Blackie’s Hot Dog Stand

Excellent dogs. Always order at least two. Great shakes and Birch beer. Quick in and out. A must for dog fans. Service is quick. Cash only. Burgers are good. Enjoy!

Damn good hotdog but you come here for one reason… their relish hot hot hot. Prices are very reasonable, I must stop if your in the area

In leaving I wanted to start the «O-​VER-​RATED» chant. WHO TF, thinks this is landmark worthy grub? Fresh from the bag cold buns, flavorless school cafeteria dogs. You want a good pepper relish, on an outstanding dog? Drive the extra distance to Glenwood in Hamden. Thank God I’m not one of the people that actually traveled a good distance to get here. Awful.

I’ve been going here since I was a little kid… nothing like a hot dog with blackies special relish Another great thing is they sell birch beer!

I had 2 weeks vacation and decided to take a friend on a hot dog tour of the northeast. This is stop #6. We only went to places we’ve never been before.
This place had a bunch of seats at the counter, but they were all full. A few steps up there’s a little room you can sit in with 6 or 7 tables.
I believe they use Hummel hot dogs. There’s other brands I like better. They make their own spicy relish and sell it in jars. It was fantastic.
If you wish to follow the rest of my trip, stop #7 is a non-​hot dog place. Ted’s:

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid in the 60s and 70s. Not much has changed and I like it that way. Great hot dogs, great relish, and a cold root beer make this a quick and delicious lunch. You’ve got to experience Blackie’s once in a lifetime! Just ask the locals!

Not impressed yet. I guess I expected more after all the hype that my friends put out about Blackie’s hot dogs. My first try was a disappointment. To begin, they were take out dogs brought to me and I ate them about 20 minutes after they were made. They were cool with soggy buns. Not their fault so I’m not blaming them for that. But, I’m not really a relish guy either. That’s all you can get (and mustard) on these hot dogs which is fine… that’s their thing. Homemade hot pepper relish is what they are famous for and have a tremendous following for. It was good if you really like just relish on your hot dog. All in all, an OK taste with a good quality hot dog. I plan to go back in warmer weather and try them again and eat em right away.

Been coming here for over 20 years. Two hot dogs with their famous relish and a little mustard with two chocolate milks! Sometimes a birch beer either way you Can’t go wrong. Atmosphere and service are kind of blah but who cares that relish is like crack!

Don’t change a thing Blackie’s! If you want old school, then this is your place. They have been cranking out Hummel’s dogs forever. Their homemade relish is the best thing you can put on a wiener! No fries– just chips– love that! And closed on Fridays cuz you don’t eat meat on Fridays– like I said, old school!

I think Blackie’s falls under that type of micro-​regional hot spot. People that live within 10 miles will almost always swear by it, and a lot of the people farther away that try will sometimes not see the appeal.
So, I live within 10 miles away.
In my family, this place is almost sacred… and a stop here is always met with great celebration and revelry. But first things first here; yes, the relish IS amazing, and possibly the best I’ve ever had. But people, do NOT overlook the dog. Even if you eat one «naked» (like I do with 1 of the 3 I order every time), you will not be disappointed. I don’t know where they get their dogs, but they are like this perfectly spiced and perfectly sublime tubes of meat that make my head spin. (Am I talking like a fat guy? Sometimes I feel like I’m talking like a fat guy.) The dogs are steamed, not grilled… which either IS or is NOT your thing. If you’re looking for a Frankie’s-like grilled dog… keep driving. Anyway, yes… the relish is ridiculously good, the mustard is also something special. But contrary to what many other reviews say, I’d go for the dog, and stay for the condiments. And for a drink, do NOT miss the birch beer. And bring cash… they do NOT take any other form of payment.
No. They don’t offer ketchup. And that’s a good thing. If you put ketchup on your hot dog you might be a member of ISIS. They do offer hamburgers… but seriously, just don’t. The staff is always friendly, as long as you know what you want when you’re ordering and don’t ask a lot of dumb questions. They move a lot of people through there, so just be prepared to keep the flow going.
Here would be my suggested order for a first timer. Say exactly what’s in the quotes, and if you want it to go, just add «on a truck» to the end.
Hungry Man:
«3 dogs and a medium birch beer» (leave one dog naked, put relish on one, then relish and mustard on the other)
Heavy Snack
«2 dogs and a medium birch beer» (leave one dog naked, put relish on the other one)
Girlie Order (Seriously, don’t. If you only order 1, you’re going to want another one)
«1 dogs and a medium birch beer» (relish on the dog)
Again, I know people have their regional favorites (Woody’s, Doogies, Frankie’s, Capital Lunch, etc.), but I’m here to tell you… this is a special dog. A very… VERY special dog. #downboy

You need to arrive right here and attempt the hotdogs they may be incredible. Two puppies along with a consume for under $ 6 you can’t request anything at all much more.

Best hot dog and burger joint I’ve ever been to. Robert Sietsema spoke the truth about this place. Check it out

Used to stop here en route to and from college. Went back recently and was not disappointed. Delicious hotdogs and simple yet flavorful burgers. This is all you want in life. It’s located by the side of the road. Packed with lots of locals. And most importantly excellent and inexpensive food. Their relish is world famous and truly flavorful. Hope this place stays around forever.

Best hot dogs from new haven. Hot Relish is by far the greatest. A CT classic.

So good. I have been coming here since i was little! Although they did switch up there dogs the relish makes up for it… sosososo good!

Lunch for 5 for $ 26! Hot dogs are amazing, relish is worth the stop and the cool garage door entrance, old bar and bar stools, and legit historical pictures hanging on the walls give Blackie’s a unique old-​time ambiance that you just can’t make up. We found the staff to be friendly and funny. Wish we lived closer so we could go more often!

