London, UK
I had heard Big Apple Hot Dogs described as the best hot dogs in London, so I googled them to see where I could find them. Unfortunately they are only open in Old Street from Tuesdays - Fridays from 12 - 6pm, making it hard to get there during lunch hour for anyone not in the area. I considered cycling there to be able to get there and back in my break, and quickly eat it as well, but luckily I didn't need to. From February this year, Big Apple Hot Dogs started serving their full menu every day at the hipster-filled Owl & Pussycat Pub in Shoreditch. It's difficult to find a table, but only because the other ones are taken by people having drinks. Curiously, every time I've been there I haven't seen anyone else eating. The hot dogs are hand made in London, and the website states that 94-98% of the contents is meat, which I assume is quite a lot more than your average street vendor hot dog. The buns are made fresh by local bakers, and all in all it sounds like a wholesome, guilt-free sausage. I have been a few times now, and tried the Big Dog and Huge Pole, both mixes of pork and beef, and the pure beef Pimp Steak. Despite their different sizes and shapes, they all come in the same size bun, meaning the proportion of bread cannot be right for all of them. You can add a range of toppings for 80 p each, including fried onions, kimchi and my favourite; sauerkraut. The hot dogs are all tasty, but a bit too big, and it's difficult to bite over the large bun without getting ketchup and mustard all over. The fries are soggy, so I only ordered those once. Big Apple Hot Dogs are definitely up there with the best I've tried in London, but they still can't compete with the real deal in New York.
