Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Hot Dogs!
We're starting this year's West Virginia Hot Dog Trail in the Capital City, and there's no place in the heart of Charleston to get a better hot dog than Super Weenie.
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| First Stop: Super Weenie! |
We love hot dog joints that are serious about hot dogs, and
Super Weenie is very serious about hot dogs. In fact, it is their motto, printed on the door of the HDJ. You can't find a better, more authentically West Virginia hot dog anywhere. Chili is great, slaw is perfection and everything else is just great. You can get other styles of hot dogs at Super Weenie too, but who cares?
There are other places in Charleston to get a good hot dog, and we'll come back to them at the end of our tour, but for now it's time to hit the road and up the river to Marmet. Chum's Hot Dogs is the only place to get authentic yellow slaw hot dogs. Yellow slaw is sweeter that the white kind. That sweetness means that it needs a spicier chili to really bring out the flavor. Chum's accomplishes this well. Better than anyone. Period.
Heading Down Through Coal Country
West Madison Grocery was the last HDJ to be added to our trail last year, and it remains one of the best surprises on our tour. The hot dogs at West Madison Grocery are surprisingly good. Don't be afraid of this tired-looking building or the slightly disheveled interior. The hot dogs are fantastic, and it is a good example of ho
w great things can come from unexpected places, especially country grocery stores that have been slinging chili and slaw for decades and just know how to do it right. This is one of those places, for sure. It's a great warm-up for what awaits another half-hour down Corridor G in Logan.
Parkway Drive In is technically in Justice, not Logan, but it's the first of the great HDJs you will come to heading into town, and most Loganites seem to rank it third. But this is Logan, where even the third best hot dog is still better than 95% of the rest of the state's offerings. Seriously, we don't see how you can give a demerit to Parkway. as its hot dogs are well-crafted and delicious, with some of the sweetest slaw we've found.
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| The Perfect Utilitarian Dog of Morrison's |
Next up, what many consider the King of West Virginia Hot Dogs,
Morrison's Drive Inn in Stollings.
While we've noticed some variation in the quality over the years, we always come back to Morrison's when asked where the best hot dog in the state can be found. It is simply perfect. Chili, slaw, steamed bun wrapped in cellophane, the whole thing is perfection.
Let's continue on to Pineville and
Pinnacle Drive Inn. Other than Morrison's, we have received more emails about Pinnacle than any other HDJ in southern WV. While we found the hot dogs to be good but not great, and they only offer New England Style buns, which is nontraditional, Pinnacle's legion of fans convinced us to include it as a stop on the trail.
After leaving Pineville, we head over to Bluewell to find the most southern HDJ on The Trail,
Lynn's Drive In. This Five-Weenie classic with "Lynn's Famous Chili" and slaw that is made with finely shredded cabbage instead of the normal grated kind. See? Wasn't that worth the drive?
National Park Hot Dogs
Next we're heading back north to the New River Gorge and our very own National Park. Well, maybe not in the Park per se, but close. The
Hinton Dairy Queen is one of two Dairy Queens on our list. There is no disputing the immense popularity of this HDJ, and its fans are vocal and loyal. This is also the first time -- but not the last -- we'll encounter upside-down toppings with the slaw buried under the chili. We'll save the arguments for another day, but according to the
National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, cool toppings always go on top. The Hinton DQ also has one of the best dining room views of any HDJ in the state, so check it out.
Leaving the Gorge and heading up on the plateau we find Beckley, which for a city its size has remarkably few good hot dogs and no great ones. But the one place worth going just for the atmosphere is
King Tut Drive In, whose coolness overcomes the mediocre hot dog. It's not a bad hot dog, its just not a great hot dog, and we struggled with the decision to include it on this list again this year.
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| Hank's Last Stop, or Skyline Drive In |
But just a hoot and a holler from Beckley is
Skyline Drive In, or as locals know it, "Hank's Last Stop." This little roadside HDJ in Hilltop has delicious hot dogs and some great Hank Williams memo
rabilia to honor its most famous decedent.
Just a little further up the road, in Oak Hill, is one of the best hot dogs on the list.
Tom's Carry Out in Oak Hill has been selling great hot dogs since the dawn of time, apparently. At least that is the impression we get from the hundreds of people who live or have lived in Oak Hill and have been eating Tom's hot dogs their entire lives.
Heading north on Rt. 19, just across the New River Gorge Bridge lies the community of Lansing, and a short distance down Ames Heights Road is the
Swiftwater General Store. An offshoot of Charleston's
Swiftwater Cafe -- which has some of the best hot dogs in the capital city -- this location keeps up the tradition and provides visitors to the New River Gorge National Park with the chance to sample an authentic and delicious West Virginia hot dog.
Northward!
Back on Rt. 19 and continuing north, the next great HDJ you'll find is
Fat Eddies. The Mt. Nebo HDJ is spittin' distance from the Summersville Dam, and considered by many to be the best in the state. To be sure, Fat Eddies serves up a 5 Weenie classic that is as good as any we have found. The chili has a nice little spice and the slaw is nearly perfect in texture. Every part of this hot dog is perfect.
