The humble hot dog is the definitive all-American food, with billions eaten each year across the US. Yet hot dogs have the power to unite and divide the country, with each variation – from state specialties to old-school favorites – representing a story, a community, and a microcosm of history. Here, we look at some of America's original hot dog recipes, from Chicago's loaded Depression-era staple to Cleveland's hearty Polish Boy, and reveal the best places to try them.

Click or scroll through our gallery to uncover America's best original hot dogs and the must-visit places to try them – counting down to the most iconic of all.

We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each hot dog style in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-traveled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

Head to North Carolina for a hot dog, and the first thing you'll notice is that the wieners are bright red. The second is that they come smothered in creamy coleslaw and meaty chili. Legend has it that this regional fast food was invented back in the 1920s. Purists insist you shouldn’t mess with the old-fashioned recipe, which usually features local Bright Leaf dogs (which are made with a mix of beef, pork, and herbs and spices). These sausages are made in small batches and have a fairly short shelf life, so they taste best fresh.

Nu-Way Weiners (complete with misspelling) has been serving hot dogs since 1916, and its slaw dogs are hard to beat. Here, the specialty consists of a Bright Leaf dog topped with hot chili and cold, creamy coleslaw. For an alternative take, head to Atlanta, Georgia and go to The Varsity. This joint's all-beef hot dog skips the chili sauce and keeps it simple: bun, sausage, and slaw.

Hot wieners, also known as New York System dogs, are a Rhode Island specialty that first became popular in the early 1940s. At first glance, they look like Chicago's iconic loaded dogs (more on them later), but hot wieners are different in two significant ways. Firstly, the wiener is made from beef, pork, veal, and spices, giving it much more depth of flavor than your typical dog. Secondly, the bread is much sweeter than a regular hot dog bun.

The toppings can vary from restaurant to restaurant and usually include mustard, meat sauce, and onions. But the one thing you can't skip is the celery salt – it wouldn't be a hot wiener without it! And what better place to sample these dogs than at the James Beard America's Classic award–winning Olneyville New York System in Providence? The joint claims to be the birthplace of this regional fast food, after all.

If you're thinking there's more cheese than sausage on these regional favorites, you might well be right. But the secret ingredient of the Cincinnati chili dog is actually the unique sauce. The fabled Cincinnati take on chili is infused with chocolate, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves to create a sauce unlike any other. And when it's slathered on a hot dog and topped with a mountain of cheese, there's nothing better. The dish dates all the way back to the 1920s and remains a local obsession.

Picking just one place to eat a Cincinnati chili dog in Ohio is a fool's errand, but there's no better place to start than Skyline Chili. In 2024, USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards named Skyline Chili the best regional fast food chain in the country. The joint's signature dish might be a bowl of chili-topped spaghetti, but the hot dogs are also iconic. These things need to be seen to be believed.

The Sonoran hot dog – known as the Danger Dog in LA – was born sometime in the 1980s at baseball games. Many culinary historians claim it originated in Mexico City, while others believe it came from Hermosillo, the capital city of Sonora, Mexico. It’s thought to have gained widespread popularity in Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona, where it was tweaked with a few American condiments. 

This vibrant – and fully loaded – work of art features a slightly sweet bun, a bacon-wrapped wiener, pinto beans, onions, tomato, salsa verde, mustard, and mayonnaise. Tucson is packed with places to sample a superior Sonoran; try BK's Carne Asada & Hot Dogs, whose dainty creations are packed with flavor. Alternatively, Monster Sonoran Hot Dogs, the home of the footlong Sonoran dog, is the go-to spot for the extremely hungry and adventurous.

Alaska is best known for producing high-end ingredients such as oysters, wild salmon, and king crab. But when it comes to fast food, its most famous invention is the reindeer dog. The origins are murky, but several sources suggest the dog was first sold across the state in 1999. The unique sausage generally blends reindeer (or caribou) meat with pork and beef, and it has a subtle flavor, much like venison.

Reindeer dogs are sold at restaurants, food trucks, and hot dog carts all over the state, with all kinds of toppings. Yeti Dogs and Anchorage's International House of Hot Dogs are both loved by locals. The latter offers some seriously creative gourmet dogs, including the Alaskan: a reindeer or buffalo Polish sausage dressed with sautéed onions and the joint's secret-recipe chipotle sauce.

The Dodger Dog is a ballpark hot dog variety named after Major League Baseball team the LA Dodgers. It's been sold at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles since it opened in 1962. It was invented by the team’s food concessions manager, Thomas Arthur, who took inspiration from Coney Island's foot-long hot dogs as a way to pay homage to the Dodgers' East Coast origins. The Dodger Dog is made with a 10-inch pork sausage that sticks out either end of a soft white bun, and it usually comes topped simply with mustard and diced onions.

