Tail O' the Pup

West Hollywood, Los Angeles · Fast Food · $$

Programmatic architecture, buildings shaped like the thing they sell, was a Los Angeles invention of the 1920s and 30s, and Tail O' the Pup is one of the last survivors: a stucco frankfurter in a bun that opened in 1946 and then spent decades being moved, shuttered and crated into storage. The 1933 Group brought it back in 2022 a short walk from its old spot on Santa Monica Boulevard, serving Chicago dogs, chili dogs, corn dogs, soft serve and a full bar. For years it genuinely looked like the building might not make it, which makes ordering a chili dog off the counter feel like a small civic victory.