Sam's Hot Dog Stand in Pikeville, Kentucky, is Delicious

We travel to Pikeville, Kentucky at least once a year, and we always stay in the same hotel. This time, I noticed that right down the hill from our hotel was a new restaurant, a branch of the Sam's Hot Dog Stand franchise. I've never had the chance to try any of the other branches, but they have stands in states all over the eastern half of the country. I can say that the food was so good here that I sincerely hope I get the chance to try it again soon.

Sam's Hot Dog Stand in Pikeville, Kentucky isn't exactly a stand, but it does remind me of the old Dairy Queen shops. Two men work inside the little one room building, with the grill and machinery inside. You can choose to take the food with you, or eat at one of the small tables outside of the building. We opted to take the food back to our hotel. The wait was very short, but we also learned that you can call ahead and have the food ready for pickup.

The Sam's Hot Dog Stand in Pikeville has the classic red, white, and green color scheme. In front of the small one room building are around 6-10 concrete picnic tables for those that chose to eat there, and there was a small drive through. Since I'd never tried the restaurant before, and doubted that I'd have the chance to try it again for anytime soon, I decided to pick things I haven't had before.

First up was their hot dog with special spicy meat sauce, also known as hot chili. This would have been even better with cheese, but I skipped the extra 25 cents, and it was great just this way. The chili wasn't too spicy, but had a strong kick to it, and the hot dog was plump, juicy, and cooked just right. Next up was the plain hot dog with kraut, and this was even better. The sauerkraut was some of the best I've had, with just the right combination of saltiness and sweetness. For desert I tried their strawberry milkshake, and it was the only thing I was disappointed with. The shake tasted more of vanilla ice cream than strawberry.