Philadelphia Boasts New Hot Dog Restaurants

Philly has gone to the dogs. Really.

The cheesesteak capitol is ready to step out and claim its spot in the world of hot dogs.

After a recent influx of hot dog stands and chefs creating their own luxury dogs, Philadelphia has entered the franks game. They even have a signature dog, which has been around for a while: a hot dog topped with fish cake. 

Philly.com divided the city's hot dog places into three categories: best toppings, best new hot dogs, and best old hot dog joints. 

Best Toppings:

Lucky's Last Chance: The Voodoo comes with Cajun-spiced chicken with melted cheese, fried onions, and tangy sauce. The Deadwood arrives with bacon, melted American cheese, raw onion, and barbecue sauce. And the Scorpion arrives with mac and cheese and diced jalapeños. Talk about some crazy combinations!

Shake Shack: Philly's branch of Shake Shack serves two kinds of hot dogs: The Shack-ago comes with relish, a pickle wedge, onion, tomato, celery salt, hot pepper, and mustard, while the Frisky comes with tomato-simmered tomatoes and sauerkraut. 

Moe's Hot Dog House: Try these less than-$3 franks with baked beans and onions or topped with chili and coleslaw. 

Underdogs: Top features include a dog wrapped in bacon and fried, and one topped with pico de gallo, mole, jalapeños, and sour cream. 

Hot Diggity: The Big Kahuna specialty features guava mustard, grilled red onion rings, pineapple salsa, and habanero aioli. 

Memphis Taproom: At this food truck, try the Surf, a frilled dog with pickled carrots and cucumbers, cilantro, and peanut sauce. 

Best New:

Alla Spina: This new frank, now on the menu at Vetri's Italian bar comes with pickled cabbage, cucumber, and spicy mustard, all for a whopping $8.

Sampan: Served as three mini sandwiches, the Kobe beef hot dog comes simply with a bit of mustard. 

Supper: At supper, the hot dog is served wrapped in bacon and fried, topped with onions in barbecue sauce and beer mustard, with fried pickles on the side. 

Varga Bar: You can't go wrong with a Kobe dog, topped with chili, melted white Cheddar, and slices of pickles.

Best Old:

Franks A-Lot: This hot dog stand offers the classic toppings with no frills: sauerkraut, bacon, cheese, and onions. 

Texas Weiners: Try the "Texan style" with hash browns, onions, and peppers. 

Jimmy John's: These dogs are served with "old-fashioned" short franks, topped with chili, cheese, and/or bacon.

Johnny's Hots: The Philly classic is served here: a hot dog stuffed with fish cake, and topped with pepper hash kraut and hot mustard. 

Check out TDM's hot dog taste test, and create your own hot dog topped with anything you come up with!