Alabamaâs best hot dogs: Our Top 10
This week, our quest to find the best eats in Alabama is all about the All-American hot dog.
Earlier in the week, we revealed our staff’s picks for the top dogs in Birmingham, the finest franks in Mobile and the choicest coneys in Huntsville.
MORE: Birmingham’s best hot dogs: Our Top 5
Mobile’s best out dogs: Our Top 5
Huntsville’s best hot dogs: Our Top 5
Today, we go statewide to choose the Top 10 hot dogs in Alabama.
You’ll find more than a few familiar names and places on our list, legendary joints that go back decades and that were started by guys named Gus and Chris and Sammy and Al.
Hopefully, though, you’ll also discover several new places that weren’t previously on your radar but that you’ll want to add to your bucket list.
So, from 10th to first, let the countdown begin:
The red slaw dog is a tradition at Payne’s Soda Fountain & Sandwich Shop that goes back decades. The secret recipe for the red slaw has been passed down from owner to owner, and the hot dog is featured on the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.” (Photo by Amber Huston for Jackson Magazine; used with permission)
10. Payne’s Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain, Scottsboro
101 East Laurel St., Scottsboro. www.facebook.com/PaynesontheSquare
Come to this 154-year-old soda fountain for the handspun milkshakes, hot fudge sundaes and the “Happy Days” vibe, but don’t leave without ordering one (or two) of Payne’s famed red slaw dogs. Something of a Scottsboro delicacy, the grilled dogs are generously dressed with a tangy, ketchup-based coleslaw, the recipe for which is a closely guarded secret that has been passed down through the decades but the origins of which remain a mystery.
RELATED: 150 years of memories at Alabama’s oldest soda fountain
A hot dog, onion rings and turnip greens at the Dew Drop Inn in Mobile.
9. Dew Drop Inn, Mobile
2407 Old Shell road; www.facebook.com/DewDropInn.Mobile.AL
Is this Mobile’s most iconic hot dog? Absolutely. Does it literally have generations of fans, with grandparents introducing grandkids to “Mobile’s oldest restaurant” on a daily basis? Again, absolutely. When you order a Dew Drop Dog you know exactly what you’re going to get: A smallish dog loaded up with chili, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup and pickle, for the agreeable price of $4.25. And you know that if you look, you’ll find the meat has imparted a pinkish tint to the bread it touches. To order and eat a Dew Drop Inn hot dog is to be reassured of the pleasant fiction that there are some constants in this life. If you want to mix things up, order your dog “upside down” to get the wiener on top of the toppings, or “female” to get the toppings with no wiener. Lighten up, culture warriors, they’ve been doing that at the Dew Drop for eons. — Lawrence Specker
RELATED: Mobile’s Dew Drop Inn is where regulars rule
Albert Toh is the chef and owner of the New South Hot Dog & Sushi food trailer in Huntsville. (Matt Wake/[email protected])
8. New South Hot Dog & Sushi, Huntsville
Like Adam Sandler in a dramatic lead or Miley Cyrus singing Led Zeppelin, hot dogs and sushi are a surprisingly effective juxtaposition — at least in the hands of Albert Toh. By modulating sushi panache to hot dogs, plus offering ace sushi rolls too, Toh’s New South food trailer has become a new-generation HSV food standout. For example. New South’s Crunchy Dog makes use of pork rinds, eel sauce, spicy mayo, avocado and cream cheese. The Volcano Dog has a big bark and bigger flavors. Avocado, bacon, cheddar, fresh jalapeno, sesame seeds, wasabi mayo and sriracha. Balance, texture, originality and oomph. They’re all there to spare. — Matt Wake
RELATED: Meet the Asian American chef behind Huntsville’s hottest food truck
Chris Redd preps a hot dog at Redd’s Hot Dogs, a roadside stand that has done business on Alabama 59 in Robertsdale for 30 years. (Lawrence Specker | [email protected])Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
7. Redd’s Hot Dogs, Robertsdale
21925 S. Milwaukee St., Robertsdale. www.facebook.com/reddshotdogs28
Let’s face it, the essence of the hot dog experience always has and always will involve a hot dog cart. In 1989, Chris Redd’s dad threw off the grind of his career as a boilermaker, moved his family from Connecticut to Baldwin County, and opened a roadside hot dog stand. “From that point on,” Redd says of his father, “he always had a huge smile on his face, I’m gonna tell you.” Chris took over the business in 2009 and usually seems to have a smile on his face, too, as he serves a line of customers from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. Whatever dog you choose, get the chow. A variant of the relish more commonly known as chow-chow, the proprietary recipe is so tasty that Redd has to cook something like 50 quarts a week. — Lawrence Specker
RELATED: Beach bound? Don’t miss this Baldwin Co. hot dog stand
The hot dog with slaw at Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q in Florence, Ala., is a North Alabama favorite that longtime customers buy by the sackful.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])
6. Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q, Florence
901 West College St., Florence. www.bunyansbarbeque.com
A Florence favorite that the late John Bunyan Cole opened in 1972 – and that his son Malcolm Cole continues today — Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q is almost as well known for its hot dogs as it is its ribs and pulled pork. The Bunyan’s dog features a fire-engine-red wiener that’s split down the middle, served on a toasted bun and topped with Bunyan’s signature hot slaw — a mustard-based coleslaw that packs just the right amount of heat. Muscle Shoals musician Mac McAnally is a huge fan, and over the years, he has turned many a visiting musician on to the wonders of the Bunyan’s dog. “It’s not like anybody else’s hot dog,” McAnally told AL.com in 2020. “It’s the reddest hot dog in the world — you can’t make it any redder than that. With that little bun that they use and their mixture of that barbecue slaw, it’s perfect, just perfect.”
RELATED: Singing the praises of a North Alabama barbecue staple
A hot dog “all the way” with mustard, onion, kraut and Sam’s special sauce at Sam’s Super Samwiches in Homewood, Ala.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])
5. Sam’s Super Samwiches, Homewood
1830 29th Ave. South, Suite 155, Homewood. samssupersamwiches.com
The late, legendary Sammy Graphos started selling hot dogs in his cozy, little hole-in-the-wall shop on 18th Street South in downtown Homewood in the early 1970s. Now, his son, Ted Graphos — with the help of Sammy’s widow, Sue — carries on the Graphos family tradition at the new, more spacious location of Sam’s Super Samwiches just around the corner in Homewood’s SoHo Square. Our go-to is a couple of grilled dogs with mustard, diced onions, kraut and Sammy’s secret sauce. There’s a little bit of Birmingham hot dog history in every bite.
RELATED: Remembering Homewood hot dog king Sammy Graphos
Al’s Hot Dogs & Other Fine Foods is a Mobile instutution that’s famous for its Chicago-style dogs and its chili-cheese dogs.(AL.com file/Brian Kelly)
4. Al’s Hot Dogs & Other Fine Foods, Mobile
4701 Airport Blvd., Mobile.
A quarter-century or so ago, Al’s Hot Dogs & Other Fine Foods occupied a spot off Bienville Square, where it was one of the few reliable lunch spots a slowly rebounding downtown had to offer. “If you are what you eat,” said the sign by the counter, “we’re fast, cheap and easy.” And they were: You always left feeling you’d gotten a little more than your money’s worth. The no-nonsense Chicago wit and wisdom of owner Al Kay was another big attraction. Somewhere along the way, Kay relocated the sign and the rest of the business to an Airport Boulevard shopping center, where Al’s has continued to operate on a takeout-only basis since the beginning of the pandemic. But the magic is still there, and you’ll still come away feeling like you got more than your money’s worth. A bonus: The Al’s menu includes an authentic Chicago dog, a not-easy-to-find treat in the South that is topped with tomato slices and a dash of celery salt. — Lawrence Specker
RELATED: Spreading the hot dog gospel at Al’s Hot Dogs & Other Fine Foods
The Beef Sauce Dog with mustard, onions, kraut and beef sauce at Tony’s Hot Dogs in Pelham, Ala.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])
3. Tony’s Hot Dogs, Pelham
1922 Montgomery Hwy South, Pelham. www.facebook.com/Tonys1922
Now in its 30th year in business, Tony’s Hot Dogs in Pelham’s Southgate Shopping Center has been serving classic Birmingham dogs south of town since 1993. The signature Tony’s Hot Dog is a traditional grilled dog with mustard, onions, kraut and sauce, and the Beef Sauce Dog adds a chunky meat sauce to the mix. If you want to venture out and try something different, Tony’s also offers a taco dog, a Chicago dog, a chili dog, a slaw dog and the “everything in the house” Junk Yard Dog. And by all means, order a side of fries, which may be the crispiest crinkle-cut fries we’ve ever tasted.
The special dogs at Gus’s Hot Dogs in Birmingham, Ala., go great with a cold Grapico and a bag of Golden Flake chips.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])
2. Gus’s Hot Dogs, Birmingham
1915 Fourth Ave. North, Birmingham. gusshotdogs.com
It doesn’t get any more Birmingham than what we lovingly call the “Birmingham Trifecta” – a couple of Gus’s special dogs, all the way, with a cold Grapico and a bag of Golden Flake chips. It is the essential Birmingham lunch. The last of the old-school downtown hot dog joints, Gus’s Hot Dogs has been around since Greek immigrant Gus Alexander opened shop on Fourth Avenue North in 1947. Now, Lee Pantazis, who bought Gus’s from longtime proprietor George Nasiakos in 2017, continues that legacy in the same building where it began. Upon handing over the keys to the shop, Nasiakos also entrusted Pantazis with Gus’s distinctive hot dog sauce — a tart, sweet and spicy concoction that originated with Gus Alexander and that Nasiakos later tweaked and made his own. There are more than 75 years of secrets in that sauce. “Mr. George sat and watched me like a hawk while I made it by myself the first time,” Pantazis said not long after he bought Gus’s. “Did not say a word. And that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten. Because I know, as a Greek man, not complaining about it is the same as praising it.”
RELATED: Preserving a Birmingham hot dog tradition at Gus’s downtown
Drenched in a secret sauce that’s been in the family since day one, Chris’ Hot Dogs have become a beloved Montgomery tradition.(AL.com file photo)
1. Chris’ Famous Hotdogs, Montgomery
138 Dexter Ave., Montgomery. chrishotdogs.com
Montgomery’s oldest eatery, Chris’ Famous Hotdogs has been serving its “world famous” grilled dogs on historic Dexter Avenue since Greek immigrant Christopher Anastasios “Mr. Chris” Katechis opened his place in 1917, and legend has it that Hank Williams used to drop in Chris’ for a late-night dog and a pop (not necessarily a soda pop) after a show. So, if these century-old walls could talk, they’d probably sing “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” The chili sauce (a combination of chili powder, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce and some other ingredients they’ll never reveal) is what makes a Chris’ hot dog worth coming back for year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation. — Amber Sutton
RELTATED: 14 things you might not know about Chris’ Famous Hotdogs
More about Alabama food:
The small-town Alabama restaurant with the big-time Cajun accent
5 venerable Gulf Shores restaurants we go back to every summer