It’s OK to admit it: the first image your mind conjures when you hear “hot dog” is that of Joey Chestnut on the 4th of July, standing on the stage at Coney Island scarfing down water-logged buns and ungarnished tubes of meat. That’s not quite the hot dog situation we’re dealing with down here—but, even if you don’t think of Miami as a classic hot dog city, you should start to. Because we have many excellent, creative, and non-traditional variations—from classic chili dogs to a “SuperPerro” guaranteed to make you want to take a blissful nap. Here are our favorites.
THE SPOTS
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Babe’s Meat & Counter
Babe’s Meat & Counter is more than just a top-quality butcher shop and market. Next time you visit the Palmetto Bay spot to pick up your sausages and steaks, please order the hot dog, which you could get with relish and onions, but, if possible, we suggest adding kimchi instead (the kimchi dog can often be found as a special). The kimchi adds a spicy, tangy dimension to their snappy Fripper’s dog. The whole thing is then topped with creamy mayonnaise that gives it a simultaneous cool and warm temperature contrast. In classic Babe’s fashion, it’s all the flavors you loved growing up, but somehow even better than you remember.