There aren’t many things on this green earth that unify, and simultaneously drive apart, Americans quite like hot dogs, besides maybe politics and the NFL (which may as well be the same thing at this point, much to the chagrin of “Stick to Sports” Twitter). Hot dogs are universal in the sense that they’re consumed at every corner of the country. They’re also quite divisive, in that each region has their own spin on the mystery sausage, and which one is the best is a oft-debated subject.

Cities and states lay claim to hot dogs like BBQ and famous nightclubs. The Chicago dog, Dodger dog, Seattle-style dog, Detroit dog — all delicacies that locals will fiercely defend to their graves.

In truth, most of these dogs are remarkably similar: dog, buns, onions, peppers, cheese, and some kind of sauce. The attachment lies in the intrinsic pride that comes with the down-home origin story of each dog, most of which were long ago enough to not be quite remembered, as well as memories of better days and sleepless nights spent with friends stumbling into a hot dog vendor at just the right time.

One such cherished hot dog is Detroit’s Coney Island dog, which combines a Dearborn Sausage Company hot dog with beanless chili, a hit of mustard, chopped raw onions, and, of course, a helping of shredded cheddar cheese. These dogs are a part of the city’s culinary backbone, a place where a preference between local landmark American Coney Island or it’s next-door counterpart Lafayette can strain friendships.

A few days ago, on Foodbeast’s podcast, The Katchup, hosts Elie Ayrouth and Geoffrey Kutnick were joined by Chris Sotiropoulos, the owner of American Coney Island to discuss the creation of the Detroit’s esteemed Coney Island Dogs. The company’s recent expansion to Las Vegas gives West Coaster’s the chance to try a regional dog that would be otherwise unobtainable. With the Coney fresh on our mind, the Foodbeast office began to think of other specialty dogs out there that we haven’t tried.

So, we hit the streets and found eleven hometown favorites that we wish we could try, and here they are:

Sonoran Style

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