Japadog, Brick and Mortar Shop + Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver, Canada
January 3, 2011 by ladyducayne
When I was in Vancouver for the Olympics in February, I passed by a shop that was under construction, and somewhere amidst the plastic and wood beams, I saw a sign that said Japadog. I was a bit surprised because to the best of my knowledge, they only had carts around the city…so what was this all about? Japadog is pretty much a Vancouver staple, and a place that I always try to visit when I’m in town.
Fast forward to 10 months later, and Japadog has its first brick and mortar shop! This was my first food stop after landing in my favorite city, and after checking into the Fairmont Vancouver. It was only a few blocks down the street and close to the Vancouver Public Library…more on that later.
The shop is pretty small, and has different selections than the cart. When we first got there it wasn’t that crowded but it seems that as soon as we ordered, the place filled up and it was really hard to move around. Even getting to the counter to pick up my order was tricky. Jam packed.
They serve dessert and french fries (in addition to hot dogs) which is the real distinction from the carts scattered around the city. Among the three of us, we ordered a variety and made them combos. We were hungry, soaked from the rain, and had been traveling all morning, it was time to sit down and have a snack.
I ordered the tonkatsu Japadog. It was exactly that! Tonkatsu, complete with the sauce, on a hot dog bun. So awesome! No really! It was awesome! Where else can you get a tonkatsu hot dog?
Here are the other hot dogs: Okonomi and Oroshi. I didn’t try them, but my parents seemed to enjoy them.
You can order your fries “shaken” with flavorings. I picked butter and shoyu fries…my logic was that I love shoyu ramen. Um. The fries were interesting. They tasted like popcorn to me. Different…that’s some wasabi mayo on the side.
Since it was Christmas Eve, they had a white tree set up outside and the hot dog offerings served as ornaments. Cute!
They have a window set up outside, but I’m not sure if you can skip the line inside and just get it to go.
Oh, and they do have some seating outside, but it was pouring rain so everyone was just cramped inside. Every Japadog location has different menu options, and even though my tonkatsu hot dog was awesome…I like the selections I’ve had from the carts a lot better. Still, this is a good option if you want a place to sit.
After leaving Japadog, we walked across the street so I could cross something off my (not a) bucket list. Ever since the first time I ever visited Vancouver, years ago, I fell in lust with the Central Library, but I had never been inside. The library is beautiful and it resembles the colosseum in Rome. On this day, it was pretty busy with people studying and hanging out. It is definitely my most favorite library. My pictures don’t even do it justice.
As we left the library, a sign across the street caught our attention. Apparently there was a Vancouver Christmas Market going on! I had only heard about Chrismtas Markets in magazines and storybooks, but had never been to one! We walked around a bit, and totally got in the holiday spirit! I had only been in Vancouver for a few hours and had already experienced so much. I knew it was going to be a memorable trip.
Japadog Store
530 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7
Vancouver Central Library
870 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2L8, Canada
(604) 665-3972
There’s an actual store! There’s an actual store!
Don’t get too excited. The carts still PWN!
I spent a month in Vancouver while I was in law school( exchange program at UBC). I loved it. I do now, however, love the HST. I left Ontario the day after they switched to HST instead of GST and PST.