{"id":389328,"date":"2026-07-07T15:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/389328\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:57:15","slug":"lasorteds-a-pizzeria-near-dodger-stadium-becomes-a-hot-dog-hot-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/389328\/","title":{"rendered":"LaSorted’s, a pizzeria near Dodger Stadium, becomes a hot dog hot spot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LaSorted\u2019s owner Tommy Brockert got the \u201cbirds and the bees\u201d talk from his dad in the drive-through of a Wienerschnitzel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember thinking, \u2018Are we really doing this right now?\u2019\u201d Brockert said.<\/p>\n

Afterward, they ate chili dogs.<\/p>\n

Hot dogs have been a steady undercurrent in Brockert\u2019s life \u2014 from awkward father-son talks, to discovering legacy hot dog stands while traveling the country with his former photo booth business, to his increasingly popular \u201cVisitor Dog\u201d series at his Dodgers-themed pizza and sandwich shop in Chinatown, in which Brockert re-creates an entire catalog of regional hot dogs during baseball season.<\/p>\n

\"LaSorted's <\/p>\n

LaSorted\u2019s owner Tommy Brockert builds a Cuban Dog in the kitchen at his Chinatown location.<\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works: When the Dodgers<\/a> have a home game, LaSorted\u2019s serves a hot dog from the visiting team\u2019s city or region, available only while the visiting team is in town. Each one is made with a stewardly amount of attention to detail.<\/p>\n

Of course, when the Cubs arrive, Brockert makes a true-to-form Chicago dog, poppyseed bun and all. When the American League\u2018s Tigers make the trek to Vin Scully Avenue once every two years, a warmly spiced Detroit-style Coney dog graces the menu. From there, however, things get more obscure.<\/p>\n

LaSorted\u2019s features lesser-known hot dogs from places like Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Hot dogs topped with Polish sauerkraut, coleslaw, cream cheese, chile verde and crema, Provolone cheese and grilled onions, or barbecued ham. Sometimes they\u2019re wrapped in pretzel buns, or dipped in a top-secret corn dog batter.<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles, hot dogs are firmly entrenched in the city\u2019s culinary identity. From the bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold at carts throughout the city, to chili dog chains like Tommy\u2019s and Wienerschnitzel, to the classics like Earle\u2019s on Crenshaw and Carney\u2019s. <\/p>\n

At LaSorted\u2019s, though, Brockert has successfully and authentically corralled America\u2019s greatest regional hot dogs all under one roof, propelled by a love of family-run businesses.<\/p>\n

A temple to the Dodgers<\/p>\n

Brockert was born in Tarzana and is a third-generation Dodgers fan. A nostalgic, neighborhood pizzeria<\/a> built as a temple to the Dodgers, LaSorted\u2019s was designed to feel lived-in, almost like a Dodgers fanatic\u2019s basement, with dozens of pieces of memorabilia and family photos hanging from the wood paneling. It opened in Chinatown in October 2024 \u2014 right in the heat of a Dodgers postseason run that ended in a clean sweep of the Yankees to nab their eighth World Series title \u2014 selling pizzas, sandwiches, wings and salads.<\/p>\n

\"Tommy <\/p>\n

At LaSorted\u2019s, Brockert has corralled America\u2019s greatest regional hot dogs all under one roof, propelled by a love of family-run businesses.<\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Hot dogs weren\u2019t a part of the initial plan. Now, LaSorted\u2019s has become a hot dog hot spot. Everybody \u2014 restaurant industry, L.A. transplants, traveling fans and curious Angelenos alike \u2014 have come in to enjoy a regional hot dog served far away from its natural habitat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a unique opportunity to not compromise on quality and tap into nostalgia,\u201d he says. \u201cJust even training my staff on [each hot dog], I\u2019m very particular.\u201d <\/p>\n

The idea is to get each hot dog perfect, so that if you\u2019ve eaten it before, it\u2019ll bring you back to a specific time and place.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see it on people\u2019s faces,\u201d Brockert says of the customers who recognize each hot dog, \u201cThey\u2019re having their \u2018Ratatouille\u2019 moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Secret recipes<\/p>\n

With each hot dog, Brockert secures a restaurant\u2019s original ingredients and proprietary recipes, often getting brats and mustard flown in from across the country. \u201cI don\u2019t do it to make money,\u201d he laughs. Still, it\u2019s a job he takes seriously. \u201cThese brands are trusting me,\u201d he says, \u201cIt\u2019s a big responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time 50 minutes <\/p>\n

