pink’s hot dogs | valley center

This is my last Harrah’s Rincon post! It probably seems like I’m some kind of spokesman for them now but I’m not. I just wanted to see what it would be like to have all of our meals at Harrah’s. Not the best food offerings overall, but decent enough if you’re just staying for a little while.

After we had lunch at the buffet, we hung out in our room for awhile before heading downstairs to Harrah’s lazy river. Harrah’s is a pretty kid-friendly resort and the lazy river was filled with families enjoying the afternoon sun and a little soak in the river. You just grab an inner tube and float on the water to your heart’s content.

Jake and I stayed in the lazy river for about a half hour before heading over to the adult side to relax in the jacuzzi. There’s a jacuzzi on the family side as well, but it was full! Going to the adult side meant more room for us since it’s a pool area just for 21+ folks. T got to hang out and enjoy the lazy river until it closed later in the evening while Jake and I retreated to the room.

A few hours later I got the hankering for a little snack and Jake went downstairs with me for a little dinner at Pink’s Hot Dogs.

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True to it’s name, the decor is very pink here at Pink’s Hot Dogs. 


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pinks-breakfast-menu

I took photos of Pink’s and the menus in the morning when no one else was around. And that’s why T is looking at you looking at the menu even though he wasn’t with us when we actually tried the hot dogs. 

There’s a bunch of crazy combinations for the hot dogs and most of it holds no interest to me. I don’t see the appeal of adding things like nacho cheese or grilled mushrooms or sour cream to hot dogs. Maybe I’m just some kind of hot dog purist. All I really wanted to try was a hot dog with some chili. 

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Jake and I each got a Chili Cheese Dog and shared an order of fries. 

french-fry-closeup

[plain fries / $2.79]

The fries were hot, crispy, and fresh. They had that outer crunchy coating which made them tasty a little extra crispy. I like that. Mostly I used the french fries as a vessel to get the chili into my mouth. I’d rather have the chili on the side rather than on top of my french fries. That way the fries stay crispy! Soggy fries make me sad. 

pinks-chili-dogs

[chili cheese hot dogs / $5.99]

Chili cheese hot dog closeup! 

On top of the bun they put the mustard and a slice of cheese. You can see the cheese is sticking out and isn’t melted which I thought was kind of weird. Also there’s only one slice of cheese right in the middle. Hmm.

The hot dog itself had a really nice bite and snap to it. It’s a LOT of hot dog though! They call these “stretch” dogs – 9 inches of hot dog that stretches out past the bun! Once I started to get to the chili part it was messy to eat and I didn’t want to pick it up anymore. At that point I was really just interested in finishing off the chili which I really liked. I began dipping my fries into the hot dog’s chili to get more chili goodness into my mouth. I wished there had been onions on top (which is an option but I think Jake forgot to order it for me). The chili was chunky in a “I’ve got a lot of beef!” kind of way. I didn’t really see or taste any chili beans which I kind of liked. Beans aren’t my favorite thing so I was happy that it was just like a beefy chili gravy on top of my hot dog. I’d totally eat this again (maybe just the chili sans hot dog) but I don’t think I’d want to go to Hollywood and stand in line for it. 

Pink’s Hot Dogs
Harrah’s Rincon Casino
777 Harrah’s Rincon Way
Valley Center, CA 92082
(760) 751-3100

Other Dining Options at Harrah’s Rincon Casino

Here’s a quick peek at all the of the dining options available at Harrah’s Rincon (in addition to Pink’s Hot Dogs). 

earl-of-sandwich

Earl of Sandwich. It’s right next to Pink’s Hot Dogs. 

fortunes-noodle-bar

Fortunes Noodle Bar. Asian food – next to the Cafe. 

fiore

Fiore Steak and Seafood. This is the one “fine dining” restaurant at Harrah’s Rincon.

starbucks-coffee-harrahs

Starbucks. For your coffee and quickie sandwich fix. 

buffet-entrance

The Buffet, as documented here

the-cafe

And The Cafe which is open 24 hours! 

Also not shown: There’s a taco truck and a ‘Ritas Cantina. I visited them back in 2014. ‘Ritas Cantina is only open Friday through Tuesday so we never saw it open. The taco truck right next door to ‘Ritas was open though.

And there you have it… all of the food options at Harrah’s! 


5 thoughts on “pink’s hot dogs | valley center

  1. The original Pinks is in LA right – I never tried their hot dogs even when I lived in LA. I’ve also seen them at the Del Mar/SD Fair in the summer! I love perfectly fried french fries. I don’t eat chili all that often but the pics of the chili dogs look delicious. I didn’t realize Harrah’s had such a lot of food options. My family went to Harrah’s buffet the other day when the buffet at Valley View Casino was sold out.

    1. Hi Faye –
      Yeah the original is in LA in Hollywood. I’ve heard the line gets pretty long there! Harrah’s does have more food options that I originally thought as well. I wanted to try all of them but that was too big of a task! I didn’t know a buffet could sell out!

  2. I always wanted to try Pink’s. I’m curious how just the hot dog compares to the hot dog at Costco or a Hebrew National off a backyard grill. I never put anything on it so I only care about good meat.

    1. Hi Soo – I noticed that the hot dogs at Pink’s had more of a “snap” to them than the ones from Costco (which I just had again last weekend). Meat’s good, I was just in love with that chili.

  3. I’ve only had Pinks from the Del Mar Fair (I mean San Diego Fair, haha). I like their snap. I am one of those who prefer ketchup on my dog. Bert likes mustard. The chili dog looks good but messy.

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