What are the different styles of hot dog?
A hot dog style is mostly about what goes on top, and sometimes what the sausage is wrapped in. In the US, toppings change from city to city: New Yorkers keep it simple with onions and mustard, Chicago piles on seven toppings, the South adds chili and slaw, and the Southwest wraps the dog in bacon. Around the world the idea travels even further, from Korean corn dogs coated in fries to Swedish hot dogs rolled up with mashed potato and shrimp salad.
Food Republic’s illustrated guide above, written by Jess Kapadia and illustrated by Mike Houston, covers 40 of these styles [1]. Below they are grouped by region, with notes from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, the US industry body, where its descriptions differ [2].
Classic American regional hot dogs
- New York. Food Republic’s version comes with mustard, sauerkraut and onion sauce [1]. The council describes the street-cart standard as steamed onions with a pale, deli-style yellow mustard, and says New Yorkers eat more hot dogs than any other group in the country [2].
- Chicago. The most loaded of the classics: a poppy seed bun, yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped onion, a pickle spear, tomatoes, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt [1][2].
- Coney Island and Michigan. Despite the New York name, the Coney dog is a Midwestern style: a hot dog in a bun with a meaty chili sauce, mustard and onions [1][2]. Food Republic’s Coney is short, with a pile of finely shredded cheddar, close to the Cincinnati Coney the council describes [1][2].
- Kansas City. Sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese on a sesame seed bun, in both guides [1][2].
- Carolina and the South. Chili, chopped onions and coleslaw [1]. The council says Atlanta and the South top their dogs with coleslaw and sometimes Vidalia onions [2].
- Seattle. The odd one out: cream cheese, usually with grilled onions, and often jalapeños and sriracha. Food Republic’s version uses a bratwurst with chopped cabbage [1][2].
- Cleveland. The Polish Boy, a kielbasa in a bun under layers of fries, sauce and coleslaw [1][2].
- Baltimore, Memphis, Denver and Idaho. Food Republic also lists a Baltimore dog wrapped in fried bologna, a bacon-wrapped Memphis dog with barbecue sauce and cheddar, a Denver dog with green chile sauce and sour cream, and an Idaho dog served inside a baked potato [1].
Southwestern and Latin American hot dogs
The bacon-wrapped hot dog is the defining style of the US-Mexico border. The Sonoran dog, named after the Mexican state of Sonora and a Southwestern favourite in the US, is a grilled bacon-wrapped dog in a soft split roll [1]. Food Republic tops it with relish, tomatoes, onions, avocado and mayonnaise; the council’s fuller version adds pinto beans, grilled peppers, tomatillo-jalapeño salsa, mustard and cheese [1][2]. Tijuana’s version adds grilled peppers, onions and jalapeños [1], and the council notes that a bacon-wrapped dog with grilled onions and peppers is a cart favourite around Los Angeles and San Francisco [2]. The Dodger Dog is a footlong with the classic toppings, while the “Doyer” Dog adds nacho cheese, pickled jalapeños and salsa [1].
Further south the toppings get bolder [1]:
- Colombia: ketchup, mustard, mayo, pineapple, crushed potato crisps and a boiled quail egg on top.
- Brazil: a split roll with pico de gallo, sweetcorn, grated parmesan, shredded carrot, diced ham, coriander and shoestring fries.
- Chile: chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, mashed avocado and mayonnaise.
- Guatemala: a bacon-wrapped dog in an avocado-coated corn tortilla with lettuce, cabbage and mayonnaise.
- Argentina: a chorizo link in a soft roll with chimichurri and pickled red onion and tomato.
- Peru: sliced, fried hot dog served over chips with ketchup, mustard and mayo, and no bun.
Hot dogs in Asia
Asian styles often change the sausage itself rather than the toppings [1]. In Korea the corn dog is coated in crinkle-cut fries before frying and finished with ketchup. In Japan, hot dogs are cut to look like little octopuses, fried and packed in bento boxes. The Philippines serves a bright red notched hot dog with banana ketchup, rice and a fried egg. In China it is wrapped in dumpling-like dough, sprinkled with sesame and baked, while Vietnam’s version is a long sausage in a French roll with pickled vegetables.
Hot dogs in Europe
Several European styles skip the soft bun or swap it for flatbread or a baguette [1]:
- Germany: a frankfurter with sauerkraut, potato salad and mustard, no bun.
- Denmark: a long hot dog with pickle slices, remoulade, ketchup, mustard and both fried and raw onions.
- Sweden: a hot dog wrapped with mashed potato, shrimp salad, lettuce and fried onions.
- Norway: a long hot dog rolled in a toasted flatbread or tortilla with ketchup and mustard.
- Czech Republic: a roll with a hole punched through it lengthwise, filled with ketchup and mustard before the sausage goes in. The same idea appears in Hawaii with sweet bread rolls.
- France: a long sausage in a baguette, covered in Gruyère and grilled.
- Amsterdam: a pizza-style dog with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then grilled.
How to top a hot dog properly
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has a tongue-in-cheek etiquette guide that includes a sensible order for toppings: wet condiments such as mustard and chili first, then chunky ones like relish, onions and sauerkraut, then shredded cheese, and finally spices such as celery salt or pepper [3]. It also says to “dress the dog, not the bun”, so toppings go on the sausage rather than between it and the bread [3]. Its most quoted rule, no ketchup after the age of 18, is a joke worth ignoring if you like ketchup [3].
Questions about hot dog styles
What is on a Chicago-style hot dog?
Yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped raw onion, a pickle spear, tomato slices, pickled sport peppers and celery salt on a poppy seed bun [2].
What is the difference between a New York and a Chicago hot dog?
A New York dog is simple, with onions (steamed or in an onion sauce), mustard and often sauerkraut. A Chicago dog has seven toppings on a poppy seed bun [1][2].
What is a Sonoran hot dog?
A grilled, bacon-wrapped hot dog in a soft split roll, topped with beans, onions, tomatoes, relish, salsa, mayonnaise and mustard. It is named after Sonora in Mexico and is a Southwestern US favourite [1][2].
What is a Coney dog?
A hot dog with a meaty chili sauce, mustard and onions, often with shredded cheddar. It is a Midwestern style, strongest in Michigan and Cincinnati [1][2].
Which countries eat hot dogs without a bun?
In Food Republic’s guide, Germany, the Philippines and Peru serve hot dogs without a bun, and Japan packs them into bento boxes [1].
Sources
- Food Republic, 40 Ways The World Makes Awesome Hot Dogs, Jess Kapadia, illustrations by Mike Houston. The creator’s original article.
- National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Regional Hot Dogs.
- National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Hot Dog Etiquette.
Last reviewed 2 November 2026
