Johnson’s Hot Dogs, 851 W. Foothill Blvd. (at San Antonio), Upland

Upland is graced with two locally owned hot dog stands, the established Windy C’s, here since 1999, and the newer Johnson’s, which opened in 2011. I’ve blogged about the former and only recently visited the latter, meeting a friend there for lunch.

While Windy C’s is a Chicago dog specialist, in a hole-in-the-wall location, Johnson’s takes a more ecumenical approach, offering more varieties: Chicago, New York, Southern, Seattle, Texas, Sonoran and L.A. See the menu here. The restaurant interior offers far more elbow room too.

I got a New York deli dog, which comes with sauerkraut, onions and mustard, as a combo with fries and a drink ($8). My friend got a Sonoran dog (pictured) with a soda and a side salad.

His verdict? Tasty. He liked his dog, which came bacon-wrapped, and his salad. He said he’d come back and expressed interest in the mac ‘n’ cheese dog. My dog and fries were decent, although the same combo at Windy C’s (there called the Wrigley) is better on balance: tastier dog and bun, not quite as tasty fries. Oh, and my green tea with honey was addictive.

Whichever Upland spot you prefer, neither of them is the Stand, Slaw Dogs, Skooby’s, etc., referring to some of the top L.A. haute dog stands, but they both are more than acceptable and preferable to Wienerschnitzel.

Incidentally, Johnson’s patriotic interior has walls and counter painted steel blue, with oversized white stars, and the ceiling has stripes of white and burnt red. If you’re of the right age and musical inclination, you’ll feel like you walked into the cover of Neil Young’s “Hawks and Doves.”