Dodger Dogs are either steamed or grilled – how they're cooked depends on where you buy them in the stadium. Grilled dogs are considered the classic version, and they're available at the back of the stadium, so baseball fans don’t get covered in smoke. Also on offer are Super Dodger Dogs, which are made with 10-inch beef sausages instead of pork. 

This Pacific Northwestern staple dates back to 1989 and is widely credited to bagel-loving Seattle local Hadley Long. From his food stand in Pioneer Square, he sold bagels to loyal grunge-loving customers, who displayed insatiable post-gig appetites for hot dogs. To meet demand, he created the Seattle dog: a unique fusion of a hot dog and bagel-esque bun, slathered in cream cheese and drizzled with a healthy portion of glossy fried onions.

Thanks to the grunge music movement of the 1990s, Seattle dogs increased in popularity at bars and music venues. The Seattle-style hot dog is still very much a grab-and-go street food snack that's widely available from vendors all across the city. Local favorites for a classic Seattle-style dog, complete with a slathering of cream cheese, include Al's Gourmet Sausages and Dog in the Park, which also claims to have invented the original Seattle hot dog.

The Hawaiian-style hot dog is said to have been created in 2000 at a little blue shack, Puka Dog, at Kekaha Beach on the island of Kauai. Also known as puka dogs after the restaurant that invented them, they're unique for their tropical twist, but also for their design. A puka, or hole, is created in the center of a freshly baked soft roll using a hot rod, which toasts the inside of the bun to create a contrast of textures.

The hollowed-out soft roll is filled with a lemony garlic sauce and a tropical relish made from a local fruit, such as mango, papaya, banana, or star fruit. These fruit relishes add a sweet and tangy flavor that balances the spiciness of the garlic sauce. The crowning glory of the puka dog is a generous drizzle of a special passion fruit mustard. The best place to try a Hawaiian puka dog is at the Puka Dog outpost at Poipu Beach Park in Koloa, Kauai.

The West Virginia–style hot dog is defined by the bold mix of flavors and textures within its toppings. It offers a tangy twist on a chili dog, topped with a beef sauce (which skips beans and vegetables), a squirt of ketchup, and – although purists might shudder – a dollop of coleslaw. According to culinary historians, the West Virginia–style hot dog boomed in the 1910s, particularly in Charleston, when many hot dog stands were owned by Greek immigrants.

West Virginia–style dogs might be small, basic, and cheap at eight-seater shack Yann’s (which has been open since 1927), but the kicking secret-recipe sauce steals the show here. Over at family-run Dave's Famous T & L Hot Dogs, you get a choice of mild, medium, or hot sauce, while Hillbilly Hot Dogs is well-known for the Homewrecker: a 15-inch beef dog topped with jalapeños, nacho cheese, chili sauce, mustard, slaw, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese.

The Texas Tommy, said to date back to the 1940s or 1950s, is the American hot dog most shrouded in mystery. Contrary to what you might think, it's not from the Lone Star State, but from the town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Adding to the confusion, some say it takes its name from a Ragtime-era dance, also called the Texas Tommy, that originated in San Francisco. What is certain is that the New York Times once voted it one of the best regional hot dogs in the US.

The original Texas Tommy is an indulgent combination of melted cheese and bacon – with not a vegetable in sight. A sausage, sliced in half lengthways, is stuffed with a slice of American cheese, wrapped in bacon, and grilled. It's then placed inside a warmed or toasted bun and squirted with mustard (or not, if you prefer). The Texas Tommy is a staple at ballgames and on diner menus around Philly, but the deep-fried dog smothered in house-made cheese sauce from Buddy’s Burgers is particularly good. For another stand-out version, head to Lucky's Last Chance in Manayunk, the home of 'serious hot dogs.'

A Michigan-style hot dog is a simple snack; essentially, it's a steamed dog in a soft steamed bun, topped with a meaty sauce. Confusingly, it's not from the Midwestern state – it's actually a specialty of Plattsburgh in New York. It's named in honor of a Michigan couple, Eula and Garth Otis, who opened the first Michigan hot dog stand in Plattsburgh in 1920. So proud are the people of Plattsburgh of this story, the town celebrates Michigan Month every July.

Aside from the meaty topping, another thing that makes Michigan-style hot dogs unique is the seasonal roadside stands that serve them. The most famous Michigan stand is Clare & Carl’s, a wonky, whitewashed wooden building with a loyal local following. Others include Connie’s, McSweeney’s, and Gus’s Red Hots, each serving a slightly different recipe with its own special flavor profile.

