Where To Find Melbourne’s Best Hot Dogs In 2025
Hotdogs. No mere sausage-and-bun, but an American icon synonymous with baseball, the Fourth of July, Manhattan street-vendors and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. And a strong contingent have sprouted up in Melbourne.
There’s an endless complexity to the hotdog, a dizzying array of regional variations. What kind of sausage? Mustard or ketchup? Sauerkraut? Relish? Bacon? Maybe… mayo? There’s so much to consider in the dog game. But before we dive into Melbourne’s finest, we must understand: what is (and isn’t) a hotdog?
Melbourne's Hot Dogs At A Glance
- Jump To What Is A Hot Dog?
- Jump To American Hot Dogs
- Jump To European Hot Dogs
- Jump To South American Hot Dogs
- Jump To Veg & Vegan Hot Dogs
What Is a Hot Dog?
Is it a sandwich? I will defer to Anthony Bourdain on the matter: “No… If you were to talk [to] any vendor of fine hot dogs, and ask for a hot dog sandwich, they would probably report you to the FBI. As they should.” I’ve had Bourdain’s favourite Papaya hotdog in Manhattan. He knows what he’s talking about.
A sausage roll is not a hotdog, nor is a democracy sausage. All hotdogs are sausages, but not all sausages are hotdogs. The fine-ground, reconstituted pre-cooked “meat in tube form”, as Bourdain put it, has a distinctively uniform colour and texture. If you’re slapping a chorizo or snag into a bun, that’s more chori-pan to me.
But… I have to make an exception. For history. “The hotdog is fundamentally an ethnic dish.” Words from actual hotdog historian (wow, goals), Bruce Kraig in Hotdogs: A Global History.
The first recorded use of “hotdog” was 1893 in an American publication. The two most common, frankfurters and wieners, came with German immigrants. Franks tend to be all-beef or pork and beef, Viennese wieners are pork or pork and veal. So, it’d be wrong to make a hotdog list excluding German origins.
Bratwurst Shop & Co.
513 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
In the crowded food hall of Queen Vic, Bratwurst Shop grills fresh, thick sausages, serving an endless stream of customers since the 1970s. A crusty, banh mi-style roll is filled with your choice of sausage (I opt for original beef and pork) and a selection of mustards, relish, sauces and toppings like sauerkraut. The grandparent of modern dogs.
America: Land of the Frank
American-style hotdogs are seen as the classic, definitive dog. For me the Costco hotdog is that by which all others are judged. But the membership access means this one doesn’t fit the spirit of this list. Is it the best hotdog? No. Is it absolutely perfect? Yes. Instead, here are your everyman American dogs.
The Keys
Unit 1/188 Plenty Road, Preston
The Gutter Dog at The Keys is simplicity with a chef’s touch. A pork and beef frank is split lengthways and grilled for a crisp, caramelised surface. The bun is brushed with butter and toasted. Instead of a hotdog ‘snap’, you get a little crunch. Chef Sam Stafford doesn’t go for complex faff. Dressings are house-made sauerkraut and white onion (not diced too finely) with mustard and ketchup. This is the nostalgic Americana you want for league nights, perfectly paired with a pickleback.
Five Guys
QV Melbourne, 228 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD
One for the condiment fiends, the maximalists. At US chain Five Guys, you order the base and dress as you like. Pick your regular all-beef frank (split and grilled) or with American-style cheese or wood-smoked bacon. Then, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure of toppings, from the standard mustard, relish and onions to hot sauce and jalapenos or grilled mushrooms and steak sauce.
Sabs
Alternating Locations
Sab's is a family-run business built on hotdog nerdery. They even developed two custom hotdogs with their butcher: one for boiling (juicy), one for grilling (smoky). They encompass elegant ketchup and mustard, a chilli and cheese combo, BBQ bacon and even a hot cheeto variation. Me? I’m chowing down on ‘Chicago’, an old-school boiled dog with relish, mustard, pickles and onion. Piquant, vibrant, well-dressed green-and-gold nestled in a steamed bun.
Jollygood
27A-29A Johnston Street, Collingwood
Deep fried hotdogs are rare, although word has it species are found in New Jersey—and Collingwood. Jollygood’s method adds crispness, a maillard skin-snap. Everything about this dog feels ramped up: chunky sweet gherkin relish, house-made curry ketchup and American mustard. The bun is structurally sound without being chewy. A big, luxurious bite. Not always on the menu, but a special worth seeking.
Hats and Tatts
1/246 Russell Street, Melbourne
It's summer. You’re in the pool, playing (or fighting) with your brother. Dad calls you over to the grill. You jump out, chlorine drying on your skin in the July heat. He hands you a paper plate. A hotdog, in the simple sesame supermarket bun. Beneath zigzags of ketchup and mustard is a bejewelled, almost pico de gallo relish, and melty cheese. You feel the sunburn tingle. You don’t care. The hotdog tastes like this perfect day. That’s the Hats and Tatts hotdog. Even though you’re eating it with a pint under the dive bar neon sign, “Derelicte My Balls”.
Walker’s Doughnuts
Various Locations
Your 24/7 hotdog. The characters at this Flinders St corner change from morning commuters to corporate lunchers, post-gym sugar-seekers, tourists and 3am curiosities, but Walker’s is timeless. Fluorescent lights spill onto the street with donut scents and retro music. The coffee is hot and so are the dogs. I’m hitting the Dodger, a (surprisingly lengthy) dog with ketchup, mustard, onions and American cheese sauce. Others include German, spicy, extra cheesy and a “double mega” dog (good luck).
