Six Toronto hot dog spots worth a detour, from danger dogs with bacon to Chilean-style completos
From beer halls to Kensington Market standbys, these spots pair satisfying snaps with toppings ranging from simple to adventurous.
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The best hot dogs in Toronto pair a satisfying snap with succulent umami flavour — topped simply or dressed up like a buffet, they're nostalgic and novel and exactly what cravings demand.
In Kensington Market, a go-to spot serves original, all-beef and all-chicken hot dogs with natural casings and judicious spicing. Order one plain or heaping under beef chilli, cheezies and zippy sauces. With numerous combinations on offer, it's not hard to find your fit.
An ode to Coney Island, a North York spot celebrates tube steak in all of its smoky, salty glory. Though toppings range from the classic to the outré — barbecue sauce and Cajun spiced grilled onions — all-beef and veggie dogs are comforting constants.
In Leslieville and East Chinatown, Chilean-style completos draw devotees. Saucy, spicy, messy sustenance, they boast an all-beef wiener dressed with house salsa, avocado and a mayo-ketchup-mustard trifecta. That there's only one hot dog on the menu tells you everything you need to know.
On a Liberty Village brewery menu of pub-grub favourites, the extensive list of beef and vegan franks stand out. Premium Nathan's Famous hot dogs or their meatless peers, they're named Chicago, Coney, Tex Mex and the like, and deliciously trimmed accordingly.
At a homegrown smash burger chain with multiple locations since 2020, hot dogs are split and griddled for maximum browning and adorned with chopped onion, pickles and mayo-based Happy Sauce. Piled onto soft potato buns, they're worthy challengers to the burgers' supremacy. A beer hall's extensive sausage menu is worth bypassing for the artisanal weenie: the "danger dog" features an all-natural beef and pork wiener hugged by a fatty ribbon of bacon — really want to play with fire, add sautéed jalapeños.
Good to know
What kind of hot dogs does the Kensington Market spot serve?
The Kensington Market spot serves original, all-beef and all-chicken hot dogs with natural casings and judicious spicing, available plain or topped with beef chilli, cheezies and zippy sauces.
What are Chilean-style completos?
Found in Leslieville and East Chinatown, Chilean-style completos are all-beef wieners dressed with house salsa, avocado and a mayo-ketchup-mustard combination.
What is a danger dog?
The danger dog is an all-natural beef and pork wiener wrapped in a fatty ribbon of bacon, available at a beer hall; you can add sautéed jalapeños for extra heat.
