Happy Wiener Day 2026! This quaint old style drive-thru hot dog stand is the quintessential old american dining experience, however times have changed, hot dogs have evolved to dangerous levels of creativity and this is a spot in time that is just like it was 50+ years ago. It's not bad by any means and if you're feeling nostalgic maybe it might even hit! But the construction of ingredients just tossed onto a wet dog with a soggy bun is just not how most would prefer their delicious doggers nowadays I'd assume. The fries are desperately lacking salt and the dog itself has that boiled shine that gives you a weird feeling on your teeth when you hit it just right. Overall it was quick and easy but certainly not worth going out of the way for. If you are feeling nostalgic for a classic dog, there's certainly some reccomendations I'd give first! Wieners read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Chicago dog - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

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I've driven by this little hot dog stand so many times wondering if it's good. Finally stopped by today and found out. Ordered a polish dog with sauerkraut... ummmm nope... not worth coming again. The poor dog did not fill the bun.. for $10 I expected much more. It cannot compare to the $1.50 polish dog and soda that Costco offered. My curiosity has been satisfied... one and done Girl was ok. Place is. Actually kind of shabby and parking a bit awkward. read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Overall 2.5 stars This review is long overdue, we had gotten some hot dogs to go, and they were decent. Customer service was okay, nothing exceptional. The food tastes okay as well, nothing that wowed me. We took it to go, as they have a little drive through, which was cute. The place is small and cute by the corner read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Ordering counter for walk ups - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Went to Ben Franks for the first time yesterday and it was delicious! I ordered the chili cheese fries, 6pc nuggets and a small Diet Coke. Came out to about $18 but it was a decent amount of food. The service was great, the young lady who took my order was very nice and attentive. Only thing I did wish they would change is the type of fry. I think they're too crunchy to be chili cheese fries, steak fries would work much better! Conveniently they have parking under a big tree for some nice shade while you park and eat in your car. read more

Chicago style dogs and french fries and Coca-Cola was wonderful today. Very good service Service with a smile. I love the location read more

A cute and small dining place my husband (who grew up in this area) showed me. Wasn't sure about it at first but once I got my hands on their mango shake and fries, I was in love! Mango shake tasted genuine and not artificial at all. Staff was super kind and welcoming and the dining options was your usual very good if you're just craving fries and a shake! read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Milk Shake (Mango) - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

I love coming here for all types of different items. My go-to is usually the hotel link meal with sauerkraut and mustard. The polish dog is pretty good too and I often get an order of mini corn dogs to complete the meal. This isn't the cheapest place but it's real food and not in the same realm as fast food, id say. There's a table or 2 to eat on site or a small parking lot to eat in your car. I'd recommend eating there or nearby, only because I prefer my food hot/warm. This go for all places as the taste isn't at its peak by the time you get home. But that's just me. I also wanna add that they have a credit/debit system that links to your license plate. That could be very convenient or problematic, but I don't think they charge your card on file until you approve it. read more

Hit the spot! Loved the chili, traditional hot dog (no tomatoes) and onion chips (they didnt make it home). Service was polite and fast. better than your average fast food! read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Classic Hot Dog - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Lived in this area all my life & never been so we went. Service is friendly, food good, surprisingly my side of fries was a good portion size too! Little pricey for a combo meal. read more

Pretty neat that there's a Ben Franklin themed fast food restaurant out there. I digress, this is more of a drive thru than anything, but there's some picnic tables out there. But don't dismiss this as a simple fast food establishment, their menu is HUGE, from the passenger seat, it was impossible for me to see everything on it. Unfortunately their website domain is down so the only real way to see it is to either look at what other Yelpers have posted here or to see what they have through food delivery apps, but they really do have a wide variety of fast food available from, of course, hot dogs (chili dogs and all other forms), corn dogs, burgers (veggies and chicken too), and nuggies, as well as sides like fries, onion chips, etc. and lots of ice cream to choose from too. You can also make any of these a meal as well. We came before lunch time and there was no wait in the drive thru line, our food came out super fast and super hot as well. We got the: 1) Louisiana Hot Link (comes with mustard): -Has a nice subtle spiciness to it and super juicy. -Tastes great with the sour tang of the mustard. -Doesn't need any of the extra ketchup or condiments, perfect the way it is. -Good size singular a la carte meal. 2) Corn Dog: -Standard corn dog. Goes well with ketchup and mustard. -Nice slightly sweet buttermilk coating, soft and moist but with a slight crunch on the outside. -Not bad! 3) Onion Chips: -Actually onion chips, think onion rings, but because of the size, doesn't get soggy. -Nice and crispy, onion inside is sweet and juicy. Tastes fine on its own but you can dip in ketchup and mustard if you like. Solid place to get some good hot dogs, don't mind coming back in the future! read more

