REVIEW: Don't Be Fooled By Disney's Bizarre New "Hot Dog"

Disneyland is full of tons of different dining options and snacks; sometimes, it can feel hard to decide where to go.

Craftsman Grill

That’s why we’re here, thankfully! We’ve eaten all around the resort, so keep an eye out for all our latest snack news so you know what’s worth your money (and what may not be) when you take your trip. Some dining spots get new menu items each month, which means it is time for us to head over to Craftsman Grill to try its new hot dog of the month. Spoiler alert: we were VERY surprised by this thing.

Each month, Craftsman Grill introduces a new hot dog of the month, but these aren’t just any hot dogs. They’re pretty unique and sometimes make us a little apprehensive if we’re being honest.

Chicken Parm Dog

This month you can grab the Chicken Parm Dog for $16. It’s made with a toasted garlic ciabatta bun, grilled Italian sausage, house-made tomato sauce, three cheese blend, fried chicken fritter, and a fennel onion escabeche.

Here it is!

First, let’s get this out of the way. This isn’t your typical hot dog. In fact, it looks more like a sandwich. It’s got fried chicken in it, so don’t go expecting a standard theme park hot dog here, OK?

That said, we were quite impressed because all those ingredients complemented each other well! The texture of the sausage was great — not too mushy and not too chewy. There was a bit of spice with a light fennel flavor in the sausage, but the fried chicken fritters didn’t seem much different from any old quick-service chicken strips, except for the fact that the fried part wasn’t as crunchy here.

It was SO good for the most part!

Honestly, the other flavors sort of took away from the chicken. The marinara was tangy and sweet, but if you choose to dip the dog in the marinara, it will be the main flavor in each bite. The fennel onion escabeche didn’t contribute much as we didn’t taste any onion and there was already a fennel flavor from the sausage.

The chicken was definitely overpowered by other flavors

The fries here are consistently SO good and are our reporter’s favorite on property with that light peppery seasoning. They’re not something you’ll regret getting, that we can say with full confidence!

The fries are *chef’s kiss*

Overall, this was an interesting new menu item. Was it the best hot dog we’ve ever had? No. But it was surprisingly…not horrible! Give it a try if you’re up for redefining what it means to enjoy a “hot dog.”

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