Dining Around Charleston: Jack’s Cosmic Dogs, Mt. Pleasant, SC

Dogs Done Well

If you haven’t been to Jack’s Cosmic Dogs, you are in for a real treat. Located a few miles north of the Isle of Palm Connector and just before Hwy 41, lies this hot dog paradise.

It’s a cross between an old diner and a spaceship, very kitschy, very colorful and very busy. We landed there after doing some holiday errands around 2:00 p.m. I was surprised to see the parking lot almost full at this time of day. Since we had passed the peak lunch hour I figured it wouldn't be that busy. Boy, was I wrong.

Ordering At Jack's Cosmic Dogs

When we entered there was a small line of people placing their orders with a young lady who stood among the crowd. We decided to grab a table even though we hadn’t yet ordered since the restaurant was filling up fast. This turned out to be a good idea as it was quickly standing room only. A woman next to me said that it was a good thing we’d grabbed the table since she has often seen lines out the door.

The place is a step back in time, long neck sodas, root beer floats, soft serve ice cream… with a interesting menu. We would soon find out that they do a few things very, very well. They offer a variety of hot dogs (15 options), alternatives (chicken, meatloaf, sloppy jack and rover pork rolls, aka ham), and veggie items (grilled carrot – “Bunny in a Bun”, veggie burgers and black bean cakes). During our time there we would only see hot dogs coming and going, and a lot of them.

Dogs n Fries

Trying to keep it simple I ordered a hot dog with spicy mustard and relish. I was quick to find out that they only offer a Jamaican relish (that they make in house), so I decided to give it a try. We also ordered the Planet Dog which was topped with Jamaican relish and yellow mustard. We added a large order of “Awesome Fresh Cut Fries – Cooked in Peanut Oil”, two diet cokes and off we went to wait for our order.

The restaurant remained very busy. It was interesting to see the mix of people – young, old, families, just about everyone had come there to have a great dog.

Although we waited a little longer than expected for our order, it was worth the wait. When they call your name you go to pick up your order and pay, very simple. In fact the simplicity of the restaurant is probably what makes it work so well. No lengthy menu, nothing fancy, things are all made from scratch in house and the people that work there are nice to you.

Inside Jack's

Our fries were stacked high. Lightly salted, they were terrific. Our hot dogs were also very good. They are not the largest hot dogs around, certainly not a ballpark frank, but rather the Giselle Bundchen of dogs – long and lean. The Jamaican relish had a light kick to it, and very tasty. The only thing we didn't really care for was the fact that the rolls were very large compared to the size of the hot dog, and at time the flavor was lost because of so much bread.

But hey, where can you get a quick, tasty bite to eat with homemade products in a fun atmosphere for $12.00? We’ll be back, and soon!