The Ultimate American Hot Dog Tour: 10 Iconic Stands You Must Visit

The Ultimate American Hot Dog Tour: 10 Iconic Stands You Must Visit

Jim Wright 

 

 

13 August 2025

The hot dog is a cornerstone of American cuisine, a simple and perfect food that tells a story about the city or region it's served in. For any true food lover, a journey to the nation's most iconic hot dog joints is an essential pilgrimage. This is not a world of fleeting trends, but one of time-honored recipes, fierce local pride, and multi-generational loyalty. From New York's classic franks to Denver's exotic game sausages, this guide, based on deep research into America's most celebrated establishments, will take you on a tour of the must-try hot dogs that define our culinary landscape.

 

1. Nathan's Famous (Coney Island, New York)

A true American legend, Nathan's Famous is the undisputed champion of classic hot dogs. Since 1916, this Coney Island institution has been serving its world-famous all-beef frankfurters, known for their perfect snap and incredible flavor. A visit to the original location is a rite of passage, especially when paired with their classic crinkle-cut fries. It's the benchmark against which all other classic hot dogs are measured.

2. Olneyville New York System (Providence, Rhode Island)

A trip to Rhode Island isn't complete without trying its unique culinary creation: the "hot wiener." And the undisputed king is the Olneyville New York System, a James Beard Award-winning "America's Classic." Here, small, snappy wieners are placed in a steamed bun and loaded "all the way" with mustard, a signature seasoned meat sauce, chopped onions, and a dash of celery salt. It’s a truly iconic and delicious taste of Rhode Island culture.

3. The Weiner's Circle (Chicago, Illinois)

If you're looking for a classic Chicago-style char dog with a side of famous attitude, The Weiner's Circle is a must-visit. This late-night institution is legendary for two things: its perfectly grilled hot dogs "dragged through the garden" with all the traditional Chicago toppings (mustard, onions, relish, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt) and its hilariously surly staff who engage in comedic, expletive-laden banter with customers.

4. Hot Dog Tommy's (Cape May, New Jersey)

A true Jersey Shore destination, Hot Dog Tommy's is famous for its upbeat vibe, creative gourmet toppings, and the legendary long lines that prove its popularity. This seasonal, upbeat food shop serves up high-quality hot dogs with both classic and one-of-a-kind toppings and even offers excellent vegan versions. It's a perfect, satisfying bite in a historic shore town.

5. Hillbilly Hot Dogs (Lesage, West Virginia)

For a truly unique and over-the-top experience, a pilgrimage to Hillbilly Hot Dogs is essential. Housed in two repurposed school buses, this roadside shack in Lesage, West Virginia, offers a dizzying menu of creative hot dogs. Their most famous creation

is the "Homewrecker," a massive 15-inch, 1-pound weenie piled high with jalapeños, peppers, onions, nacho cheese, chili sauce, and more.

6. Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs (Denver, Colorado)

Biker Jim's takes the concept of a hot dog to a whole new level with its focus on exotic game sausages. This is the place to try something you've never had before, from reindeer and rattlesnake to wild boar and elk jalapeño cheddar. Topped with creative condiments like their signature cream cheese and caramelized onions, it’s a one-of-a-kind gourmet experience.

7. Nu-Way Weiners (Macon, Georgia)

A Southern institution since 1916, Nu-Way Weiners is famous for its classic, bright red hot dogs. The signature style is a wiener on a steamed bun topped with a unique chili sauce and often a line of mustard. It’s a taste of history that has been a beloved Georgia tradition for over a century.

8. American Coney Island (Detroit, Michigan)

Located in the heart of Detroit, American Coney Island is one of the originators of the iconic "Coney dog." This classic features a natural casing hot dog on a steamed bun, smothered in an all-meat, beanless chili, and topped with mustard and chopped onions. A visit here is a taste of a legendary Michigan tradition.

9. Papaya King (New York, New York)

A New York City classic, Papaya King is the originator of the "recession special": two delicious hot dogs and a tropical fruit drink for an incredibly low price. Their frankfurters have a fantastic snap, and the most popular way to order them is with mustard and sauerkraut. It's a simple, perfect, and quintessentially New York experience.

10. Bert's Hot Dog Shop (Burgettstown, PA)

A great side-of-the-road spot, Bert's represents the thousands of beloved local hot dog stands across America. It’s nothing fancy, just a small roadside joint serving up delicious hot dogs and hamburgers with just about anything you want on them. This cash-only spot gets busy fast, proving that a simple, well-made hot dog is a timeless American treasure.

R.I. Food Fights to celebrate wieners, hot dogs, and more beginning September 1st

 

R.I. Food Fights to celebrate wieners, hot dogs, and more beginning September 1st

Be part of the fun and choose the region’s best dogs

 

Wieners, Hot Dogs, Saugys, whatever you call them, they’re a Little Rhody favorite.

Rhode Island is known for its culinary scene, but hot dogs are an often overlooked menu item. With so many popular wiener spots around the area, including Sam’s New York Systems, Wally’s Wieners Providence, and Baba’s Original New York System Rhode Island is at the center of the Wiener-verse.

This September, RI Food Fights kicks off WIENER FEST, a contest inviting locals to sample dozens of the state’s best wieners and help choose a winner, one bite at a time. 

The concept is simple and irresistible. Participating wiener joints offer one free hot dog to anyone with a coupon from RI Food Fights. The coupons come bundled in a single book, known as the Passport, which is mailed directly to participants. For under $30, you can purchase a Passport and begin your summer/fall wiener tour. This year features more than 20 participating establishments.

With a Passport in hand, participants have the entire month of September to visit restaurants, food trucks, and hot dog stands across Rhode Island and taste everything the state has to offer.  Along the way, voters help decide which spot earns the coveted title of Best Wiener in RI.

Wiener joints span from Woonsocket to Westerly, making the competition a showcase of local businesses and a celebration of the state’s diverse and creative hot dog scene. Passports are on sale here, and organizers expect them to sell out quickly. Visit EventBrite.com to purchase yours and get ready to enjoy. Click here for more information on RI Food Fights.

Reader’s Digest says this dish defines comfort in Rhode Island. Do you agree?

 

Rin Velasco

USA TODAY NETWORK - New England

Comfort food means a lot of different things to people in Rhode Island.

The Ocean State has a lot of local eats that just hit the special spot. Foods like johnnycakes, pizza strips, and doughboys from Iggy's mean so much more than just satisfying your hunger. Eating them can feel like home.

As part of Reader's Digest's America the Tasty 2025: Comfort Food from Every State list, the publication said that one Rhode Island dish in particular signals that type of comfort more than anything else.

"See if you agree with your state’s pick … or find a new personal favorite on this list," Reader's Digest said.

Here's what Reader's Digest picked as Rhode Island's top comfort food.

Reader's Digest says stuffies are Rhode Island's top comfort food

Reader's Digest chose stuffies as Rhode Island's number one comfort food because of how the making of the savory treats can bring Ocean State families together.

Here's what Reader's Digest said about it: "Rhode Islanders make this coastal comfort a family affair, harvesting fresh quahog clams, then stuffing them with a delectable filling of briny steamed clams, smoked Portuguese sausage and seasoned bread crumbs. A simple squeeze of lemon takes them over the top."

 

What are stuffies

Stuffies are the regional name for Rhode Island baked stuffed quahog clams and are a state tradition, the Visit Rhode Island website said.

"A quahog (pronounced kwa-hog) is a hard clam, available year-round in Rhode Island waters and harvested to make favorite dishes such as clam chowder and stuffies," the website said. "Quahogs are inherently nutritious—high in selenium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and B vitamins."

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.

The airport stuffie

 

 

 

The airport Stuffie

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island Commerce is working on a new campaign that would put installations of life-sized “stuffies” in airports across the country.

Stuffies, also known as baked stuffed clams, are a Rhode Island staple.

The goal of these installations is to get people curious about Rhode Island and hopefully draw more people to the state.

Travelers at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport have mixed reviews on whether or not a stuffie would draw people into the Ocean State. Some people said yes, but many people said something else would better represent Rhode Island.

“What would you think if you saw a giant stuffed claim in the airport?” asked ABC 6’s Alyssa Azzara.

“SpongeBob lives here, I don’t know,” said one traveler.

“Would it make you want to come to Rhode Island?” asked Azzara.

“I think so…because it looks good,” said another traveler.

“I don’t think they would come to Rhode Island for that,” said a third traveler.

Some people say no way to the stuffie, but one traveler that spoke with ABC 6 thinks it’ll peak people’s curiosity.

The whole idea of these life-sized installations is to get people’s attention.

“The goal is to make them say, ‘Well, what is that?’ And when they say what is that, we have achieved part one of of goal, which is to get their attention and make them curious,”‘ said Anika Kimble-Huntley, chief marketing officer at Rhode Island Commerce.

Some travelers think Rhode Island Commerce could have picked something different to better represent the state.

“If Rhode Island had a great coastline, or water, or mansions to visit, maybe if I saw that I’d be more interested, a quahog… probably not,” said a traveler from Rhode Island.

Kimble-Huntley said they want to draw people in with something they may not know about, have travelers talk with ambassadors about it, and then hopefully they’ll visit the Ocean State.

