Bark N' Bun in San Francisco, California: A Restaurant Review

Bark N' Bun is a hot dog cart, basically, except it occupies a small storefront with a serving window instead of an actual cart. You'll find it tucked away behind the Cesar Chavez Center on the grounds of San Francisco State University.

I guess it's a welcome hot dog option for students on campus jonesing for a long weenie to put inside their mouths, but it's definitely not a dog worth going out of your way for. Not to say they are bad, the dogs are all beef and grilled nicely so that they have the welcome hot dog "snap" when you bite them yet are moist on the inside. Options are the standard grilled all beef, the foot long, a Louisiana hot link, Polish sausage, Santa Fe chicken, Chicken Apple, a turkey dog, or smother a regular beef dog in chili, cheese or sauerkraut. The dogs are pretty good, but from what I've seen they are raising their prices for the upcoming 2009 fall semester when they re-open. Previously the dogs were only $2 to $2.75, which was an OK value for a higher end dog like a Chicken Apple or a Polish sausage. From the new price listing, however, it looks like everything is going up to where the regular dogs are now three bucks and the others are going to be four and higher. At that price, you're close to just getting a full meal at one of the number of other restaurants in the area.

I'm sure the new prices have something to do with the economy or increased rent due to California's school budget slashings or something along those lines, and I hope they get by OK, but I have the feeling Bark N' Bun isn't going to make it with $4 hot dogs and a very limited amount of sides and drinks (bags of chips, pre-made popcorn, cans of soda and bottles of Snapple.) With everyone feeling the pinch and pinching pennies, people are going to be looking to get some kind of a meal for four bucks, not just a salty weiner snack. I guess there's enough kids at SFSU living off the Bank of Dad's Credit Card that they might get by anyway, but it seems like a rocky road. I don't wish ill on you guys, good luck, but times are such that I can't be spending three or four bucks just for a hot dog.

Bark N' Bun
1600 Holloway Ave, rear of Cesar Chavez Student Center
San Francisco, CA 94132
# 415-338-6239