Wally’s Wieners

Cocktails that grow on trees and hot dogs piled up with bacon.

“Pork on pork is always a great idea”

Margaritas that come in a dog bowl and a goldendoodle behind it all.

“We can’t bring him in here because he’d be stealing all the food off of everyone’s plate.”

You’re going to actually WANT to be in the dog house at Wally’s Wieners.

Set in this quirky spot on Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island, Wally’s Wiener’s is the brainchild of owner Brad Head, who started the concept as a hot dog cart- and grew it to what it is today.

“Wally's Wieners is all about having fun. We offer comfort food, but we also offer really high end cocktails, and what we focus on is providing an experience that people can come here ..and enjoy themselves with their friends and family.”

Named after his pet goldendoodle, Wally’s offers two floors with two very distinct vibes.

“We kind of think of it as kind of like an old beachy diner vibe.  So we decorated it with a lot of fun pictures. Any guests that comes in can put a picture of their dog on the wall, we put it up for them. We want to make it as fun as possible and for people to walk into and immediately feel uplifted.  If you come upstairs, this is definitely more of a speakeasy vibe.  It's a little more sultry, a little darker. We typically dim the lights down and create more of a cocktail lounge experience up here.”

When it comes to their hot dogs, Wally’s sources a Rhode Island staple with a serious cult following.

“So we first start off using a Saugy brand hot dog. We use Martin's potato rolls and then for all of the toppings, we make everything in house and we really try using the freshest ingredients.”

And the best way to enjoy all of these delicious dogs is by ordering one of Wally’s Hot dog Towers- loaded up with fries, sauces, and your choice of 5 different wieners like the Pizza Dog  - topped with mozzarella, marinara and pepperoni.

“It's definitely a little messy, you get the really great marinara sauce, you get the melted cheese and then a little bit of the crisp from the pepperoni.  It's an explosion of flavors.”

For an Asian inspired frank, try the Kimchi Dog topped with black garlic, yuzu, scallions and sesame seeds.

“It's like putting sauerkraut on a hot dog, except we're using a fermented cabbage that's from Asia.   It has an umami mouth feel to it and then with the kimchi, it does have a little bit of a bite on it.  When it all comes together, it's a really great hot dog to enjoy.”

And for something a bit more mainstream, there’s the Wally Dog- a fan fave with bacon, peppers, onions, and their signature “Wally sauce”.

“The way that the sauce and the peppers and onions really complement each other is going to be the first thing that you notice, along with the bacon.  It is absolutely delicious.”

Wally’s also has hot dog inspired apps- like these poppable corn dog bites paired with that tasty Wally sauce.

“It gives you the sweet and savory of the Wally sauce. You get the elements of the honey and the corn with the breading. And then you get the salty savory with the dog. It's a great app to share.”

Other popular starters include garlic parm fries topped with cheese and scallions…

And the housemade fried pickles served with ranch.

“You get the sour, you get the saltiness, and then with the buttermilk ranch, you get a little bit of the savory. It's delicious.”

If burgers are more your thing, Wally’s has you covered with creative options like the Big Mozz- a burger piled up with fried mozzarella and tomato bruschetta with a balsamic glaze. 

The Cowboy Burger comes stacked with a crispy onion ring, American cheese and Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce and you need to have a big appetite to conquer the Big Head Burger- topped with all of Brad’s favorite things, so it’s appropriately named after him.

“Because my last name's Head, the staff had a little fun naming this one.   When I was growing up, one of the things I would always do is put french fries on my burgers. Cheese Sauce and Pico you can't go wrong…It's kind of a smashed burger burrito on a bun.   Every single bite is an explosion of flavor.”

Other handhelds include the 464 sandwich.

“So 464 Chicken Sandwich is our buttermilk and pickle brined chicken breast..We melt a piece of cheese on it, and then we put our house made bacon onion jam on there, and a mustard based aioli.  You absolutely have to try the chicken sandwich.”

Beyond burgers and dogs, Wally’s offers breakfast 7 days a week featuring creative plates like The Dylan- a breakfast sandwich made using a pancake for the bun with egg, cheese and bacon. Or the Wake and Sizzle Bowl loaded with scrambled eggs, chorizo hash, pico de gallo, cheddar and jalapenos.

And at breakfast, your table can have a hair from the dog that bit them with creative drinks like this tree of mimosas.

In fact, shareable drinks are something Wally’s specializes in all day long- whether you opt for the oversized espresso martini, a margarita- served in a dog bowl or THIS tree filled with 6 varieties of espresso martinis.

“The Martini tree is 12 mini martinis. We took our six best selling martinis off the Martini list and that's one of those things that when it comes off the bar and  people see it, and automatically, we get two or three more orders for one right after.”

And with beverages served on trees, towers of hot dogs and margaritas served in a dog bowl, you’ll be like a dog with a bone at Wally’s Wieners.