try another from the menu all the same.

The burgers here are classic smash burger style and do not leave you wanting for more on the toppings. They reminded us a bit of a classic west coast burger chain, in all the best ways possible, but simply offered a juicy burger with flavorful toppings in every bite. Likewise, on the hot dog front, Brothmonger’s chili on top added for a rich flavor balance that really tied it altogether- we’d consider getting a chili burger next time just for the chili topping!

The fries also continue the trend here with a beautifully fried shoestring cut that took the classic pairing even further. This order, which is an add on and does not come included with burgers, is admittedly a larger portion and was a great size for the two of us to share. 

Admittedly, we could just keep going on with how good the hot dogs and burgers are, but the truth of the matter is if you’ve had a classic diner burger (or hot dog) you’ve fallen in love with, it is probably a lot like the ones at Dad’s, and you already know exactly what we’re talking about.

No matter what you do, save some room for a milkshake. The shakes here are thick, flavorful, and offer the classic spread of flavors (chocolate, strawberry, etc.). We really loved the texture of the strawberry milkshake during our first visit, and also appreciated that we could suck up decently sized strawberry bits in the mix, too.

Burgers, shakes, and fries? This is all too familiar, but done, well, better!

Perhaps the only downsides to Dad’s Dog & Burger, if we can stretch to find any, are that it is a pretty small space and only open for breakfast/lunch service. With enough seating for about 20 or so, this one can, and likely, will, fill up once word gets out. Thankfully, its fast service and quick meals will mean turnover is fast and you’ll be in and out in no time.

We really can’t wait to see what Dad’s brings next, as Pittsburgh could use more fast-casual spots that do the classics right, for less!

Dad’s Dog & Burger is located at 4830 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield.