Jake's Hot Dogs and Sausage

After finding out about it nearly three months ago in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune we finally got around to trying Jake’s Hot Dogs and Sausage for lunch on Saturday, June 21.  Jake’s opened earlier this year and is located on the southeast corner of Azusa Avenue and Third Street in Azusa just north of the 210 freeway.  That’s in the area where the longer 2-way Azusa Avenue has split into the 1-way northbound Azusa Avenue and the 1-way southbound San Gabriel Avenue.  This change makes getting around Azusa a bit confusing.

As we drove by Jake’s we noticed a carwash fundraiser in the parking lot nearby.  We couldn’t find designated parking for Jake’s.  The spaces at a nearby market had a sign that said “No Jake’s Parking” so we found parking along Third Street.  It wasn’t too far, less than half a block, and there was lots of street parking.  Jakes consists of a small yellow building and several tables and chairs for outdoor seating covered by a translucent shade.  It was about 100 degrees outside so we were glad for the shade.  Their menu is posted on the west side of their building.  They make several different kinds of hot dogs and sausage such as regular, ¼ pound, polish sausage, and chicken-apple sausage.  Topping choices include grilled green peppers and onion slices (together called “everything”), sauerkraut, jalapeno peppers, and chili.  They have sides of onion rings, fries, and a frito boat.  The onion rings and fries can come with chili.  They also make breakfast burritos that can include the different kinds of sausage.  There was no line at Jake’s at about 11 am when we arrived and only one table was occupied.

I wasn’t sure where to order because all the windows were closed probably due to the heat.  I looked into a window on the west side of the building.  It opened and an employee took my order.  I could feel the cool air-conditioned air from within.  Jake’s takes some major credit cards so I had no worries about having enough cash.  I placed our orders, paid, and they gave me a ticket with a number.  They soon called the last two digits of the number signaling that our food was ready.  It came on a trsy through the window on the south side of the building near the seating area.  Near this window is a counter with condiments that can be added to orders.  Our orders came wrapped in yellow paper and labeled for identification.  I had the chicken-apple sausage with grilled green pepper and onion slices (i.e. everything) that came in a large bun.  The sausage was thick and a bit tough on the outside but the juicy taste inside made it worth biting through it.  The sausage and the bun kept their integrity and kept the many peppers and onions from falling off and making a mess.  The peppers and onions were grilled for just the right amount of time.  My wife had the Louisiana hot link with “everything” and sauerkraut.  She enjoyed it since it was just spicy enough.  Though they came without accompaniments, the sausages were still a pretty good amount of food.  Our orders came out to just over $7 total.

We probably should have gotten some sides to make it a full meal but when we had finished our sausages it was too hot outside to wait for another order.  Some Jake’s employees were setting up a microphone and speakers, perhaps in a connection with the carwash fundraiser.  The employees were nice asking how we were doing and jokingly saying that someone should “turn on the air conditioner.”  We left soon after we had finished eating and headed home to escape the heat.  We’ll be back soon, perhaps when it’s a bit cooler outside.