If you haven’t been to City Dogs yet, you must not be partying in Shockoe Slip or Shockoe Bottom because one of the city’s newest dining options is already jamming on the weekends.

Located next to Fountain Books on East Cary Street, this hotdog and burger emporium stays open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and is usually packed by 1:30 in the morning with the late-night munchies crowd.

The family-owned restaurant that opened in late June pays homage to the great hotdogs of America, and the cities that gave birth to them. The Coney Island is a traditional chili-cheese dog with onions, while the Chicago Dog features a Vienna beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun loaded with relish, peppers, tomatoes, onions and pickles. The Cincinatti comes with homemade Skyline chili, and the Philly has provolone with green peppers and onion. All dogs are $3.25, except the Richmond Original: a Hormel with mustard, onion, and chili for $2.25.

I tried both the Coney Island and the Chicago, with a side of crispy onion rings, and I have to tell you that I’ll most likely go back and work my way through the other cities on the menu. While there’s no substitute for sitting at Wrigley with a dog and a beer, I have to tell you that the Irby’s take their hotdogs seriously and have done their best to recreate the original experience.

Cliff Irby, his son Travis and daughter Caiti, run City Dogs and have done a great job on the décor of the small space. Red walls, black industrial pipes, a 10-seat bar and several natural wood tables are surrounded by black and white photos of America’s favorite hotdog cities. Add to that two large plasmas, along with signed Cooley and Campbell Redskin jerseys, announce that this is a serious place to watch football.

But, dogs aren’t the only story here. The menu offers a full line of burgers, a Philly Cheese Steak ($5.99), and a barbeque sandwich ($4.99) with á la carte sides that include corn dog nuggets, fries and onion rings ($1.99). There are also options for vegetarians including a veggie burger, soy hot dog and soy corn dog nuggets. Burgers run from $4.99 to $6.99 and I had to try the Cheeseburger with a Skirt, if only to find out what the name meant.

This is a burger that is surrounded by about a six-inch diameter of golden cheddar cheese, which gets nice and crispy around the edges on the grill. It might make health nuts cringe, but it was gooey and delicious, and I could easily see myself craving this at two in the morning.

The kid’s list offers baskets with fries for $3.99 with their choice of a dog, burger, or corn dog nuggets. Shakes and root beer floats ($3) round out the retro menu, making City Dogs a fun family lunch or dinner spot as well.

If you prefer to get the party started early, City Dogs’ happy hour from offers $2 well drinks and domestic beers, and several Dog Day Afternoon combos ($5) where you can choose a thematic dog and beer combination like a Miami Dog (salsa and cheese) with a Corona or a Sante Fe Dog (jalapenos, salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips) with a Carta Blanca.

With a satisfying meal coming in at under $10, a fun atmosphere and friendly service, once the word gets out on City Dogs, I’m betting it will packed around the clock.