Myungrang Korean hot dogs arrive in Columbus

Korean-style corn dog restaurant Myungrang Hotdogs opened last week in the Short North, at 580 N. High St.

The South Korean-based fast-food restaurant specializes in fermented rice flour battered Korean corn dogs, a staple in South Korea's street food scene.

Myungrang means “sunshiny, mischievous, and bright thing” in Korean, according to the restaurant's website.

Andrew Joh, who oversees the Myungrang locations in the U.S., told the Los Angeles Times in 2020 that in Konglish – or Korean-style English – corn dogs are referred to as hot dogs.

The corn dogs, ranging from $4 to $8, are sometimes filled with mozzarella or rice cake, covered in fried panko batter and sometimes topped with ingredients like cubed potatoes or jalapeno cheese peppers. The corn dogs can be paired with condiments ranging from cheese mustard to sweet and hot chili, honey butter powder, sugar and parmesan seasoning.

One of the more Instagram-worthy dogs, the Squid-ink & Mozzarella Hot Dog, is dipped in a crispy batter made of squid-ink, with the bottom of the sausage sliced so that, once cooked, it resembles squid tentacles.

The restaurant has been open for approximately a week, and its social media pages have shown a consistent stream of patrons lined up and out the door.

The Short North shop is the eighth U.S. location for the international chain that boasts approximately 650 locations, the first opening near South Korea's Pusan National University in 2016. The restaurant has U.S. locations in Arizona, Utah and California, with four more locations in California, Nevada and Colorado in the works.

Hours are 3 to 8 p.m., Sundays through Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. tmoorman@dispatch.com @Taijuannichole