The Almighty Moon Tower Inn

The Almighty Moon Tower Inn in the East End is known for three things: hot dogs made from wild game meats, a lot of beer, and a f*ck you attitude most people admire, even if they don’t want to admit it. Comprising a few cobbled together shipping containers and a massive, semi-covered patio, Moon Tower functions as a decade-old haven for beer weirdos (there’s over sixty on tap), sausage aficionados, and cycling clubs that randomly appear in droves nearly every night of the week. Most people are here for the hot dogs—or, as the menu says, “tubesteaks”—which are pretty gourmet. Think duck meat with apple brandy or wild boar ground together with marsala and provolone. There are also excessively ridiculous concoctions, like the Cheesus Crust, which is just two grilled cheese sandwiches welded together with more cheese. You should embrace the stupidity, and the drunken outlaw vibe—and also make sure to order the potato salad. 

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

Food Rundown

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

Duck With Red Wine Tubesteak

Duck with red wine is a classic pairing, but we bet the French weren’t expecting the combo to end up as a pretzel bun-clad hot dog smothered in grain mustard and sliced jalapeños. Thankfully, Moontower is neither in France nor located anywhere resembling general sanity, meaning everyone gets to enjoy the resulting unhinged hot dogs.

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

Lamb With Moroccan Spices Tubesteak

Again, another no-brainer pairing here: lamb and warm, slightly sweet Moroccan spices. But the folks here also think you should eat it in meat tube form doused in a couple spicy sauces. And you know what, those folks are kind of right.

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

Cheech Burger

You will need a lot of napkins for this burger. Just picking it up will get your hands sticky with spicy sambal mayo. Each bite of the crispy griddled double patty crunches with seared poblano peppers smothered in tangy chevre. This burger is great if you are really hungry for certain reasons (the name says it all) or if you just biked 25 miles and need to refuel.

photo credit: Nicole Corbett

Potato Salad

Slightly tart and packed with blue cheese and bacon, this might be one of the best, creamiest potato salads in the entire city. And, yes, sometimes we do go to Moontower for a beer and a side of potato salad. It’s called having priorities.