HOT DOG REVIEW in New York: Bobbi’s Italian Beef

When it comes to food, I usually like to steer people to the dishes a place is known for. When visitors ask me for the best cheesesteak in the city, I tell them to hop a train to the city of Brotherly Love.

Likewise, when someone wants to eat Montreal bagels in New York, I look at them kind of funny.

I love that we have the options. That’s what makes NYC so great, but we all know NYC has the better bagels, pizza, cheesecake, etc. But when it comes to hot dogs, New York is not the only place in the US that knows how to do them right.

In fact, Chicago may have a leg up on us when it comes to frankfurters.

And Bobbi’s Hot Beef, which opened in the unlikely neighborhood of mostly serene Carroll Gardens, wants to bring some of that Chicago food, including hot dogs to Brooklyn.

We already have Emmett’s with two locations in Manhattan bringing us a taste of Chicago, mainly through its different pizza styles. Bobbi’s seems to want to touch on all of the Chicago classics – Italian beef, pizza, and hot dogs.

I’ll have to come back to try the other two, but I made a quick visit for the dog. The lively fast food vibe felt very transportive and felt like I was around the corner from Wrigley Field rather than in residential Brooklyn.

It was very clear that the hot dog I’d be served was going to be as classically Chicago as possible. Green relish, peppers, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and celery salt – this dog has been dredged through the garden indeed. A poppyseed bun and plenty of yellow mustard were the crown.

Despite all the ingredients, I found it to be a bit overwhelmed by the yellow mustard (which is not always my favorite type of mustard). I also thought the celery salt (which I quite enjoyed) got a bit lost somewhere and only came out in spots.

But there’s no doubt this is a full-on dog. The wiener was flavorful and tasty but didn’t have as much snap as I’d hoped. This was mostly about the toppings in all their bold bright glory.

It’s not a bad example of the Chicago-style hot dog and as I mentioned, I’m glad places like Bobbi’s give us options, but this is really a spot for locals to try something different or homesick Chicago-ers. I still say if you’re visiting NYC, get a NYC dog.

Does Bobbi’s Italian Beef have the best hot dog in NY? It does not have the best NYC hot dog, but they never advertise that, obviously. They get a 7 out of 10 for making a classic Chicago dog, but if you want the real thing, head west young man.