Settle in for the next part of the trip, because it's a long and winding country road to
The Custard Stand in Webster Springs. Maybe the most famous hot dog chili in West Virginia because of its owners' drive and gumption to have it sold by national retailers (they even appeared on the Shark Tank TV show pitching their chili to investors!), when it's found in its native habitat it's better than the packaged-for-store stuff, and the rest of their toppings are also great.
One more stop on this leg of our journey to the center of the state, and that is
The Spot. Now we're not sure where The Spot got its name, whether it is because it is almost the dead-center spot on the WV state map, or whether it is very close to the spot where the Braxton County Monster was first sighted in 1952. Maybe it's because it is the spot to get excellent hot dogs. Who knows? All of those fit, but serving up consistently great hot dogs for years, it is definitely deserving of a spot on our list.
Above The Slaw Line
As we move north through Lewis County and into Harrison, our trek will take us across The Slaw Line into a land where some people stubbornly refuse to accept the truth that the rest of us hold as self-evident: A true West Virginia Hot Dog always includes coleslaw. The main promulgators of this resistance are from Marion County, but their brainwashing efforts have reached down into Harrison County as well. Never fear though, there are HDJs that offer slaw -- and some of it quite good -- in this otherwise land of slawlessness.
But before we actually cross the Slaw Line, we have a stop to make in Jane Lew.
Flying Dogs is the first HDJ on our entire journey in which we will need to specially request coleslaw as an add-on. Located just a few miles south of the Slaw Line, it's not completely surprising that an "everything" dog does not include slaw. This is pretty normal for what we think of as kind of the Slaw Line DMZ - that gray area that extends for a few miles in each direction where slaw availability is unpredictable, but it is available and it is very good. We gave this hot dog a 4 1/2 Weenie rank even with having to ask for slaw; it's that good.
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| Ritzy Lunch |
Back out on I79 and heading north, we'll cross the Slaw Line on our way to our next stop,
Ritzy Lunch in downtown Clarksburg. You'll have to ask for slaw on their everything dog, but you won't get a side-eye for doing so. This venerable establishment knows what its customers like, and proudly serve up delicious slaw when out-of-towners show up for lunch. They pile it on, too, and the heft of their hot dogs is as good as anywhere we've reviewed. Just a great HDJ living dangerously on the slawless frontier.
On the way back to I79, make a stop at
T&L Hot Dogs in Bridgeport. The great thing about T&L is that right there on their menu, even in the mostly slaw-denying Harrison County, is a "West Virginia Dog" with sauce (oh yeah, forgot to mention we're back in "sauce" territory), slaw, mustard and onions, just like God intended.
Next up is
Hometown Hot Dogs on the outskirts of Fairmont, in White Hall near the Middletown Mall. There are numerous Hometowns in North Central, but we've found this one to be the most consistent location. A word to the wise about Marion County sauce: Even the mild is spicy, so be careful ordering up. "Medium" is pretty darned hot by southern West Virginia standards. Of course, coleslaw helps moderate the heat, so make sure you ask for it.
Moving on into Fairmont proper, our next stop is
Woody's. One of Fairmont's favorite HDJs, Woody's -
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Fairmont's Woody's -
Where Slaw Runs Free |
-while optional and must be asked for -- offers coleslaw as a topping. While this must confound those Marion County anti-slaw purists, it is a welcome offering to the vast majority of West Virginians. Woody's sells great hot dogs in a cozy and nostalgic atmosphere. What more could we ask for? we were tempted to stop the Trail right here just to make a point with those anti-slaw activists, but we decided to take the high road. Which leads to Morgantown.
For some reason, great HDJs just don't seem to last in Morgantown, but one exception is
Town Hill Tavern, a watering hole at the top of Willey Street that proclaims "Best chili dogs in town" (see? We're back to chili!). On their menu is the "Mountaineer Dog" which has chili and slaw standard, but you'll have to specify mustard and onions to make it right.
Under The Mason Dixon Line, Just Barely
From Morgantown we're going to venture into new territory this year. Heading northwest to the little town of Blacksville, we're going to make a stop at
Weezer's Hot Dogs. Quite literally, this is the most north you can go in North Central West Virginia, and its hot dogs have a distinct northern flavor, but thankfully you can still get slaw on your chili dog.
From Weezer's, the fastest way to our next official stop is north through Washington Pennsylvania, but let's instead take the low road through the town of Hundred so we can stay in the confines of our state. While in Hundred, we might suggest stopping at Dairy Dream, who serves hot dogs but we can't include them on the list because we've not tried them. Maybe someone can give us a report from the road.
So the next official stop is in Wheeling. Now we thought we'd never include a Wheeling HDJ on our list, because the city is culturally more Pennsylvania and Ohio than WV, but
Tito's Sloppy Doggs changed our mind by putting a hot dog named "West Virginia" on their menu that has all the right fixin's.
