Family owned since 1916! It's in the heart of downtown Wakeforest. No-frills, simple menu, great employees, great service. Fantastic hot dog and burger. There's so much nostalgia inside the restaurant to look at from back in the day. It might just remind you of when you were a child at an old soda fountain. They even have pool tables, so you can hang out and stay awhile. If you find yourself in Wakeforest, make Shorty's a stop! read more

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I hate doing this as I want to support local and downtown wake forest, but this place is 1/2 stop away from highway robbery. Took my son here and just had 2 all beef dogs, 2 fries and a drink and I was almost shocked at how much it was for this. The hotdogs, Sam's Club has better dogs than this place. For the money you are paying, you expect a decent sized dog. You need 2 dogs just for a meal. The fries, I don't like putting salt on anything, but these needed salt just to make them edible. The place is filthy. The back room, is more of a storage room, is just dark and dank... I can see the nostalgia, and that gets a second Star, but no way I'll go back. read more

Let's take a trip back in time and go to Shorty's! Shorty's reminds me of an old tyme lunch counter. This place is no frills, but it doesn't need to be. We had a couple of regular hot dogs. Hubby had his with just mustard, and mine was mustard, onions and relish. A great lunch! If you're looking for fancy, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a good lunch, you don't want to pass up Shorty's! And it's not just hot dogs. I think I remember burgers, cheese sandwich, fries...several other options.. Counter service was quick! read more

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Anytime we are in downtown WF for an event, we end up here. I love the history this little restaurant has had in our little town. I love their red hotdogs all the way. My kids enjoy the cheese fries and fresh squeezed lemonade! Perfect little hotdog shop and very inexpensive!!! Must try if you're ever in town. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Absolutely love stopping here - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

All beef hotdog with homemade chili was good as well as the meatloaf burger and Crispy onion rings. Get service! Fast service. read more

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I stopped in and tried their chili dog, cheese burger, and onion rings. The burger was cooked well. Bun was soft. Toppings seemed fresh. The hot dog was good. It was firm. Bun was soft. Chili was good. Onion rings tasted a bit overcooked. They did have a decent crunch. Burger: 7.4 out of 10 Hot Dog: 7.6 out of 10 Chili: 7.2 out of 10 Overall: 7.4 out of 10 Would eat here again: Yes read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Shorty's cheeseburger, chili dog and onion rings. - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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The 2 Beef Hot Dogs 'all the way' consumed were great. However the Onion Rings ordered were dismal. Almost no taste whatsoever. Recommend not getting Onion Rings , just the dogs. read more

Right on the main drag, White Street, in Wake Forest, Shirty's is a blast from the past. No-frills lunch counter and dining room has some really cool memorabilia from their origins. Shorty's is one of the oldest restaurants in town. My husband ordered a hotdog, I had the burger, which was juicy and perfect in every way. We shared delicious crinkle-cut fries. Go in, order and pay at the counter and then enjoy some delicious food! read more

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It's an older establishment but the food was delicious and the staff were welcoming and friendly. I got a cheeseburger and fries and it was just like the place my father used to take me on his lunch breaks when I was little. read more

Great old southern diner! Love finding hidden gems! Ordered hot dog southern style and chicken tenders.

Every single time we come here the food is amazing and delicious. The service is the best with friendly hellos. The atmosphere is just right for enjoying a quick lunch or a long meal with friends. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Yummy fries - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Another one of these "you have to go here. They've been doing the same thing for 50 years!" places. It is what it is. It's a old-school southern-style "grill" that does hot-dogs, hamburgers, and some other classics. They do it like they've been doing it, since 19-yadda-yadda-yadda. The decor is dated. That's cool. They have arcade games in the back. That's cool. They have artifacts from a bygone era. That's cool. It's all fine. It's an experience. It's someting you can put on and strike-off a bucket list. But it's not exceptional or even above average. It's fine. Will I go back? Probably not. Are other places as good/better for the price. Absolutely. The food is remeniscent of the post-war era when everything was canned, jarred, pickled, and recipes had about 3 ingredients and mayonaise was 1 of the 3 about 90% of the time. In it's day, I'm sure it was pushing culinary limits. These days, it's pretty standard "gas station grill" fare. It isn't bad food, but it is relatively one dimensional by today's standards. It is also a little on the expensive side, for what it is. I did not dislike Shorty's. I do not dislike Shorty's. I only dislike the odd southern fetish for soggy pink hot-dogs. I have no idea why people hype these things up like they are some delightful regional secret. I'm from here. I was raised on the pink hotdog, in a steamed bun, with bland yellow mustard and ketchup-spiced chili. It's fine. And that's all. Just fine. It is not a transformative spiritual experience. It is not a five-star dining experience. It is a salty, soft-chewing meal that ultimately just leaves you thirsty, and one step closer to a hypertension-induced heart condition. So, no... not five stars. Not four stars. Three stars. It's just "meh". But if you're a retiree, and you miss the "good ol' days", this is your jam. I would strongly recommend you go here. You will love it, and swear to everyone that this is the best hotdog you or anyone have ever had. read more

