Hot dogs are a quintessential NYC food, up there with bagels, pizza and the $35 foie-gras-stuffed burger. So it’s no surprise that folks love to make lists of the best frankfurter offerings. Year after year. We’re no different, mostly.
But we do have a goal: helping you top Joey Chestnut’s record of eating 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes with 71 different local wiener suggestions (please, though, take a year, or a lifetime, to tick them off your list). After all, he and his competitors get no variety when stuffing their faces. They, and you, deserve better.
Photo: Evan Sung
Shack-cago Dog
Shake Shack
Danny Meyer’s fast-casual empire started as a hot dog cart in 2001; after three summers selling red hots in Madison Square Park, he expanded, and the rest is culinary history. The Shack's specialty is a Chicago-style, flat-grill dog, topped with the works: onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, celery salt, pepper, mustard and Rick’s Picks relish. $4.29
Courtesy, Papaya King
The Classic
Papaya King
The original of the “Papayas,” the King is a bright storefront at which to get a well-done dog that's got plenty of snap. Though the bun is nothing special, the array of toppings is: a list of 15 or so options, including onion rings, fries and jalapeños, that can be piled on free of charge (you’ll pay extra for bacon or pastrami). We covered ours with something called Hula Hula, a zingy, sweet-spicy pineapple salsa that packed a welcome punch. $3
Chihuahua
Crif Dogs
Where else can you get a hot dog while listening to loud rock ‘n’ roll and waiting your turn to enter a speakeasy. The Chihuahua is just one of the unusual combos on offer: a crisp, fried, bacon-wrapped wiener, flanked by avocado slices and sour cream to give the whole enterprise some contrast and unctuousness. The bun, soft but sturdy enough, delivers the goods in style. $6.50
Hot dog with onions
Carnegie John’s
This streetcart vendor, on the northeast corner of 56th Street and Seventh Avenue, makes his dogs with a difference: he splits and charcoal grills them, rather than giving them a steam bath, and the bun is put on the flat top for a bit of crisp. Top it with a grilled onion-pepper combo—no reddish slurry of onion sauce here. $1.75
Photo: Daniel Krieger
Hoyt Dog
Mile End
New York City's Montreal-style deli offers this snappy house-made beef frankfurter, named after the street address of its Boerum Hill location. Served on a split-top potato roll and accompanied by generous helpings of sauerkraut and relish, the smoky-sweet hot dog is only available on the lunch menu—a filling, fire-engine red way to enjoy the midday meal. It tastes like a particularly excellent ballpark frank; any attendant nostalgia—for the Expos, say—comes free of charge. $8
Courtesy, Katz's
Frankfurter
Katz’s Delicatessen
Although this famous downtown delicatessen is best known for its hand-carved pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, its all-beef hot dog is one to try: perfectly crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Top it with a generous layer of sauerkraut and yellow mustard; even with copious amounts of condiments, the bun remains dry and intact until the very last bite. $3.95
Photo: Daniel Krieger
Grilled Hot Dog
Julius’
For a hot dog with a little local color, head to this neighborhood bar and grill in the heart of the West Village. Julius’ is one of the oldest gay bars in NYC and has been a location for films like Next Stop, Greenwich Village. It’s also well known for its late-night grill, where you can get a bargain-priced grilled hot dog and fries for less than the cost of a beer. $2 (hot dog only)
Photo: Julienne Schaer
Nathan's Famous
Not much has changed at this place since Nathan Handwerker came up with his closely guarded recipe for all-beef franks and opened a modest stand in 1916 (save, perhaps, the initial 5-cent price). The Original Coney Island Hot Dog must be topped with two condiments—mustard and sauerkraut—and eaten before, during or after a stroll on the boardwalk. $4.35
Hot Dog
Rudy’s Bar & Grill
Every time you order a drink at this Hell’s Kitchen dive, you’ll have the chance to order a complimentary hot dog. While your head and gut might say no, resistance is futile. The dogs spin on a roller grill until duty calls, when they’re plunked onto a cold bun. Your choice of condiments is simple: ketchup and/or mustard, so don’t ask for anything else. Free, with purchase of beverage
Classic Footlong ’n Fries
