Getting my “Mojo” back

I grew up in Raleigh NC. One of my favorite places to grab a bite was a small hotdog spot in my neighborhood called Scooby’s. Funny enough, my second favorite spot was a local hotdog chain called Snoopy’s. But no one confused the two. There was no way a local would confuse Snoopy’s and Scooby’s because Scooby’s was in the hood and everyone actually called it “Mr. Oats”.

When gentrification took over my old neighborhood, Mr. Oats was forced to move and eventually forced to close. As a Charlottean, I was sad about the closing of Mr. Oats, but the only ate there when I visited family. I needed to find a spot in Charlotte to satisfy my hotdog cravings. I tried several spots and they weren’t bad, but they weren’t great. One Saturday, I had a craving for hotdogs so we decided to find a spot on Yelp.  A place called “Mojos” won. We drove down the road and although the GPS was saying that we were getting close, we did not see anything coming up. As we approached, we saw a simple hotdog cart on the side of the road in a gravel lot. I love food trucks so a cart was not a huge difference.

The owner was welcoming and friendly. There was a huge variety considering we were there for hotdogs. Mojo’s had Half-smokes (think Hillshire Farms sauage), brats, jumbo hotdogs, regular hotdogs, and sausages. The toppings were what you could possibly want on a hotdog. Ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, slaw, sauerkraut, jalapeños, and chilli. The chilli was especially good and was meat based rather than bean based. The buns were Sara Lee rather than something cheap. The hotdogs and sausages were cooked to order on a grill. There were chips, homemade pastries, and drinks available as well. Mojos even had daily specials. As a person who enjoys variety, I got the half-smoke and a jumbo hotdog. I asked for both to be closer to burnt.  The experience was special. It wasn’t what I remembered from my days in Raleigh, but it was excellent and stood alone. It was like a quick trip to a summer cookout.  I was thoroughly impressed returned several times.

Although it is a hotdog cart, his hours are online and he adheres to them consistently. Unfortunately Mojos doesn’t have a website, but yelp has reviews, photos, and the menu. If you’re in Charlotte, I would highly recommend Mojos. Get some hotdogs and sit in your car and enjoy them.

Duvonne Everett

Mojo’s Famous Hotdogs Yelp Review