What’s on offer?
In 2019 two Brazilian pals, Dione Briao and Felipe Monteiro, decided it was time to introduce a new style of hot dog to Ireland. Inspired by the Brazilian style of cooking of “why keep it simple when you can have toppings?”, Gaucho’s Dog was born, selling hot dogs with a load of flavour from Uruguay, Argentina and south Brazil.
Initially, the operation started as a dark kitchen on Tara Street in Dublin 2, and followed with a food truck in Bray in 2021. They opened a bricks-and-mortar outlet on Queen Street in Smithfield in April 2022 and have also built up a reputation as a popular food truck at festivals.
They worked closely with an Irish company to get the right size and flavour for their sausages, and source their bread, which is longer than a regular bun and really soft, from a company in the UK.
Their menu also includes four veggie hot dog options, smash burgers and chicken burgers.
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What did we order?
The Uruguayan pressed dog, the New Yorker and regular fries.
How was the service?
You order at the counter and get a buzzer to alert you to when your food is ready. It’s a beautiful sunny day, we’re sitting outside, so we order a pint from The Bernard Shaw to go with our meal.
Was the food nice?
The panini-style Uruguayan is pressed down as expected, a flattened bun. The hot dog is topped with slaw, the mozzarella cheese has melted nicely and mustard adds a tang. The New Yorker is split open, loaded with little bits of bacon and caramelised onion which adds quite a bit of sweetness. You’ll need plenty of napkins to avoid destroying your clothes as you eat these loaded hot dogs. The fries are regular, frozen fries, but they’re really hot. All in all, good food to have with a cold beer.
What about the packaging?
All the food comes in cardboard containers which are recyclable if clean.
What did it cost?
€27.40 for lunch for two people: the Uruguayan, €10.95; the New Yorker, €10.45; and regular fries, €6.
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Where does it deliver?
Takeaway only at Eatyard, Thursday, noon-10pm; Friday and Saturday, noon-11.30pm; Sunday, noon-10pm. There is a larger menu available daily for delivery or collection at Smithfield, 9.30am-11pm, except on Sunday when it opens at the later time of noon.
Would I order it again?
Yes, these are tasty hot dogs, and the experience of eating in Eatyard on a sunny day is particularly nice. If I was ordering again, I’d go for the Uruguayan.