They aren’t the friendliest.
Their dogs aren’t the best I’ve had.
They’re ok. Really, the hot dogs are just the delivery system for their fantastic peppery relish. They sell the relish to go. Buy it.
Go in, say a number and that’s how many hot dogs they give you. Only two toppings, mustard and relish, you put that on. Don’t ask for any other toppings, they do not exist and they will look at you like you are a fool for asking.
They also have burgers and ice cream. I’ve never seen anyone order them.
The place is really cool looking. It is worth a look inside. If you do go, understand that the building will be friendlier than the staff.
Yes, I’ve been there several times, no it isn’t a «someone having a bad day» situation. They’re just not nice.
Relish. Building. Enjoy.

First: They ONLY take CA$H! I looked on their website and it says nothing about forms of payment, yet you can buy their Hot Pepper Relish online, so I ass-u-me’d that they took cards. Don’t make that mistake. AND they do not have an ATM machine. Nearest is a bank about 2.5 miles away. Anyhow, on to the food…
This place is about the Relish. Dogs are so so (but if they are busy, they can be uh oh). If they are busy, ask for the dogs well done. They’ll come out on the medium side, which is much better than the slightly warm ones that you usually get during busy times. Then, slather on the Hot Pepper Relish on one, and Hot pepper Relish and Mustard on the other (2 Dog minimum, imho). If you like their Relish, buy a jar and take it home. $ 6 is a bit pricey, but well worth it. It tastes even better than the counter Relish and you can use it on any of your home creations (dogs included) and it always ups the taste factor. As others have said, the Birch Beer is good too.
And as has been mentioned, regulars get preferential treatment here. If you are a stuck up snob, that believes you are the center of the universe, then don’t go here. You’ll be treated like trailer trash. But if you can live with being treated as customer #127 of the day, then you should really give it a try.

Great dogs !
Nothing fancy, try the Birch Beer… can’t beat it for $ 5.
They have ice cream too but this is as no frills as it gets… literally the side of the road.

Visit #2, wow. Placed a simple order, four dogs and a burger. Every five minutes, the staff had a confusing discussion about what was pending, continuously stumped by three similar orders. Fifteen minutes later, the original waitress seemed to go back to the grill to prepare our order. Five minutes after that, we finally had our lunch.
Then my son decided the dogs were nice and he wanted to check out the burgers too. In went a cheese burger order. Ten minutes later, it’s placed in front of him. Another waitress takes it from him and walks to the other end of the bar to give it to… nobody. Comes back and hands it to the patron to my left, whom had ordered a cheeseburger, sixty seconds earlier. He pushes it back and the intercepting waitress stood there for a minute revisiting all of the chaos and communication failures. Finally, she shoves it back in front of my son without a word and walks off. This well traveled burger probably didn’t taste to sweet by the time half the shop had handled it. Not once did any of the staff address the patrons as to what what expected of them and all the guests gave the same dumbfounded stare of disbelief.
When they were not tripping over themselves they entertained themselves with some light hearted taunting, borderline bickering and often unprofessionally profane chatter. I haven’t seen anything like this. Usually, a place that is so small and intimate, usually carries a more congenial behavior. And watching a staff go so brainlocked over a menu that has only 2 – 3 items… it was clear that serving cheeseburgers and hamburgers in addition to their namesake dogs, may have been exceeding their operational limitations. We’re not locals, we aren’t important to them, but the didn’t need to make us feel that way.

The taste of over a ½ century ago…
The kind of place that no longer exists…
Perfect as what it is…

OMG yes.
This place is old-​school. You order at the counter and then grab a seat. They’ll scream for you when the order is ready. Their relish is slamming, especially when combined with their mustard. Their dogs are great and their buns are always fresh.
Someone mentioned that their hotdog was not snappy enough, I think I heard someone order them well done (or something to that effect). I will try this out next time and report back.
They also serve milkshakes, plus root beer & birch beer.
I’ve been here twice and the sun has always been shining — maybe the sun always shines on Blackie’s.

This place rules. I saw it and immediately pulled over. It was a dark night in Cheshire and I was driving to Oxford when I was hypnotized by the lustrous neon lights of BLACKIE’S. I thought it might be a bar, honestly, it reminded me of One-​Eyed Jack’s in Twin Peaks and the matron there, whose name was Blackie. I really love neon signs, places that look weird, old and/​or crappy and BLACKIE’S certainly hit that mark.
$ 2 for a hot dog, $ 3 for a burger. Cash only. Order and eat at the bar, the relish and mustard was really delicious. I’m not a huge hot dog gal but if you’re hungry and driving by and don’t feel like shelling out 8 $ for some artisan sandwich or whatever, Blackie’s has you covered.
Don’t try to dance though. They’ll be pissed.

I hate to disappoint all of the people that have told me how wonderful Blackie’s is, but I’m going to have to do just that. I know that this is an iconic place, so I’ll be careful with my choice of words.
The staff was nice enough. The food came out quick. The bun was so-​so. The hot dog was small and limp. There was no snap to the skin, and it felt like it had been rolled across a grill-​top a couple of times. The dog was far from being hot, lukewarm at best. Choice of entrees? Hot dog or hamburger (or cheeseburger). Sure, you can get a bag of chips… but don’t look for fries or onion rings here.
What Blackie’s is best known for, is their «homemade» relish. It is a tasty condiment and when paired with the spicy mustard, the dog is edible.
This is the kind of place you can count on for a basic meal. Sometimes, people get comfortable with what they know…