At first glance, it seems a little crazy to open a sports bar/hot dog-centric restaurant in the new development on the edge of Hillsboro Village.
Double Dogsis obviously fairly fearless, since they have recently rolled up the garage doors over the bar at the third location of their Bowling Green-based chainlet about 25 steps from Sam's Sports Grille and 300 paces from The Dog of Nashville on Belcourt. (I counted.)
But Burger King has made a pretty good living opening up on the same block as McDonald's, and I know of several spots where Lowes and Home Depot are right across the street from each other, so maybe there's a method to their madness. Double Dogs has a laser focus on what they want to be, a sports bar full of televisions and themed decor and a menu of standard bar food classics. If you wanted to stretch your raised eyebrow a little further, you might question why there's a dog-themed restaurant right across the street from Fido. But that's a quibble.
The canine atmosphere extends throughout the menu and decoration choices at Double Dogs. Caricatures of local and national sports celebrities rendered in dog form cover the walls. Well, they cover the spaces between the 35 television screens, including one monster that I would estimate at 10-by-15 feet that can be subdivided into nine separate screens. Come football season, this will be a very popular place to watch games, especially since they offer individual sound boxes for tables so you can tune in to the audio of your particular game.
The patio extending onto 21st Avenue is pet-friendly, but you'll need to keep your pooch out of the main dining room. Double Dogs plans periodic fundraisers to donate a portion of their proceeds to local animal charities, so they are putting their money where their canines are. The day I visited, 10 percent of sales was donated to Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue.
In addition to a full bar, Double Dogs offers a decent selection of local and regional craft beers on tap and in cans/bottles. Of course, Dos Perros is on the list, but management would be glad to hear suggestions from patrons to fill their beer coolers and 13 draft lines.
Even though I live only a few blocks away and walked to lunch, I was unaware that there's a new parking garage in the back of the new building that houses Double Dogs. Your first 90 minutes of parking are free, so that's a bonus in the crowded Village. (Note: I hear they've been towing and booting cars voraciously in the lot behind where Boscos used to be, so be wary and avail yourself of the legal parking option if you visit DD.)
The food menu is full of expected bar snacks and pretty much unhealthy main-dish options. But you don't really go to a sports bar for spa food anyway, do you? Their take on nachos are cheekily served in a metal dog bowl with a nice accompaniment of lime sour cream to dunk the chili- and Italian sausage-laden chips into. I did enjoy the onion rings I tried, which came with a creamy smoke tomato horseradish sauce on the side.
The rest of the menu revolves around wings, hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and salads, so there's no big groundbreaking going on here. But I enjoyed my Tillamook Cheese Dog, a Hebrew National wiener topped with a strip of bacon, Tillamook cheese spread, white onions and fresh diced tomatoes on a toasted bun. (I'm glad I had a walk home to burn that one off, though.)
Now that it's sat, will Double Dog stay? That will depend on the popularity among neighborhood diners, but with so many college students within walking distance, I'd give it a biting chance. If you get around to trying more of the menu than I did, feel free to share your opinions in the comments.
Double Dogs
1807 21st Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37212
615-292-8110
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday
