Several years ago, the Alabama Tourism Department came out
with a great “best of” list called “100 Dishes To Eat in Alabama Before You
Die,” and that list included the famous hot dogs at the Dew Drop Inn in Mobile,
Ala. I’ve had the Dew Drop Inn on my “bucket list” ever since, and I finally
got to scratch it off my list last Thursday morning.
I’d been by the Dew Drop Inn several times in the past with
plans to stop, but as chance would have it, the restaurant was closed when I
went by in the past, but this wasn’t the case last Thursday morning. My wife
and I happened to be in Mobile, and we were more than a little pleased to see
the Dew Drop Inn open for business at 11:15 a.m.
Even though I had hot dogs on my mind, I didn’t fail to
notice the hanging sign outside the building that says that the Dew Drop Inn is
Mobile’s oldest restaurant. Before I get to the hot dogs, here’s what the back
of the menu had to say about the restaurant’s interesting history – “THE DEW
DROP INN STORY: The Dew Drop Inn has been a Mobile institution since 1924, when
George L. Widney opened a little sandwich shop at 156 South Ann St. near
Government Street. Legend has it that Widney’s restaurant offered the city its
first taste of a revolutionary new sandwich called the hot dog. Widney was pronounced
HOT DOG KING in a 1939 Mobile Press Register article.
“About 1930, Mr. George opened another location on Old Shell
Road across from Old Shell Elementary School. A year later, he sold the
restaurant to Arthur Reid, who relocated in 1937 to its present location
further away from the school in order to get a beer license. Curb boy Jimmy
Edgar was recruited to be Reid’s business partner.
“After Reid died in 1966, Edgar purchased the Dew Drop Inn
in 1967 and remodeled it. (The remodeling job was so successful that it hasn’t
been updated since.) Shortly thereafter, Edgar decided to sell his business to
George Hamlin. Edgar’s advice? “Don’t change nothing. You don’t change the
dining room or the help. Don’t change the hot dog or nothin’.” And Hamlin didn’t.
“The Dew Drop is a constant in a changing world, where you
can almost count on a crowd, on seeing someone you know, and being served
consistently good food. Among the Dew Drop’s many fans is Jimmy Buffett, who
grew up in Mobile. He writes in his ParrotHead Handbook that his “burger lust
was formulated” at the restaurant, which he lists among the country’s best
cheeseburgers. So drop in anytime and experience a delicious taste of Mobile
history as you enjoy our southern style home cooking, prepared from recipes
that have been tried and true for 90 some odd years.”
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| Two "World Famous" Dew Drop Inn Hot Dogs. |
The Dew Drop Inn has a long menu with a wide selection of
items, but I was focused on the restaurant’s specialty, the “World Famous Dew
Drop Inn Hot Dog.” At $2.95 each, these hot dogs feature homemade chili,
sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup and a pickle slice. I ordered two of them with a
side of onion rings and a Pepsi. To say that this was probably the best two
hot dogs I’ve ever eaten would be an understatement. You’ll just have to try
them for yourself to see what I mean.
If you’re interested in trying some of these great hot dogs
for yourself, visit the Dew Drop Inn at 1808 Old Shell Road in Mobile. The
restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday
through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They’re closed most holidays and the
Fourth of July. If you want to call in an order, their number is 251-473-7872.
In the end, how many of you have ever eaten at the Dew Drop
Inn in Mobile? Did you try the hot dogs? What did you think about the
experience? What other bucket list-worthy restaurants and foods would you
recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.
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