Coney Island, New York
Others might claim they’re “the original hot dog,” Feltman’s of Coney Island begs to differ. The first modern American frankfurter, as well as the birth of the hot dog bun, all started in a pushcart on Coney Island in 1867 with Charles Feltman at the helm. Charles Feltman, a German immigrant and baker by trade, invented the first hot dog as a convenient way for beachgoers to enjoy frankfurter sausages on a long sliced bun without the hassle of plates or silverware. Today, as a veteran-owned and operated Gold Star family business, Feltman’s one hundred percent natural all-beef hot dogs are inspired by Feltman’s original boardwalk sensation: smoked in a snappy natural casing for a juicy explosion of old-world spices and flavors with every bite—with no artificial nitrates or ingredients—just like Charles intended.