What are the best hot dogs in NYC?  There are more than one could possibly try in one day and after this NYC dog-tasting extravaganza we’ll likely try to balance one restaurant at a time!  We hope you enjoy our journey.  A word of advice – if you try this, eat ONE dog per restaurant and share!

Hot Dogs are not the most sought after food.  They are more of an easy summer BBQ, picnic, day at the ball park or 4th of July celebration kind of food.  They’re the kind of food you don’t think much about when you stuff one down your gullet at 2AM after a night on the town.  But since like most Americans,  I was introduced to these tubular meats at an early age I have grown fond of them and I have not had one in some time.  So, I proposed the idea of an NYC Hot Dog Smack-down to discover the best hot dogs in NYC.  So we picked one of the hottest, sweltering days of the year and went on a Hot Dog tour of NYC.  This is how it went down.

We started the day with a ride on the subway from our hood in Battery Park up to 83rd and Broadway on the Upper West Side.  If you are a New Yorker you know how bad the subways are this summer on the weekends.  We were already off to a heated start when we got to the 1 train on Rector and it was closed.  So we had to huff it to Park Place, about a half mile walk in the already hot morning heat.  We caught the 3 train which was going local on the 1 line. Except for the very loud tourists, our ride was pretty quick and uneventful.  That brings us to our first stop.

http://www.arties.com/
Artie’s Delicatessen
83rd & Broadway
2290 Broadway, New York, NY
212-579-5959
Monday-Sunday,  9am-11pm

Artie’s is a family style deli restaurant. It is large and has plenty of seating for large parties.  It has a festive atmosphere.  The dogs we ordered were the Knishpuppy and the Chili Dog. They do offer a Pastrami Dog but we did not want to start off  with a full belly.  The Knishpuppy was interesting.  Basically it is two hot dogs wrapped in a potato knish.  The knish was nice and flaky on the outside and moist on the inside.  Jen described it as hot dogs and mashed potatoes.  I think a little sauerkraut, relish, ketchup and mustard are needed.  We had ketchup and mustard.  The Chili Dog was better.  I like ketchup and mustard with it.  It was good.  The chili was nice and meaty, not to sweet.  The dog was juicy and snapped when you bit into it.  Great casing.  If I’m up there again one day I will try the Pastrami Dog.  A frankfurter topped with pastrami.

Our next stop would take us to 86th & 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side.  We decided to walk so we would have time to digest.  It is 1.5 miles across Central Park.

 

http://www.papayaking.com/
Papaya King
179 East 86th Street
New York, NY 10028
212-369-0648
Sunday-Thursday 8am-12am
Friday & Saturday 8am-2am

Papaya King was the first (in 1932) to put the magical combination of papaya drinks and frankfurters together.  The sign says papaya promotes heart health and male fertility.  And speaking of male fertility let’s talk about their wieners.  We ordered the #1 or The Original. Two franks w/kraut, NY onions or relish and a drink.  For us it would be one wit NY onions, one wit relish and a papaya drink.  The shop is a little small and crowded.  I ordered up the wieners and Jen took some pics and found us a spot to stand.  We ate these with just the toppings they came with, no ketchup and mustard.  The dogs aren’t bad.  These would be the late night dogs you forgot you ate  except for a little after taste when you wake up the next morning.  The casings are crisp and have the snap you want in a good dog.  The NY onions are a bit sweet for me and the relish is nothing special.   I think the outstanding part was the papaya drink.  It goes well with the dogs.  The prices are good.   The cost of the original was $5.00.  I would classify these dogs as a cheap late night guilty pleasure.

For our next Hot Dog we head downtown to Brooklyn Diner @ 57th & 7th Ave.  We decide to walk 2 miles back across the park heading to Columbus Circle.  By now the day is heating up and we are feeling sweaty and a bit full.  So we take our time hoping to move some dogs around and make room for more.  It works.  We feel a bit rejuvenated and ready for some AC and the 15 Bite Brooklyn Diner Dog.

http://www.brooklyndiner.com
Brooklyn Diner
212 W. 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
212-977-1957
Sunday-Monday, 7am-12am
Tuesday-Saturday, 7am-12am

When we open the door a cold draft greets us.  This is a diner.  Looks and feels like a diner. The place is packed with tourists and New Yorkers.  We are seated immediately and begin to cool down.  Our waiter is quick to take our order.  It will be the 15 Bite Brooklyn Diner All Beef Hot Dog and we will split it.  The dog comes pretty quick and we are amazed at its size.   It is the size of Jen’s hand and forearm.  It comes with mustard, warm juniper berry sauerkraut, frizzled onions, relish and sits on a toasted brioche buttered bun.   Wow!  It’s huge.  This is an amazing hot dog.  The flavors are very nice.  The casing is perfect.  The beef filling has a great smokey smoothness.  All the toppings add to it perfectly.  I really enjoy the frizzled onions.  It is a nice touch.  This can easily be shared by two people.  So far our favorite place for a hot dog and our favorite hot dog.

