Sometimes you’re really jonesing for a dish, and nothing but that specific thing will hit the spot. If you’re craving a hot dog you can’t go wrong with Seven Dawgs, which has seven hot dogs to choose from, plus a handful of sides and drinks.
Located in the trendy Fatima Bint Mubarak Park, Seven Dawgs is tucked around the corner, just inside the park’s entrance. When the weather cools off, this will be the perfect place to hang out and walk around with an ice cream or dawg. Watch out for the skaters and roller-bladers as you navigate your way to the entrance, then head inside.
You make your order at the counter, similar to a fast-food chain, and there is a board of options overhead to choose from. Unfortunately, many of the options weren’t available on our most recent visit, including the much-anticipated “miss rose” vegan dawg, the grilled cheese, ice cream, and milkshakes. This brand-new spot is still going through some growing pains, so if your heart is set on something other than a dawg, make sure you come with a back-up plan.
Inside, the orange walls, hero-themed artwork, and a Street Fighter II gaming console give the impression of an arcade-meets-cafeteria. The staff go out of their way to make diners feel at home, the music is upbeat, and the whole atmosphere combines to make you feel like you’re a kid again.
There are stools looking out onto the park, but we decide to opt for one of the booths while we sink our teeth into the food.
We share the “Seven” hotdog, cheese fries, onion rings, a fried dill pickle, and a lemon iced tea.
The dawg is exceptional; leagues ahead of many more fast food options we’ve tried, and the cheese fries are a perfect balance of cheesy and crispy. But the onion rings and fried pickle are too greasy to enjoy, and could do with being shown a bit more love and finesse.
We can see why this place would be popular with teens and youngsters, but if you aren’t craving a hot dog there isn’t much more to it.
We see potential though, and once the ice cream, vegan dawg, and perhaps a few more options make it permanently onto the menu, this could become a fast favourite with park-goers.
Unlicensed. Open daily Sat-Wed 2pm-midnight; Thu-Fri 2pm-2am. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Park, Al Khalidiya (02 546 9766).