Another quick lunch lunch at our local icon. Delicious as always! Pro tip: sit at the counter and avoid the line. Shorty's offers counter service but not table service so if you sit at the counter you get your dogs quickly without waiting in line. Bonus: you get to watch the controlled chaos on the grill. Can't beat these dogs - all the way is onions, mustard and chili. Plus add some slaw for that NC twist. Delicious! read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - 2 dogs all the way with slaw & fries - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

I don't understand the hype around Shorty's. It's not bad but it's not the best hotdog in town. Wicked Links that sets up in front of Lowes in Wake Forest has better hotdogs in my opinion but many people in Wake Forest seem to believe this is a gem so chances are you might too. It's worth a trip at least once but I wouldn't go out of my way nor does it come to mind when I think of getting hotdogs and/hamburgers. They have pool tables in the back too if that's your thing. During lunch hours, don't expect a lot of room to eat. They are usually pretty busy and it's small. Do not recommend for large groups. Grab and go or if it's a group of 4 or less you might get lucky enough to grab a spot to eat. read more

I was visiting Wake Forest for a conference at a local school. I was craving something authentically local and some friends pointed me in this direction. The ambiance is very... how would I put it, hole in the wall! But that's part of the charm. I'd say this is a must visit hole in the wall lunch spot. Make sure to order the red hot dogs! read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Red hot dogs! - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

I love the setting of Shorty'. It's a unique, downtown, establishment that goes waaay back. I usually get hotdogs. It's got more of that Cheers vibe to it where you might go where everybody knows your name... read more

This was a great little locals spot. The place was very authentic and reasonably priced for downtown Wake Forest! Staff was umm not so friendly but they did deliver. read more

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Good choice for some hotdogs and similar fare. What stood out was the fried bologna sandwich--so salty delicious and a good value for the serving! The crew were also polite and efficient. Interior is a little dated but clean enough. read more

Super nostalgic place. Inexpensive and worth a try. Hotdogs and fries are great. Sitting on a barstool and drinking coke out of a bottle-priceless. Take your kids! read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Great old school ambience and food, not to mention it's about 100 years old. The food has always been very good and the employees work as quick as they can when the line goes through the restaurant. Only thing is hotdogs seemed to be mixed up from person to person leading to a few wrong from time to time. read more

A local landmark. Still serves awesome snappy "red hots". Service is prompt and courteous. Has pool tables and pinball machines in the back to complete that vintage eatery vibe. read more

Decent food, not sure the lady taking orders understands how money from the customer keeps them in business. If you hate your job, do something else. read more

Old school hot dog shop! Hotdogs were spot on. Can get busy, place could use some sprucing up but didn't mind it at all. Back area has pool tables and arcade games as well. read more

This the exact type of place I look for when I visit North Carolina. It reminds me of childhood, hotdogs on the back of a pickup. It's no frills, counter seats and a few booths. It's more nostalgia then anything. The menu is simple, and still relatively inexpensive. Crinkle cut fries were delicious. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

Customer service was terrible from the minute we walked in. Lady at the counter acted as if she was doing US a service by taking our order. Very impatient with describing the dogs which were not amazing compared to a Coney Island Nathan's dog. Bun was kind of stale and crumply and the dog was mediocre. Never again. read more

The best cheeseburger and hotdogs around. Go if you have never been and give them a try!!!!!

My 1st time here! The venue is old school! I went on a Thursday afternoon and there were two young people working very nice and fast an older lady took my order was didn't look happy to see me or help me! I ordered an egg salad sandwich and fries the fries were yummy but the egg salad was just ok! I love to support mom and pop shops but the older lady wasn't nice and I felt like she couldn't care less to ever see me again! read more

Great food and the staff is great! Our family loves going here. Lots of history and an excellent location in downtown wake forest.

Best hotdogs in the area. We just moved back from Chicago and there is nothing that beats the freshness of what they have to offer. Certainly not a Chicago style hotdog. I highly recommend you visit this landmark restaurant that has been open more than 100 years. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - customers at the counter - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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The moment of unity, peace, and harmony I had with Our State Magazine was fleeting. OSM and I have an on-again off-again relationship when it comes to hot dog joints. Sometimes we agree. Sometimes they are wrong. Most recently, we agreed on Dick's Hot Dog Stand. But on Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs, not so much. Downtown Wake Forest is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. With its old brick buildings and cute shops, it is a place you could easily spend a day window shopping and people watching. And Shorty's has a really nice little spot in here in a cozy setting. But I just didn't much care for their hot dog. The color is Fukushima Red #6, and the taste is pedestrian at best. Their all-the-way does not include slaw, so I added it. It was just alright. The chili was scant, unlike all the photos posted on Yelp, so that was disappointing. Something on this hot dog continuously left a lingering bitter taste on the back of my tongue. I was never able to determine which item it was, but it was not good. I also saw that they use "cheddar cheese sauce" on their items that have cheese. For my palate, this  practice automatically places a restaurant on a lower tier of food taste and quality. On a positive note, the lemonade is excellent. Expensive, but excellent. But not excellent enough to rescue them from this rating. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Cheddar cheese sauce...bad sign - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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The food was delicious and I love the small town feeling. Location was great and prices are as expected. I will be going back again and again. read more