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It was Labor Day and I was craving a hot dog, so I came to the aptly named Ben Franks! They have a drive through and a walk up counter to order. I ordered the Chicago dog and sat near the building on a lovely little park bench under some trees. The food was ready very quick and it was a pretty solid hot dog. If you want a no BS nothing fancy hot dog this is the place. read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Outside the restaurant - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Some good stuff right here. I love them apple fritters and shakes. I think the hot dogs have really improved. The staff here is great and friendly, The service is fast. read more

Ben Franks makes one of the best Chili Cheese Dogs in the country. That's all you need to order. Better than Pinks in LA. This place is so underrated. Order the Chili Cheese Dog! read more

I went to get my weekly hot dog always nice people there except for the owner he yells at me because I waited three 3 car orders before getting me my hot dog I always tip and I guess he is antisimetic and hates Jewish people hence my Star of David and he said don't come back!!! I won't read more

Food is delicious. I got one of the cheeseburgers and a shake. It was a bit pricier than I thought but it's a one of a kind, worth the investment. read more

Hands down one of the best hot dogs I have ever had in my life. Staff super welcoming and fast. I ate a Chicago dog about 4 hours ago and it's been the only thing I have been thinking about since. 100% recommend. read more

Had a classic hot dog, garlic fries, and root beer, it was super simple and delicious. First time coming here. It was nice delicious. Simple meal. Fast service. Super nice and hard working people. Parking was easy to find. read more

Ordered the bratwurst dog... are they supposed to look like this or this one super undercooked?? Taste is there but i thought bratwurst should be more white? read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Bratwurst Dog - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Small business where you can drive thru or walk up to order. They have a few tables outside. We ordered a bowl of chili, fries, bacon cheeseburger, and Chicago dog. I enjoyed the chili. It came with onions and melty cheese. Definitely hit the spot for chili craving. Burger was good but I think the bacon could have been cooked a bit more for my liking. Chicago dog was alright. The peppers on it had a good pickle and spice. I think the hot dog itself was ok. The fries were ok as well. read more

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I am beyond pissed off with the service here. I have given a second chance only to be let down again by the service. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason why customers who walked up to the window receive their orders first before drive through customers that have been sitting and waiting for at least 20 minutes to receive their food. I watched my order be passed over for 3 walk up orders while I sat at the drive through after my payment was made. I have lost a significant amount of my lunch time from work just trying to get a quick and simple meal that turned into me waiting for 20 plus minutes while busing gas. I do not recommend this place for lunch if you are trying grab a quick bite to eat before your lunch break is over, save yourself the frustration and go somewhere else read more

Being a local, I actually have never tried this place even tho I pass by all the time. This place is a cute homey drive thru with about a half dozen or so parking spots and a few tables outside where you can eat. Compared to wienerschnitzel, this place is quite pricey at $9.15 for a chili cheese dog. And $6 for a large garlic fries. And honestly... the dog wasn't worth it (especially since you can get a Costco hot dog for a fraction of the price AND it's about 30-40% bigger imo.) The hot dog was pretty small and the chili was just ok. Couldn't even tell there was cheese in it (even tho the cheese was extra cost...) But the garlic fries... they were p dang good. They were quite crunchy but also just the right amount of softness. The garlic oil (there are bits in there) was quite flavorful. Prob should have shared the fries with someone else cuz the portion was quite large for one person. But I enjoyed it all the same. Def would get the fries again but maybe try the corn dog and burger since other reviews mention they're good. Shout out to the lady who was friendly to me :) read more

I have to stop by here any time I'm in the Bay Area. Is it the greatest dog around? No. Is the customer service the best in the bay? Also no. But it's a core memory and the original dog is really yummy. read more

