I recently was invited to the Media Preview of a new hot dog bar called
Let's Be Frank. Let's Be Frank is located in an interesting area located just north of Chinatown in Toronto at 460 Spadina Ave. It's a cool little spot located among some late night Chinese food joints and quick service chains such as Popeye's Chicken, Burger King and a 7-Elleven. It's also located next door to the infamous
El Mocambo Tavern - Toronto's legendary music venue and adjacent to
Kensington Market & U of T.
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| Left to right- Christa Muio, Julie Ford, Simon Coyler-Owners of Let's Be Frank |
I had the pleasure to meet the owners of
Let's Be Frank and I was curious to hear how they started in the food/bar business. The it's no secret that their complimentary skillsets from marketing, business and the general love of food and drinks would find them with a product that can't help but redefine gourmet street meat. It all started off with a food stand, progressed to a Food Truck and Pop-Up location, to the final hot dog bar they visualized since 2009. I was also curious to know what made them think they could succeed in this competitive restaurant/bar business. It all comes down to having that visual drive and an execution plan. And if you look through many of Toronto's nooks and crannies, it won't be surprising to find some sort of food hub that you would consider a hidden gem...Let's be Frank could become one of them. Co-owner Simon responded by stating that their attention to their customers and being receptive to customer needs is key and important.
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| Pulled Pork Po'boy |
The Full Menu of hot dogs use Nathan's famous beef franks. They're considered the best hot dogs weiners. Let's Be Frank offers hot dogs in 3 different sizes: 3.5" slider / 6" regular / 8" big dog. Pictured above is the 3.5" slider pulled pork po'boy. It had pulled pork, coleslaw & hickory sticks with BBQ sauce on top. Is your mouth watering yet?!? I did make the recommendation to have their slider versions....toasted with butter to give it that little boost of flavour from the bun. That's my recommendation & hope they incorporate that in future menu iterations.
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| Tom Green Beer from Beau's All Natural Beer is available at Let's Be Frank |
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| Stiegl Grapefruit Beer |
The owners mentioned that they wanted a place they can just go and have a quick bite coupled with a beer. Yes, beer!! Emphasis on their beer selections is evident with a great selection from
Stiegl to local
Beau's Brewery. The owner did mention they have a secret drink mix menu so make sure to ask for that next time you visit. They might even have a secret hot dog menu ( wink! wink!). The staff & feel reminded me a little bit of the famous
Crif Dogs in NYC.
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| Media Preview Night. |
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| Bring your own records to play at the bar. |
Let's Be Frank is fully licensed. They're another; different option to late night food in the Chinatown area. They encourage customers to bring in their own records to play in the bar which is a unique touch. They will also have live perfomances in the bar which bodes well since they are neighbours to El Mocambo, that will bring more late night crowds to their bar. I wish them the best since the owners are genuinely nice and down-to-earth people. It's always nice to support local. They opened quietly over the 2014 holidays and are open for business. Would you visit them or still go for street meat? Give them a try & tell me what you think. :-)
For more information:
Let's Be Frank
Disclosure: I was invited to this event & given complimentary samples of the menu.