Pinning down exactly when certain foods came into existence can be tricky. When it comes to the Fenway Frank, Boston’s quintessential stadium snack, most accounts date its invention to 1912, when Boston’s baseball stadium, Fenway Park – the home of the Red Sox baseball team – opened. It’s remained the stadium’s snack of choice ever since.

Boston’s Fenway Frank stands out for three reasons. While most hot dogs are either steamed, boiled or grilled, the Boston Fenway Frank is cooked twice; it's boiled first, then delicately grilled. It’s then placed in an incredibly soft New England–style hot dog bun – the same kind used to make the state's famous lobster rolls – with a distinct buttery flavor. Finally, toppings are left up to the eater’s discretion. 

The signature hot dog of Cleveland, Ohio is a hefty sandwich packed with a kielbasa sausage, coleslaw, fries, and barbecue sauce. It’s thought to have been invented in the 1940s by a restaurant owner named Virgil Whitmore, who combined a smoked beef sausage with a handful of other ingredients that he had in the restaurant at the time. Today, a few variations on the original exist, including ones topped with pulled pork.

For a taste of the best Polish boys around, a trip to Cleveland is essential. Whitmore’s BBQ, open since the 1940s, serves old-school Polish Boys in nostalgic surroundings, while Seti’s Polish Boys (featured on Food Network) dishes out excellent versions from a food truck. Fresh takes on the classic include the Polish Girl at Mabel’s BBQ, which swaps out fries for chopped pork.

Chicago-style dogs are known for their gloriously colorful array of toppings, which are heaped on from the ground up. The fun starts when a beef sausage is placed in a bun, followed by mustard, onions, a pickle spear, a few spicy sport peppers, and some fresh tomato slices. It's finished with a sprinkle of celery salt – and strictly no ketchup. Now-closed hot dog joint Fluky’s, which opened in 1929, claimed to have invented the original Chicago-style dog.

Back then, it was called a ‘Depression sandwich,’ as the abundance of toppings made it a relatively affordable meal. The original recipe is said to have varied slightly from the current standard. It was typically a frankfurter topped with mustard, pickle relish, onions, a dill pickle, hot peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes, and it cost five cents (the equivalent of just over a dollar today). These days, Superdawg Drive-In, Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots, and Portillo's are good places to try one.

After New York's classic hot dog style was established in the late 19th century, the city's beach enclave became a hub of hot dog authenticity. The idea of the Coney dog began spreading across the US in the early 20th century, as Greek and Macedonian immigrants took their hot dog–making skills to other states and cities when they moved around.

The Detroit version of the Coney dog features chili, mustard, and diced onions. Two of Detroit's most popular establishments, Lafayette and American, are neighbors. These two iconic venues offer similar hot dogs, but with distinct twists on the star ingredient – the chili. American Coney Island offers a spicier chili sauce for those who love a bit of heat in their meal. In contrast, Lafayette Coney Island takes a different route, offering a chili sauce that tastes rich and meaty.

The dachsund dog is thought to be the oldest – and arguably, most iconic – American hot dog of all. It all started with a European style of sausage, which was brought to New York in the 1860s by German immigrant butchers. In their new home, the long and thin sausage variety was referred to as the ‘little-dog’ or ‘dachshund,’ presumably after the German dog breed. Street vendors cooked and sold them from carts as ‘dachshund dogs.' Historians suggest that the term 'hot dog' first appeared in 1890 in college magazines, referring to ‘dog wagons’ that sold hot dogs at the dorms.

Who sold the first dachshund sausage in a bun is hotly debated, but it’s widely credited to German immigrant Charles Feltman, who is said to have set up the first hot dog stand in 1867 on Coney Island in New York. From here, he served his Coney Island Red Hots with mustard, sauerkraut, and diced raw onions, conveniently packed into a bun so beachgoers could enjoy them without a plate. They were an instant hit, and, in 1871, he was selling 40,000 hot dogs a day out of nine Feltman’s restaurants in the city.

In 1916, he was undercut when a Feltman employee and Polish immigrant, Nathan Handwerker, set up his own hot dog stand, Nathan’s Famous. Feltman's closed in 1954, but Nathan's thrived to become a well-loved US chain. It's considered an essential stop for hot dog lovers wanting a taste of the original New York hot dog, served slathered in mustard and topped with onions and sauerkraut. Nathan’s is also well known for its Hot Dog Eating Contest, which has taken place on July 4 every year since 1979.

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Last updated by Luke Paton.