We take our time leaving the cool temperature of The Brooklyn Diner.  But we got to get moving to our next stop.  We hop on the R line which is right around the corner and head down to 28th Street.  Once we are off the train it is a quick walk to our next stop.

http://www.foodparc.com/eateries/beerparc/
BeerParc
6th Avenue @ 29th Street
New York

BeerParc is the outdoor area of FoodParc.  FoodParc is a interesting idea where you order your food from many different food vendors on computers that are spread through out the establishment.  They have a large variety of foods and beverages to choose from, but we are here for the hot dog.  Originally we were here for a specific hot dog from Fatty Cue called the Fatty Dog.  But it turns out that Fatty Cue is no longer part of BeerParc.  So we decide to try La Frieda’s Black Angus Hot Dog with fennel mustard, red pepper ketchup and McClure spicy pickle relish from the outdoor Dog Parc stand.  And while at BeerParc you must have a beer. Jen grabs the Radeberger Pilsners inside while I fight the heat outside waiting for our hot dog to be grilled.  We decide to eat inside in the cool dining area.  The hot dog is very good.  I would consider this a gourmet hot dog.  The flavors of the condiments work together well.  Once again the dog has a crispy outter casing that pops when you bite into it.  The beef inside is smooth and mild.  And it is a pretty good price at $3.00.

By this time we are getting a bit full so once again we decide to walk to our next meal.  We walk down from 29th and 6th Avenue to 17th and 5th Avenue to an interesting take on a hot dog.

http://eatdogmatic.com/
Dogmatic
Union Square
26 E. 17th Street
New York, Ny 10003
212-414-0600
Monday-Saturday, 11am-9pm
Sunday, 12pm-7pm

Dogmatic is an awesome idea.  We will definitely be back for more.  We only tried one kind since we were getting full and the heat was working against us.  The concept is great.  You choose the type of sausage dog and sauce that you would like.  They grill your dog.  They toast your bun which is a small artisan bread loaf on a heated spear shape heated tube.  See the picture below. They then fill the bun with the sauce you chose and slide the hot dog in.  It is genius.  We ordered the beef sausage dog with chimichurri sauce.  It was great.   With that we ordered handmade sodas.  I got the lemon lime and Jen got the ginger soda.  These were good as well, but drink them slow so the ice melts because they can be a bit sweet.

We left Dogmatic and decided to walk off the calories with a little shopping at ABC home.  I was feeling the heat and the food at this point.  We needed to kill some time between meals since our next hot dog was only a block and half away.  Did you know Deepak Chopra records a TV show and pod cast from ABC Home?  Well he does.  On the first floor all the way in the back above ABC Kitchen.  So now you know.  I wonder how he feels about hot dogs?  After some shopping and enlightened discovery we made our way to what I thought would be the last hot dog of the day.

http://www.oldtownbar.com/
Old Town Bar
45 East 18th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 529-6713

We have been going to Old Town Bar since we moved here in 2000.  We have had many meals and drinks in this establishment.  At this time I thought I was done.  The heat had gotten to me and I thought I was done.  But after a beer and some encouragement and good salesmanship from John the bartender we ordered a hot dog with coleslaw.  Of all the years I’d been in this place I have always passed by the hot dog.  Well, it turns out this may be my personal favorite. The taste is great.  It is a grilled and scored all-beef Sabrett deposited on a butter-toasted bun.  It comes with mustard, relish, coleslaw or sauerkraut.  I got mine with coleslaw on the side.  They also have a Chili Cheese version that looks excellent.   The taste couldn’t be beat. The buttered toasted bun and grilling added a nice salty flavor that really brought out the hot dog flavors and the coleslaw counteracts the saltiness and the mustard.  Great combination!  Hands down the winner for today.  We decide to end the day with this hot dog.  Cheers to Old Town.

So we decided to end there for the day and walk west on 18th and then down through the West Village toward home.  Along the way we stopped into an old hangout of ours called Art Bar.

http://www.artbar.com/
52 8th Avenue
New York, NY  10014
212-727-0244

We stopped in for a beer and met Rene and Sam.  Sam was bar-tending and Rene stopped into see her.  We got to talking and eventually told them of our hot dog tour.  Sam mentioned that they serve a pretty good dog as well.  And it occurred to me that we had eaten there many times and we once had a hot dog.  So we decided to revisit the Art Bar hot dog.  We ordered a chili, cheese and onion dog.  And I must admit it was pretty good.  At this point I can’t believe we could actually eat another but the beer seemed to get our appetite back.  I could not distinguish the taste between the hot dog and the chili at this point but it was tasty.  Jen enjoyed it a little more then me, but I would say it was up there with Artie’s Deli and Papaya King without a doubt.

So ends our Dog Day Afternoon.  But this will continue.  We have 12 more hot dog places to try so I will be adding weekly until we do them all.  I’m thinking Crif Dog is next as well as Shake Shack.

 

OK we are back with more hot dog reviews.  10/11/11.
First up is Shake Shack.  Shake Shack just recently moved into Battery Park.

Home

215 Murray Street (between West St. and North End Avenue)
Open 11AM – 11PM seven days a week.
646-545-4600

Shake Shack as one of the best burgers in New York. I think about these burgers often. But their Hot Dogs are not the greatest.