We have a wiener: National Hot Dog Day is here. These 12 Shore spots are ones to hit

Sarah Griesemer, Asbury Park Press
Updated ·4 min read

Love 'em, hate 'em or love to hate 'em, hot dogs are one of summer's favorite foods.

Purists like theirs with a squiggle of mustard, and maybe some relish. Old-school dogs get a kick of flavor from slow-cooked onions, and over-the-top dogs come with everything from chili and cheese balls to baked beans and potato salad.

Iconic Shore spots The WindMill and Max's Bar & Grill in Long Branch are favorites for great hot dog, but here are a dozen others to try in celebration of National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, July 19.

Big Dogs Cafe, Toms River

Hot dogs topped with queso, frizzled onions and "Big Dog Sauce" at Big Dogs Cafe in Toms River.
Hot dogs topped with queso, frizzled onions and "Big Dog Sauce" at Big Dogs Cafe in Toms River.

When your restaurant opens in the space of another that was famous for Italian hot dogs, it is a good idea to put hot dogs on the menu.

Nik Panagos and Andres Rivera did just that when they opened Big Dogs Cafe earlier this year in the former Joe-Joe's Italian Hot Dogs space in Toms River. Their menu, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and shakes, includes several hot dog options.

Go simple with a charbroiled hot dog, try a single or double Italian hot dog with fried potatoes, peppers and onions, or go for "The Big Dog Double Dog," which is topped with queso, "Big Dog" sauce and frizzled onions.

Go: 2039 Route 37; 732-279-3684, bigdogscafenj.com.

Dogs on First, Atlantic Highlands

If you're planning a beach day at the Bayshore, make a pit stop at Marissa Ober's hot dog cart at the Atlantic Highlands Marina.

Her chili cheese dog is the most popular, but new additions this summer are the "Texas Hold 'Em," with hot cheese sauce, bacon bits, and baked beans, and the "Jersey Boardwalk" with sauerkraut and fried peppers and onions.

Go: next to the borough skate park on First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands, and available for private parties; instagram.com/dogsonfirst.

More: Start summer here: The best hot dog joints in every county in New Jersey

Dewey's Dogs, Lacey

A hot dog with bacon, french fries and an Italian hot dog at Dewey's Dogs in the Forked River section of Lacey.
A hot dog with bacon, french fries and an Italian hot dog at Dewey's Dogs in the Forked River section of Lacey.

Whether you like a plain hot dog, one with all the fixings, or a classic Italian hot dog on pizza bread, you can find it at Dewey's Dogs.

The hot dog truck-turned-restaurant top its dogs with sauerkraut, chili, cheese, bacon or potatoes, and offers Italian hot dogs as singles, doubles or triples with sausage, regular hot dogs, spicy hot dogs or veggie dogs. And don't forget an order of crispy fries.

Go: 118 N. Main St.; 609-489-4994, facebook.com/deweyshotdogs.

More: Five years after horrible accident, Wunder Wiener hot dog stand reopens soon

Jersey Lou's Italian Style Hot Dogs and Hot Dogs, Seaside Park

Inspired by the hot dogs he enjoyed at the famous Jimmy Buff's in Newark, Lou Frusco opened a Shore spot of his own in April in Seaside Park.

Look for a building painted in the green, white and red of the Italian flag, then order an Italian hot dog with onions, peppers and potatoes on pizza bread from Calandra's Bakery in North Jersey, or a hot dog topped with housemade chili.

Go: 1411 NW Central Ave., Seaside Park; instagram.com/jersey_lous.

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Pattie's Franks, Brick

Hot dogs topped with (from left) potatoes and hot peppers, bacon and cheese, and bacon and mustard from Pattie's Franks, a hot dog truck in Brick.
Hot dogs topped with (from left) potatoes and hot peppers, bacon and cheese, and bacon and mustard from Pattie's Franks, a hot dog truck in Brick.

Pattie DeMasi, a North Jersey transplant, got into the hot dog business because when she moved to the Shore, "I couldn't find a hot dog truck anywhere." More than a decade later, she is known for her hot dogs topped with spicy onions, sweet onions, chili, spicy mashed potatoes, cheese sauce, bacon bits and more.

Go: 1436 Route 88 in Brick; search "Pattie's Franks" on Facebook.

More: G&G Hot Dogs: Building the American dream in Red Bank, one hot dog at a time

Other hot dog spots

Parts of this story were previously published.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: National Hot Dog Day July 19: Here are Jersey Shore spots to visit