CINCINNATI — Hot dogs are a classic American food item. Whether it's enjoying them at home on your own grill, at Great American Ball Park while watching the Reds or out at a restaurant, the food is synonymous with summer.
In celebration of National Hot Dog Day on July 17, here are the Top 9 hot dog restaurants in the Tri-State based on a culmination of Yelp and Google reviews:
Mr. Gene's Dog House
With over 60 years of "dog gone fun," according to its website, Mr. Gene's Dog House offers a simple but tasty variety of hot dogs for customers. Customers can opt between a chili dog, chili cheese mett, slaw dog, reuben dog, chicago dog or an Italian sausage sandwich. The nice thing is no matter the choice, all of Mr. Gene's hot dogs ring in at $5 per hot dog, making for a cheap and yummy meal.
Senate
Senate — helmed by chef Daniel Wright — has been slinging gourmet hot dogs in Blue Ash since 2017. Wright's first Senate location opened in Over-the-Rhine in 2010, and has since closed, but a smaller menu from Senate is offered in Wright's Holiday Spirits in OTR. The Blue Ash restaurant offers a range of fancy hot dogs, including a Trailer Park dog (topped with bacon, American cheese, coleslaw and crushed Grippos) to a Lindsay Lohan dog (topped with goat cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, arugula and balsamic).
Putz's Creamy Whip
Serving up both hot dogs and creamy whip, Putz's CreamyWhip has been a mainstay in the Tri-State area since the Depression-era. The classic creamy whip shop is known for its ice cream, but it also has footlongs, hot dogs, coneys and more for its customers. With all of its hot dog options under $5, Putz's is a great stop for those trying to save a buck or two — and it's also a great place for families as well.
Lucky Dog OTR
Nestled on Main Street in OTR, Lucky Dog OTR is the perfect spot to stop in for a quick hot dog. The restaurant serves up traditional Cincinnati-style chili dogs, but also can prepare a Lucky Dog, which is an all-beef hot dog served on a steamed bun with your choice of toppings. Other than more traditional hot dogs, customers can also ask for a hot mett with a Queen City Sausage.
Chicago Gyros and Dogs
There's something so perfect about a Chicago dog, and while other eateries on this list offer them, none seem to match to Chicago Gyros & Dogs. The restaurant has more than 10 different hot dog options, but all of them have an all-beef Vienna hot dog and poppy seed bun base. Customers can also make their hot dogs into a combo with fries and a drink for an additional $4.50.
Cincinnati Chili Restaurants
We love our chili in Cincinnati, and nothing goes better with it than a hot dog, bun and cheese to make a chili dog or coney. Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili are the obvious go-tos for coneys, but there's also smaller eateries like Dixie Chili and Price Hill Chili that serve up a quality coney.
Larry's All-American Cafe
Located in Covington, Larry's All-American Cafe mixes the best of both worlds: the coziness of a dive bar and delicious hot dogs. Larry's, which is open seven days a week, rotates its different specialty hot dogs. In the past, the dive bar has offered a buffalo chicken dog, a reuben dog, an everything bagel dog, a cucumber kimchi dog and more. Every year, the bar also has a hot dog eating contest as part of its birthday.
Eli's BBQ
There's nothing more classic than two all-beef hot dogs, and that's exactly what Eli's BBQ serves for its customers. For $8, the tasty franks come with sauce, coleslaw and pork crispins to top off the hot dogs. For those that aren't feeling up to the all-beef hot dogs, Eli's also has barbecue options, including ribs, wings and pulled pork.
The Root Beer Stand
The Root Beer Stand in Sharonville originally opened as an A&W Root Beer Stand in 1957. In 1982, the A&W branding expired but the stand still offers root beer and hot dogs. Customers can opt for normal hot dogs, chili dogs or the stand's famous Timmy Dog, which is a footlong with chili, cheese, onions, mustard, hot sauce, ketchup, relish, slaw and kraut.
