A new Top Dog location is on the horizon for Berkeley, this time on Shattuck Avenue.
Top Dog, a beloved Berkeley hotdog institution known for its variety of frankfurters, bratwurst and other sausages, is opening a new outpost at 2021 Shattuck Ave. in between University Avenue and Addison Street. The restaurant will be sharing a space with The BreakRoom, a two-floor cocktail bar and billiards club.
An employee at Top Dog confirmed the opening of the new location, but warned that customers shouldn’t expect to go in and grab a hot dog just yet. According to the employee, the opening is not imminent since work still needs to be completed on the space.
Top Dog was founded in Berkeley in 1966 by husband-wife duo Renie and Richard Riemann, and quickly became a fixture in the East Bay food scene. For over 60 years, the shop has been selling an assortment of hot dogs and sausages, from smoked chicken apple sausages to Louisiana-style hotlinks, and even vegetarian-friendly wheat protein sausages. The shop also gives patrons an option of purchasing pre-packaged dogs to cook at home. At its height, the business had four locations across the East Bay.
This upcoming downtown Berkeley location may signal a new era for the business, which has had several closures in recent years.
Top Dog closed its location at 2503 Hearst Ave. across from the north side of Cal campus in 2013, its Rockridge restaurant shuttered in 2014 after 25 years, and the Center Street location, open for two decades, closed in 2024. Most recently, in October 2025, the Riemann’s shuttered the Lakeshore Avenue location in Oakland, which had operated for 14 years, after a new building owner did not offer the business a new lease — leaving the original Durant Avenue shop as the only operating Top Dog.
Now, with a second Berkeley location in the works, Top Dog is once again widening its reach. This expansion will position the shop close to Cal and Berkeley High students, giving them a new lunchtime option, and provide long-time patrons with another choice beyond the Durant Avenue shop.
“*” indicates required fields