Never again. Got food poisoned from the food here. It was the only thing I ate today and been on the toilet for hours now. I also feel robbed spending 40 for three dogs and a drink. Service was extremely slow and would not recommend. I have my beliefs that they have infestation problems with how filthy the area is. read more

The hot dogs are good. The service is friendly. The ambiance is modern gas station. All thing being equal it's good. read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Greatest country in the world! - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

I stopped by this restaurant on Friday evening. There was a light rain falling, and not too many cars in the drive-thru (DT). My job sometimes sends me to Redwood City, and I sometimes pass this place at the corner of El Camino Real x Whipple Ave. First off, congratulations for surviving the Covid-19 shutdown/ shelter in place. Restaurants with a strong takeout business survived. Your place has a drive-thru and a walkup window....it's all takeout or delivery. OK, back to my visit. I went thru drive-thru and just ordered a Classic Hot Dog. Service was a little slow. I guess the car ahead of me ordered alot of food. But I got my hotdog, and picked off the tomato....and ended up with a perfect hotdog with mustard, relish, and onions. It was a good hotdog. Not as good as the 1/4-lb dogs you get from sidewalk carts. But it hit the spot, and I can keep working. I don't stop here very often, but it's a nice small restaurant with a good location. Menu isn't too complicated, and prices are fair. If you like the food and the service, it's worth the price. read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Great tasting dogs and fries. Lots of options but I like to keep it basic here and order the classic dog which comes topped with tomatoes and onions. There's always parking after you get through the drive-through, always a plus. The staff is super friendly. read more

Been here twice now, the fries have been solid both times so always get those. We've tried the Chicago, Italian, and Kraut dogs, and the cheesesteak sandwich. Chicago dog is the best of the 3. Cheese steak is a good size. I wish they toasted their buns, everything was soft but I like crispy edges. Their milkshakes tastes like it's made from real ice cream and apple pie slices are large! The pie was cold so I don't recommend if you're craving hot apple pie right away. Luckily I live near by and we were able to reheat the pie and enjoy it at home read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Perfect for sharing - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Looking for lunch we pulled up to the lights and seen the sign and decided to stop. Its a small place with 2 cute little seating areas. Yes the train horn can be noisy, but for a quick bite it wasn't too obtrusive. The staff was friendly. We ordered the classic dog and the Chicago dog and a corn dog. The classic was good, the Chicago was delicious, peppers, pickles, relish, onion and tomato Mmm. Corn dog? Best we have hd is a long time. Hot, crispy and light. Im sad now we didn't try the shakes and fries after reading all the reviews. We will just have to go back. Thanks :) read more

For a place that really only sells hot dogs, the hot dogs are only OK. I did like the mini corn dogs and the shakes. But the bratwurst I had was quite awful. I might come back for a quick snack, but not more than that. read more

I love Ben Franks. I've been coming here for ages now. I remember the 2 other ones in SSF and on Market in San Francisco, back in the 90s, maybe early 2000s. Decades after they closed, I searched and found this one still open. Hot dogs with the snap as I remembered, generous amount of fries for a "medium"... and ever since, I've been coming back all the time. And I mean ALL the time. At first it was once every couple of months, then every month, then every week... for YEARS. I've brought friends and family here (my cousins literally grew up eating here with me). These days, I'm unable to visit weekly anymore, but still try to come around at least once a month. I've also tried just about everything on the menu (until they recently added a few chicken items), but my favorites are still the hot dogs. The chili dog meal (with cheese and onions) is my go-to, with the polish (mustard only for me), is a close second. Burgers are ok, but nothing special, and their other offerings are solid as well... but I'm definitely keeping it with the sausages. Oh and the milkshakes are pretty decent too (strawberry is my usual, but mango might be the best one). The strawberry shake tastes like it's just vanilla with strawberry syrup, but that's exactly what I want. The only thing that's missing is that Coke Zero. It's in some of the visual advertising in the window, and I can see the tap for it, but they haven't received the syrup yet, it seems, for quite some time.. but that would be the BOW. I hope this place stays open forever. I'll do my best to help by eating here as often as I'm able. read more

