Yocco’s is a 101 year old institution in the Allentown area which everyone in the area knows and enjoys.
Yocco's Hot Dogs is a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak establishment with four restaurants, each located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Yocco's was founded in 1922 by Theodore Iacocca, uncle of Lee Iacocca. Its corporate headquarters is located on East Minor Street in Emmaus. - Wikipedia
On Saturday I was traveling around the area I came across their billboard on the highway and, being the chili dog fanatic I am, I had to stop there.
I love the small “hole in the wall” places from yesteryear. No frills style places with the same old menu boards, cash only (which is how it should be for these establishments), simplistic kitchen and same menu items they have always had. These are truly institutions and should not “change with the times” as their choices work.
As I sat to eat these delectable treats for which I looked forward to I made my observations on appearance. They don’t look like much but the price was not $10 per dog either. They have a massively great price point and match it perfectly.
Their dog, made by Hatfield Meats, is made on a special line dedicated to their specifications. It is most likely the same specifications of the dog made at the founding of the company. The chili is still the same recipe from 101 years ago is delicious. It does not contain beans which is EXACTLY how a hot dog chili should be made. (I don’t know who spilled beans in a vat of hot dog chili in the past and thought it would be a great idea, but it isn’t, so stop it!) The one thing that is not the same as yesteryear is the bun. Hot dog buns back in the day were much less thick. This creates a slight problem with this dog as the sausage part is swallowed up and outnumbered by the bun. While the bun does not fall apart easily like those in the past it creates an imbalance in the whole experience as it changes the flavors you are tasting. The last thing I took note of on my particular serving was the presentation. Everything was on point with the exception of how the appearance of the dogs are. The chili looks unappealing as it looks old and dry which is most likely due to the recipe ingredients themselves. A simple change would make this go away and that would be to put the onions on top of the chili instead of underneath the dog. You change nothing in the actual serving, just rearranging the ingredients to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.
Now for the best part, eating the chili dogs. The flavor of their special simplistic chili dog is amazing. Just mustard, chili, onions and the sausage itself.
I will be visiting locations again (with some hopes of seeing a thinner bun) to have more of one of my favorite pastimes, chili dogs.
