Discover 25 of the world’s best hot dogs. These wiener winners include American hot dogs plus hot dogs from countries as far away as Japan and as close as Canada. Which one will be your favorite?
1. Classic Hot Dog (Everywhere)
Classic hot dogs will make you happy whether they’re made of beef or pork and especially when they have toppings like relish and diced onions. It’s up to you if you add ketchup, mustard or both.
2. New York Hot Dog (USA)
Eating a hot dog in New York is a rite of passage for most visitors to the Big Apple regardless of budget. But why? For starters, the New York hot dog ranks with New York pizza as one of the city’s best cheap eats options. It’s also one of the city’s most iconic foods.
Explore More: Must Eat NYC Foods
3. Original Hot Dog (Germany)
New Yorkers may have made hot dogs iconic but Germans get credit for creating the hot dog concept. This should be no surprise considering Germany’s obsession for sausages like bockwurst, landjáger, leberkäse, knackwurst, thüringer, weisswurst and wollwurst. And, of course, we can’t forget the frankfurter since it’s the most relevant sausage of them all.
Explore More: Must-Eat German Foods
4. Ballpark Hot Dog (USA)
People have been associating hot dogs with baseball games for more than a century. Like peanuts and Cracker Jack, hot dogs are easy to eat without utensils. Plus, an an added bonus, hungry fans can buy ready-to-eat hot dogs from roaming hawkers, negating the need to leave their seats and miss key moments of the game.
5. Chicago-Style Hot Dog (USA)
With roots in both Frankfurt and Vienna, Chicago-style hot dogs are made with beef and adorned with a garden of toppings and not just any garden. This colorful garden includes yellow mustard, white onions, green peppers, green pickles, red tomatoes and relish so green that its shade defies science. A dash of celery salt completes the recipe.
Explore More: Must-Eat Chicago Foods
6. Red Hot Dog (Denmark)
Danes love eating hot dogs on the go as much as they love dining large at top restaurants. They’ve certainly been eating hot dogs for a longer period of time – gastro pioneer Noma opened in 2003 while the Danish love for Rød Pølser (i.e. red hot dogs) dates back centuries
Explore More: Must Eat Copenhagen Foodds
7. Charbroiled Hot Dog (USA)
While most people associate buffalo wings with Buffalo, true hot dog fans know that the upstate New York city has another fast food trick up its sleeve – charbroiling hot dogs and topping them with pickle slices, hot sauce and onion rings.
Explore More: Great Buffalo Restaurants
8. Currywurst (Germany)
Proving that not all hot dogs are served on a bun, the popular German snack called currywurst tops sliced wurst with tangy tomato sauce and spicy curry powder. Though the combination sounds weird to many, the dish has grown into a German classic that’s available from dawn to dawn in cities like Hamburg and Berlin.
9. Octopus Hot Dog (Portugal)
A twist on the traditional Portuguese octopus dish called polvo à lagareiro, the octopus hot dog at Time Out Market is reminiscient of lobster rolls served in America. But this hot dog is made with tender octopus tentacles instead of lobster meat. Considering that the Portuguese have mastered cooking the cephalopod, it’s a twist that works.
Explore More: Must-Eat Portuguese Foods
10. Steirer Hot Dog (Austria)
In Graz, Steirer hot dogs are wrapped in bacon and garnished with salad, onions, horseradish and pumpkin seed oil mayonnaise. Mustard adds the finishing touch to this Austrian hot dog treasure.
Explore More: Great Graz Restaurants
11. Potato Hot Dog (USA via South Korea)
Potato hot dogs in Las Vegas are studded with potato cubes. However, you can push the potatato hot dog envelope by eating potato mozzarella hot dogs filled with – you guessed it – mozzarella cheese. Oh my!
Explore More: Great Las Vegas Restauants Off the Strip
12. Sonoran Hot Dog (USA via Mexico)
With roots in the Sonoran city of Hermosillo, the Sonoran hot dog is a Tucson food favorite that’s wrapped in bacon before it’s grilled and stuffed in a soft bolillo bun. Toppings include jalapeño peppers, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, pinto beans and tomato although you can add hot sauce if that’s how you roll.
