Having watched a lot of Korean dramas and how they always expressed how delicious their Korean-style hotdogs are. When I found out you can get them in Toronto now, I just had to make my way there.
Although, I did have it when I was in Korea back in 2019. But, if I remember correctly it wasn’t that great and I threw more than half of it away – maybe the place where I got it from wasn’t the best to begin with?
I hope I will have a better experience at Chungchun Rice Hotdog and fortunately, I didn’t have to travel to Korea to try this item again.
Address: 3250 Midland Ave, Scarborough, ON M1V 0C7
Phone: 416-299-1288
Chungchun Rice Hotdog Menu
Here’s the menu for Chungchun.
Some of their Korean hotdogs look exactly the same after they are made. If you ordered a large batch and cannot remember which one is what, then you should refer to the image they posted on the side of the wall to distinguish them apart (you may want to take a picture of it).
Chungchun offers a variety of sauces and seasonings you can put on your Korean hotdogs. We don’t think there’s a limit on how many you can request – we asked for 4 different sauces on one of them and there were no issues.
We recommend you experiment to see which one you like the most.
Chungchun Rice Hotdog Review
Chungchun Rice Hotdog has 17 locations in Ontario to serve you. But the one I went to was located in the Skycity Shopping Centre Plaza – just north of the Midland and Finch intersection.
For those driving here, there’s plenty of parking.
The items we ordered from Chungchun were the Cheddar Cheese and House Coffee for my friend, and I got Chicken Nugget and Sweet Potato.
Like many other small food stalls or bubble tea shops in this plaza, there’s no dine-in option. So, you will need to find a place to sit down and eat after you picked up your order or bring it back to your place.
My plan that day was to bring it to a friend’s place and it was a 30-minute ride to get there – it was possibly the worst 30 min ever.
The aromatic smell of the Korean hotdogs filled my car which was distracting. I almost wanted to stop the car and rip open the box to eat them. But I had to control myself and I don’t like eating in my car – yes, I’m one of those people who hates eating and drinking inside the car, I like to keep my car clean.
Cheddar Cheese
The Cheddar Cheese Korean hotdog was delicious and crispy. Even after 30 minutes have passed the batter still had a crunch when you bite into it – this was the same for the other Korean hotdogs we had that day as well.
It also had a good amount of cheese in the centre. We think if you ate right after it was just made, the cheese will stretch out just like you see in those pizza commercials.
The sauces picked for this one were spicy mayo, ketchup, honey mustard, and sweet chili.
Maybe these were the right sauces for this Korean hotdog as they definitely contributed to making this item extra tasty.
Sweet Potato
When compared to the Cheddar Cheese, the Sweet Potato was slightly larger. This is due to the sweet potatoes that were encased around it.
The sweet potatoes were soft and delicious. It was definitely a good addition to this Korean hotdog as having it without the sauces was still tasty.
The batter recipe they also use for their Korean hotdog was delicious as I found it flavourful and I liked the chewy texture.
I requested the following sauces – sweet mayo and honey mustard. I didn’t want to add too many as I didn’t want to overpower the taste derived from the sweet potatoes.
Chicken Nugget
Last but not least was the Chicken Nugget we ordered that day. Just like the name implies, there were small pieces of chicken nuggets covered around this Korean hotdog – similar to popcorn chicken, but flat.
The Korean hotdog was pretty big – slightly bigger than the sweet potato. Therefore, it was quite filling.
The two sauces I went for were sweet chili and spicy mayo sauces. Of the sauces I selected that day, I like the sweet chili the most.
The taste was similar to the Sweet Potato, just less the potato and added the chicken – so, same batter, different toppings.
If I had to pick between the two, I would say the Sweet Potato was better.
Food – 3.9/5
Compared to the experience when I had this in Korea, Chungchun was better.
The Korean hotdogs are made to order so you know you’re getting them fresh – nothing premade (only the batter/mix) and nothing stale. I took a quick peek inside the kitchen and noticed it was kept clean and organized as well.
It was also nice of them to offer a variety of sauces to choose from. However, unfortunately, they don’t come in small packets for those bringing the food back home to enjoy.
Having them apply it for you as your order is ready can hold the lineup if they have many customers or the sauce could flow off the Korean hotdog during your travel – which would lead to a poor customer experience.
But my biggest complaint is the hotdogs they use. If you strip away the batter and toppings, you’re left with a relatively small hotdog on a stick. It reminds me of those RedHots hotdogs you could find at your local supermarket. Also, it tasted just like it was boiled in hot water.
It would be nice if they use bigger-sized hotdogs – especially for the price you’re paying, otherwise, there’s not much difference between theirs and the Pogo Sticks.
Service – 3.5/5
Overall the service was friendly – the person behind the counter who took my order and the one who applied the sauces you requested.
However, I do have mixed feelings about the following.
So, we ordered their house coffee. It was only when our food was ready that they informed me they would not be able to make this particular item.
When I asked why they responded that they don’t have coffee that can be served to customers.
Since I’m not familiar with their brewing process or when it’s made but I got there at noon and they opened at 11:30 am.
On one hand, it’s nice of them to let me know and not serve me something bad, but on the other hand, shouldn’t they have been prepared since it is an item on their menu.
Regardless of what the reason may be that day, this was a miss on their end.
Ambiance – 3.3/5
Nothing fancy here. The place was well lit and clean but not spacious. I would say it could fit about 7 customers before people have to start lining up outside.
However, that’s how most of the shops here are at this plaza.
Price – $ to $$
We would say the price for each Korean hotdog is priced reasonably – it’s comparable to similar snacks.
The cheapest one on the menu will cost you $4.25+tax, and the most expensive item on their menu is $7.35+tax.
However, having just one is not enough if you’re hoping to get full from it. So, most likely you’ll end up buying a minimum of two – then the cost could start adding up.
Chungchun Rice Hotdog Overall rating – 3.7/5
A simple way to describe Chungchun Rice Hotdog is a luxurious version of a Pogo Stick.
If you’re looking for a unique snack to munch on then give this a try – especially if you haven’t tried it before.
Also, it’s good to see that food that once existed only outside our country is slowly making its way overseas – we no longer have to travel to that country just to enjoy it.
Now, if they can bring Isaac Sandwich to Toronto, that would be AMAZING!
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