Don’t let summer pass by without trying one of these amazing hot dogs

There’s just something very American about hot dogs.

Is there another dish that consumers routinely devour despite scientific research showing each serving takes about 36 minutes off your life, at least according to the University of Michigan?

While Costco is known for its rotisserie chickens, pizzas and jumbo everything, it’s the $1.50 all-beef hot dog that is routinely cited as the warehouse company’s top dish.

I feel fortunate to live about 20 minutes away from one of the only two California locations for Chicago’s famed Portillo’s hot dogs and its divine jumbo tomato-pepper-pickle dog.

If you love a great hot dog, our Food Team has curated a list of delectable delights from around Southern California for your sampling pleasure this summer.

Here’s a look at four selections from the full list, since you’re going to need to save every minute.

Amboy (Chinatown)

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )

The chili cheese dog at Amboy may be the most decadent (and certainly the messiest) hot dog in the city, according to colleague Jenn Harris.

It starts with a wrinkled, wonderfully snappy dog that extends well beyond the buttery brioche bun.

It’s smothered in rich, beefy chili and a house-made cheese sauce that lands somewhere between queso and melted American cheese. And it’s crowned with a smattering of diced raw onion. It’s a once-in-a-while indulgence worth the chili stains at the corners of your mouth, the mountain of soiled napkins and the need to lie down.

Cupid’s Hot Dogs (Winnetka)

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Few L.A. hot dog spots feel as quintessential as Cupid’s, where the food is just as steeped in family lore as nostalgia, according to my colleague Stephanie Breijo.

The Walsh family’s been slinging hot dogs across the Valley since 1946, with sisters Morgan and Kelly Walsh serving as third-generation stewards.

Their thin, steamed all-beef dogs still snap with each bite. The signature Cupid dog — a creation of their father’s in the 1980s — is punchy with mustard, chili and onions, and the chili here is so thick it’s practically a flavor-packed paste. Drop by Simi Valley for newer digs, or by the old-school Winnetka location for a walk-up window and that iconic red heart-shaped sign.

Larry’s Chili Dog (Burbank)

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Larry’s Chili Dog has been serving glizzy-hungry patrons since the early 1950s, and its dogs and breakfast burritos can be purchased as early as 7 a.m. from a busy walk-up window, Breijo wrote.

The little yellow shack under a vintage puppy-in-a-bun sign is one of the region’s oldest and most classic roadside hot dog stands, and it specializes in house-made chili: You can find it on the signature chili dog, atop fries, in a cup by its lonesome, or smothering a spicy grilled link in a tray.

For all of Larry’s classic items, there’s plenty of room for modernization. There are corn dogs, Chicago dogs, bacon-wrapped dogs, pastrami-laden dogs and sauerkraut-topped dogs, and any signature snappy dog can be swapped out for a Louisiana hot link, a Polish sausage, a turkey dog or a veggie dog. Just be sure to get your fix on the early end: Larry’s closes at 3 p.m.

Wezzarepas (Whittier)

(Angela Osorio / Los Angeles Times)

Hot dogs are a popular late-night craving you’ll find at any street food stand in Colombia, known for loaded toppings and an array of sauces, creating a chaotic but delicious combination of sweet, savory and tangy flavors, wrote my colleague Angela Osorio.

At the Wezzarepas food truck, you’ll find a choriperro (dubbed the “Mastiff” dog) stuffed with spicy chorizo sausage instead of a hot dog frank and topped with shredded mozzarella, bacon, crumbled potato chips and a drizzle of in-house sauces: creamy cilantro aioli, pink sauce (mayo and ketchup), and a sweet, tangy pineapple sauce. Also worth trying are the arepas de choclo, sweet yellow corn cakes filled with gooey mozzarella.

For more, check out the full list.

The week’s biggest stories

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Crime, court and policing

• The California Forest Service says two of its workers were taken hostage and held at gunpoint in a remote trailer.
• The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled hiring a hit man to commit murder is not always “a crime of violence.”
• An LAPD detective claims he was ordered not to investigate the death of a girl.
• Manslaughter charges have been filed in the death of a 20-year-old ‘surf royalty heir’ in Huntington Beach.

West Hollywood flooding

• West Hollywood faces a long recovery after a massive water main break sent millions of gallons into the street.
• West Hollywood’s rupture was L.A.’s worst in years.
• Buzzy Sunset Strip cafe, located on the busy Sunset strip, closes indefinitely due to the water main break.

Bay Area news

• Wreckage has been found after a deadly boat capsize near Alcatraz. The search continues for missing bodies.
• Amazon delivery companies laid off more than 150 people in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, has been charged with hit-and-run in California.

Environmental issues

• Orange County demands $4 million from the company at the center of Garden Grove‘s chemical crisis.
• California-based Taylor Farms pulls its iceberg lettuce from U.S. amid a cyclosporiasis outbreak.
  

What else is going on

• Tennessee tries to woo Paramount and other companies away from California.
• A retired Long Beach teacher who went missing in the Mojave Desert was found dead.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom continues his crackdown on cities trying to ignore housing plan requirements.
• A South L.A. Crips gang member allegedly recruited accomplices on Instagram for a multimillion-dollar scheme.

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Other must-reads

• The San Andreas fault has gone ominously silent. Scientists fear when it finally snaps.
• Opinion: The doctor who helped save her is in another state, and telemedicine follow-up is prohibited.
• Opinion: America is at war. Pete Hegseth is focused on beards and hormones.
• Opinion: This next batch of elected senators will decide the fate of Social Security.

For your downtime

(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

• Sunday, Funday: Actress Mary Steenburgen shares her perfect Sunday, which includes a trip to Armstrong Garden Centers.
• Beat the heat: Waterslides! Lazy rivers! Eight Palm Springs-area pools you can cool off in for the day.
• Buon appetito: Beverly Hills steakhouse Baldi should actually be your new favorite destination for pasta.
• Movie review: Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is a mighty Trojan horse of his thematic obsessions.

Staying in

• Television review: In ‘Ride or Die’ and ‘Lucky,’ women are on the run but also in on the action.
• Television review: Will Ferrell’s ‘The Hawk’ tees up silly sophomoric jokes, but that’s why we’re here.
• 🍨 Here’s a recipe for matcha ice cream.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

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July 17, 2026

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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