“If we’re able to drive food tourism to restaurants who probably need the help selling stuffies then there’s an economic impact to that, then think about the trickle down affect, now you have the shellfish fisherman.. Maybe they’ll be a greater demand for quahog,” explained Kimble-Huntley.

Kimble-Huntley said they’re also looking at doing events and marketing around the stuffies as well as looking at putting a Newport mansion installation in airports.

The stuffie installations are a part of a $4.5 million air service marketing program.

Officials hope to have the stuffie in airports in June.

 

 

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Rhode islands favorites

 

 

 

RHODE ISLAND FOODS

Stuffies

Served in the shell, stuffies are baked stuffed clams with lots of breading and butter. This Rhode Island food is so iconic that a seven-foot version of it is being placed in airports around the country to attract visitors to the Ocean State.

 

Clam Cakes

A deep-fried fritter made with chopped clams, clam juice and a flour base. They have a similar consistency to a hush puppy after they're fried and are more cakey than say a crab cake.

 

RI-style Calamari

Take a basic calamari appetizer (batter and fried squid) and toss it in butter, garlic and hot peppers, and you get Rhode Island-style calamari. The dish is the official state appetizer.

 

RI Clam Chowder

 

A lighter take on clam chowder than the New England or Manhattan versions, Rhode Island clam chowder skips the cream and the tomatoes giving it a clear broth.

 

Lobster Roll

Sure, Maine gets a lot of credit for their lobster rolls, but Rhode Island's are every bit as good. As a state, we're not picky about if they're warm or cold. We just like them with an ocean view.

 

New York System Wiener

We know, it says New York in the name, but we promise this is a Rhode Island thing. The weiners – which are a mix of beef, pork and veal – come in a natural casing that makes a 20-foot rope that the restaurants has to cut to size by hand. Once in the bun, it's covered in a spicy sauce that includes onions and ground meat.

 

Grinder

If you're really from Rhode Island, you'll pronounce it "grindah" and forget about the r. This Rhode Island favorite is a sandwich made with Italian cold cuts, pickles and other vegetables put on a grinder roll. You can mix up the cold cuts, but they have to stay in the salumi family.

 

Dynamite

 

A Woonsocket classic, the dynamite sandwich is a type of sloppy joe-like sandwich served in a torpedo roll with a spicy sauce often made in batches large enough to feed a crowd.

 

Pizza Strips

Also called a party pizza, red strips or a bakery pizza, a pizza strip is a rectangular strip of pizza, served on a crust that would be best described as focaccia, topped with tomato sauce and often a dusting of grated Romano cheese. It’s served at room temperature. 

 

Johnnycakes

Similar to a pancake, the main difference is Johnnycakes are made with stone-ground cornmeal. A staple at May Breakfasts across the state, they're very easy to make.

 

Pepper biscuits

An Italian treat, a pepper biscuit is a simple biscuit flavored with fennel and pepper rolled out into a log before being twisted into a round. The crunchy snack pairs well with a glass of wine.

 

Zeppole

A treat traditionally served on St. Joseph's Day, zeppole resembles a flattened cream puff, filled with cream and topped with more cream and a cherry. Traditional ones are filled with pastry cream. Others are made with ricotta cheese, chocolate cream or whipped cream and fruit.

 

Coffee Milk

For those who didn’t grow up drinking coffee milk from cartons in elementary school, coffee milk is exactly what it sounds like: milk mixed with a sweet coffee syrup.  The drink was invented in Rhode Island, sometime in the 1930s.  

 

 Del's Lemonade

Never drink it with a straw! Del's Lemonade is a frozen lemonade with roots in European fruit ices. Perfectly refreshing on a summer beach day, lemon is the classic flavor but the brand offers many others.

 

Doughboys

Awfully close to the fried dough you might find at any old state fair, but better because of their smaller, more manageable pillow shape. Cover these in sugar and cinnamon for maximum happiness.

Scientists, lawmakers, and those who make their living from Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay are teaming up to hunt for the reason why quahogs appear to be on the decline.

 Scientists, lawmakers, and those who make their living from Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay are teaming up to hunt for the reason why quahogs appear to be on the decline.

Quahogs have a long history in the state. The shells of the large, hard-shelled clam were used by the indigenous Narragansett people as wampum. The clam itself is a staple of clam chowders and in 1987, the Rhode Island Legislature designated the quahog the official “Rhode Island State Shell.”

On Tuesday, a special Rhode Island legislative commission held a hearing to study the reduced catch. The commission is looking at a range of possible factors that may be contributing to a loss of the signature shellfish, from oxygen deficiency to changing aquatic life and climate change.

