Yarra River Terrace (alongside Federation Square)
Phone 03 9740 8811
It was the smell that hit us first as we descended the stairway from Fed Square down to river terrace – smoky, sausagey, oniony and oh so very delicious. Both Dan and I looked at one another and yelled in unison, “STREET MEAT!”.
Melbourne lacks for good street food – the type you can pick up on your way to somewhere from a no fuss no nonsense mobile shop. The only time one sees a hot dog trolley these days is at a festival or at 3am out the front of a dingy nightclub *ahem*.
To save me typing, I took a photo of the Fanatical Foodies mission statement 
Too easy. Oh..and there are also a few veggie options for those so inclined.
Both Dan and I decided to go The Original – one of them pork and veal numbers slathered with balsamic onions, lettuce, ketchup and mustard on a squidgy soft bun. The dog itself was nice and peppery, with a taut smoked casing that snapped a little on the teeth with each bite. Fantastic. My only complaint was that the sauces, lettuce and bun were coldish (out of the fridge?!) – which I guess is great from a food health and safety perspective, but just made my hot dog a rather lukewarm dog.
Despite that, thumbs up. I’ll be back to try that Chilli dog.
Are they staying there long term? (Here’s hoping!) The Riverside bar just down the stairs from there offer gourmet sausages (or at least did last time I was there). Any comparison of quality/price between the two?
Hey there Fi!
I think they’re more of a temporary fixture – perhaps just the summer? They’re also open Wednesday to Sunday only.
I haven’t had the ones from Riverside yet, but our dogs cost us around $6. As mentioned in the post, the dogs themselves are very tasty, and the buns squishy. So good stuff!
Veggie options – really? I walked by these folks a week or so ago and failed to notice any (though I didn’t bother looking too hard, just a quick scan of the blackboard menu). Instead I got my street ‘meat’ fix at Lord of the Fries.
I think there is no veggie dog as such but there are some vegetarian soups, like hearty vegetable, creamy pumpkin and french onion: http://www.fanaticalfoodie.com.au/f&b.htm
Ah huh! Thanks, EG.
Hey Cindy – err, perhaps I should rephrase my post. The only vego options are salad rolls and nachos.
Would be nice if they had a vego dog!
Thanks for the great feedback. We are permanently at Federation Square from Wednesday to Sunday. However, if Monday or Tuesday is a public holiday or there is an event on, we will be open. We are also at various events / markets throughout Victoria so visit us at Williamstown Craft Market, Gisborne Market, Gembrook Market, Botanical Gardens Market, Sunshine Market, Caroline Springs Market, Caulfield Market and Ballarat Farmers Market. See our website for further details.
And thanks to you Pierre for your lovely hotdogs! I haven’t been back for the chilli dog yet – but it’ll happen soon!
From now until the end of August we have gone to our winter hours Fri – Sun 11am to 7pm. Serving Italian Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Soup and Garlic Bread to keep you warm! Hope to see you soon!
Thanks for the update Pierre. I must come back for some more street meat soon.