From Wheeling we'll head down the Ohio Valley to New Martinsville and
Bigfoot Hot Dogs. Even with an upcharge for slaw -- a definite no-no for us -- we had to include this place for its uniqueness. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
We spent some time in the Parkersburg area recently trying to find HDJs worthy of inclusion this year. We like the hot dogs at
Mr. Diggity in Vienna, and where else can you get a side of lobster bisque with your hot dog?
Of all the HDJs in Parkersburg proper, it was
The Root Beer Shack that impressed us the most. The hot dogs were great, and washing them down with frosty frozen root beer is a definite plus.
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| Pete's in Ripley |
From Parkersburg down to Ripley we go to visit
Pete's Hot Dogs, a venerable old HDJ that has hands-down the best hot dogs in Jackson County.
Next stop is in Mason County. Point Pleasant has a few HDJs to choose from, but the one the locals rave about is
Tom Tom's. If you can catch them open, you'll want to grab a couple for the road, because the next stop is a ways down Rt. 2, all the way to Kenova.
On the way to Kenova, you will pass a place that looks like a junkyard that caters to negative stereotypes of Appalachian culture. They sell hot dogs there, but we recommend looking off to the right and keep driving. Much better hot dogs await.
There is really only one place you can get a true West Virginia Hot Dog in Kenova, and that is
Griffith & Feil Soda Fountain. Technically there might be other places in town that sell hot dogs, but Griffith & Feil is by far the best, and one of the coolest hot dog joint (HDJ) spaces in the state. Its old-school soda fountain vibe adds something to its 4 1/2 Weenie hot dogs, and it's hard to add something to a bonafide 4.5 Weenie hot dog. It is simply not to be missed.
Heading any direction other than east from Kenova will land you in a river, either the Ohio or the Big Sandy, so there's nowhere to go except east, which fortunately is the direction of our next stop:
Huntington's Midway West Drive In. Midway is Huntington's best hot dog, bar none. Being served by super friendly car hops while you remain seated comfortably in your vehicle is icing on the cake (or should we say slaw on the hot dog?). Of course, this is Huntington, and so "sauce" is what you get on your hot dog (even though it would be called chili in most of the state) and that sauce is phenomenal in taste and texture, even if it could use a bit more spice.
better with a West Virginia hot dog than a big mug of root beer. We still wish that Frostop's root beer had actual frost on top, like the place in Parkersburg and as their name implies, but we'll take it even if it is frost-free.
As we take Hal Greer Boulevard to Interstate 64, we'll leave Huntington in our rearview mirror and head for the suburbs of Putnam County. There are better hot dogs ahead and few miles of digestion to go before our next stop.
Our next stop on the Trail is
Farley's Famous Hot Dogs in Hurricane. The hot dogs at Farley's are delicious with sauce that is nearly the perfect texture and decent slaw to boot (oh, and this is the last time it'll be called "sauce" for a while - nothing but "chili" ahead). It's another drive-in with root beer, too so that's a bonus.
Next, we'll head on down Route 34 all the way to and through Winfield to stop at
The Dairy Freeze. The Freeze (as locals call it) feature great tasting weenies and classic tasting Southern W.Va. hot dog chili (see, I told you it would be called "chili") with a little spice and a whole lotta taste. The slaw is a little coarse but tastes great.
From Winfield we'll stay on the south side of the Kanawha River and travel down the road that used to be Rt. 35 to St. Albans and
Bammy's Chili Dogs. Bammy's knows how to make a great WV hot dog. The spicy chili is perfectly balanced by excellent slaw; creamy and sweet and applied in perfect proportion.
Next we'll jump over the Nitro/St. Albans Bridge to the
Nitro Dairy Queen, our second DQ on the trail.
Leaving Nitro, we have one more stop before we breach the city limits of Charleston, and that is
Ridgeview BBQ in Institute. Located right across Rt. 25 from the WV State University Campus - this BBQ joint also offers great hot dogs with smoky chili. Time your visit well, though, since they aren't open weekends.
Continuing on Rt. 25 into Charleston, the next HDJ you will encounter is the venerable
Huskey's Dairy Bar. Huskey's has been selling delicious hot dogs on this corner for decades, and they are still just as good today. If you have room, make sure you get one of their famous chocolate shakes too.
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| Hot Diggity Dog - Our final stop |
You barely need to get back in the car to drive one block to the last stop on this year's West Virginia Hot Dog Trail,
Hot Diggity Dogs. Take our advice, though, and don't get the yellow slaw. Their regular slaw is superior, and the yellow stuff pales in comparison with that you already tried at Chums. Hot Diggity Dogs hosts regular cruise-in events, so try to time your visit to coincide with one for a nostalgic atmosphere.
So that's it, Hot Dog fans. 38 Four or Five Weenie Hot Dog Joints in just a little over 800 miles. Sure you'll be tired, but shame on you if you are still hungry!
