I’m sure you’ve heard of Hot Girl Summer, but have you heard of Hot Dog Summer? This past weekend, I planned a hot dog tour of Raleigh for my friends and I. You’re probably thinking, “what the heck is a hotdog tour?” Well, I researched and found 7 of the most famous/popular hot dog places in or near downtown Raleigh. I then created a detailed minute by minute itinerary (can you tell I am type A?), and recruited some friends to come with me.
Our first stop of the day was Jerry’s Grill in Five Points. They have a giant sign with a hotdog out front, so how could we miss this one? We went in and told the owner what we were doing and he was so excited about it! He mentioned that the restaurant had been open since 1958 and was one of the oldest restaurants in Raleigh. We ordered our dogs all the way with chili, onions, slaw, and mustard. It was delicious! I will 100% be back to Jerry’s again because their burgers looked amazing and they get their meat from the Angus Barn!
Stop 2 was a personal favorite of mine and my dad’s; we hopped right across the street from Jerry’s to Snoopy’s Hotdogs and More. This is a local icon! They used to have a locations right near all of the bars, but that recently closed. Luckily the original location near our house is still open, and we had to make it a stop on the hotdog tour. They just have a walk up window, so be prepared to wait outside for a few minutes, but the hotdogs are worth it!
The next stop is one that has sparked interest since the day we moved in. Circus Family Restaurant is a super sketchy old fast food restaurant literally across the street from our neighborhood. We have never been there but have always been curious; they had hotdogs on their signs so we added them to the tour. The interior of this place has not been updated since the 90’s and I still don’t know how they stay in business. We didn’t die from eating the hotdogs, but I don’t think I’ll be back.
Our last stop in part 1 of the tour was Standard Beer + Food, which is a favorite hangout spot for us. We had tried one of their dogs before, but knew they had multiple topping options and we wanted some variety for the tour. They had a queso dog and a pico dog; both were good, but the queso dog was definitely the standout. These were the most expensive dogs of the day, which lost them some points on our scoresheets (but worth it for the tots).
After Standard, we took a breather to let our food digest and get perked back up. We headed over to Pine State Coffee (another fave) to get some caffeine. The barista absolutely loved that we were doing a hot dog tour and told us if we did another one that we had to add his favorite spot to the list (this is foreshadowing). After about an hour, we were ready to head back out for part 2 of the tour.
The next stop was actually the whole reason this tour happened this weekend. The Roast Grill has been a Raleigh staple since the 40’s, but has been closed for a year and a half due to COVID. They finally re-opened this week, which prompted the hot dog tour. This place has such a cool ‘hole in the wall’ vibe, and the owners were awesome. The hot dogs were good too! I now have a goal to become a regular here!
Stop 6 on the itinerary was a burger joint within Morgan Street Food Hall, but unfortunately they were out of hot dogs, so we got a beer and headed to our last scheduled spot of the day, The Cardinal Bar. I’ve been to the Cardinal before and it is an experience. They are a bar, not a restaurant, but they do serve hot dogs. You can customize your hotdog however you like, and the best part is they are served on TEXAS TOAST! If you’re ever near The Cardinal or see their food truck out and about, it is worth the stop.
This was where our tour was supposed to end, but do you remember the foreshadowing I referenced above? Well we decided to make a last minute substitution and head over the Cloo’s Coney Island near NC States Campus. This place is what I picture when I think of a hot dog joint. Red and white tiles and just a very American vibe! The hot dog was delicious and the employees let us know that we saved the best for last for our tour. I guess we’ll have to see how the scores worked out to know if that is true!
We scored each place on toppings, the dog, bun, presentation, and value. In last place (not surprising), was Circus Family Restaurant with 72.25/100 points. Standard and Snoopy’s rounded out the bottom three with 76.5 and 78.25 points each. In fourth place, we had the Roast Grill with 79.5/100. The top three were all neck and neck, but in the end Cloos’s came in 3rd with 82.5, Jerry’s in second with 82.75, and The Cardinal won with 83.25 points! However, I will continue to go back to each of these places (except Circus) again and again once I’m mentally ready to eat another hot dog.
I did not realize how popular this event would be among our friends once we started posting our journey on Instagram, but I think this may become an annual event. We had so much fun, learned so much about our city, and had our fix of hotdogs for the next few months. Also, here is a TikTok my roommate made of our day that really sums up the experience.
Kiara says
We love the Cardinal it is one of our favorite places to grab a hot dog. Thanks for sharing this list!
admin says
It is so good! You can’t beat Texas Toast!