On the Road: 6 Great Regional Chili Dogs
From Detroit Coneys to D.C. half smokes, we check out some of America's favorite chili dogs.
Welcome to the weekend! Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:
On the Road: Chili dogs are an American classic, and we love them. We picked out six favorites that showcase regional variations on the beloved classic. On the Road is an occasional feature free to all American Weekender subscribers.
February’s Featured Field Guide: This month, we’re off to Buffalo, New York! This month’s featured Field Guide includes a two-day itinerary to the city with great spots for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and more. Our Field Guides are available for anyone to download, but paid American Weekender subscribers get this guide, our full library of guides, and access to our American Weekender Google Map for free.
The Order: Ever heard of a Quad Cities garlic salad? You can try an updated version at The Half Nelson in Davenport, Iowa. The Order is a regular feature where we share one great dish from the road.
Weekend Reading:
digs into the latest cocktail trends, shares some affordable ski slopes in New England, and embraces the winter season.
Six Great Regional Chili Dogs
You’ll find many regional hot dog styles across the country. In Chicago, the hot dogs are dragged through the garden and topped with mustard, onion, neon green relish, tomato slices, sport peppers, a pickle, and a sprinkle of celery salt. In Seattle, they’re served with cream cheese and caramelized onions (and sometimes jalapeños). In Arizona, Sonoran dogs are wrapped in bacon and dressed with pinto beans, onions, mayo, mustard, tomatoes, and jalapeños.
Lately, on our trips across the country, we find ourselves eating a lot of chili dogs. To be precise, we’re eating a lot of hot dogs with meat sauce, which consists of a spiced ground beef mixture (no beans are used) that is often thinner than what you might think of when you hear “chili.” Or maybe not — some of the versions we’re highlighting below have a sauce that’s plenty thick.
The best-known take on this is the Coney dog, which you’ll find in many places (sometimes this sauce is also called Coney sauce). Coneys originated from Greek and Macedonian immigrants, who arrived in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They opened up hot dog stands around the Northeast and Midwest, and served dogs topped with their proprietary meat sauce.
Today, variations on the chili dog are still most prevalent in these parts of the country. Rhode Island loves them (try them at Sam’s New York System, where the dogs come with meat sauce, mustard, chopped onion, and celery salt) as does Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island is the city’s oldest restaurant and for $1.95 you get a grilled frank in a steamed bun with mustard, Coney sauce, and onions) and Erie, Pennsylvania (here they’re called Greek Dogs) as well as many places in between. But they aren’t limited to these areas — some of the best-known chili dogs are served at Los Angeles’ Pink’s, which offers a variety of dogs topped with chili and other condiments. Our six favorites below each offer something a little different, but all come with mustard and chopped white onion, a chili dog’s two best complements.
Do you have a favorite hot dog stand or regional style? Let us know in the comments!
Coney, Detroit, Michigan
What’s on it: Beef hot dog, chili, onions, and mustard
Where to try it: Lafayette Coney Island, American Coney Island
Detroit’s signature hot dog style is called a Coney, and while you’ll find them all over the city, the two most famous purveyors are Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island, which are next door to each other. They were opened by two Greek immigrant brothers and locals and visitors argue over which is the best. Right now, go to American (Lafayette is closed for renovations). But once it reopens, go have a dog at both — each offers a different experience and a slightly different dog. Lafayette has a classic old-school diner ambiance with counter seating, while American is more modern. In terms of the hot dogs, both use locally made Dearborn Sausage links, though they’re different recipes. The chilis are different too, with American’s spicier and Lafayette’s meatier. Our vote in the debate? If pressed, we’re going American.
Half Smoke, Washington, DC
What’s on it: Half smoke sausage, chili, onions, and mustard
Where to try it: Ben’s Chili Bowl
Washington, D.C.’s signature food, the half smoke is a smoked sausage that’s a mix of pork and beef. The most famous place to get it is Ben’s Chili Bowl, a restaurant I have a very long relationship with — I used to live just blocks away. Founded by Ben and Virginia Ali in 1958, the Black-owned Ben’s serves much more than just half smokes. But when I go back, I get the cheese fries and a half smoke with mustard, onions, and Ben’s chili, which is delicious and spicy. I’ve only ever had the original half smoke, but you can also get it with a spicy half smoke, turkey dog, or even a veggie dog with vegan veggie chili. Ben’s has a few locations, but you must go to the original on U Street.
Cheese Coney, Cincinnati, Ohio
What’s on it: Hot dog, chili, onions, mustard, and shredded cheddar cheese
Where to try it: Skyline Chili, Camp Washington Chili
In Cincinnati, we find the same general formula as the Detroit Coney, except that the chili here has warming spices like cinnamon. You can and should also opt for a cheese Coney, which means that it comes showered with a cloud of fluffy cheese, and the textural combination is delightful. Start at Skyline Chili, founded by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides in 1949. It’s the best-known purveyor of the dish and has locations around the city and greater region but you should visit the Ludlow Avenue location in Clifton for its old-school ambiance. Start here to get a baseline taste for Cincy Coneys, then explore. Another favorite of ours is Camp Washington Chili, which opened in 1940. On most menus, Cincinnati chili is also served over spaghetti, which has its place, but we’re firmly Coney people.
