They're sweet and savory, chewy and crispy, and hold the utensils — you won't need them for this trendy Korean street food.
Korean corn dogs are believed to have been around since the 1980s in Korea, where they're called hasdogeu, hot dogsin Korean. The most basic versionconsists of a sausage or block of mozzarella cheese on a stick coated in sweet panko-covered batter and fried. Unlike the American counterpart, thebatter is typically made with fermented flour or rice flour to lenda chewier texture.
Just as social media apps likeTikTok and Instagram boosted the popularity of birria, Korean corn dogs experienced a resurgence in recent years thanks to K-dramas and mukbang, prerecorded or livestreamed videos of people eating. YouTube videos boasting millions of views show vloggers chomping into corn dogs, captivating viewers with long stretches of mozzarella cheese.
The corn dogs often come with a variety of coatings,from cubed French fries to fruity cereal, along with various sweet, savory and spicy sauces.
California already has a bounty of Korean corn dog restaurants, but in the last few years, the fried snack has started making gains in Arizona, as well,with several spots serving them and more in the works.
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Here's where you can find Korean corn dogs in metro Phoenix:
Sumo Snow
Avina Pham and Kevin Nguyen opened the first Sumo Snow in 2017 in Surprise. Korean corn dogs have been on the menu since at least 2019, but the boba shop also offers a menu of milk teas, smoothies, slushees, shaved ice, bubble waffle sundaes and seasonal pastries.
Sumo Snow uses a homemade mochi batter. They offer acheese dog and apotato dog and recently added threenew corn dog options.
TheSpicy Hot Cheetos Dog is made witha beef sausageencased in aHot Cheetos-crusted batter paired withspicy mayonnaise. The Rice Flake Cheddar Dog has a stretchy cheddar cheese center with a batter encrusted in crispy rice flakes and paired with sweet chile sauce.The limited-edition Ube Cheese Dog wrapsmozzarella cheese in mochi batter, then rolls the fried stick inube sugar with a drizzle ofcondensed milk as a finishing touch.
Details: 16487 W. Bell Road, No. 105, Surprise. 623-322-1749, facebook.com/teamsumoaz. Also at 5055 W. Ray Road, No. 7, Chandler. 480-590-6624.
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Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs
Established in 2019, Two Hands is a U.S.-based chain with one Arizonalocation in Mesa where it shares a parkinglot with H Mart. Local franchise owner Rena Kang, who also owns Paradise Hawaiian BBQ in downtown Phoenix, told The Arizona Republic she becamefixated on Korean corn dogs after watching YouTube videos with her sister.
After getting hooked on the corn dogs in California, she opened the first Arizona outpost in 2020. The grand opening drew aline of customers that stretchedout the door. Many waited more than an hour for their first dog.
Another Two Hands has opened in Avondale and more franchise locations are planned around the Valley, from Peoria to Queen Creek, according to the company's website.
The menu includes the classics and then some, such as the Crispy Rice Dog, which is coated withcrispy rice puffs, and the Injeolmi Dog that comes covered in bean powder and Two Hands sweet sauce.There are six different fillings to choose from, including half cheese, half sausage options and a vegan sausage. Guests can makeit a combo with an horchata slush and dirty fries.
Details: 1933 W. Main St., No. 6, Mesa. 480-366-4527, twohandsus.com. Also at 10210 W. McDowell Road, Avondale. 623-463-5880.
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Myungrang Hot Dog
Myungrang Hot Dog was launched in 2016 near Korea’s Pusan National University. Since then, Myungrang has gone global, spawning hundreds of franchise locations.
The first Arizona shop opened in the En Fuego development near Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. Another location is scheduled to open in Mesa in the same lot as AZ International Marketplace.
Some notable menu items includeSquid Ink Mozzarella, which incorporates squid ink into the batter; Whole Rice Cake, which swaps the sausage for garae-tteok, a cylindrical white rice flour cake; and Spicy Sweet Potato featuring jalapeño sausage, mozzarella and fried sweet potato cubes. Myungrang also offers 10 different sauces and seasonings you can mix and match.
Details: 9140 W. Glendale Ave., No. 102, Glendale. myungrangwestgate.com. Coming soon to the northeast corner of Dobson and Broadway Roads in Mesa.
Mochinut
Mochi doughnuts are the star of this Los Angeles-based chain, but you can also find Korean corn dogs at the Tempe shop. Like their doughnuts, the corn dog batter is also made with sticky sweet rice flour.
Corn dog options include Hot Cheetos Mozzarella and Crispy Ramen, which is like a regular corn dog, except that it's encrusted in dry ramen noodles. Pick up a box of matcha mochi doughnuts along with your order.
The first Arizona location is now open in Tempe, with additional locations in Peoria and Phoenix underway.
Details: 117 E. Southern Ave., Tempe. instagram.com/mochinut_tempe.az.
Da Pan inside H Mart
Located inside H Mart's food court, Da Pan offers snack-sized corn dogs. Grab a pair of mini corn dogs to eat with the bulgogi risotto.
Details: H Mart, 1919 W. Main St., Mesa. 480-207-4560, hmart.com.
Nine Wings inside 99 Ranch Market
99 Ranch Market has a diverse food court and while the Korean fried chicken is the star at Nine Wings, you can also add a corn dog — sausage, mozzarella or half and half — to your order.
Details: 99 Ranch Market, 1920 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. 928-938-8899, 99ranch.com.
Reach the reporter at Priscilla.Totiya@azcentral.com. Follow @priscillatotiya on Twitter and Instagram.
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