AJ’s Smashed and Smoked: The sister restaurant of Jack Nolen’s boasts four types of cherrywood smoked and topped dogs. 6980 W. Main, Belleville, Illinois.
CM Chicken & Ssong’s Hot Dogs: Earlier this year, two restaurant chains partnered under one roof in Creve Coeur to offer both Korean-style fried chicken and Korean street food–style hot dogs. (It’s the only place in the metro to get the latter.) Four varieties of dogs (one with chunked potatoes embedded in the batter) are coated in a sweet, light, yeasted dough, then fried and served with a squeeze of both ketchup and mustard 12927 Olive.
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Carlos’ Hot Dogs: You’ll find Carlos Periera on the corner of 6th and Olive grilling jumbo hot dogs and 10-inch Polish sausage from 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Classic Red Hot Albasha: The Lebanese restaurant features two Chicago dogs, fries, and a drink for $11.89. 41 Forum Shop Center.
Classic Red Hots Catering: There are several hot dog options (including a gyro dog), plus half a dozen brat varieties. 14342 S. Outer Road.
Dirty Dogz: Steamed dogs, brats, hot links, and more than 200 condiments are the hallmarks at Dirty Dogz. 3720 Monticello Plz, O’Fallon, Mo.
Dog On It: The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it window in the middle of The Grove features quarter-pound all-beef dogs with an unusual mix of toppings. A hidden gem, it’s open every day. 4300-B Manchester.
Mike’s Italian Beef: While the shaved beef sandwiches are the stars of owner Mike Roos’ show, don’t overlook the Chicago- and New York-style dog, with onions, sauerkraut, and mustard. 8001 MacKenzie.
Steve’s Hot Dogs: The city’s most publicized local hot dog emporium features a robust selection of standard dogs, as well as creative one-off items and collaborations. 3145 S. Grand.
Woofie’s Hot Dogs: The components of a bona fide Chicago dog (no deviations, please) are near perfect at the 70-plus year old institution, which recently celebrated its best week ever. On July 19, in honor of National Hot Dog Day, Chicago-style dogs are buy one and get the second half off for walk-in and drive-thru orders. 1919 Woodson.