Quahogs — also known as little necks or cherry stones or chowder clams — are filter feeders drawing nutrients out of water columns. They don’t move much other than the first 2 to 3 weeks of their lives when they are larvae, according to Conor McManus, of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Quahogs will traditionally start spawning in mid-June first in coves along Narragansett Bay and progress through the season. A second large spawning can occur in July.

There was a peak in the harvest of quahogs in the 1950s before the dredging of the clams was banned. There was a second peak in the 1980s reflecting an improvement in water quality in the upper bay.

“Since then, we’ve seen a dramatic decline,” McManus said.

There’s also been a decline in the number of people trying to harvest quahogs from historical highs of more than 1,000 people down to about 400 people a decade or so ago, and now down to 150 to 200 people, he said.

McManus said the hunt for an answer to the quahog decline is complex. As an example, he pointed to events that might cause a drop in oxygen in the water.

Typically, those hypoxia events are seen as a negative for organisms, but there is also a competing theory that such episodes could help quahogs because it might force away potential predators.

“Over the course of a quahog’s life there is a lot of uncertainty,” he said.

Jim Boyd, a shellfisherman, said that less than half the number of quahogs is being harvested from Narragansett Bay compared to a decade ago and he and others who rely on quahogs need answers.

 To the industry, it’s pretty clear that while there may be many factors for the drop, the primary driver is the reduction in nutrients needed for quahogs to thrive, he said.

“We really need the department and the universities to focus on this question for us because this industry is taking a significant hit over the last decade and our concern is that this is going to continue in the coming years,” Boyd said. “We’re seeing this slow, methodical decline in the abundance of quahogs throughout the bay.”

Other states along the Atlantic coast have also experienced declines in both quahogs as well as also oysters, bay scallops and soft-shell clams, according to McManus.

Quahogs feed on plankton. That also makes them key to the environment since plankton feeds on nitrates, which water treatment plants can’t filter out, making quahogs a natural source for filtering impurities out of the water, as well as being a sought-after food.

The commission is charged with reporting back to lawmakers by May 31, 2024.

Rhode Island clear-broth clam chowder

  

 Rhode Island clear-broth clam chowder

 Rhode Island clear-broth clam chowder offers taste of the sea, Native tradition

'The original chowder' was made with quahogs before arrival of colonists, cows and cream

 

Creamy white New England clam chowder is the most famous. 

Blood-splatter red Manhattan clam chowder is the most reviled.

Yet salty clear-broth Rhode Island clam chowder "is the original chowder," says Jamie Coelho, editor-in-chief of Rhode Island Monthly magazine.

"The indigenous tribes of Rhode Island gathered quahogs to eat, long before the colonists arrived, and used them to make chowder."

There’s a pretty good reason that Native Americans didn’t make creamy chowder.

Rhode Island clam chowder

Rhode Island clam chowder is a clear-broth chowder made with hard-shell clams, known as quahogs, fresh herbs and potatoes. (Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

They didn’t have cows.

The animals are not native to North America.

They arrived in the Americas only with European settlers after the Columbus explorations. Indigenous people had no domesticated livestock. Dairy was not common in their diet.

Clear-broth Rhode Island clam chowder is no less delicious than its more common creamy counterpart.

It’s certainly healthier.

Instead of cream, Rhode Island-style chowder is made with clam broth — which is nothing more than salty ocean water — but often stretched with seafood or chicken stock or beer.

Meaty Rhode Island quahogs are the star of the stew.  Quahogs are large hard-shell clams with dense, flavorful meat. The shellfish grow abundantly in the Ocean State.

 The species is found across coastal North America. The word quahog comes from the Ocean State’s native Narragansett people — also the name of a beautiful seaside town with world-class seafood.

Rhode Island clam chowder typically includes fresh herbs such as dill, while potatoes are common.

Coelho cites Sherry Pocknett, the chef-owner of Sly Fox Den Too, in Charlestown, as the state's best repository of its indigenous cuisine.

A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, she won the prestigious 2023 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Northeast.

"Quahog chowder," Pocknett told Coelho in an interview last year, "is a Mashpee Wampanoag recipe made with quahog clams, potatoes, onions and ground black peppercorn in a broth."

Quahog remains an iconic Rhode Island culinary and cultural idiom.

Quahog, Rhode Island is the name of the fictional town featured in the animated sitcom "Family Guy."

"The indigenous tribes of Rhode Island gathered quahogs to eat, long before the colonists arrived, and used them to make chowder."

Rhode Island's clear-broth chowder reflects the state’s deep and close connection with the ocean and its prized quahogs. 

 

 

 

 

In Rhode Island, a hunt is on for the reason for dropping numbers of the signature quahog clam

The clam itself is a staple of clam chowders and in 1987, the Rhode Island Legislature designated the quahog the official “Rhode Island State Shell.”