If there’s one way to define a region of the U.S., it’s by its hot dogs. Okay, so maybe we can characterize various regions in many different, much better ways.
Nevertheless, trying hot dog variations from places throughout the US is a fascinating culinary exploration. From deep-fried sausages to pizza bread buns, these dogs are a testament to American creativity.
We rounded up hot dogs from all across the U.S.! If you want to taste America, try all these local legends. Whether you plan to try them on a road trip, make them at home, or are just curious, the surprise toppings and inventive techniques will wow you.
Chicago Dogs, Illinois
The Chicago dog is one of the most iconic regional hot dogs in the U.S. This legendary hot dog is surprisingly fresh and juicy, with an assortment of diced and sliced veggies for a bright flavor.
This list features many dogs doused in heavy meat chili, but this is different. It comes with tomato slices, celery salt, dill pickle spears, chopped white onions, green onion relish, peppers, and yellow mustard, all on a poppy seed bun. Don’t even think about putting ketchup on it. That’s a sin in the Windy City.
The Rockie Dog, Colorado
The Rockie Dog hails from the Colorado Rocky Mountains. It’s the signature hot dog for the MLB team, the Colorado Rockies, and is traditionally served at Coors Field baseball stadium. The size is part of the appeal, as it’s a full foot long.
The lengthy hot dog comes with grilled peppers, sauerkraut, and sauteed white onions. This dog has no rules, so feel free to load it up with mustard, ketchup, and any other toppings you wish to add.
The Fenway Frank, Massachusetts
The Fenway Frank is something special. It’s a Boston favorite, served outside the Red Sox ballpark, hence the name. It’s a mouthwatering, cozy snack with mustard, relish, and baked beans.
You can order a Fenway Frank grilled or boiled, giving you a choice between two different textures. If you’re outside Fenway, we also recommend the legendary grilled sausages with roasted peppers and onions.
Seattle Dogs, Washington
Seattle Dogs are highly underrated if you ask us. This unique dog uses unexpected ingredients that seem like they would clash. However, they come together in delicious harmony.
These hot dogs come with jalapeno slices, cream cheese, and grilled onions. The soft and slightly sweet cream cheese contrasts the savory dog and other toppings for a complex flavor. You can also add mustard, sriracha, or BBQ sauce.
Idaho Super Tuber, Idaho
The Idaho Super Tuber is an inventive dog that stands out on this list. Forget a bun because, in true Idaho style, you'll eat this hot dog inside a baked potato. Of course, it’s also topped with hash browns, so you get double the serving of spuds.
Idahoans add sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives, bacon bits, and other classic baked potato toppings to the dog. It’s a loaded baked potato with a hot dog in the middle.
Puka Dog, Hawaii
Most people don’t think of hot dogs when considering Hawaiian food, but the Puka Dog is irresistible. They’re like pigs in a blanket but one hundred times better.
It’s grilled Polish sausage wrapped in sweet bread and baked like a pig in a blanket. Inside the bread is a spicy garlic-lemon secret sauce and fruit relish made from mango, pineapple, coconut, or papaya.
Kansas City Reuben Hot Dogs, Missouri
Kansas City is known for two things: its sensational barbecue food and this enticing hot dog. Reuben Hot Dogs live in the shadow of KC BBQ but deserve the spotlight.
It mimics the flavors of a traditional Reuben sandwich with grilled sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, caraway seeds, and an extra serving of Thousand Island dressing. You can find it in various places, but the best spot is at the KC Royals ballpark, Kauffman Stadium.
Crab Mac N’ Cheese Dog, Maryland
Yes, this is just as mouthwatering and decadent as it sounds. Maryland’s Crab Mac n’ Cheese Dog is an all-beef dog topped with generous pieces of lump crab meat, gooey mac and cheese, and Old Bay seasoning.
You can enjoy it in a soft, buttery bun, but it’s best you grab a fork because it can get messy. Combining the beef hot dog with the succulent local crab creates a regional dog that perfectly captures the spirit of the state.
Atlanta Slaw Dogs, Georgia
Some refer to this hot dog as the Atlanta Slaw Dog, but it’s popular throughout Georgia and other Southern states. As you might imagine, these hot dogs feature heaps of different slaws on top.
Traditional versions include chili slaw, cole slaw, raw onion, minced chili, and BBQ slaw. Some places stick with one or two slaws, but we recommend trying one loaded up with all of them!
NYC Dirty-Water Dog, New York
While iconic, the NYC dirty-water dogs might be the most boring on this list. New Yorkers are passionate about their hot dogs and often boast they’re the best in the country, but we’re not so sure about that.
Dirty-water dogs are boiled beef and pork dogs, served in a steamed bun with mustard and cooked onions. While we don’t see the wow factor in these, they’re still worth trying so you can say you have.
Washington, D.C. Half-Smokes
Everyone painfully overlooks D.C.’s Half-Smoke hot dogs when discussing regional hot dogs in the U.S. Okay, technically, Half-Smokes are closer to sausages than they are hot dogs, but they still count.
These pork and beef hot dogs are coarser than most, offering a more rugged texture. D.C. serves them with meat chili on top, along with musted and diced-grilled onions.
Birmingham Special Dog, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama’s Special Dogs come with yellow mustard, onions, and sauerkraut, which doesn’t sound particularly special. What makes them special is the beef-based sauce that comes with it.
It’s hard to determine the ingredients in the beef-based sauce, as it’s a local secret. However, we can say it is well-seasoned and hearty. You can douse the dog in it or use it as a dip.
