Nathan's Chili Cheese Dog Review

Today, we review the Chili Cheese Dog from Nathan’s Famous. Nathan’s Famous traces its roots back to 1916 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, at the corner of Stillwell Avenue and Surf Avenue. This is where Nathan and Ida Handwerker opened the first Nathan’s Famous restaurant. Nathan’s is “famous” for its hot dogs. Their hot dog was created by Ida using a spice recipe from her grandmother. The Handwerker family sold Nathan’s in 1987, and today Nathan’s operates 198 franchises worldwide.

I’m not entirely sure of the specifics, but I have noticed three types of Nathan’s Famous restaurants: 1) The original Coney Island restaurant; 2) Full franchised dine-in restaurants; and 3) takeout franchises. Based on my observations, the original restaurant offers the most extensive menu, featuring items such as fried frog legs. The dine-in franchises have a smaller menu, while the takeout franchises provide a minimal selection. In this case, I visited a Food Court in Charlotte. In addition to their restaurants, Nathan’s also operates a retail grocery business, where they sell their hot dogs, condiments, and other products.

As for the Chili Cheese Dog, it’s a staple item on the menu and can be found at nearly every Nathan’s Famous franchise.

The Construction

The Chili Cheese Dog was ordered “as is” with no customizations.

Hot Dog: 100% Beef
Bun
Cheese Sauce (Cheddar-based)
Chili
Length: 6 1/2 inches
Weight: 4 1/2 ounces
Location Purchased: Charlotte, NC
Price: $4.99
Items Purchased: 2

The Experience

My first hot dog review was of the Costco Hot Dog, which had limited condiments. As a result, I assigned only one point for the condiments. However, for the Nathan’s Famous Chili Cheese Dog, I adjusted the scoring system to account for the additional toppings, namely chili and cheese.

Hot Dog: 4.0 points
Bun: 2.0 points
Condiments: 2.0 points
Intangibles: 2.0 points

Hot Dog

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog is 100% beef and is made with a natural casing. The hot dog itself is prepared grilled, grilled enough where you can see the casing slightly shrivel making for a nice snap. There was a decent amount of smokiness and spice to this hot dog. Nathan’s Hot Dogs are generally curved, but the hot dogs in this assessment didn’t have that shape (no loss of point here – just an observation).

Score: 2.5 out of 4.0 points

Bun

The bun on the Chili Cheese Dog was simply uneventful. The bun was slightly warmed, but in terms of flavor, it didn’t offer much. This was also a very light and airy bun. Usually, I prefer a little more toasting on a hot dog bun.

Score 0.5 out of 2.0 points.

Condiments

First up is the chili. For all the Texas chili fans out there, you’ll be pleased to know that this is a meat-based chili without beans. Overall, I would classify it as mild. I noticed some cumin spices, but it doesn’t stand out in terms of flavor. However, the mild spices did complement the hot dog quite well.

The cheese sauce is cheddar-based. It was a mild cheddar, smooth and creamy. In terms of flavor, it also didn’t wow me.

Score: 0.75 out of 2.0 points

Intangibles

One thing I always look for in a hot dog or anything served between bread is whether the overall experience exceeds the sum of its parts. Nathan’s Famous makes a solid hot dog. Still, it was not helped by the bun, the chili, or the cheese sauce. If anything, these three items detracted from the actual hot dog experience here.

The proportions used on the Chili Cheese Dog were good. There was the right amount of sauce and cheese. At the same time, it’s tough for the Chili Cheese Dog not to be a messy proposition.

Score: 0.5 points out of 2.0 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

What I have noticed about Nathan’s franchises is that the original Nathan’s in Coney Island is quite good. The dine-in franchises seem to lose something along the way. The takeout food court ones lose something even more. I mentioned that this Chili Cheese Dog was bought from a takeout food court. Still, I’m not sure that buying it elsewhere would have helped the score here. The bottom line is that Nathan’s Famous Chili Cheese Dog has an excellent actual hot dog. But, it’s not helped by what I considered to be below-average condiments. It took away from the overall experience. I’m more inclined to go with an option that offers other condiments and see how it goes.