The true, authentic hot dog is street food perfected, the ideal last-minute, let’s-throw-something-on-the-grill solution, the ultimate ballgame snack, and the quintessential summertime nosh. With these five, you can’t go wrong.
Kisco Kosher
(230 East Post Rd, White Plains 914-948-6600; kiscokosher.com; $2.95 to go or $3.25 to stay for a regular dog).
You gotta love this Old-World deli where you get your choice of grilled or boiled franks served with baked beans or fries. The fact that they stick outside the bun and come with oversized pickles makes you feel like a kid again.
Lubins-N-Links
(38 Main St, Tarrytown 914-909-4198; lubinsandlinks.com; $2.25 for a plain dog).
Toppings, toppings, and more toppings make this joint (seats in the back garden) a winner. Yes, the franks are all-beef Sabrett, but, with dozens of homemade recipes to mix and match with, you’ll never be bored. People also love it here for the variety of non-traditional options including corn dogs, turkey dogs, tofu dogs, chicken dogs, veggie dogs, and spicy dogs.
Pony Express
(30 Wheeler Ave, Pleasantville 914-769-7669; ponyexpresstogo.com; $3.22 for a plain dog).
Sometimes all you need is a simple frankfurter, grilled and sandwiched between a lightly toasted bun. Like it hot? Check out the pepper relish to be, well, relished.
So Dam Hot
(10 Broadway, Valhalla 914-328-6051; sodamhot.com; $2.25 for a plain dog).
Yes, the toppings are spicy, but that’s the point (and don’t ask what’s good because everything is!). Here, your beef Sabrett hot dog comes split in half, grilled, and “hot,” thanks to the sautéed onions, the eatery’s famous beanless chili, or the fiery sauces that give this joint its name.
Walter’s Hot Dog Stand
(937 Palmer Ave, Mamaroneck waltershotdogs.com; $2.10 for a plain dog).
Frankfurter cookery at its finest, with the history to back it up. In business since 1919 (and at the Mamaroneck spot since 1928), the small pagoda-that-could churns out hundreds of split-down-the-middle wieners of pork, beef, and veal that can be served with anything from their house-made mustard (which you can buy to go) and some of the best curly fries around.
