"A Houston food truck boasting halal hot dogs expanded into Austin with a first-ever physical restaurant this past spring. Mad Dogs opened in the western area of downtown Austin at 917 West 12th Street as of April 15. The fast-casual halal hot dog shop follows food preparation rules in accordance to Islamic law. This means no pork and that the animals are raised and slaughtered in humane manners. This leads to a menu with all sorts of loaded hot dogs. There’s the namesake one with cream cheese, crispy fried onions, Sriracha, a curry ketchup, and honey-mayonnaise. Since it’s Texas, there’s the brisket dog with chopped beef; as well as the Elote dog with roasted cream corn, Tajin, and japalenos. In the not-hot dog sphere, there are smash burgers and loaded fries. (all, yes, halal). Mad Dog owner and founder Moustafa Eissa tells Eater that the Austin restaurant is run by his brother Abdullah Eissa. The family decided to expand into the city because they had participated in food events in the area and “had great feedback there,” he says over Instagram direct-message. “The opportunity came up and we took it.” Moustafa Eissa started in 2022 as a pop-up and catering business, participating in events like the Houston Halal Festival. He expanded with a food truck in June 2023 out in Sugarland, and now there are two other locations in Houston. Per Community Impact, Mad Dogs shares a space with the Austin location of dessert shop Midnight Cravingz (whose original location is out in Spring, Texas). The address had previously been the home base of longtime bakery Word of Mouth, which closed in March 2023. Mad Dogs offers takeout orders can be placed in person or online. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas. Its hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and then from 11 a.m. to 3:45 a.m. Thursday through Saturday." - Nadia Chaudhury
