LA-based gourmet hot dog shop Dog Haus is expanding all over the DMV after opening its first East Coast location in Bethesda in 2018. The latest outpost to open is in Silver Spring, and a Dupont location is in the works along with one in College Park. Served on grilled King’s Hawaiian Rolls, these all-beef hot dogs are dressed up with ingredients like wild arugula, avocado, tomato, crispy onions, and spicy basil aioli — the toppings for the “Sooo Cali” dog. These biergartens stay open late, until 2 a.m. on the weekends.

New Jersey native and hospitality vet Chris Van Jura pivoted to hot dogs during the pandemic’s turmoil, creating buzz with a mobile vending machine serving both classic and specialty dogs using Maryland’s acclaimed Roseda Farm beef. Specialty hot dogs include the “Lincoln Logs,” a butterflied dog slathered with cream cheese, or the “Nico Sauve” with ketchup, mustard, mayo, and crispy potato sticks. Catalyst Hot Dogs recently landed an outpost at Denizens Brewing in Riverdale Park, featuring even more hot dog varieties like the bacon-wrapped Sonoran Dog nestled on bolillo bread and topped with pinto beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and jalapeño ranch.

D.C.’s half-smoke landmark also serves up traditional hot dogs, too. There’s a jumbo beef dog, a jumbo turkey dog, and a veggie dog at this historic grill on U Street. And all of these can be topped with Ben’s trademark chili, plus mustard and onion.

This Philly-loving sandwich spot in Shaw is all about Chicago-style dogs this summer, topped the traditional way with relish, peppers, tomato, pickle, mustard, and celery salt. Available for the month of July at the playfully pink restaurant, or order online for pickup or delivery.

This 60-year-old dive bar is well-known for its cheese-smothered chili dogs, and they sell a ton of them. The bar on Vienna’s main drag asserts on its website that it sells over 10,000 chili dogs every month, each smothered with chili, cheese, spicy mustard, and diced onion.

The couple behind Nim Ali, a pop-up devoted to shukos or Guatemalan-style loaded hot dogs, now boast a permanent location in Foggy Bottom’s Western Market food hall, while a food truck also roams around the DMV. The anatomy of the dish involves a beef frank placed on a bed of cabbage on toasted bread, then doused in guacamole and squiggly layers of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and spicy picamas sauce.

Fancy hot dogs are apparently having a moment in summer 2023, and swanky subterranean cocktail bar Silver Lyan is going all in with a self-described “somewhat extravagant” $18 wagyu hot dog with kimchi. While you’re there, pair the dog with new cocktails made with ambitious ingredients like distilled emu neck and smoked bee larvae.

A freshly baked everything pretzel encases an all-beef Hebrew National dog to form the pretzel dogs at Capitol Hill’s beloved Pretzel Bakery.

Naturally, a bar that evokes Santa Monica’s beachside boardwalks would serve up hot dogs. The Wharf’s Boardwalk Bar & Arcade from Better Hospitality Group stocks its dogs with meat from Shenandoah’s Autumn Olive Farms. Beyond the typical ketchup and mustard, there are choices like a spicy sriracha dog with slaw or a loaded dog with bacon, cheese sauce, tomatoes, onions, and chipotle aioli. During daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., hot dogs are $5.95 each.

Times have changed since 1954: the Weenie Beanie hot dog stand and its all-beef chili dogs have not. Order a hot dog “all the way” aka with all the fixings like mustard, onion, chili, and relish.

This Black-owned chain devoted to hot dogs added to its Alexandria outpost with a new location in Arlington as well as a widespread presence at Nationals Park (Sections 105, 234, and 315). The kitchen gets creative with options like the Vietnamese-style banh mi dog or an OBX dog topped with chili, coleslaw and mustard. The nearly 20 hot dog varieties are inspired by cultures across the globe, from a bruschetta dog to a dog covered with hoisin sauce, scallions, and cucumbers.