West Virginia-Style Hot Dog, West Virginia
What’s on it: Hot dog, chili, cabbage slaw, onions, and mustard
Where to try it: Jim’s Drive-In
A West Virginia chili dog separates itself with the addition of slaw (genius) and, frequently, the use of New England split-top buns (they call these '“English-style”). They’re available all over the state, but our favorite place is Jim’s Drive-In in Lewisburg, which Jim Dunbar opened in 1951 and is now run by the Massie family. Order via carhop (add on a blackberry milkshake, too), and you’ll quickly receive your dogs. The defining factor here is the slaw, which gives the link a great balance of textures, hot and cold temperatures, and spicy-tangy flavors. Order two, since these are on the smaller side. If you’re traveling elsewhere in the state, we’ll direct you to The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog, which is doing God’s work by reviewing dogs all across the area.
Mini Chili Dog, Capital Region, New York
What’s on it: Tiny hot dogs, chili, onions, and mustard
Where to try it: Hot Dog Charlie’s, Famous Lunch, Gus’s Hot Dogs
Now for the cutest entry into the American chili dog canon — the mini chili dogs of New York’s Capital Region. There are three main purveyors of these teeny links — Famous Lunch, Hot Dog Charlie’s, and Gus’s Hot Dogs, all founded by Greek immigrants — and since the hot dogs are three inches long, you can visit all of them over a couple hours and not get too stuffed.
Let’s start at Famous Lunch in Troy, which has been open since 1932. You’ll see a worker dressing dogs in the window. Inside, grab a red stool and order a couple dogs dressed with “Zippy sauce,” which is thick with ground beef, garlic, and onions (or if you’re really hungry, try to beat the record, which stands at 50 dogs in 30 minutes). Famous Lunch also has a superb rice pudding.
Gus’s in Watervliet is a stand, so there’s no indoor seating, but you can grab a picnic table. The dogs here are a mix of beef and pork and topped with mustard, onions, and a thinner meat sauce. They’re good but Gus’s sausage sandwich is terrific - it has a sweet Italian sausage patty that’s grilled with peppers and onions and served on a bun.
Finally, Hot Dog Charlie’s has three locations around the area and is the most modern in its interior. The mini pork and beef dogs come with the “works” of meat sauce, mustard, and onions, but you can also add ketchup, relish, or sauerkraut. And if you aren’t headed to the Capital Region anytime soon, you can order jars of Charlie’s sauce to be shipped to you.
Hungarian Hot Dog, Toledo, Ohio
What’s on it: Hungarian sausage, hot dog sauce, onions, and mustard
Where to try it: Tony Packo's
If you find yourself anywhere near Toledo, you need to go to Tony Packo’s. The longtime staple restaurant, founded in 1932, is famous for its practice of having celebrities autograph hot dog buns. Here, you can order a paprika-seasoned Hungarian link that’s topped with mustard, onions, and ground beef-based hot dog sauce. They also offer the greatest pickles (you can buy these online too), pierogies, and chicken paprikas.
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Garlic Salad at The Half Nelson
DAVENPORT, IOWA — As avid garlic lovers, we’ll order pretty much anything with “garlic” in the dish name. So when we were having dinner at Davenport, Iowa’s great spot The Half Nelson, we had to try the local favorite garlic salad. The Quad Cities staple, which was invented at a now-defunct restaurant, is a thick, creamy dressing that’s garlicky and funky. While there are different recipes online, a former restaurant employee has noted on Facebook that the correct recipe consists of 1 pint Hellman's mayonnaise, l pint Kraft's French Dressing, 1 small bottle Parmesan cheese, 3 Tablespoons anchovy paste, and 3 cloves of minced garlic.
At The Half Nelson, that retro dressing is remade with raw, roasted, and black garlic, so it delivers a punch of garlicky flavor. We had it served on romaine, and the current winter menu offers it on lacinato kale. It’s finished with a garlic and almond crumble and grated Parm. It may be fancier than the classic version but still honors the local favorite by being a vehicle to eat your garlic.
321 E 2nd St, Davenport, IA | @thehalfnelson
What the Cool Kids Are Drinking: Figuring out the latest cocktail trends can be a challenge.
figured out a way to identify some current trends from the comfort of his home. Writing for his new newsletter, The Long Bar, he methodically went through every menu from all 50 Best Bars in North America for 2024. His findings show that mushrooms are having a moment, Sazeracs are almost everywhere, drink names are getting less inscrutable, and more. Thank you for your service.NEW YORK
10 Upstate Restaurants + Bars That Bring the Vibe: The folks at
are helping us fight the winter blues. “Rather than count down the days until spring, we decided to lean in and make a list of the coziest, most atmospheric spots around,” the editors write. “Think restaurants and bars with crackling fireplaces, soul-warming food, flickering candlelight, and perfectly crafted cocktails.” (There’s also a Part II.)NEW ENGLAND
Ski the Northeast on a Budget: Albany-based writer
recently took up skiing but quickly realized that sometimes the sport can be a bit of an ordeal. “What I really need is something that’s close, affordable, and where I can get plenty of practice without feeling guilty about heading home after three hours,” she wrote in her newsletter True North. “So, if you're looking for budget-friendly places to ski, here's a list of locations where you can hit the slopes for under $50.” Happy skiing!— Compiled by Kenney Marlatt
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Lafayette for life!
I need you to try the chili dog all the way and the chili slaw dog all the way at NuWay in Macon, Georgia. Family owned and operated, 109 years old, Oprah actually ate here when she did her Oprah's favorite things special in 2007 in Macon! It's truly an institution, and you will love their hot dogs!
https://nu-wayweiners.com