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The 25 best hot dogs in America
25. Vicious Dogs North Hollywood — North Hollywood, California
24. Good Dog Houston — Houston, Texas
Good Dog's boasts made-from-scratch condiments and locally-sourced hot dogs and buns. Diners can either build their own dog or choose from a list of unique creations like the Franklin dog with a fried egg and ham.
23. Steve's Hot Dogs On The Hill — St. Louis, Missouri
Steve's adds new hot dogs to its menu every week; two favorites are the backyard BBQ dog served with baked beans, potato salad, bacon, and BBQ sauce, and the gorilla mac and cheese dog, which comes with bacon, fried onions, and, of course, mac and cheese.
22. Mustard's Last Stand — Melbourne, Florida
Back when Mustard's was first established in 1987, it was just a hot dog stand. Now it has two locations in Melbourne, and claims to serve the best Chicago-style dogs in the south (meaning, you can get basically anything on it but ketchup).
21. Crif Dogs — New York City, New York
The Village Voice called Crif Dogs the best hot-dog place in New York City. It suggests ordering the spicy redneck — a bacon-wrapped dog with chili coleslaw and jalapeno peppers. The tater tots also come highly recommended.
20. Dog Haus — Pasadena, California
Dog Haus nestles its hot dogs into a bun made of three grilled Hawaiian buns, and serves unique toppings, like kimchi and a fried egg. They also serve a corn dog dipped in root-beer batter.
19. The Red Hot — Tacoma, Washington
Diners say that the beer selection at The Red Hot is as unbeatable as their hot dogs. The beer is mostly microbews from Washington state, and the hot dogs are described as "gourmet."
18. Fab Hot Dogs — Tarzana, California
Fab Hot Dogs brings hot dogs traditionally found on the East Coast to the West Coast. The restaurant's specialty is the ripper — a New Jersey hot dog that's deep fried in oil.
17. Snake Hill — Baltimore, Maryland
An impressive array of sausages fill Snake Hill's menu. There's wild boar, venison, Polish sausage, Italian sausage, bratwurst, rabbit, and lamb. It's an ideal spot for adventurous eaters.
16. Dogma — Miami, Florida
Known for the unusual toppings it serves on its specialty hot dogs, Dogma offers everything from baked beans to bacon to sauerkraut. It even has veggie hot dogs, as well as a turkey corn dog.
15. Sup Dogs — Greenville, North Carolina
Diners rave about the Sup Dog Sauce at Sup Dogs. The menu offers a selection of 14 unique specialty dogs, including a Hawaiian dog with sweet pineapple and honey mustard, and a deep-fried taquito dog with jalapeños.
14. D's Six Pax and Dogz — Swissvale, Pennsylvania
Besides having a killer beer selection, D's also offers a turkey dog and a veggie (vegan) dog. Topping choices range from pineapple to cole slaw to fries.
13. Frank Restaurant — Austin, Texas
With clever names such as the Jackalope, the Texalina, and the Notorious P.I.G., Frank's dogs are both creative and tasty. The sides — think waffle fries — are good too, but know that they're the size of an entree, so come hungry.
12. Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace — Columbus, Ohio
Frank's offers a wide variety of dogs — there are 31 different specialty dogs on the menu plus one you can customize. Foursquare users say you can't go wrong no matter which hot dog you choose, and most recommend the tater tots as a side.
11. UB Dogs — Chicago, Illinois
People say UB is a great no-frills spot to get a cheap but tasty Chicago-style hot dog. Some people even claim it's better than Portillo's. Just know that it's not open on weekends.
10. Rosamunde Sausage Grill — San Francisco, California
With beer-garden seating and 27 beers on tap, Rosamunds offers more than just hot dogs. The restaurant also boasts an impressive list of authentic German and Austrian sausages, so order something out of the box here, such as the traditional German weisswurst.
9. Portillo's Hot Dogs — Buena Park, California
Starting off as a small hot-dog stand just outside of Chicagoin 1963, Portillo's has spread to the Western US and has grown to become a favorite for Italian beef hot dogs, and the chain's homemade chocolate cake.
8. Coney Island — Fort Wayne, Indiana
Coney Island is an institution in Fort Wayne; the restaurant still serves its "fountain pop" in glass bottles. The old-fashioned diner has been around since 1914, and the menu hasn't changed much since. There are Coney dogs and cheese dogs, as well as chili and hamburgers.
7. Dreamy Weenies — New Orleans, Louisiana
Dream Weenies serves "hot dogs gone NOLA" straight from New Orleans' historic French Quarter. There's halal and kosher beef hot dogs, as well turkey and vegan options. Toppings are inspired by the area — think red beans, rice, grits, and barbecue shrimp sauce.
6. Dune Dog Cafe — Jupiter, Florida
Dune Dog boasts a "happy island atmosphere" as well as delicious hot dogs. The Palm Beach restaurant has plenty of picnic tables perfect for dining outside, and a variety of dogs to choose from, such as the Chicago dog or the Southwest dog.
5. Superdawg Drive-In — Chicago, Illinois
The Wall Street Journal referred to Superdawg Drive-In as an "iconic hot dog heaven." Served in boxes with a heaping portion of waffle fries, the dogs at Superdawg are truly a taste of Chicago, and the milkshakes are irresistibly thick and creamy.
4. Happy Dog — Cleveland, Ohio
Diners describe Happy Dog as a dive bar with delicious dogs, a fun atmosphere, and good beer and music. You certainly won't run out of toppings to choose from here — Happy Dog serves everything from chunky peanut butter to SpaghettiOs on its dogs.
3. Dogtown — Rochester, New York
Almost all of Dogtown's dogs can be substituted for a veggie dog, which is why locals call this place one of the only vegetarian options Rochester has to offer. Its hot dogs are all named after actual dog breeds; for example, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is described as "a dog sleeping on a bed of coleslaw with grilled tomatoes and melted provolone."
2. Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs — Denver, Colorado
If you're looking for something a little more exotic than a regular dog, Biker Jim's is the place to go. The restaurant offers a variety of different game sausages including boar, elk, and veal, with creative toppings and reasonable prices.
1. Portillo's Hot Dogs — Northlake, Illinois
Portillo's makes the list yet again. Many locals swear by the restaurant. If you're looking for a true Chicago-style hot dog, this is it.
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