Big Red's Shanty, which serves up burgers and hot dogs out of a small, well, "shanty," opened up recently in the Cheat Lake area.

Cheat Lake, which is known for being the wealthier area of Morgantown, doesn't initially seem like the crowd for a hot dog stand, but don't tell the line that was 8 people deep that.

The restaurant is located along Cheat Road (near Purple Cow & Novichenks) down off the hill to the right, where there is a gravel parking area. To the side of the shanty are a few tables and chairs for outdoor seating. 

The menu, which is posted on the face of the building, features hot dogs, hamburgers, pepperoni rolls, breakfast (sandwich or biscuits & gravy), drinks, sides and a couple weekly specials that sound really exciting - chicken broccoli bake and raspberry pork sandwiches (but they're only available at certain times).

So, I ordered the "Appalachian Dog," which I thought was maybe a special kind of dog. It's not. It's just the long hot dogs and you can add whatever toppings. They also have the Lil' Appalachian, which is just a regular sized dog. I also got a side of the pasta salad.

After a bit of a wait, my ginormous hotdog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions was delivered. I was surprised to see the chili on top of the slaw - usually it's the other way around - and this thing was so wide that there was no way it was going to be a handheld experience. The bun - which was freshly baked - also soaked up a good bit of the sauce, making it a bit soggy. That's a tough situation - because, yes, fresh baked is great, but also, it doesn't quite have the substance to hold up a dog this large. But, I took a fork and dug in. It was a decent dog; I jut wish I could have actually had a bite of all ingredients at once. I was thinking ti was just going to be extra long and not necessarily wide. I may opt for just two regular size hot dogs next time!


The pasta salad, which was homemade, was very tasty. You can't see all the delicious pepperoni, cheese, peppers and onions in the bowtie pasta salad, but they were there! It was very tasty, and it was a pretty substantial portion, as well.

If you're looking for a quick bite in the Cheat Lake area, check them out. I think each area of town could benefit from having a hot dog joint!

Grade: B