Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
1 day ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
2 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California San Jose Mark's Hot Dogs
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Mark's Hot Dogs

For roadside fast food, pull over at the giant orange.

San Jose, California

Added By
Sam O'Brien
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  alex_harmon
  alex_harmon
  alex_harmon
  wilmot13
  neon_cali_girl
Menu   Avoiding Regret
Former giant orange  
  causeiwander / Atlas Obscura User
Menu   Avoiding Regret
  causeiwander / Atlas Obscura User
  causeiwander / Atlas Obscura User
hot dog with cheese   Avoiding Regret
former giant orange   Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the 1920s, a businessman by the name of Frank Pohl founded the Giant Orange chain in California. The concept, as one might guess, involved selling refreshments such as orange juice and hot dogs out of roadside stands that were shaped like giant oranges. Pohl sold off a few of the stands before his retirement, and the last operational Giant Orange closed in 1973. Although the heyday of citrus-shaped stands scattered across California's roadways has passed, a few of Pohl's large orbs survive today. One of the last remaining oranges lies nestled amid palm trees in San Jose and still carries on the tradition of roadside dogs and OJ.

Mark’s Hot Dogs has been serving up its beef-and-pork franks since 1936. In 1947, then-owner Mark Yuram moved his joint into a decommissioned Giant Orange. Today, diners can order at the counter and eat their dogs (which can be topped with chili, cheese, or sauerkraut) at nearby picnic tables or, in a nostalgic nod to American fast-food spots of yore, use Mark's car-service option. In the latter case, servers will come right to your car to take and deliver your order. For those who don't feel like the tart chaser of orange juice, there are floats, sodas, and milkshakes to wash down your dogs.

In addition to being an eye-catching oddity, the stand is also historically significant. It's a relic of the mimetic (also known as programmatic) architecture craze that took over California from the 1920s through '60s. In an attempt to catch the attention of the increasing number of drivers on the road, many businesses designed their buildings in the very shape of the products they sold, leading to doughnut-shaped drive-throughs, tamale-shaped tamale stands, and more. While some of these buildings can still be spotted across the state, most have been repurposed. Designated a San Jose landmark, Mark's Hot Dogs is one of the few food-shaped stands still feeding hungry drivers.

Related Tags

Giant Food Hot Dogs Roadside Attractions Fast Food Unique Restaurants & Bars Architectural Oddities Architecture

Know Before You Go

The stand did move within San Jose, so make sure you're heading to the new location on Capitol Avenue.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sam OBrien

Edited By

Avoiding Regret, causeiwander

  • Avoiding Regret
  • causeiwander

Published

November 20, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadarch.com/food/oranges.html
  • http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/08.01.02/dining-0231.html
  • http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=134
  • https://abc7news.com/food/marks-hot-dogs-still-cooking-after-83-years/5373792/
Mark's Hot Dogs
48 S Capitol Ave
San Jose, California, 95127
United States
37.361806, -121.834176
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The San Carlos Street Lantern Relay

San Jose, California

miles away

California Trolley and Railroad Corporation

San Jose, California

miles away

Olympic Black Power Statue

San Jose, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Jose

San Jose

California

Places 25
Stories 5

Nearby Places

The San Carlos Street Lantern Relay

San Jose, California

miles away

California Trolley and Railroad Corporation

San Jose, California

miles away

Olympic Black Power Statue

San Jose, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Jose

San Jose

California

Places 25
Stories 5

Related Stories and Lists

17 Places for Hot Dog-Lovers Around the World

List

By Diana Hubbell

9 Massively Inedible Roadside Attractions

List

By Jonathan Carey

9 Places to Pay Homage to the All-American Hot Dog

List

By Sam O'Brien

6 Drive-Through Adventures for Socially Distant Explorers

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • McDonald’s in Freeport, ME.

    Freeport, Maine

    Freeport McDonald's

    When the town wouldn't allow the fast-food behemoth to build a new restaurant, they put one inside an 1850 home.

  • Everett, Pennsylvania

    The Igloo Soft Freeze

    Built in the 1970s, this curious modular home found new life as a sundae-shaped ice cream stand.

  • Batumi McDonald’s.

    Batumi, Georgia

    Batumi McDonald's

    Fast food feels like fine dining at this award-winning modern Georgian building.

  • Petrópolis, Brazil

    Belvedere do Grinfo

    This spaceship-like structure was once a popular roadside restaurant.

  • Area di Servizio Villoresi Est

    Lainate, Italy

    Area di Servizio Villoresi Est

    This Volcano-like rest area was designed by architect Giulio Ceppi built according to energy efficiency and ecological footprint standards.

  • Inside the restaurant.

    Lindesnes, Norway

    Under

    The world's largest underwater restaurant is submerged off the southern tip of Norway.

  • Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

    Vena Cava

    Get three sheets to the wind at this desert winery with a nautical theme.

  • Alnwick, England

    The Treehouse Restaurant at Alnwick Gardens

    This giant wooden treehouse within a sprawling garden has its own eatery.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.