Steak ‘n Shake
This famed Midwest import planted its sole NYC store in a prominent spot, just next door to the Ed Sullivan Theater (home to CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert). Besides burgers, the chain specializes in grilling all-beef footlongs that are too big for their bun, with classic topping options cheese, chili and onions—and fries included in the deal! $4.99
Photo: Christopher Postlewaite
Two Franks and a Drink
Gray’s Papaya
Ah, the longtime home of the “Recession Special,” offering sustenance to many a person’s late-night cravings for a cheap meal and tropical drink. Though the Greenwich Village location closed last year, the Upper West Side site keeps it real 24-7. The dogs come off the griddle well burnished; the onion sauce is a bit sweet, but offset by the puckering sauerkraut. $5.95 for the 2-dog/1-drink combo
Courtesy, Feltman's
Hot Dog
Feltman’s of Coney Island
The original Coney Island hot dog inventor—yes, even before Nathan’s came to be (in fact, Nathan Handiwerker worked at Feltman’s before venturing off on his own)—is back, or at least the name and recipe are. The dogs get nice and wrinkly from the griddle, and the raw onions and potato bun are a welcome touch. $4.25
Great Dane
Danish Dogs
Toppings are king at this Grand Central food hall venture from Claus Meyer, the renowned chef from Denmark’s Noma restaurant. Of the four offerings, each with a different type of frank, the Great Dane might be the closest to what you’d expect from a typical hot dog experience; even still, the pickled cucumber and crispy shallots set it well apart. $7
Courtesy, Kings of Kobe
All Nighter
Kings of Kobe
Imagine dressing up a hot dog as if it were a buffalo-wings-gone-wild experiment and you might get the All Nighter, generously topped with bacon, blue cheese dressing and onion marmalade. For refinement, there’s lemon zest on top. $9.25
Classic dogs
The kosher hot dog at Yo-Burger
The chili dog at Old Town Bar
The Sloppy Dog at Schnippers
The Footlong at Serendipity 3
Two Beef Franks and Beans at La Bonbonniere
Sabrett hot dog at Full Circle Bar
Frankie’s Hot at Frankie's Dogs on the Go
All-Beef Frank at Paul's Da Burger Joint
Beef Frank Combo at Ben's Kosher Restaurant & Delicatessen
Hot dog with red onion sauce at Papaya Dog
Kosher hot dog at Deli N’ Dogz
Hot dog on Caputo’s roll at Brooklyn Farmacy
Hot dog with onion and mustard at Fulton Hot Dog King
Meat Hook hot dog at Rippers
A la “cart”
The Breezy Dog at Breezy Dog
Chili cheese dog at Dominick’s Hot Dog Truck
The steamed/boiled dog at the cart on nearly every street corner in Midtown
Haute dogs
The DBGB Dog at DBGB Kitchen and Bar
Humm Dog at The Nomad Bar
Cannibal Dogs at The Cannibal
Courtesy, Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar
Dressed up
The Seattle Sound at Lock Yard
The Sonoran at Harlem Shake
The Holy Phuc Land & Sea at Coney Shack
The Ditch Dog at Ditch Plains
Picante Dog at Guacuco Hot Dogs
Frankfurter with Cholent at Second Avenue Deli
Zweigle’s “Pop-Open” Hot Dog at Daddy-O
Salchipapas at Chicks to Go
Completo at San Antonio Bakery
Summer Hot Dog at Mulholland’s Bar
Steuben’s Reuben at Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar
Chili cheese dog at Ray’s Candy Store
Perro Perro en Salsa Mora at Le Perrada de Chalo
Georgia Dog at Georgia Eastside BBQ
Fully clothed
Corn dogs at Cowgirl
Pretzel Dog at the Rusty Knot
Pigs in blankets at the Blind Tiger
Panko-Crusted Korean hot dog at HanYang BunShik
Hot Dog Bun at Fay Da
A dog with a view
Hot dog on the Staten Island Ferry
Hot dog with chili and cheddar at Boat Basin Café
Hot dog (or, for a Balkan twist, Cevapi) at Anabel Basin Sailing Bar & Grill
BLT Dog at Box Frites. Photo: Jen Davis
Ballpark Franks
BLT Dog at Box Frites in Citi Field
Hebrew National hot dog at Yankee Stadium
Nathan’s Footlong hot dog at MCU Park
Specialty dog from RBI Grill at Richmond County Ballpark
Alternadogs
Veggie dog (“c'mon, get real, it can't be as good as meat,” they say on their own website) at Papaya King
Marley Dawg (veggie dog with red kraut & pineapple pickle) from Yeah Dawg
Grilled cheese dog at Santa Salsa
Vegan dog at Old Stanley’s Bar
OK, fine, these are sausages
Easter sausage at Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Grilled bratwurst at Bohemian Beer Hall and Garden
The Cowboy at the New York Dog House
Merguez sandwich at Chef Samir Truck
Wurst on a roll at Killmeyer’s
Weisswurst at Mekelburg’s
Steve’s Polish Wedding Kielbasa Sandwich at Seawitch