Reindeer Hot Dogs, Alaska
Many people don’t expect Alaska to have a special hot dog, but they do. Contrary to what you may think, the hot dog is not made from actual reindeer meat. However, it is caribou meat.
That’s not the only quirky thing about this hot dog. It’s also served with sauteed onions cooked in Coca-Cola, giving them a slightly sweet and punchy taste. This might suit you if you want to try a truly unique hot dog.
LA Street Style Hot Dogs, California
California is a huge state and has a few regional hot dogs we could mention. We’ll talk about the LA street-style dog, sometimes also claimed by San Francisco residents.
It’s a robust beef hot dog unapologetically wrapped in strips of bacon. Californians top the meat-wrapped dog with grilled peppers, grilled onions, ketchup, sliced jalapenos, and mayonnaise. This dog is somewhat divisive, as some folks obsess over it, while others find the flavors overpowering.
Cleveland Polish Boy, Ohio
If you’re on a mission to try all the most iconic U.S. hot dogs, add a Cleveland Polish Boy to your list. This indulgent dog is one of the most popular regional dogs, and for good reason.
A Polish Boy is grilled kielbasa sausage in a dense, toasted roll. The roll is stuffed with coleslaw, French fries, hot sauce, and barbecue sauce, making for a saucy and rich dog that will undoubtedly fill you up.
NY System Wiener, Rhode Island
Despite the name “NY System Wiener,” this dog hails from the tiny state of Rhode Island. It gets its name from the original restaurant, Olneyville New York System Restaurant.
The wiener is a grilled, all-beef hot dog with a thick meat sauce, a line of mustard, chopped raw onions, and celery salt. It uses traditional dog toppings we see in many other regional dogs, but its delicious and focused simplicity makes it special.
Scrambled Dogs, Georgia
We’re unsure if you want to try this one, as it’s outside the norm. However, we’re here to tell you about it anyway! It’s the only hot dog on our list that requires a bowl and utensils.
To prepare this dish, you'll chop up a hot dog in a bun, including the bun. Then, put the hot dog on a plate or bowl and pile chili, pickles, onions, oyster crackers, and cole slaw (optional) on top.
Philly Combo Dog, Pennsylvania
The Philly Combo is Philidelphia’s take on a regional hot dog, but it might not be what you expect. It’s not slathered in cheese, peppers, and onions like a cheesesteak, which is what we were prepared for.
Instead, the Philly Combo is a hot dog cut in half the long way, filled with spicy mustard and a sweet, vinegary slaw. This is where it gets weird: beneath the dog, you’ll find a soft fish cake, adding another layer of flavor.
Texas Tommy, Pennsylvania
The name of this regional hot dog is misleading. It’s not a Texas classic but rather a delicacy from Pennsylvania! This Pennsylvania treat might align with what we expect from Philly street food.
It comes with a lot of Cheese Whiz, just like a classic cheesesteak. The dog also comes with crispy slices of bacon. One more unique thing: the hot dog is often fried, creating an unusually crispy exterior.
Troy Mini Hot Dogs, New York
Troy mini hot dogs are exactly what they sound like. They’re small dogs — somewhere between a pig in a blanket and a traditional six-inch dog — that people tend to eat ten at a time.
These little dogs are from Troy, New York, and people serve them with spicy meat sauce, yellow mustard, and onions. The small size makes them special, and there’s something fun about eating one after another.
Italian Hot Dog, New Jersey
New Jersey has a decent Italian-American population, so the Italian hot dog is one of its most popular street foods. The beef dog comes with sweet ketchup, mustard, onions, and red and green peppers.
An important part of this dog is its sauces. It shouldn’t be super wet or saucy. However, the bun is the key. It’s folded pizza bread, giving the whole dog a unique and more flavorful profile.
Rippers, New Jersey
Another New Jersey classic is the Ripper. The texture of the hot dogs makes these Jersey dogs special. They’re deep-fried pork and beef dogs in their natural casing, and the frying creates a crinkling and creasing effect quintessential to a Ripper.
You can order a “Weller,” which is well-done, or a “Cremator,” which is essentially burnt to a crisp (but in a good way). It also comes with a mixture of spicy sweet relish and mustard for a spread-like topping.
Red Snappers, Maine
Maine Red Snappers do not feature any fish, even though the name suggests they might. They get their name from the vibrant red color of the dogs, which comes from artificial coloring, and the snap-like texture when you bite them, which comes from the natural lamb casings.
Unlike every other dog on this list, Maine Red Snappers are about texture and color, so you can top these bright red dogs with whatever you want. There are no traditional toppings, so you could use toppings from one of these other dogs as inspiration.
Cincinnati Coney, Ohio
The Cincinnati Coney is another well-known dog. It comes with Cincinnati chili, mustard, chopped raw onion, and shredded cheddar cheese. It probably sounds like a typical chili dog, but Cincinnati chili isn’t like other chilis.
Made with ground beef, pork, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cocoa powder, Cincinnati chili is rich and has an extraordinary depth of flavor. It doesn’t matter if you include the other toppings or use a mediocre hot dog. It'll be good if you have the right chili.
Baltimore Bologna Dog, Maryland
The Baltimore Bologna Dog, also called a Baltimore-style dog, is a kosher beef sausage wrapped in bologna slices and deep-fried. It’s reminiscent of the bacon-wrapped LA dog but somehow even greasier.
A Baltimore historian, Gilbert Sandler, explained the dog this way: “Grease from the bologna mixes with the grease from the hot dog, and both find their way into the bread.” This greasy monstrosity is a tasty salt bomb and heart attack maker. Enjoy at your own risk.
