Crif Dogs

For New York’s finest hot dogs, you must go to Crif Dogs in the East Village.

We found out about the Crif Dogs when Anthony Bourdain talked them up on his travel show The Layover.  You might well wonder just how good you can get a hot dog to taste?  Well, Crif Dogs pushes that envelope pretty damn far.  These things are delicious.

The dogs are a blend of beef and pork, deep fried till crisp and served in a perfectly toasted bun.  These little guys are really flavoursome but incredibly light.  Even Jen could put away a couple of dogs no problem.  Crif Dogs offers a surprisingly extensive range of styles to choose from.  You’ve got the more conventional stuff like chilli dogs and corn dogs, but there’s also some inventive alternatives like the tsunami (teriyaki, green onions) and jon-jon deragon (bagel seeds, cream cheese).

All the food in Crif Dogs is ridiculously cheap so its a popular hangout for college kids.  We happened to visit on the night of a New York wide Santa pub crawl which is why everyone is dressed as Santa in the first picture.  The venue is a real hive for hipsters.  It’s got a Double Dragon arcade cabinet inside and there’s a phone booth that has a secret compartment that leads to a hidden speakeasy cocktail lounge on the other side.  So trendy.

If you go to New York, you need to go to Crif Dogs.  Trust me.