I love hot dogs and since I travel a lot I was wondering who makes the best hot dogs. Share your favorite hot dog restaurants.

Syracuse NY, once the home of many German immigrants, has two firms who have produced top quality dogs and coneys for many generations (coneys are called white hots in some areas). Hoffman's brand is generally regarded as the best with Meier & Ranz running a close but respectable second. THE place for buying and eating Hoffman's hotdogs has always been "Heid's" restaurant of Liverpool (a Syracuse suburb just north of the city on the edge of Onondag Lake). It now has a small dining area but for many generations had only a take out counter and years of seasoning acquired by the cooking rollers may be part of the reason why Hoffman's taste better there than when they're cooked elsewhere. Until a few years ago it was considered sacrilegous to even mention the word "catsup" in the vicinity of Heid's. The only condiments were relish and Medford's German style mustard. Yhe Hoffman's company now has two "Hot Haus" locations of their own but Heid's remains favored by the true dog conniseur. Worth a trip if you're in the area. Oh, if they could only bring back the white birch beer then everything would truly be perfect...

hot dogs consist of all the scraps from the animals that they can't do anything else with.

Most people who would see them being made wouldn't eat them afterwards.

Who cares-There is nothing like a great hot dog. Years ago nothing compared to Nathans in Coney Island!

The Kosher hotdogs sold at Logan Airport, Boston! Are they Nathan's? Anyway, I'm 56 this year, had one in February there! Love hotdogs, and was the best I've ever had. Yes, I know I'd be repulsed seeing them made, but lucky for me, I can block that out! Can taste it now................

Owen from Syracuse is only 70 miles east of the world's best hot dogs. Zweigles of Rochester wins hands down.When people leave the Rochester area they certainly do not miss the weather, but they do miss the Zweigles. (and Nance's mustard, and Grandma Brown's beans). Rochester, like Syracuse was settled by many German immigrants, and the Zweigle family made the very best hot dogs. Sorry, Syracuse

I won't challenge Marie but I suspect the Zweigle's dogs would taste eben better if they were grilled at Heid's. At one time Heid's tried to expand - the general consensus was that the dogs never tasted the same when they were cooked elsewhere. I had forgotten all about Nance's mustard (my grandmother's favorite). It's creamy yet very sharp and quite unlike any other mustard I've ever tried.

CHICAGO !!!!! is the only place to get a hot dog or a pizza..........

Mustard's Last Stand in Evanston, IL, 2 blocks from Dyke Stadium where Northwestern plays has great hot dogs. If not Mustard's, then anywhere else in Chicago!! Yum!

One of the hardest decisions in Chicago to make is which hot dogs to get this time. There are so many excellent ones here that usually the newspaper or guide will rate the fries so you can go with the best combo. My son is a Bozo's
fan which uses a Vienna dog with a slightly tougher "skin." The only place I have had one that comes close is in NYC. But that didn't have the "usual" on it. A Chicago hot dog has the following: yellow mustard, diced onion, pickle relish, thin wedge of cucumber, 2 slices of tomato, celery salt, and a couple of hot sport peppers on the top. Used to have a child who just wanted ketchup and this order was met with groans. Both the South and North sides have so many places with excellent dogs that I think almost everyone who really loves hot dogs ends up coming here to check it out. The ball parks are like the hot dogs everywhere else. Junior's, Michael A's and tons of individual stands make great hot dogs.

I'm glad no one has mentioned the typical NYC hotdogs that include Zabretts' at the sidewalk stands and Grey's Papaya for takeout. They often taste great under the circumstances (ravenously hungry and walking down the street on a beautiful day) but pale compared to the best hotdogs available elsewhere. I will give a nod to the Hebrew National brand as the best all-beef dog that I've tried. Just curious... do any of you recall the article that appeared either in the Ny Times or perhaps in one of the culinary mag's about a year ago? It detailed a short list (8-10) of places where exceptional hotdogs are served. There was one in CT that was famous for a battered deep fried variation that sounded unique but I can't find the article again...

I just love those Nathan's hotdags. At first I thought that they were only sold in NYC but now small franchises are popping up everywhere. I've even seen them in my local supermarket. grilled to perfection maybe even burnt a little they are simply the best.

Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio -- mmm!

If you've ever been to Plattsburgh in upstate NY -- there'd be no question. "Michigans" are a favorite!! A michigan is a hot dog served on a steamed bun covered with meat sauce, onions and a strip of mustard. Don't know where the name came from -- but there's NOTHING like them!

On the Milford/Wilton line in New Hampshire, there is a hotdog stand which sells foot-long hotdogs in a HOMEMADE roll; both are outstanding (the dog and the roll). They also sell burgers from buffalo meat.

Why do they always taste sooooo good at a baseball game!These are the best to me!

PBS did a show all about the best dogs in the country.

http://www.wqed.org/tv/natl/hotdogs/

My favorite is the 3/4 pound hot dog at Westward Ho in Las Vegas and the 1/2 pounder at Slots-o-Fun next door. Packo's dogs are the only lunch I've ever had that I could still taste the next mornibg. Yum !

At Comiskey Park they have three different kinds of dogs but they are not as totally top of the line as those sold in stands around Chicago. BUT, the smell on the Maxwell Street Polish dog is undescribable, grilled onions plus the hot dog "grease" etc. It adds another dimension to the whole experience of being there. We went to the original Ricobene's under the Stevenson Expressway at 26th St. before the game last Friday and had the original Italian breaded steak sandwich which is another whole thread. But even after eating that and being stuffed, the aromas at the park were so over-whelming that we were tempted to split one.

And in my youth I did go to Swift's hot dog factory in Chicago. My brother worked there one summer and we used the
"garbage" casings as a prank hose sprinkler system once. I have seen what goes into them and it still makes no difference to me. I would rather have a good hot dog than most of the tortured food that passes for trendy gourmet, that's for sure.

The best hotdog I've had this year was at Wrigley Field in Chicago over the July 4th holiday, a bratwurst sausauge on a roll with onions, and a homestyle beer. Fantastic! Otherwise, I try to find boarshead hotdogs sold in links at some delis. They're great on the grill.

Wrigley Field.