The Red Hot

The Red Hot is the 6th Avenue bar that made hot dogs a serious Tacoma food subject. The formula is narrow on purpose: griddled dogs and sausages with a long list of toppings, and a rotating draft board that runs well past two dozen taps, weighted heavily toward Washington and Oregon breweries and cider makers. It sits at 2914 6th Ave, in the middle of the business district's densest block, which makes it the natural evening counterpart to the coffee and breakfast places at the eastern end of the strip. The room is small, loud and counter-driven rather than a sit-down restaurant, and the operator publishes the same opening hours seven days a week, so it is one of the few dependable late stops on this stretch. It is worth knowing before you plan around it that the kitchen and to-go orders stop half an hour before the doors close.

Verified details

Only facts we have checked against a named source inside their freshness window appear here. Anything that lapses disappears rather than going stale.

What to know

• Kitchen and to-go orders stop half an hour before closing, so arrive well before the posted close if you are coming for food.
• This is a bar-format room with counter ordering, not a table-service restaurant.

Editor's tips

• Pair it with a walk west along 6th Avenue rather than driving door to door — Asado and the rest of the district's evening businesses are within a few blocks.
• The tap list is published and rotated on the operator's own site, so check it the day you go rather than relying on what you drank last time.