Frankfurter, footlong, wiener, red hot: No matter what you call it, the humble hot dog is an iconic dish. After all, the food remains a staple of summer cookouts, a favorite of fairgoers, and a ballpark essential.
Americans eat about 150 million of the summertime sausages on Independence Day alone, and July accounts for 10% of annual hot dog sales. So it’s no wonder that the month is officially designated National Hot Dog Month, and July 15 is National Hot Dog Day. Of course, you don’t need a holiday to chow down, and at these nine Phoenix restaurants any day is a good day for a hot dog.
Mugsy Dogs
Mugsy Dogs has been serving gourmet hot dogs since 2015. The spiral-cut franks come topped with imaginative combinations, such as creamy mac-and-cheese with bacon bits; pastrami and sauerkraut; pulled pork, baked beans, barbecue sauce, and onion rings; and bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes.
Choose from one of the more than 10 classic and signature creations, or build your own, starting with select sausages. Choices include hot dog, bacon-wrapped hot dog, Polish dog, or Italian sausage. Mugsy Dogs also serves a selection of burgers, sides, and kids-meal items, including grilled cheese and chicken nuggets. 3160 E. Queen Creek Rd., Gilbert, mugsydog.com
Miracle Mile
Since 1949, Miracle Mile has been serving up classic New York City delicatessen-style dishes, and nothing says Big Apple more than a Hebrew National 100% kosher all-beef frank. For July, this family-owned eatery offers a plain hot dog with one side and a drink for just $8.
Want more? Try the Straw Dog, loaded up with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese; the Chili Dog, smothered in homemade chili; the Kosher Hot Dog, served with onions and relish; or the classic New Yorker Dog, topped with homemade coleslaw and Miracle Mile dressing. 4433 N. 16th St., Phoenix, miraclemiledeli.com
Lucky Boy Burger Shop
Located just one mile south of Miracle Mile, this old school burger joint with a drive-thru window is the last of the nine locations serving the Valley since the 1950s. While Lucky Boy is celebrated for charbroiled hamburgers and crinkle-cut fries, the hot dog is nothing to scoff at.
Lucky Boy sets its franks apart by deep-frying them for an added crunch and then tops each order with mustard, relish, ketchup, and onions. Get a regular or jumbo dog, or try a classic corn dog. 3430 N. 16th St., Phoenix, no website
Portillo’s
This Chicago-based chain has eight locations across the Valley, and one in Tucson, and is a master of hot dog arts. The fast-casual restaurant offers seven varieties of dogs, including chargrilled Polish sausage and a plant-based Garden Dog. Of course you can get a normal, nude hot dog, but where’s the fun in that?
Instead, get yours served Maxwell style, which comes smothered in mustard and grilled onions. Or, the classic Chicago style with mustard, relish, celery salt, chopped onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, and a pickle. The Chili Cheese Dog, available in regular or jumbo, also wins with American cheese, chili, and chopped onions. And, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, the Windy City establishment debuted the limited-time Char’diniera Dog with giardiniera and provolone cheese stuffed inside the meat. Multiple locations, portillos.com
El Caprichoso
No roundup of hot dogs in Arizona is complete without including the Sonoran Dog. And no discussion of Sonoran Dogs in Phoenix is complete without mentioning El Caprichoso, which got its start as a food cart that catered to the West Valley’s nightclub crowds. The eatery, which has expanded to four locations, still operates as a late-night spot that’s known for its classic Hot Dog Estilo Sonora.
Fusing northern Mexican and southern Arizona flavors, the Sonoran Dog features a bacon-wrapped beef frankfurter served in a pillowy toasted bolillo bun and topped with stewed pinto beans, diced tomatoes, grilled onions, guacamole, ketchup, mustard, mayo, jalapeño sauce, and cotija cheese. It’s served with a roasted and blistered güero chile. Multiple locations, elcaprichosohotdogs.com
Dog Haus
Locals don’t have to go far to enjoy premium hot dogs and craft beer, this chain has four Arizona locations in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, and Gilbert. The restaurant is known for its humanely raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus beef Haus Dogs and Haus Sausages, and all dogs are served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls, resulting in a sweet and savory flavor combo.
Try the Old Town, topped with caramelized onions, pickled jalapeños, cotija cheese, and chipotle aioli for a spicy Sonoran-influenced flavor. Or, order the Cowboy, which comes with cheese sauce, crispy onion strings, El Gallo barbecue sauce, and miso ranch. Vegetarians and vegans can get the Sooo Cali, a plant-based bratwurst topped with wild arugula, tomato, avocado, crispy onion strings, and spicy basil aioli. Multiple locations, doghaus.com
Ted’s Hot Dogs
This local favorite got its start more than 100 years ago as a horse-drawn hot dog cart in Buffalo, New York. Today, it has seven locations in the Buffalo region, and two in Arizona thanks to the founder’s son relocating to Phoenix in the early 1980s. All Ted’s hot dogs and burgers are grilled over hardwood lump charcoal and include the eatery’s secret proprietary hot sauce.
The menu offers a dozen frankfurter and sausage options, including the White Hot, a Schreiner’s pork and veal sausage served on a potato bun; a soy-based meatless hot dog; a skinless hot dog served on a white bun; and a buttered and deep-fried corn dog. Multiple locations, tedshotdogs.com
Two Hands
Yes, corn dogs count as hot dogs, and this California-based chain specializes in Korean-inspired versions of the fried, battered wieners on a stick. Diners customize their dogs by choosing the base with either a spicy sausage, all-beef sausage, half mozzarella and half sausage, or plant-based sausage. Next, it gets coated in cornmeal, battered, and flavored with a variety of toppings.
Try the Instagram-favorite Potato Dog, topped with potato cubes and Hot Cheetos, or the Crispy Rice Dog, wrapped in crispy rice puffs. Combo boxes that include two, three, or five dogs also are available. Complete your Korean meal with Kimchi Seasoning Fries and a Boba Tea. Multiple locations, twohandsus.com
Lupita’s
Folks in North Phoenix know this permanent food truck where you go to feed those late-night cravings. Here, you can get your Sonoran Dog with all the traditional toppings, or you can add extras such as lettuce, chili, chorizo, and/or guacamole.
Lupita’s also offers a Hot Dog Chiledogo, a south of the border take on the classic chili dog. Or, go for the local fave, the Hot Dog Panzon, a bacon-wrapped dog smothered in pinto beans, roasted peppers, chorizo, and cheese. For something a little different, try the Salchipapas, French fries topped with melted cheese and sliced wieners. 16622 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, no website