8bit
8 Droop Street, Footscray
The perfect neatness of 8Bit’s hotdog almost looks like a video game graphic. Ketchup, mustard, relish and a pixel-sprinkling of spring onion on a skinless smoked frank and soft, glossy bun. It’s the kind of hotdog you could smash in competitive eating. A little cheat code to replenish your health bar.
Easey’s
3/48 Easey Street, Collingwood
Easey's is definitely the highest altitude dog in Melbourne. And a love letter to the elevated dog demands a double smoked beef frank for depth of flavour. With that strong base, you only need chopped onions, pickle relish and lashings of bright mustard in a lightly toasted bun. You can up the meat ratio with the chilli cheese dog, or the carb ratio with creamy mac n cheese. But the classic’ll hit every time.
Butcher’s Diner
10 Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD
Melbourne mostly sticks to New York style, not straying into regional specialties like Kansas City or Sonoran. Butcher’s Diner, however, has the Coney Island chilli dog—which is actually from Greek migrants in Detroit, Michigan. At Butcher’s, chef Minnesota Steve (from, yes, Minnesota) ramps up the bean chilli with beefy, porky BBQ bits. "It suits the Butcher’s Diner ‘every person’ style and utilises our beautiful smoker offcuts," he says. A crusty roll bears up against the rich stew, and their pork and beef frank is scored for crisp edges. It’s topped with oozy cheddar and neat rows of pickled jalapenos.
Hot(dog) Euro Summer
These European remixes are the hotdog equivalent of artist deep-cut tracks. For the connoisseurs.
Mitko Deli
39 Perth Avenue, Albion
Actually my new personal favourite. Seeing the rows and rows of specialty sausages at Mitko, you know they have expertise. The weiner’s a pork and veal mix, and they dress it one way only. A slightly enriched bun is split and toasted for buttery crispiness, with an innovative use of cheese: it holds the split sides together with a hammock-like undercarriage that grips the dog (an unseen method!). Then sauerkraut and generous zig zags of ketchup and mustard. Worth the suburban pilgrimage.
Deli Danois
733 Nicholson Street, Carlton North
Heard of Danish hotdogs? Deli Danois serves hotdogs you’d encounter at a pølsevogn (sausage wagon). The centerpiece, a blindingly bright red weiner, the pork-based rød pølse. It’s hugged in a soft puffy bun with sweet mustardy remoulade, pickled cucumber and onion two ways: caramelised and jammy, and crunchy fried sprinkles. Truly pleasing to the eye.
South American Hotdogs: A League Of Their Own
Throw out the rule book, Latin America has hotdogs you haven’t even dreamed of.
Spanish Churros
Shed B 513 Queen, Victoria Street, Peel Street, Melbourne CBD
Australia’s first churros, Spanish Churros, have been trading since 1976. Olga Silva started it when she arrived from Chile, and the hotdogs are a recent addition by her son, Christian. How do Chileans hotdog? The Italiano (for the flag colours) has a mountain of crushed avo, a squiggle of mayo and marinated tomato (all family recipes). With sauerkraut it’s a Completo. Christian also adds coriander chimichurri. “I like to experiment,” he says. “Argentinians put it on meat. Now I add it to all my hotdogs.” The completo gives smashed avo and bacon vibes. A refreshing breakfast hotdog.
Streetdogz
246 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne
Eating Colombian hotdogs? Arrive hungry. Streetdogz's loaded dogs are not for the faint of heart or weak of jaw. They even have a special cardboard holder to eat it, with an open side for access. Diana Acosta and her husband David Posada run Streetdogz with Nicolas, her son. “For Colombians, fast food is something that brings back a lot of nostalgia because it reminds us of our country, our people, our streets,” Nicolas says. The signature is Paco, traditional late night flavours of Medellín. A slightly sweet Colombian-style brioche and skinless beef frank hold an abundance of mayo cabbage salad, melted cheese and bacon with 5 sauces: mustard, ketchup, pineapple sauce, Colombian pink sauce and tartare sauce. It’s crowned with crispy potato fries and dotted with quail eggs.
Perreo
190 Coventry Street, South Melbourne
Perreo’s specialty involves hand-stretching hot mozzarella across hotdogs. Truly representative of the Colombian love of cheese. Each hotdog is a different city and style. Their popular Remix is a mashup of Bucaramanga and Medellín where the co-owners are from. Hefty scoops of chicken in Bucaramanga tartar sauce and Paisa salad are topped with onion, bacon, sweet pineapple and tartare sauces, the stretch of hot mozz and a quail egg. The award-winning El Encalambrado doubles down on the salty-sweet with deep-fried pork belly and plantain, with haloumi and cream cheese instead of mozz.
Vegetarians deserve hotdogs too.
Streetdogz
246 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne
The beauty of emulsified hotdog meat is that vego imitations serve just as well. A few places do them well, like Streetdogz (The Rocket, with soy sausage) and Hats and Tatts (vegan, with tomato sauce and mustard). But there’s another one for my vegan buddies.
Little Hof
90/116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne
Surprisingly, for a spot that specialises in brats, franks and kransky dogs, Little Hof has a fully vegan hotdog: The Herbivore. A white crusty bun cradles seasoned vegan sausage, tomato sauce, marinated carrot and crunchy fried shallots with a whisper of curly parsley. The kind of dog that feels good for you, too.
Did we miss any dogs? Let us know and we’ll update the list.