David Dobrik Told Us Why European Hot Dogs Are Special - Exclusive
For much of his life, famous internet personality and content creator David Dobrik couldn't travel outside of the U.S. After emigrating from Slovakia to the U.S. when he was 6 years old, Dobrik was able to stay in the country because he was protected by DACA, according to Insider. However, he couldn't freely travel the world and return to America. That all changed in 2021 when he received his green card, which allowed him to return to the U.S. after visiting Slovakia.
Dobrik's newfound freedom set him up to film a travel show for Discovery titled "Discovering David Dobrik." He went all over the world, including to South Africa, Dubai, and Europe. Even though Dobrik is admittedly a picky eater, he still did a lot of gastronomic exploration while filming the show.
In Tasting Table's exclusive interview with David Dobrik, we were curious about what culinary delights Dobrik sampled while he was abroad. What were his favorite dishes? Would it be pizza in Italy? After all, he is a newly minted pizzeria owner who just opened a restaurant called Doughbrik's. Or perhaps it would be down-home Slovakian cooking like he grew up with. But his real favorite dish wasn't either of these things; in fact, his answer might surprise you. It didn't even come from a restaurant.
The best hot dog ever came from a gas station
Of course, it was hard for David Dobrik to narrow the food from his globetrotting adventure down to a single favorite dish because he ate so many delicious things. He explained, "We went to South Africa, and we stayed at a resort there called Cheetah Plains, and they made us food every day. It was the most delicious experience ever." He also described eating wonderful food in the Middle East: "And in Dubai ... That food guy [known as] CZN Burak — his name is Burak Özdemir, and he has these restaurants. ... We went there and it was delicious."
But his number-one pick came on a quick gas station pit stop between Austria and Slovakia, where Dobrik had an exceptional hot dog. "There's something special about European hot dogs because the bun is a real loaf of bread, and it's so nice because they cut the middle out of the loaf of bread, and they squeeze the hot dog in, and then they put the ketchup into the hole," Dobrik said.
Not only is the bread high quality compared to a standard American hot dog bun, but it also provides a seamless and tidy eating experience. Dobrik explained, "You can wrap your hand around the entire hot dog. There's no part where the ketchup is pouring out or anything." This sounds like an idea that's overdue to catch on in America.
You can eat Doughbrik's Pizza at its location at 8363 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.