An estimated 155 million hot dogs will be consumed during the Fourth of July holiday, according to a real thing called the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. If you plan on contributing to that impressive (and kind of gross!) stat this year, aim to make at least one something other than an Oscar Mayer or Ballpark. Below are a few of DCist’s favorite hot dogs in the city.

*Let me be clear: A half-smoke is not a hot dog. Let’s say it again: A half-smoke is not a hot dog. You will not see any half-smokes on this list, not matter how many angry comments you leave.*

Photo by Victoria Pickering.

Via Vinoteca’s Facebook page

VINOTECA: The U Street restaurant offers several homemade options served on its patio, including the “Who Dat Doggy (boudin pork dog with grilled red onions and remoulade), Barbie Dog (chicken dog with BBQ, cheddar and apple), Plaza Dog (topped with ketchup/mustard/relish), the Frankfurter (topped with homemade sauerkraut and caraway mustard), and a spiced-up veggie dog.” I am a sucker for sauerkraut, but you can’t go wrong with these options. As a bonus, on Thursday nights through August, you can get a hot dog, glass of sparkling wine, chips and a pair of Vinoteca-branded sunglasses for $11. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Vinoteca is located at 1940 11th Street NW.

IVY AND CONEY:
Chicago-style
Pros: Chicago-style dogs are loaded with enough toppings that the actual meat almost becomes secondary to the plethora of toppings. At Shaw’s Ivy and Coney, they do Chicago dogs right, with mustard, chopped onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato, peppers, and celery salt all on a poppy bun. If you like lots of veggies on your hot dog, it’s the best Chicago-style hot dog in the city. Cons: That’s a lot of toppings! Hard to appreciate the simple pleasures of the meat with all that other stuff on there. Bonus: you can get it as a veggie dog. — Matt Cohen

Detroit Coney-style
Pros: There’s a lot less going on with a Coney-style hot dog: chili; yellow mustard, chopped onions. It’s a simple, but effectively filling kind of hot dog. Cons: It can be deceiving for fans of chili-cheese dogs, as the yellow-ness of the mustard can be mistaken as the yellow-ness of cheese. There’s nothing worse than biting into something expecting the taste of cheese and getting a mouthful of mustard. Especially when you’re intoxicated (speaking from personal experience here). — Matt Cohen

Ivy and Coney is located at 1537 7th Street NW.

DC-3: As one of the only hot dog joints in the city, DC-3 sets a high standard. While you have the option to eat a simple, beef hot dog for $5, the casual Barracks Row eatery offers speciality dogs inspired by places across the world. My favorite is the kimchi and marinated bulgogi-topped hot dog on a buttery, grilled bun. The fries are also excellent, and the service is always friendly. —Sarah Anne Hughes

DC-3 is located at 423 8th Street SE.

THE PASSENGER: Another kimchi hot dog? Sorry not sorry. The Passenger’s, which features cream cheese, Sriracha and a dog from Red Apron, is just as worthy of attention. It also pairs perfectly with a house-made cocktail or beer.— Sarah Anne Hughes

The Passenger is located at 1021 7th Street NW.

RED APRON: Red Apron is one of the best butchers in the city, so it stands to reason that they’d have some of the best hot dogs, too. Not content just to serve up a plain dog, Red Apron’s Penn Quarter location features four varieties. My personal favorite is the Penn Quarter Porker, which features a cheddar dog, mustard aioli and onions braised in bacon. Yeah, it’s pretty rich, so prepare your stomach. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Red Apron has a location at 709 D Street NW.

WAGSHAL’S: Speaking of excellent butchers, Wagshal’s in Spring Valley was a favorite spot of mine during my time at American University in no small part because of the hot dogs. It’s a simple quarter-pound, kosher beef hot dog that can be topped with chili or anything from the salad bar. Sometimes that’s all you need. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Wagshal’s is located at 4855 Massachusetts Avenue NW and 3201 New Mexico Avenue NW.

MIGHTY DOG AND ACAI: This food truck offers the most unique hot dog selection in the city. Take the Mighty Brazilian Dog, for example, which features a hot dog cooked in tomato sauce, coated in mashed potatoes and topped with pico de gallo vinaigrette, soft cheese and several other delicious ingredients. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Mighty Dog’s location can be tracked here.

U STREET MUSIC HALL (RIP): Once upon a time, there was a mythical electronic dance music club called U Street Music Hall and, in better times, they served a great food that brought many a people together: the pho dog—a pho broth-cooked sausage served on a toasted bun with hoisin, spicy coleslaw, basil, and cilantro. And then, one day in 2012, just like that, it was taken off the menu. The city was broken and no one knew what to do; a pho dog-sized hole was left in the city’s hear. Occasionally, it would reappear at various events, but it still remains off the U Hall menu, leaving D.C. in the darkest period it’s seen since basically the dawn of time. Perhaps, one day, the lords of the pho dog, sworn protectors of the House U Hall and House Toki Underground —Will Eastman, Jesse Tittsworth, and Erik Bruner-Yang—will bring it back, but who knows if that will ever happen. It truly is a Game of (Hot) Dogs. — Matt Cohen

U Street Music Hall is located at 1115 U Street NW.