Hot Diggity Dog – Swine City Brings Their Food In-House

By: The Gnarly Gnome
Photography By: The Gnarly Gnome

7/5/24

I’m a sucker for tubular meat. If you’re a regular listener to my podcasts or have spent any time hanging out with me, you’ll know that. Especially if I have a cold beer in front of me, there are few things that will get me to jump up to buy some food like a menu containing hot dogs, sausages, or any various form of such food.

When I heard that Swine City was going to be taking their food and bringing it in-house after their previous kitchen tenant parted ways, I was curious… but a little cautious about what that might mean. It’s too easy for breweries to crank out food that just doesn’t move the needle for me. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some great food in Cincinnati breweries – but sometimes it feels like it’s hard for breweries to get as creative on the food side of things as they do with their beer.

I should have known better. Swine City in Fairfield isn’t really the type of place to just do something “normal”. If you think that a hot dog menu is anything even remotely going to be “normal” when these guys have a hand in it – you’re going to be extremely surprised.

The Swine City Mindset

Swine City doesn’t do things the way you’re “supposed to,” and this mindset is one of the reasons that they’ve won so many people over since they opened their doors in 2018. It’s the type of brewery that you might walk into on a Saturday afternoon to find professional wrestling out back and a produce stand out front. On the one hand, none of it makes any sense, but on the other hand, once you let go of your preconceived notions of what craft beer is supposed to be like – it all makes a ton of sense.

The story of Swine City has had more than its fair share of twists and turns, ups and downs, and challenges that no one can ever predict when running a small business. But even with a global pandemic in the middle of all of it, they continue to not only stay true to who they are but have also kept refining what that means.

That is one of the biggest reasons I’ve fallen in love with them.

Underdog’s Almost Famous Weiners

With a tagline of “Not the First, Not the Wurst,” Swine City’s new food program certainly reflects the personality of the brewery itself. They decided to take on their food by themselves after their last food partner left, a story that seems to become more and more common with breweries.

When they were looking for a concept, the idea of hot dogs stood out for several reasons that, when you hear them, are sort of brilliant. Hot Dogs are cheap, easy, delicious (who doesn’t love a good hot dog?), and provide a base upon which you can build personality.

In fact – that very idea of building different personalities upon the hot dogs is a big part of what will make this place tick. Think of collaborations with other places or things that will pair up with new beer/seltzer ideas. Jupiter Donut Dog? A Vegan Chickpea Chick’s hot dog? The possibilities are literally endless.

The menu will be simple, easy to understand, and affordable (something that I know many of us are grateful for). You’ll be able to come in and find a list of hot dogs that they’re promising won’t ever be more than $10. That leaves a little more of your budget left to snag some beers while you’re hanging out.

Mark Those Calendars!

Go ahead and make a note right now – Underdog’s Almost Famous Weiners is hosting its grand opening on July 12th from Noon until whenever they run outta dogs! It will be pretty awesome, especially if you’re looking for something a little weird… I’ve heard that they might be doing a special six-pack of hot dog themed beverages (think ketchup and mustard flavored seltzers, and a relish beer).

It’s all the perfect next step for Swine City – and one that this tubular meat lover is pretty freaking excited about.