No Small Flavors at Pee Wee's - CLOSED

Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dogs and Hamburgers

5942 East Edinger, Suite 104

Huntington Beach, CA 92649

It has been nearly six months since we have made it up to Huntington Beach for a restaurant review. It has been a lot longer that I have known about Pee Wee's. This Surf City place has gotten some good press for the hot dogs and burgers it serves. So after being at the OC Swap Meet for a few hours, I had grown quite an appetite, and was ready for some good food. We headed up the 405 freeway a little more and ended up at Pee Wee's.

Pee Wee's is located in a Vons shopping center directly across from Marina High School. The restaurant is small , with about twelve tables. The decor is definitely surfer based. Stickers on the walls, surfboards hanging, and even surf dudes behind the counter. Also papering the walls are pictures from kids, and reviews that have been cut out of the newspaper. It is those reviews that have brought us here, so let's checkout the food.

Katie was not really in the mood for a burger or hot dog, so she went with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. This was served on a baguette, along with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and a garlic aioli. The chicken was seasoned well and very tender. Katie was very enthusiastic about this sandwich, calling it, "one of the best I have ever had!" She noted the freshness of the produce, and enjoyed the bun because it held all of the contents, but did not get in the way of the chicken. She would definitely order this again.

Up next was the Chili Cheese Dog. This was their standard hot dog with chili, cheese, mustard and onions added. This chili dog was better than most, but did not knock my socks off. The hot dog itself had a solid snap to it, but the cheese needed to be melted more, and maybe grated smaller for my taste. The chili was fair. It added moistness, but did not pack the punch that most chili's should.

For my next item I got a little more adventurous, and it paid off by being very good. The Chupacabra is a double bacon wrapped Polish dog, topped with avocado, crema, queso fresco, pico de gallo, and cilantro on a baguette. The bacon was not as prominent here as I would like, but the flavors melded together well. The queso fresco was a nice touch, and the avocado was smooth and fresh. The spicy Polish dog added just enough heat to wake up the taste buds, and the baguette once again kept things in control without getting in the way of its contents.

After eating the grilled chicken sandwich, Katie could not force herself to eat the Polish Dog with sauerkraut and mustard that she ordered. I was lucky enough to take it to work the next day. It was even good the day after. The dog had a great meaty flavor and the kraut added enough tang to satisfy.

I was getting pretty full, but I did have to try their burgers here. I opted for the Blue Cheese Bacon Burger. I would classify this burger as a backyard burger. Kind of tastes like the way my Dad makes them, minus the charcoal parts, (sorry Dad!). This burger was big on flavor. Great bacon and grilled onions. The blue cheese could have been more pungent, but other than that, I have no complaints.

As were eating they brought us out this sampler platter which consisted of Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings and Fried Pickles. The onion rings were the best of the bunch here. They were crispy, without being greasy. I am not too big a fan of sweet potato fries, but Katie called these, "solid, especially paired with the chipotle aioli served with these". The fried pickles received a lukewarm reception from Katie and myself. To be truthful though we are not big fried pickle fans. These used pickle spears, which is something I have not seen before. Usually most restaurant use pickle chips. Not our thing though.

Pee Wee's was definitely worth the drive up to HB. It is a little unassuming restaurant, but what it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in big flavors. I admit I went a little conservative with my choices here. On my next trip up to Pee Wee's I will be trying a Banh Mi Burger, Hatch Green Chili Cheese Burger, and maybe an LA Street Dog or a Hawaiian Dog. So much diversity and so little time. The service here was great. The guys behind the counter answered all of our questions, and got the food out to us quick. We can not wait to make the trek back up to Pee Wees' again.

Out of five Jambi's, (the genie on Pee Wee's Playhouse, who granted wishes to Pee Wee, and if I had any wish, it would be for a Pee Wee's to open closer to my house!), five being best to zero being worst, Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dog's and Hamburgers gets 3.5 Jambi's.

For more information on Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dogs and Hamburgers, click here: http://www.peeweesfamous.com/