Explore More: Great Tucson Restaurants
13. Loaded Hot Dog (Everywhere)
A hot dog is a blank slate – a canvas where a food artist can elevate simple food to a masterpiece. Purists eat them plain or with a single condiment or two. Others load them with toppings galore using their imaginations to guide them. When it comes to loading hot dogs, the sky’s the limit.
14. Prague Dog (Czech Republic)
In Prague, you can eat pork hot dogs topped with relish, cheese sauce and maple glazed bacon bits. All of this protein will give you enough energy to cross the Charles Bridge multiple times.
Explore More: Must-Eat Prague Foods
15. Hot Dog Poutine (Canada)
Chefs at Montreal restaurants typically prepare poutine with french fries, cheese curds and brown gravy. Adding sliced hot dogs to the dish is a natural evolution makes perfect sense.
Explore More: Must-Eat Montreal Foods
16. Alligator Hot Dog (USA)
If you wonder what an alligator hot dog tastes like. Wonder no more. Alligator hot dogs in New Orleans taste like buns full of yum. The best ones are topped with grilled onions, Creole mustard, tomatoes, jalapeños, barbecue sauce and bacon.
Explore More: Must-Eat New Orleans Foods
17. Rice Dog (Japan)
In Osaka, a rice dog is neither vegetarian nor healthy. Instead, it’s a hot dog encased inside fried Japanese rice batter. It’s also delicious.
Explore More: Osaka Food Guide
18. Pølse (Norway)
Hot dogs are so popular in Norway that pølser (Norwegian for hot dogs) are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and food halls. The best ones are nestled inside tortilla-like lompe instead of standard buns.
Explore More: Must-Eat Norway Foods
19. Pretzel Hot Dog
Pretzel hot dogs are similar to pigs in blankets but they’re bigger and therefore better. The German based bread also has enough salt to make our taste buds happy. It should be surprise that pretzel dogs rock since the pretzel is one of the best American snack foods.
Explore More: Awesome American Snack Foods
20. Chef Driven Hot Dog (France)
Most people choose to eat dishes like steak tartare, onion soup and blanquette de veau at restaurants in Paris. However, you can and should broaden your Paris dining horizons to include hot dogs. Like everything else in the city of light, Parisian hot dogs are special.
Explore More: Must-Eat Paris Foods
21. Chopped Hot Dog (Portugal)
Hot dog lover rejoice when they see cachorrinhos on a Porto menu. Although the Portuguese word cachorrinhos literally translates to puppies, this snack served at casual Porto restaurants is actually a hot dog spin-off with staying power.
Explore More: Must-Eat Porto Foods
22. Hot Dog with Mashed Potatoes (Sweden)
Finding hot dogs in Stockholm is easy to do since the city has a plethora of hot dog stands scattered throughout the city. The key is to order a Tunnbrödsrulle with toppings like mayonnaise, mashed potatoes and shrimp salad. We say order them all – especially the mashed potatoes.
23. Italian Hot Dog (Italy)
The concept of eating hot dogs in Italy seems counterintuitive except in Northern Italy where food skews more German than Italian. The same goes for drinking since beer flows as freely as wine in this part of Italy.
Explore More: Must-Eat Italian Foods
24. Hot Dog with Onion Rings (USA)
Tasting wine on the Finger Lakes creates a hunger that can’t be ignored. If there’s a better way to satisfy that hunger than with a hot dog, we don’t know it. This is when it’s time to go to whole hog by eating a hot dog topped with fried onions, bacon, cheese curds, corn relish, fried egg, chipotle mayo and herbs.
Explore More: Finger Lakes Tasting Spots
25. Wurstel (Austria)
Wieners called wurstel are easy to find in Vienna since they’re a popular food cart item sold at würstelstands. Thin and long, these Austrian hot dogs make great late night snacks, especially when they’re topped with both ketchup and mustard.
Explore More: Must-Eat Vienna Foods
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