I've wanted to try Short Leash for a long time, but I never got on board with the food truck trend. Why would I want to sit outside in the hot downtown sun when there are a hundred actual (air conditioned) restaurants in the area? When I heard they got an actual brick-and-mortar location, I was stoked, but had already moved across the country so I didn't get the chance to experience what everyone was going on about until now.
It's right next to a gallery in a very artsy district of downtown (I think it's now literally called the Roosevelt Arts District), so lots of murals and public art, which gives it a nice feel. The parking lot is shared with a lot of other businesses so it looked really busy when there was still plenty of seating inside. They have a nice patio, too, which was perfect for this December afternoon, but I'm not sure how much use it gets during the 9 months of summer.
I tried the Mac Daddy, which is a beef hot dog in a naan topped with chili mac. The macaroni and cheese was good, though not as cheesy as "three cheese" would suggest. The chili was typical bean and beef chili, could have come from a can as far as I could tell. I loved that it came in a naan rather than a bun, so it had more toppings than your typical dog. I didn't like the tray it was served in - it keeps the taco/dog/thing upright for the toppings but when you start making a mess, the metal triangle just gets in the way. It should have been covered with a paper wrap under the dog, rather than being on top of the tray paper. It was also served with house-made potato chips which were a little too thick but decent enough. I'm not a fan of chips so I would have rather had fries or coleslaw, but I didn't see those options on the menu.
They had a ton of drink options, including bottled sodas you don't typically see in Arizona, especially in restaurants, like Cheerwine and Faygo. They also have alcohol options with a full bar.
Overall, a really great hot dog, but I felt it was a little over priced at $9.50. Hot dogs, no matter what you slap on top, are still hot dogs. With my bottled root beer and tip, a bit over $15 for lunch. It would have felt more worth it if I liked the potato chips.