Yields Serves 8 to 10 <\/p>\n

Each hot dog served during the \u201cVisitor Dog\u201d series is attached to a legacy business and its story.<\/p>\n

When the Colorado Rockies were in town in late May, Tommy sourced Hatch chile cheese brats from Polidori Sausage<\/a> in Denver, a family-owned sausage company that\u2019s been in business for more than 100 years. He tops the chili cheese brats with his own green chili verde sauce, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and Mexican crema.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

When the Colorado Rockies were in town, Brockert sourced Hatch chile cheese brats from Polidori Sausage in Denver. They\u2019re topped with chili verde, cheddar and Monterey Jack, and Mexican crema. <\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

This August, when the Pirates come to Dodger Stadium, Brockert worked out a deal to partner with a 120-year-old Pittsburgh institution, Isaly\u2019s, to serve a hot dog topped with its signature chopped deli ham slathered in barbecue sauce<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some collaborations resonate more than others, like Fletcher\u2019s Corny Dogs<\/a>, a fixture at the State Fair of Texas since 1942. Of note: It\u2019s nearly impossible to experience a freshly fried Fletcher\u2019s corn dog outside of Texas. Fletcher\u2019s ships their corn dogs nationwide via Goldbelly, but those corn dogs come already battered and frozen.<\/p>\n

At LaSorted\u2019s, the corn dogs are fried on site in Fletcher\u2019s original semolina batter recipe. According to Brockert, he\u2019s the first person Fletcher\u2019s has actually trusted with the recipe. He even offered to sign an NDA, but ultimately, Fletcher\u2019s trusted him, and seemingly only him, to make the legendary corn dogs from scratch. The corn dogs were such a hit they sold out in a day. \u201cA woman bought 10 just because she\u2019s from Texas,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

LaSorted\u2019s Cuban Dog: a split-and-grilled all-beef Vienna Beef frank, Porto\u2019s roasted pork and smoked ham, Genoa salami, pickles and special sauce served on Cuban bread flown in from Tampa\u2019s La Segunda Bakery.<\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Partners for the \u201cVisitor Dog\u201d series have included legacy restaurants such as Skyline Chili<\/a> in Cincinnati (1949), Caspers<\/a> in San Francisco (1934), the Varsity<\/a> in Atlanta (1928), and Walter\u2019s Hot Dogs<\/a> in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (1919).<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of empathy for these legacy brands,\u201d Brockert says. \u201cThese stories die at a certain point.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a time when so many iconic restaurants \u2014 both in L.A. and beyond \u2014 are shuttering, Brockert sees it as a duty to continue their narratives.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most influential regional hot dog in Brockert\u2019s life comes from the aforementioned Walter\u2019s Hot Dogs, which sits about 30 miles northeast of New York City. It\u2019s a natural-casing hot dog made of beef, pork and veal \u2014 split down the middle, griddled face down in a buttery \u201cspecial sauce,\u201d then placed on a bun with a thin spread of Walter\u2019s patented mustard.<\/p>\n

\"LaSorted's <\/p>\n

The split flat-top hot dog with mustard.<\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Brockert went so far as to ship in Walter\u2019s special blend of hot dogs, mustard and even the labeled wax paper used to wrap the hot dog itself. LaSorted\u2019s served the hot dog earlier this year when the Mets were in town, and many customers took their wrapped Walter\u2019s hot dogs to the game (LaSorted\u2019s is just under 2 miles from Dodger Stadium, which allows fans to bring in outside food).<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles, hot dogs are firmly entrenched in the city\u2019s culinary identity. From bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold at carts throughout the city, to chili dog chains like Tommy\u2019s and Wienerschnitzel, to classics like Earle\u2019s on Crenshaw and Carney\u2019s, to the Dodger Dog that\u2019s a staple of the L.A. baseball experience. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey really are a wonderful combination, aren\u2019t they?\u201d said Brockert of hot dogs and baseball. \u201cIt\u2019s pure joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Owner <\/p>\n

(Ron De Angelis\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

LaSorted\u2019s, 984 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 301-0339, lasorteds.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LaSorted\u2019s owner Tommy Brockert got the \u201cbirds and the bees\u201d talk from his dad in the drive-through of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389329,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[19404,1409,156918,426,116725,17757,48,52,51,156917,47,50,49,63,124493,156919,564,62561,40264,95682,156920],"class_list":["post-389328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-brockert","tag-city","tag-corn-dog","tag-dodgers","tag-fletcher","tag-hot-dog","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-lasorted","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-mustard","tag-regional-hot-dog","tag-texas","tag-tommy","tag-town","tag-walter","tag-wienerschnitzel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}