Decent hot dog, however, i did not feel very comfortable while eating there Felt like I was walking into a scene from the 1960s and someone was about to yell "we don't serve your kind here!" I was having a quick lunch with my ex husband (who is white). ALL eyes were on us! Lady could barely take our order. I got delivery from them again recently through doordash, took two hours for the food to get here it was awful, they gave me a refund so that was good. But I probably won't go back. read more

I wouldn't waste my time or money here. You definitely pay for the name on their hot dogs, and they aren't even good. $3.00 for a Carolina Packer (scrap meat) hot dog is a ripoff. I'm happy to pay for the experience at any restaurant, but while the service has always been fast, I don't remember the royal bitch taking orders being part of the nostalgia for me as a kid. Maybe I was just too young to notice. Shrug. read more

The quality of food is pretty much what you would expect from a place like this; subpar burgers and forgettable hot dogs. Honestly, a little disappointed to have paid over 20 dollars for two dogs, two burgers, and some fries. Next time, I'll take the drive down the street to McDonald's. The part that really disappointed me was the customer service. Coming from a customer service background myself, I was very surprised to see the women taking our order struggle so much with a basic order. She had to roll her eyes every time I added another item to our ticket. She made us seem like we were placing the worlds most complicated order, even though hot dogs and cheeseburgers are supposedly "their thing/world famous". She got so frustrated as to tell us "y'all aren't doing this right" while placing our order. If I wasn't doing it right, I wish she would have told me how else to do it, because I was just simply telling the women exactly what we wanted. Overall, very confused and disappointed by our visit to Shortys. If I were you, I would walk past this place and find somewhere else to eat, because nothing about our experience today warrants a return. read more

If you get to be 100 years old, you have to be good or lucky, and lucky doesn't happen much for restaurants, but great Southern Chili Dogs will Git-R-Done! I've been grabbing a dog here, off and on, since 1954, and though I don't come through here as often as I used to on the way to the OBX (with all the new road options and such), I'll still grab one once in a while. I saw that they were celebrating 100 years of operation, all by the same family, so we made a short side trip to stop by here. And wow, has downtown WF perked up or what? A lot of growth, new restaurants all around, and Shorty's even seems to have a new face or maybe it is just surrounded by new faces, though the interior is unchanged. Traffic here still sucks! I ordered a couple of Chili dogs, one all-the-way, one the same but with slaw - the terminologies differ, dog joint to dog joint. I don't get anything else here, except a 6 Oz bottle of Coke. Learned that from my older brother, eat what they do best, let the rest be - we'd go to Friendly Road Inn in Greensboro (best inland fried seafood restaurant in the state in the 50's, 60's & most of the 70's), and they served all you could eat, family style. That boy never ate the HPs, the FFs, the Slaw, not even the Tartar Sauce (and they were all excellent) - he concentrated on the fish (especially the Black Sea Bass), the shrimp, and the oysters - he always kept his eye on the prize. Then we went outside and fed HPs to the ducks. Good Times! The dogs here were as good as always - meaty chili, soft bun, Jesse Jones wiener. Happy 100! read more

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Very good food as well as great service and good looks. Very great restaurant and there's barely a line for food

Best hotdogs in the triangle. Only thing as good is trolley stop in wrightsville beach.

The worst fries i have ever had in my entire life, and i haven't even been alive that long either. The fries were unsalted, the "cheese" looked and tasted like paint and the staff seemed upset that i was even there. the burgers taste like air and the hotdog tasted weird. read more

The food was just ok, hard to mess up a hotdog,,, it seemed nobody wanted to be working there, there was two teenage kids and one older gentleman that all seemed to dislike there job none of them never asked how I was doing or anything , definitely not going back , you can make it at home read more

I have been to Shorty's many times. I have never had a problem with the service except for the first time I went there. Lady that took my order must of thought that you should have the menu memorized before coming there. Very rude when I was asking questions. The pricing is decent for that kind of restaurant but I don't think they should scrimp on the toppings when you order chili dog. I must have had less then a half a tablespoon of chili on my chili dogs. Onions were virtually non existent. Part of a good HD is the toppings. I would rather pay $.50 more than have a not so great hot dog. This has happened the last 5 or more times I have gone. read more

Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs - Not a lot of chili and onions are non existent. Poor quality hot dog. - Hot Dogs Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina