What You're Eating - Best Hot Dogs In Los Angeles

Family cookouts, baseball games, afternoons at the amusement park are just a few of the places you've probably enjoyed a hot dog or two during the summer. July is National Hot Dog Month, which means thirty-one days to go crazy over all of this town's best dogs. July 14 is also National Hot Dog Day, so it's a truly full month of frankfurter celebration.

Art's Chili Dog
1410 West Florence Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90047
(323) 750-1313

Art's is the place that maintains claim to inventing the chili dog. This is one of the city's landmark fast food stands, serving hot dogs, tamales and more for a low, low price. Back in the day, the restaurant served casing-free franks, which founder Art Elkind intentionally chose to mesh perfectly with his steamed bun and homestyle chili. Today, you can get a Sabrett, along with beef and turkey dogs, that you can smother with chili and top with cheese, peppers and sauerkraut. You won't find fries at Art's, but they do have chili Fritos if you crave a salty crunch with your dog.

Meea's Hot Dogs
1734 Colorado Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 285-4850
http://meeas.net
www.meeashotdogs.com

Keep your eyes wide open, so you won't miss this great spot while cruising along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. The restaurant's menu offers a selection of dogs in housemade buns that speak to regional and local flavors. The Mexicana has pickled jalapenos, fritos, guac, cheddar cheese and sour cream, and the Seattle Street is a piled-high mix of bacon, grilled onions, sauerkraut, brown mustard and cream cheese. As an ode to its neighborhood, the Eagle Rock is an eclectic combination pickled papaya, avocado, pork rinds, spicy mayo and sriracha. If you just can't choose from the list, build your own, then pair that specialty with an order of sweet potato fries or their crispy tater tots.

The Stand
17000 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA 91316
(818) 788-2700
Additional Locations: Century City, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Irvine, Pasadena
www.thestandlink.com

The Stand is a family favorite that serves grilled dogs with a little California flair. The "O" Dog is one of their most popular dogs and features a grilled frank with corn salsa, cilantro lime aioli, sriracha and crispy onion strings on poppy bun. Pork lovers will enjoy the Three Pigs, a bratwurst with bacon tamato jam, porchetta, swiss cheese, chimichurri, green apple and red onion slaw. Another popular hot dog option is the Guac on Fire dog, which is a quarter pound of meat covered with guacamole, pickled peppers & onions, cilantro lime aioli and crunchy tortilla strips. The loaded porchetta or steak fries are a must-try as well. The Stand offers several other delicious options also!

Dodger Dog
Dodger Stadium
1000 Vin Scully Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 224-1507
www.dodgers.com

A list of the best hot dogs in Los Angeles could never be complete without including the world renowned Dodger Dog. Sold exclusively at Dodger Stadium, these incredible hot dogs embodies L.A. more than any other hot dog. The extra long 10 inch hot dog comes either grilled or steamed and you can top it with all types of options, including jalapeños, cheese, tomatoes and much more!

Dog Haus Dogs
3817 W Olive Ave
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 566-4287
www.doghaus.com

All Dog Haus locations offer terrific options for hot dogs. Make sure to try their smoked bacon-wrapped Old Town Dog with caramelized onions, pickled jalapeños, chipotle aioli and cotija cheese or the Sooo Cali with arugula, spicy basil aioli, fried onions, avocado and tomato. Other options include their Cowboy with smoked bacon with white American cheese, crispy onions and bbq sauce, as well as the Free Bird, a turkey dog with avocado. On National Hot Dog Day, Dog Haus is offering a special also! Buy any Haus dog and get a second one free!

Dirt Dog LA
2528 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 749-1813
www.dirtdogla.com

Get down and dirty with all of Dirt Dogs' bacon-wrapped beef franks served one of four ways. Whether you like their house, green, red, or brown, you'll be in heaven. Each are with seasoned, and offer grilled onions and peppers on your choice of bun freshly made by Melrose Bakery. Your House dog features onions and peppers cooked in house-made Thousand Island-style bacon sauce with green chile spread on the bun and ketchup, mustard, mayo and bacon bits. If you choose Brown, those onions and peppers are cooked in teriyaki sauce, the bun is slathered with sweet mayo, and it's all topped with iri goma and bacon bits.

Vicious Dogs
5231 Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 985-3647
www.viciousdogshotdogs.com

Don't let the name or the long list of hot dog varieties intimidate you. Vicious Dogs is a popular San Fernando Valley spot for inspired creations including the Philly cheese with Italian beef, grilled onions and peppers, and shredded cheese stuffed into a French roll or the Krusty Krab with a chili glaze, and grilled onions and peppers topped with a with shredded cheese and baked in a French roll. Other options include the Meltdown, a bacon wrapped kielbasa link with chopped onion rings and melted cheese, as well as the Big Popper with bacon, house chipotle sauce, grilled onions and peppers. Vicious Hot Dogs offers several other options too.

Carney's Restaurant
8351 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323) 654-8300
Multiple Locations
www.carneytrain.com

This Pacific Railroad car establishment has been around since the 70's, hitting the Sunset Strip first with its fast casual fare. If you're at Carney's, you probably know chili is what you should have on your dog, so make sure to get the house Carney Dog with beef chili, tomato, onions and mustard. For extra charred flavor, try the Spicy Style, which is a grilled frank with grilled sauerkraut, chili peppers, and grilled onions. The Red Baron will hit the spot with red cabbage, mustard and Jack cheddar. Get your hands messy at this city's classic hot dog stand on wheels.

The Slaw Dogs
6220 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
(747) 226 3119
Multiple Locations
www.theslawdogs.com

The Slaw Dogs at The Village at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills features plenty of tasty options. The Carolina Slaw Dog is one of those traditional, although region-specific, offerings with housemade chili, mustard, onions and cole slaw. The L.A. Street Dog adds garlic mayo to the bacon, onions and peppers combination. Also, make sure to try the Fuh-Get-A-Bout-It, a spicy Polish sausage with provolone, olives, cherry peppers, garlic and balsamic glaze, as well the Chicago with bright green relish, tomato, onion, pickle spears, celery salt and mustard on a poppy seed bun.

Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory
8930 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 858-8590
www.jeffsgourmet.com

This Kosher deli does the whole housemade meats thing really well, including nitrate-free hot dogs. Hot dogs on the menu include Jeff's Kosher Dog, a homemade all-beef kosher hot dog served on a bakery-fresh bun with your choice of standard toppings. Or, go for Jeff's Jumbo Dog, a thick 1/4 lb version of Jeff's famous kosher dog with choice of toppings. Want to kick it up a notch? Order Jeff's Jalapeno Kosher Dog, a spicy version of Jeff's 1/4 hot dog packed with jalapeños.

Pink's Hot Dogs
709 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 931-4223
www.pinkshollywood.com

Most locals and almost all L.A. visitors have stood in line at Pink's at least once. The winding wait in front of the stand gives you time to figure out which of the 35 hot dogs you'll order. The Nacho Cheese Chili Dog comes complete with mustard and onions and gooey cheese. There's the Turkey Dog, as well as the Bacon Chili Cheese Dog toped with 3 strips of bacon, tomatoes, mustard and onions, as well as the El Cucuy Dog, a 12" jalapeno dog with mayo, mustard, ketchup, grilled onions and jalapenos and bacon.

Let's Be Frank Dogs
8780 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
www.letsbefrankdogs.com

Let's Be Frank keeps things fairly simple with a menu that features a few choices of dogs (all beef, beef and pork blend, turkey, etc) that you can top with grilled onions and their devil sauce. It's a chunky, almost chutney-like blend of jalapeños, ginger, brown sugar, garlic and an array of warm spices that add a Far East flavor to anything it tops. Hot dogs on their menu include the Frank Dog, a California grass fed beef dog, as well as the Brat Dog, a heritage pork bratwurst, and the Bird Dog, a delicious turkey dog.

Wurstküche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-4444
www.wurstkuche.com

Wurstküche, which translates into "sausage kitchen," is in fact just that. It is home to delicious classic sausages like Bratwurst (pork, coriander & nutmeg) and Bockwurst (veal, pork & spices), gourmet sausages like Austin Blues (hot and spicy, tri-pepper & hardwood-smoked pork) and Mango Jalapeño (chicken & turkey) and exotic sausages such as Rattlesnake & Rabbit (with jalapeño peppers) and Alligator & Pork (Andouille style). Wurstküche's unique flavors and dipping sauces will turn you into a sausage fan. To not order the Belgian double-dipped fries with white truffle oil glaze is a culinary tragedy. Also, make sure to save room for the toasted apple pie ice cream sandwich.

Fab Hot Dogs
19417 Victory Blvd
Reseda, CA 91335
(818) 344-4336
www.fabhotdogs.com

Fab Hot Dogs has a menu that features a ton of options to choose from. One of their best dogs is the Manhattan Dog which is a steamed all beef dog topped with New York red onion sauce, sauerkraut and brown mustard. Other top picks include the BLT dog, which is a bacon wrapped all beef dog with lettuce, tomato and mayo; The Bacon Dog with BBQ baked beans, Swiss cheese and mustard. The Mexicali Dog is a char dog with guacamole, sour cream, grilled onions and spicy adobo sauce. The possibilities are truly endless here, with toppings like diced onions, hot sauce, mustard, cheddar onions, sauerkraut, southern cole slaw and much more.