The dog’s a national treasure. Period. But it’s evolved as we’ve grown up. And your salty-water-swill street food’s now become a delicacy (note: this guy’s NYC cart, near the Central Park Zoo, still sells loaded dogs for two bucks, but it’s worth mentioning he pays nearly $300k to the City Parks Service to rent his spot annually!). We’ve rounded up the priciest dogs on the continent below (but have only ever savored street meat, per the above).
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX
Why it’s worth it: If that average-sized ballpark frank isn’t doing it for you, this three-pound, foot-long hot dog topped with chili, jalapeños, nacho cheese, and caramelized onions might just satisfy … though you will be the guy who bought the most expensive hot dog sold at any MLB game stadium.
Serendipity 3, New York, NY
Why it’s worth it: This fancy-pants foot-long is topped with black truffle and foie gras, and served on a pretzel roll thats been sprinkled with white-truffle butter. It took home the Guinness Book of World Records title for the most expensive wiener in 2010.
Brockton Rox, Brockton, MA
Why it’s worth it: The Brockton Rox baseball team wasn’t about to be upstaged by the likes of a restaurant that was in that girly John Cusack movie, so in 2011, they added some fancier toppings to their half-pound beef foot-long (like porcini dust, crème fraîche, and caviar), placed it on a deep-fried bun dressed with truffle oil, and sold it for $80 bucks on National Hot Dog Day.
DougieDog, Locations across the Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada
Why it’s worth it: What’s fancier than caviar- and truffle-topped anything? Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac, which sells for around $2,000 a bottle; inject that into a brat, top it off with Kobe beef and lobster, throw on hot sauce, and you’ve got a hot dog that retails for a Benjamin.
Capitol Dawg, Sacramento, CA
Why it’s worth it: This joint took a different approach to break ‘the most expensive wiener’ record in 2012; rather than throwing a ton of pricey add-ons to their general dog, they chose one novelty ingredient — Swedish moose cheese — which costs $200 a pound. Mix in some more complimentary ingredients like a cranberry-pear-coconut balsamic vinaigrette, and you’ve got a cheesy foot-long hot dog that costs as much as my first car (I’m older than you).
Hot Dog Mike’s, Little Rock, AR
Why it’s worth it: If you’re thinking the only way you could make a hot dog more expensive at this point is to coat it in gold, you’re not far off. Hot Dog Mike’s coated their 1/4 pound ONEdog in gold flakes, and topped it off with a meaty lobster tail. But did Mike really need that extra dollar in that $1,501 price tag? Turns out that he actually donated $1,500 of each ONEdog sale to charity (what a guy).
230 Fifth, New York, NY
Why it’s worth it: Where can you sell a $2,300 hot dog … with a wait time of 48hrs? NYC, of course, where we love to pay more and be abused in the process. Last summer this top-shelf dog, made of 60-day-aged Japanese wagyu beef and loaded up with sauerkraut braised in Cristal, Vidalia onions caramelized in Dom Perignon, and a ton of caviar, was the priciest dog on record.
We’ll see you at the cart in front of the Central Park Zoo.
