The Last Stand

2003 Spruce St
Ridley, PA 19043
(610) 237-9824

I was on a mission to DelCo to try and procure some apple juice for a home-brew project I am working on. I heard from this guy that I should try The Last Stand, as it is a Delaware County institution. Hot dogs? Homemade Birch Beer? Chili sauce? I'm all in.

When you walk up, you are greeted with a simple counter and a small menu. There were a couple of specials, so I went for a regular dog, jalapeno cheddar dog, and a hot sausage. After all, I had to make the rounds on this encased meat opportunity.

You place an order, and then you wait by the window. When they get done giving the dogs a quick char, they dress them according to your wishes.

I went with peppers, onions and cheese on the hot sausage; chili sauce, onions and cheese on the spicy dog; and chili sauce, onions and mustard on the plain. You can see below how big and fluffy the specialty dog rolls were in comparison. Of course, 3 dogs, toppings of choice and a delicious homemade birch beer was $9. Seriously, you can't beat that.

The sausage and the jalapeno dog were the clear front-runners. Of course it's not fair to compare spicy meats to plain meats. The regular dog was not bad, it's just that the larger, slightly chewy rolls could house more ingredients. The chili sauce was OK, kind of bland and had a touch of cinnamon to it. I loved the cheese product that accompanied the dogs, it's one of my guilty pleasures. I mean, you can't get all high and mighty when you are eating from a hot dog stand, and truth be told, I am a blue collar kind of eater.

I would certainly stop there again and, no doubt, the Phillies, Flyers and Eagles logos out front let you know you were in DelCo. The birch beer was a nice treat, as were those charred casings and spicy meats. If you are in the area, it's definitely worth the time for a pocket-friendly lunch or dinner outside.