I've been coming here for decades. The corn dogs are amazing, and the polish sausage is my husband's fav. The onion chips are perfect, crispy little bites without being soggy. I appreciate that everything is made as it's ordered vs. sitting in a warmer. Don't forget a creamy root beer float! Amazing menu choices and good portion sizes read more

Ben Franks is appropriately named. Why? This restaurant has "been" selling "franks" for a long time. Moreover, it's a good ol' fashioned hotdog drive thru. Simply put: This is a bit like a local version of a "Wienerschnitzel" restaurant. However, the menu is a bit more extensive than that. The food is good. It kind of reminds me of nostalgic "comfort food" that were found in stands and drive-in movie theaters of yesteryear. Every once in a while, I get in the mood for food just like this. On those days, this food really hits the spot! It's worth driving on busy El Camino Real in Redwood City/San Carlos just to get that culinary fix! read more

Horrible service today I was told that I was going to be charged 73 dollars and got to the window and was told I was going to be charged 93!!!! I declined the order and saw the receipt they tried to add a tip to the order without my approval and thought that they could get away with it. What a scam! I will never go to this one again and if you do please check your receipt read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Ben Franklins receipt - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Went here today for the first time. We checked Google reviews first and people were raving about their Chicago dog. Drove 20 minutes to try them and to say they're a Chicago dog would be lying. No peppers, no celery salt, wrong bun for a Chicago. This was NOT worth the $6+ price. Chili fries were good. Guy who took our order was very friendly. Save yourself some money and go to Costco for a hot dog. read more

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I enjoyed this old hot dog fast food joint. It is located on the corner of two busy streets and next to a railroad line on a very small lot. The CalTrain horns were very loud and frequent. I ordered a corndog and garlic fries. The corn dog was pretty good, crunchy, but not as good as the hand dipped corndogs at Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The garlic fries did not have any chunks of garlic, but they were drenched in oil and had the taste and smell of garlic. There is no indoor seating, but there are tables outside. read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Ben Franks - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

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Hamburgers are surprisingly good for a hot dog place! And they have Buffalo chicken wings. The owner/cashier guy is always pleasant. read more

Some people are very serious about their reviews at times it makes me baffled at how this place has a lower rating. Y'all expecting a Michelin star restaurant when you visit places like this? Every child in the US, especially in the Bay Area - has probably grown up on type of fast food restaurant. Some parents took them to Taco Bell, Carls Jr, Burger King, McDonalds, mine took me to wiener schnitzel. As I live mid peninsula now, weinerschnitzel is out of the way but I do crave the chili cheese hot dogs, with a chili cheese fries, along with a Corn Dog and a vanilla Milkshake. The Vanilla Milkshake took quite a bit to make, but that was the first thing I finished. It tasted like the old school vanilla ice creams they used to have back in the day where you can almost taste the bean! I finished that milkshake before I even got home whoops. Chili Cheese hotdog definitely hit the spot. One bite into it and all of my nostalgic feelings from childhood came roaring back. The Chili Cheese French fries tasted as if McDonalds and Weinerschnitzel had a baby - but with an upgrade! Shoot - I'm just happy to find a place that's a step up from fast places and a place that sells a delicious chili cheese hot dog. The staff there is great too - if you have a sense of humor and joke around they'll definitely be cracking a smile at your jokes. That being said, I usually work out a lot and hence I eat at home because of my diet. But you best bet on my cheat days I'll be swinging through that drive thru ordering me a chili cheese hot dog, a chili cheese fry, and a vanilla milkshake. I included a photo of the empty wrapper and 3/4 empty fries container. That's because the rest is in my stomach. Thank you for satisfying my nostalgia feeling - If my family is ever in town I'll take them here read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Here's the after photo. I'm still eating my fries. - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Good food might seem a bit overpriced in my opinion but still good and gave a lot of fries read more

Ben Franks Restaurant - Bacon Burger Meal - Hot Dogs Near Me - Redwood City, California

We love the corn dogs and fries folks. Quick and easy what else could you possibly need

After 25 years of coming here, its time for me to call it quits! I gave them the benefits of the doubt for 15 more months and nothing got better. The quality of the food and portion is not the same and its not worth my long drive and money. The cheese is the biggest change made to taste and quality. read more