The Ultimate NYC Hot Dog Crawl

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Wherever you live, you’re surely familiar with the lure of The New York Hot Dog. And if you consume any kind of food media, you’re also probably aware that there’s no longer any reason to limit your NYC hot dog intake to those slimy wieners sold from carts in Central Park – or even to the recession special at Gray’s Papaya. Hot dogs are this year’s comfort food gone gourmet, and every hot NYC chef seems to be adding the once humble frankfurter to their repertoire, usually topping it with something new and more outrageous than the last guy.

Over at Oyster Local this week, I took a look at four of the best new high-end hot-dog shops in Greenwich Village, which inspired me to dig a little deeper and come up with this list of NYC’s best new gourmet hot dogs (along with a few classic stops) for the ultimate, 20-link New York Hot Dog Crawl. No, I have not actually completed this crawl, at least not all in one day, but if anyone’s up for the challenge I think I have a few free Sundays coming up. Let’s all just make sure our health insurance is up-to-date first.

1. Nathan’s Famous

Duh! The basic classic, just for starters. 1310 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn (Photo: Meg Zimbeck)

2. Willie’s Dawgs

Park Slope gets a little crazy with Niman Ranch beef dogs (or tofu ones — this is Park Slope, after all) stuffed in challah or rye rolls and finished with some inspired toppings like baked beans and salsa.  351 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn (Photo: Stumptown Panda)

3. Bark Hot Dogs

Gourmet hot dogs get the brownstone Brooklyn treatment, sourced from locally-raised meats, doused in a classed-up cheese sauce, served in an eco-friendly environ, and paired with Six Point ales. 474 Bergen St., Brooklyn (Photo: Cherrypatter)

4. Smoke Joint

Fort Greene’s favorite BBQ spot brings the hot meat-on-meat action by topping a Black Angus dog with pulled pork, beef or chicken (and some homemade coleslaw). I know you can’t see much of the dog, but trust me, it’s worth the mouth-work to get there.  87 S. Eliott Place, Brooklyn (Photo: Senorjerome)

5. Asia Dog

New York’s hippest hot doggery is, of course, not one restaurant but a rotating curated party for those in the know. These bahn mi dogs are found at Williamsburg’s Trophy Bar, but only on Tuesday nights. They also pop up elsewhere in Brooklyn and LES throughout the week.  351 Broadway, Brooklyn, On Tuesdays. (Photo: LadyDucayne)

6. San Antonio Bakery 2

Slip into Queens for the Chilean take on hot dogs: slathered with avocado puree, mayo, onions, tomato, and just a little bit of hot salsa, on a crusty homemade bun.  3620 Astoria Blvd., Queens (Photo: Pabo76)

7. Frankie’s Franks

Like the marathon, we’ll dip into the Bronx for a moment just to say we did. At FF’s, you get two fried hot dogs stuffed in one roll, topped with onions, peppers, AND potatoes. They actually call this a Jersey-style dog; I’m not sure if that’s authentic Jerz, but that’s a whole ‘nother post!)  2330 Arthur Ave., The Bronx (Photo: Kay::Snyder)

8. Fatty Crab

Hotshot chef Zak Pelaccio makes the case for the $13 hot dog: homemade pork sausage topped with pickled chilies, cucumber, radish and cilantro, then laced with a spicy Asian aioli and stuffed in a toasted potato bun.  2170 Broadway (Photo: Scaredy_kat)

9. Brooklyn Diner

When size matters, it’s hard to beat the foot-plus-long frank served at this midtown Manhattan (confusingly, not Brooklyn) institution. The 15-inch dawg comes on a comically small but beautifully buttery bun, along with onion rings, relish, mustard and kraut.  212 W. 57th St. (Photo: Jeffery and Rachel Vanneste)

10. Eden Wok

“The finest glatt kosher Chinese restaurant and sushi bar” (because there are so many) isn’t just a place for Jewish family Christmas dinners— it’s also home of the formidable Chinese hot dog, brilliantly encased in an egg roll wrapper.   43 E. 34th St. (Photo: Woman’s Day)

11. F&B Güdtfood

There are dozens of dogs on offer at this Euro wiener factory, where they top them with delicious sauerkraut and serve black truffle fries on the side. F&B gets extra inventiveness points for daring to serve a breakfast dog (with bacon and egg on a whole wheat bun).  269 W. 23rd St. (Photo: NewYork808)

12. Shack Shack

Better known for burgers, the shack gets hot dog props for daring to go Chicago-style in Manhattan, loading their all-beef Viena dogs with relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt.  Madison Square Park (Photo: Lodigs)

13. Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System

Maybe the yuppiest hot dog yet: truffled gruyere sauce is drizzled on these beef, chicken, pork, lamb and turkey dogs, which are stuffed inside crispy baguettes and washed down with handmade ginger soda.  26 E. 17th St. (Photo: Dogmatic)

14. Crif Dogs

The epicenter of the trend-let, Crif serves deep-fried dogs topped with foodie faves like avocado and bacon, and turns two trends into one downstairs at the speakeasy-style PDT, where off-the-menu hot dogs are named for trendy NYC chefs like David “Momofuku” Chang (slathered in kimchi) and Wylie Dufresne (deep-fried mayo).  113 St. Marks Pl. — near the Cooper Square Hotel. (Photo: EssG)

15. Katz’s

Yes, yes, we know. Katz’s appears on every ES best-of list. But it’s hard to ignore a classic: kosher beef weenies, griddled ’til the natural casing crisps, and smothered in onions and mustard (or chili, if your stomach can take it at this point). 205 E. Houston St. (Photo: Rikomatic)

16. DBGB Kitchen and Bar

You know hot dogs have gone gourmet for good when even A-list chef Daniel Boulud has one on the menu at his newest restaurant. Made from ground beef shoulder, this fancy frank comes on a toasty house-made bun with spicy mustard and fresh relish. 299 Bowery. near Off-Soho Suites Hotel. (Photo: Really Good Food)

17. Super Hot Dog

One of the newest entries, and also one of the ballsiest. These Kosher dogs come complete with toppings that are anything but — sun-dried tomatoes, corn relish, and even fresh fruit. Yes, they will actually put blueberries and mangoes on top of your sausage. No, you don’t have to be drunk, but it certainly helps.  111 MacDougal St. near Washington Square Hotel. (Photo: Super Hot Dog)

18. New York Hot Dog and Coffee

Oddly enough, this NYC newcomer actually hails from South Korea, where it spawned 170 locations before opening in the West Village last fall. But be glad New York hot dogs made it to the other side of the world — who else would have thought to create a dog topped with thinly sliced bulgogi beef or sesame chicken?  245 Bleecker St., near the Crosby Street Hotel. (Photo: New York Hot Dog and Coffee)

19. Cabrito

Finally, someone brings the pride of Tucson, the Sonoran hot dog, to NYC. It’s wrapped in bacon and topped with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato and at least for now, only available during Sunday football games. 50 Carmine St. (Photo: Always Hungry NY)

20. Ditch Plains

Last stop and far from least, Ditch Plains injects a little Midwest-style inventiveness into the heart of the West Village. May we present, the mac-and-cheese-covered heart attack hot dog. It kind of had to happen, didn’t it?  29 Bedford St. (Photo: Ditch Plains)

Which dog do you think looks the tastiest? And what did we miss? Feed us back in the comments, and add your faves to the Ultimate NYC Hot Dog Map.

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