Holy Toledo! Look At Those Buns!!
Click on the images above. Do you recognize any of these celebrities?
Michael’s brother, Steve, and his wife, Jackie, had mentioned to us about going to this Toledo restaurant where they could get a Hungarian hot dog dinner at a good price on Tuesdays. So we made arrangements to travel with them to this restaurant the next time they decided they had a hankering for some chili dogs. We had heard about Tony Packo’s from watching M*A*S*H of course and we eager to partake of the Hungarian fare.
The Original Tony Packos’ Restaurant Cafe is located on the East side of Toledo, Ohio at 1902 Front Street.
Michael enjoying his Beer at Tony Packo’s Restaurant. If you look closely you can see some of the framed buns hanging on the walls.
One evening in September we headed to Toledo to check out the restaurant, Tony Packo’s, that the character from M*A*S*H, Corporal Maxwell Klinger, made famous world wide. This restaurant was started during the Great Depression in 1932 and has been going on strong since then. Tony created the Hungarian hot dog by adding chili to enhance the flavor of the Hungarian sausage, Kolbasz, which is the hot dog that put the sandwich shop on the map for the local Toledo crowd. In 1935, Tony and his wife, Rose, where able to buy the building where the Original Tony Packo’s Restaurant now stands.
Burt Reynolds was eating at the restaurant in 1972 and when he was asked for an autograph. Reynolds grabbed up a hot dog bun and signed it, starting the “bun signing” tradition. The buns that are signed today are foam replicas of the Packo’s hot dog bun. It is fun to wander around the restaurant and look at the framed buns hanging on the walls and seeing which celebrity you recognize.
The food did not disappoint. We started with a appetizer of fried pickles with beers all around as we perused the menu. We finally decided what we would like to try. Michael and Steve ordered the cabbage roll and sausage combo. Jackie had the chili hot dog combo and I had the roast beef platter. Upon spying the strudel on the dessert menu I knew what I wanted for dessert. I ordered a cherry strudel and Michael ordered the apple strudel and of course we shared between us. A very satisfying meal in a cool atmosphere. We would definitely go back!
