I Asked 4 Chefs To Name the Best Fast Food Hot Dog, and I Can’t Believe the Winner

“Is a hot dog a sandwich?” Regardless of which side of that debate you land on, we can all agree that the nostalgic ballpark snack always slaps—that is, unless it’s an inferior frank. And unfortunately, there are plenty of those floating around supermarkets, street carts, and restaurant menus.

After tapping chefs to help us select the best store-bought hot dog and receiving a lot of fan feedback, we thought it was high time to turn our attention to the hot dogs that grace fast food menus. We asked four culinary pros to name the best in the biz, and the results were surprising, to say the least.

Our Panel of Hot Dog-Rating Chefs

• George Durancelebrity chef and TV host based in New York
• Dina Deleasa-Gonsar, reciproles developer behind Dish It Girl and the author of “At the Kitchen Sink” based in New Jersey
• Dominic Iannarelli, chef-owner of Prime & Providence in West Des Moines, Iowa
• MacKenzie Smith, food blogger, recipe developer, and author of “Grilled Cheese Social,” based in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

Qualities of the Best Fast Food Hot Dog

From A&W to Rally’s to Wienerschnitzel, each fast food chain offers its own twist on franks. To help you steer clear of the second-rate sausages and order the best instead, we asked a handful of chefs from across the country to dish about what they’re looking for in their top dog.

According to our panel of pros, the best fast food hot dogs:

• Have a prominent snap. According to George Duran, “a great hot dog is all about the snap,” which is related to the casing on the sausage. “If I bite in and it doesn’t give me that satisfying, juicy crackle, it feels like they’re serving me sadness in a bun.” Dominic Iannarelli jumps in to echo that sentiment, noting that a hot dog must have a “good snap,” or it doesn’t cut the mustard.
• Are grilled, rather than boiled. Another factor that supports a strong, satisfying snap: cooking the hot dog with care. Grilling or cooking it on a flat-top griddle “yields the freshest taste and the best texture. You get a crispy outside, plus a little snap when you bite into it,” explains Dina Deleasa-Gonsar. Duran and Deleasa-Gonsar agree that it’s frankly foul if the hot dogs have been pre-boiled and placed in a warmer all day. “I want that smoky char that only comes from a grill; none of that boiled mystery dog energy,” adds MacKenzie Smith. “In my opinion, that char is everything. It’s the difference between a hot dog I crave and one I regret.”
• Are juicy, flavorful, and sizable. Duran tells us that the best hot dogs are “beefy, briny, beautifully seasoned. You know, that weird boiled water flavor like someone tried to steam it over a humidifier? No thanks. If it tastes like a mystery meat experiment from summer camp, I’m out.” Instead, the hot dog should taste meaty and savory, with enough seasoning and juiciness to be memorable.
• Are served in a bun that can hold its own—without stealing the show. “If the bread is stealing the show, we’ve lost the plot. I’m here for the dog, not the carb coat it came in,” Smith says. In Smith’s best case scenario, the hot dog extends past the edges of the bun. Although it shouldn’t take over the spotlight, the hot dog bun still needs to be sturdy enough to not fall apart at first bite, the chefs note. And it definitely shouldn’t be mushy, according to Duran.

The Best Fast Food Hot Dog, According to Chefs

It was a close battle, but with votes from Duran and Smith, the trophy goes to Shake Shack’s hot dogs. Although the New York-founded fast food chain is known more for its burgers, crinkle fries, and custard shakes, “Shake Shack also happens to also be the master of dogs. This is not just a hot dog, it’s a culinary mic drop in a bun,” Duran says.

It starts with a Vienna Beef frank, grilled on a griddle “until they’re glistening like runway models at a summer barbecue,” Duran jokes. “That caramelization is key as it takes the hot dog from quick lunch to gourmet guilty pleasure.” The Shake Shack cooks split the dogs right down the middle, “which means you get that snappy, caramelized outside and a meaty, juicy center. It’s perfection,” Smith says.

Each dog is cooked to order, then tucked inside a pillowy, buttered potato bun “that could double as an edible cloud,” Duran says. The hot dog bun delivers a hint of sweetness to balance out the umami-filled, snappy sausage.

“Shake Shack offers the holy trinity: the snap, the split-and-grilled center, and the topping variety,” Smith says. At the moment, Shake Shack offers crispy onions, beef chili, melted Cheddar and American cheese, hot peppers, cherry peppers, applewood-smoked bacon, and fried pickles to top your dog.

“Shake Shack just gets it. They treat a hot dog like it deserves a little respect. It’s elevated without being pretentious, like the hot dog version of a timeless black dress,” Smith tells us.

Honorable Mentions for Best Fast Food Hot Dog

Deleasa-Gonsar and Iannarelli are partial to local hot dog restaurants in their neighborhoods. However, when we pressed them to pick a nationally available favorite they were happy to oblige. They say the hot dogs from these two fast food restaurants are also worth an order:

Five Guys. An all-beef hot dog, split down the middle and spread open, grilled, and made to order, these dogs are delightfully caramelized on the outside, Deleasa-Gonsar raves. Five Guys also “offers a nice selection of toppings,” she says, which include melted American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, relish, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, in addition to all the standard hot dog condiments.

Portillo’s. Iannarelli is a firm believer that this Chicago hometown hero is “the best because they offer the OG Chicago dog, of course made with Vienna Beef!” The steamed poppy seed buns are one of the chain’s signatures, as are the Windy City toppings: mustard, relish, celery salt, chopped raw onions, sliced tomatoes, a Kosher pickle, and sport peppers—and never, ever ketchup.

How To Order Your Hot Dog, Chef Style

Many people are very particular about their topping picks, so we’re not going to suggest there’s one “right” way to garnish your dog. But if you’re looking for some inspiration, the chefs were happy to share how they customize their orders.

An ideal place to start, according to Duran, is to “try it naked first, with just the bun and dog. This way you can really appreciate the craftsmanship. Then go wild and conduct your own symphony orchestra of toppings.”

Duran’s favorite mix: cheese sauce with cherry pepper relish and some crispy shallots, for a combination that’s salty, sweet, creamy, crunchy, and spicy all at once.

Since he’s based fairly close to Chi-Town, Iannarelli says “my ideal hot dog should never, ever have ketchup on it—or even near it—and no chili. If I am not enjoying a Chicago-style dog, though, I love caramelized onions, American cheese, and spicy mustard.”

Although they see the appeal in a classic Chicago dog, Deleasa-Gonsar and Smith both tend to have a “the more the merrier” philosophy when it comes to condiments. Smith trusts Shake Shack’s seasonal topping selections “because they’re always so clever, they make you stop mid-bite and think ‘wow, the humble hot dog is actually so much more than the sum of its parts.’”

No matter where you’re ordering, condiment-adoring Deleasa-Gonsar believes that ketchup, mustard, relish, and a brand’s “special sauce”—if they have one—is “always a win.”