You might be surprised at our winning wiener.

Along with classics like toast and pancakes, many Japanese cafes offer hot dogs–or “wieners”, as they’re more commonly known in Japan–on their menu. In fact, our own Mr. Sato chows down on a morning hot dog and coffee before pole dancing class a few times a week.

So he got to thinking: what’s the hot dog situation across Japan’s major chain restaurants? For this taste test, Mr. Sato chose Mos Burger, Subway, Tully’s Coffee, and Mister Donut to see who has the best wiener of them all. To make it a more accurate comparison to his weekly breakfast, he ordered each as a set with a cup of hot coffee.

▼ Clockwise from upper-left: Mos Burger, Subway, Mister Donut, and Tully’s

Here’s what they look like individually as a take out set, along with their prices.

▼ Mos Burger Morning Dog Drink Set – 440 yen

▼ Subway Sausage Sub Set – 430 yen

▼ Tully’s Plain Ballpark Dog Drink Set – 570 yen

▼ Mister Donut Hot Dog Morning A Set – 588 yen

With four wiener sets on the table, Mr. Sato was in heaven — though we’re a little concerned about his caffeine intake.

▼ So let’s get this taste test started, shall we?

First up was Mos Burger’s set.

It had two mini wieners by Schauessen–a popular brand in Japan–tucked into a standard-size hot dog bun, along with lettuce, ketchup, and mustard.

Maybe it was because it used such a popular wiener brand, but Mr. Sato thought it was something he could easily duplicate at home. Though the price point was hard to beat, he thought there were many more delicious Mos Burger menu items.

Next up was Subway’s hot dog.

Mr. Sato was a bit shocked, honestly. As you can see, it came on a plain ol’ sub roll…

…but when you look at the menu item online, it looks more like a classic hot dog bun.

Maybe this particular Subway branch was out of hot dog buns? He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t able to choose the fillings, but he was impressed by the juicy sausage and mustard. Its heartiness went well with the soft, fluffy, white sub roll.

The next hot dog Mr. Sato tried was from Tully’s.

This was a long wiener tucked into a rye bread bun, and it came with ketchup and mustard to add yourself.

The Tully’s hot dog bun was on the firmer side, which happened to be exactly the texture Mr. Sato loves in a hot dog. He enjoyed the mini flavor bursts of the rye bread, but sadly, the soft sausage didn’t meet his expectations. A crispier casing would make it perfect, he thought.

And finally, he tried Mister Donut’s hot dog.

A doughnut shop making hot dogs might seem sketchy to some, but Mr. Sato was intrigued. It came in a French bread-style bun, and the wiener itself was quite long. Rather than the traditional ketchup, it was topped with Mister Donut’s original tomato sauce.

Mr. Sato absolutely loved it! The casing was a bit crisp, the insides were juicy, and the bun had just the right amount of firmness. But the real winner in his eyes was the tomato sauce. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and he thought it would make a great pasta sauce as well.

You may have already guessed, but Mr. Sato’s winner was Mister Donut. Next time you think about buying a doughnut, consider going for a wiener instead. Our own hot dog connoisseur guarantees you’ll love it.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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