I Miss Doggie Diner and Clown Alley!!!!

[Taverner]

Both SF chains are gone.

Doggie Diner was a SF Burger institution. where they had huge dog heads on spikes outside:



The dogs still exist, but the chain is gone. They made some of the best burgers.

Also gone is Clown Alley:



They too had great burgers, and huge at that!

Both are gone

Honorable Mention for Hippo Hamburgers



And Zim's Burgers




Both gone as well (sniff)

[pink-o]

1. Dude, you're giving me deja vu from my childhood!

Clown Alley on Columbus had the best secret free parking lot! You could go to all the shows at Bimbo's or the Mabuhay or the Stone and not have to pay a million dollars to park your car. And remember when the zoo was called "Fleischacher's" and where the Gap is now on Market street was once the best freakin' Woolworth's that you'd ever seen? You walked in and it smelled like popcorn, had the red vinyl lunch counter stools and sold polyester wigs? The guys from the Castro would walk down the hill ever Halloween to shop there!

Ah, good times!

[Taverner]

2. I remember all that! I was a SF kid in the 70's

Granted, I lived in San Jose at the time but it seemed like every weekend we were there.

On edit: remember this?

[pink-o]

17. The Hippo on Van Ness! We used to go there for b'day parties.

I think I had my 10th b'day there in December 1964 (yeah, you can wish me Happy 56 in a couple of weeks!) And I lived in Millbrae so going into the City was a big deal for us as well. My mom would take Sis and I shopping in Union Square to J Magnin's, City of Paris and Levy Brothers. Magnin's had the most awesome Xmas boxes you'd ever seen in your life, some looked like little houses or castles. They also had great graphics in the Chronicle Ad section, before you could show models in underwear.

I moved straight from Millbrae to London, England just after High School when I was 18, spent 5 years there, then moved to SF in 1978 cuz I thought my decrepit old parents might need me around in their dotage. (They were younger than I am now, and my mom lived to 82 while my dad is still going strong at 86. Stupid 23 year old thought mid-50s was one foot in the grave!) Anyway, I loved SF in the 80s, great music clubs, and of course Zims or Pam Pam's after hours for pancakes or french fries.

Maybe I just miss it cuz I can't eat all those carbs anymore without consequence, like I could back then!!!!

[KamaAina]

4. I got jacked up in that Woolworth's once

I had just moved to SF and was living in a hotel around the corner on 4th. So in I go to get some basic supplies. The person behind the counter proceeded to ignore me while chatting on the phone for several minutes. :grr: So I slam the stuff down and leave -- only to be followed by the store dick, who assumed I was trying to steal the stuff! :wtf:

Postscript: Not only is the Woolworth's a Gap, but the hotel is now a tourist hotel, albeit a budget one. :(

[Hell Hath No Fury]

5. Clown Alley and Doggie Diner were the best --

after a late night out. And the Sears at Mission and Army - they had that great nut counter. I used to save my lunch money and by a bag of hot cashews after school there. Woolworths was another great place to browse an dhang out at when downtown. I ate many a meal at their counter.

[Taverner]

6. Sniff...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. I think it is kind of criminal that --

one guy owns three heads - he needs to share! :D

I just thought of another place -- it was on Lombard, the name was something like "Ott's" and had this very cool Googie style decor. My Nana and I used to get hot fudge Sundays there after visiting the Presidio

[Taverner]

8. I've always wanted to start a "New Doggie Diner"

Replicate the menu to a tee, but with modern prices.

And then try to replicate the recipes to a tee...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. Ah, how do you replicate --

the infamous chili recipe?? Many a person has tried but failed. I think someplace like that would go over well in the City. One place still ging strong after all these years is Joe's Cable Car over the hill from me.

[Taverner]

10. With that chili, unless I can find the recipe, it will never see the light of day again

But that's fine, I can make a great clone of that chili...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

11. Mmmmm....

Chlli dog! :9

[Taverner]

12. My own feelings are that a Chili Dog should be beanless

But the chili you serve with corn bread should be meatless

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. Interesting concepts --

I'm a veg these days, so it's all meatless to me.

All this chili talking is making me HUNGRAY!!!!

Mmmm...chili dog with cheese.

Thought of another one - The Hot House at Playland - KILLER enchiladas I lived for for years.

[Taverner]

14. You can make great vegetarian chili

Vegetarian hot dogs? maybe not...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

15. There was one called a Wild Dog -

a few years back that was AMAZING -- even my carni Mom chowed down on those They stopped producting them though. :(

[Taverner]

16. I think a good idea might be to ferment black beans

And then turn that into the 'meat' that makes up a veggiedog

[pink-o]

19. When they killed Playland and built those ugly-ass condos, I knew the world was coming to an end.

[pink-o]

18. Joe's on Alemany and Silver!!!!

I used to crack up driving past that in the 90s cuz the coach for the Detroit Pistons was named Chuck Daly. Back when NBA was a blast to watch. Dennis Rodman was on that team; little did we know how he'd deteriorate in the years since then.

Okay, WTF is UPPP with this nostalgia??? I've always tried not to mourn the past; I blame YOU, Taverner! :hi:



(edited cuz I misspelled Pistons. Yeah, old age setting in.)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

3. I ate at all of them regularly.

They were all classic SF establishments that are sorely missed. :( The Doggie head was lit up at night and spun - it was my dream as a child to have one perched on my rooftop. I see the three local Doggie heads on their trailer running around the City all the time.

[mulsh]

20. I worked right across Columbus from Clown Alley for

a couple of years. I ate there at least once a month, but more usually at least once a week. One of my buddy's had a crush on one of the cooks.

We had Doggie Diners in Oakland when I was growing up.

They made me at least part of the over weight man I am today.

[bluesbassman]

21. Growing up in the 'Burbs, it was always a big deal to go to The City...

My dad would always stop at DD when he'd take me with him on a business errand. Great memory, thanks Taverner!