My 10 Favorite Hot Dogs in New York and NJ

Fried, steamed, or rolling on the griddle, the Civil War-era treat is still great

Two hot dogs are available at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats: Which one to choose?

Tube steaks, as they are sometimes called, are a favorite meal that actually originated in New York City on Coney Island in 1867, though the inspiration was German, as “frankfurter” suggests, or maybe Austrian, as denoted by “wiener.” While the European sausages were a beef-pork mixture, our native New York “hot dog” (suggesting its resemblance to a dachshund) was and is all beef. That weenie is typically topped with mustard (never ketchup), sauerkraut, and — later during its evolution — an onion relish apparently invented by Greek hot dog vendors, but standardized by one Alan S. Geisler around 1960.

Other toppings take a back seat, though in Jersey a hot relish sometimes erroneously tagged “Texas chili,” is the basis of a style of franks in the northern reaches of the Garden State. It, too, could have originated as a Greek meat sauce, as suggested by the fact that it tastes slightly of cinnamon. Eventually, this style of frank swept westward, and now a whole class of beef-pork dogs are known, somewhat disingenuously, as Coney Island franks, usually topped with raw onions, mustard, and “chili.” Note that the chili found in the city at places like Chelsea Papaya and Papaya King is canned Texas-style chili, with beans.

I have spent decades chasing the elusive best hot dog in New York and in nearby New Jersey. Here are my current faves, beginning with the best.

1. Rutt’s Hut

This is perhaps the most oddball hot dog on the list, at a roadside tavern founded in 1928 on a bluff overlooking the Passaic River. The beef-pork frank is deep fried, causing a tear to develop along its length, and the sausage became known as a “ripper.” A relish unique to the place is made using cabbage and mustard, among other things. Open 8 a.m. seven days 417 River Road, Clifton, NJ

Rutt’s Hut rippers, with the special relish on the left

2. Gray’s Papaya

This offshoot of Papaya King outclasses its parent, offering one of the city’s greatest cheap meals: two natural-skinned beef franks and a chalky papaya drink of uncertain composition, said to aid digestion. The premises at the corner of 72nd and Broadway is one of the city’s most famous culinary structures, and demands to be landmarked as such. 2090 Broadway, Upper West Side

Gray’s is a boon to bicycle riders intent on snatching a quick bite.

3. Nathan’s Famous

Tracing its roots to 1916, this offshoot of Feldman’s has become the most famous purveyor of wieners in the world, and somehow, standing on Surf Avenue with the salt spray in your nostrils on a hot summer day, makes them taste even better. 1310 Surf Avenue, Coney Island

One with mustard and sauerkraut, one plain

4. Dickson’s Farmstand Meats

This Chelsea Market stalwart makes one of the best hot dogs in town, or rather a pair of them since there’s also a jumbo that measures 10.5 inches. The shorter one is better to my mind, a beef-pork forcemeat smoked over hickory, with a resounding snap and a smokiness most New York dogs lack. 75 Ninth Avenue, Chelsea

The smaller one actually tastes better; maybe its the absorption of smoke.

5. Boulevard Drinks

Anchor of Journal Square, with its two ornate theaters, this stand-up counter provides franks cooked on a flat top with a nice greasy char and topped with some of the “Texas chili” mentioned in the intro, nicely melding ground meat and vegetable matter. 48 Journal Square, Jersey City

6. Gotham Burger Social Club

The Gotham dog is something of an outlier among franks — the usual all-beef, slender frank with a natural skin (yes, that means sheep intestines), with spicy mustard, sauerkraut, and green pickle relish. It proves a potent combination. Get it with onion rings. 131 Essex Street, Lower East Side

The collision of incongruous flavors and textures propels the Gotham Dog.

7. Crif Dogs

The walk-down East Village staple looks to New Jersey for inspiration for at least part of its menu, deep frying many franks, and Los Angeles, too, with its bacon-wrapped models. The Good Morning demonstrates several of its obsessions. 113 St. Marks Place, East Village

Bacon-wrapped hot dog with American cheese and mustard at Crif Dogs

8. Frankel’s Delicatessen

This Jewish deli revival spot has studied what is great about the old-time delis and striven to reproduce them. Its all-beef hot dog is a thing of beauty, gleaming in its foil wrapper and tasting exactly what you want a deli dog to taste like. 631 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

Pop! goes Frankel’s frank when you bite into it.

9. New York Burger Co.

Sure, the burgers are great, but this is the only place in town serving a foot-long hot dog that is actually a foot in length. Add to that over a dozen free toppings, and you can get an entire meal out of a single frank. 470 West 23rd Street, Chelsea

Go ahead, measure it. It really is precisely a foot long.

10. Dog Day Afternoon

This chill place that specializes in Chicago food does a picture perfect Chicago dog, with all the components and only a couple of minuscule adjustments. Using a real red hot, it is the best copy of a Chicago dog the city has yet seen, on the same block that Dog Day Afternoon was partly filmed. 266 Prospect Park West, Windsor Terrace

Those sport peppers are hotter than you think!