Kermit's Hot Dog House

Some places you just go to from time to time because you always have, it seems. Kermit's is just such a place - my first visit was in the late 1980's, and little has changed in the almost 60 years they've been in business. I was in the area so I stopped in for a quick lunch - Hot Dog ($3.35) and a Cheeseburger ($4.70). The food was out quickly as usual. The hot dog is a very good Southern style dog. The wiener remains a neon red one, but loaded in a soft bun with plenty of mustard, chili, and chopped white onion, it works very well. The cheeseburger follows suit. It's a classic Southern diner burger - small, 3 ounces of a decent quality beef, nicely grilled, well topped with fresh tasting cheese, lettuce, and tomato. This remains solid fare, and the pricing remains very attractive. The WS area has some very good hot dog choices at value meal pricing - Kermit's at $3.35, PB's at $3.50, Pulliam's at $3.10, Dairio at $3.49, Real Q under $4, Wakemart at $2.69, Cook Out at $2.99, Hot Dog City has 2 dogs and a large soda for under $8. These are all good dogs, and Kermit's is right there. Ambiance - 2 Food - 4.5 Service - 4 Value - 4.5

I felt like a hot dog would hit the spot for a late lunch today, and that it did. I can tell this place gets busy as I took one of the last seats at the counter at around 1:15 on a Friday. I quickly received my footlong hot dog and onion rings. The footlong itself was great. I love a hot dog done all the way and this one satisfied my craving. Unlike other hot dogs I've had, I was surprised to notice that they buttered the bun, which really tasted delicious. The bun was also slightly toasted. Some must be bothered by the color of the weenies, but that doesn't seem to affect the flavor to me. I did feel like the weenie itself was thin, so I was glad I opted for the footlong. I wasn't a huge fan of the onion rings. The texture of them was just kinda strange to me, almost as if someone had minced up onion and frozen it into rings rather than slices of battered onion. They also left quite the aftertaste in my mouth. Maybe I'll opt for fries or ice cream next time. Overall, I'll definitely be back for these delicious dogs!

The hotdogs are my favorite along with tots. They have a homemade spicy ranch sauce that pairs well with the tots. The staff is super sweet and it has the vibes of an old drive in.

My parents were in town recently and although Winston has such a wide variety or food options, they are easy to please and just wanted a good old-fashioned hamburger or hotdog. I hadn't been to Kermit's yet but I'd heard great things, so we decided to give it a try together. As many others have mentioned, Kermit's is almost like stepping back in time with its old-school drive-in set up. If you'd rather not eat in your car, don't worry, you can opt to sit inside or at their outdoor picnic tables. It was a beautiful day, so we decided on eating outside. It was packed inside so they actually came out and took our order from there which was nice. Between all of us we ended up getting hotdogs and hamburgers with various toppings as well as fries and onion rings, which we all shared. Everything was delicious and exactly what we were looking for. We had such a nice experience there and left with smiles on our faces. They've already said we have to go back again the next time they visit.

I know many will swear by the pimiento cheese dog at Kermit's. And there's nothing wrong with that selection if it's your preference. But my order here is the fried bologna sandwich (I suggest asking the kitchen to let the slab of bologna burn a little more than they normally cook it, as a little char just makes it that much better) with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo on toast. Add cheese if you want, but mine doesn't need it. Occasionally I'll add a hot dog to the order also, but my preference for the hot dogs here is all the way. [I'm gonna break some hearts when I say this isn't my favorite hot dog in this area, but they're still not bad.] Kermit's is classic. It's as simple as that. From the moment you see it, you know exactly what you're getting. And that reliability is what's allowed the place to survive and thrive for years. Hard to say you've experienced Winston-Salem if you haven't ate a meal from here. Curb service is available during certain hours, and you'll find a few picnic tables available out under the canopy if you don't want to eat indoors, but inside you'll also find a row of seats at the counter and a sprinkling of diner booths. The interior is befitting of this restaurant's heritage and history.