Hot Dog Johnny’s

333 Route 46 Belvidere NJ 07823
www.hotdogjohnny.com

Hot Dog Johnny’s is a classic New Jersey Roadside hot dog stand. It hasn’t changed since I was a kid, and chances are, its the same as you remember it, too. Even if you’ve never been there, its going to seem pretty familiar

The Place- can be found in the less popultated rural farmland areas of the Garden State on the way out to Pennsylvania. Hot Dog Johnny’s is way out in Warren county all the way on the butt end of North Jersey in….seriously?….Buttzville. I know you’ve never heard of Buttzville before, but yes, its a real place and there are hot dogs there. Good hot dogs!

The building looks like it was painted in the 70′s(…no, 60′s…no, 50′s?) and hasn’t changed since. Burnt orange and brown isn’t exactly the favored color pallette of the modern age, but that’s clearly not what they’re going for here. This place is being maintained to look exactly as it has for the better part of a century for the sake of your childhood memories and nostalgia. Johnny’s is so commited to preserving the old-school, roadside hot dog nostalgia that the original road side hotdog stand is still there the around the back. Its looks like a shed with a window on it, which makes me wonder what the original hot dogs could have tasted like. How brave do you have to be to buy a hot dog from a shed?



Also, there is outdoor seating at picnic tables. There is a covered indoor area, but its got a wide open door, so if its particularly rainy, you’re still going to get a little wet. You could always go eat in your car, if you’d like.

The Yard – There is a large yard area that runs along the Pequest River, where people are always bringing footballs and frisbees to play with. If you have young kids, they’re going to like the other throwback on the property: the playground. Kids seem to love it there, even though they are warned that they are SWINGING AT THEIR OWN RISK!!!!.



Looking at the swings themselves, I’d say its actually quite a considerable risk.





The Hot Dogs are fried in peanut oil and quite tasty. At Hot Dog Johnny’s, they keep your hot dog experience simple, so don’t look for menus or expect a whole lot of options. We were told that there are four choices: mustard, ketchup, onions, or relish. Also, you could have french fries, or not have french fries.



Some of the other items available were included whole pickles or ice cream sandwiches. That about rounds out the whole menu. Normally, I appreciate varying degrees of choice, but this didn’t bother me too much. When I heard the name Hot Dog Johnny’s, I just expected Hot Dogs. So long as I got them, it was ok with me.



What is Buttermilk?-Another unique draw at Hot Dog Johnny’s that they even advertise on their sign is that they serve Buttermilk. What’s that, you say? Wikipedia tells me that its the gooey milk left over after churning butter. Yikes. How’s it actually taste? Look, some people swear by this stuff, but the bottom-line is that I don’t know anyone brave enough to try it. If you go out there and drink a glass, Email me your description and I’ll post it on the site. Otherwise, this mystery is going unsolved.



The Price is the best part at Hot Dog Johnnys. We got 4 dogs, 2 sodas (including a birch beer in a mug), and 1 fries for just $10.38. That is seriously a great value. How much would a fast food place cost you for that much eats? Even if it was cheaper, would it really be this good? Probably not. Although, the food may just cost less so that you have money left over to buy some Hot Dog Johnny Sweatpants and Frisbees, but who knows?



Overall, I like Hot Dog Johnny’s because you get exactly what you would expect. A classic roadside hot dog stand dripping with nostalgia and serving no-frills hot dogs at value price. It ain’t bad here, and you should go even though its in a place called Buttzville. Also, if you head home by going east on Route 46, check out these piece of Weird NJ on the left side of the road about 2 miles away.



Hot dogs and a rock with teeth like a T-rex? Dude. I love New Jersey.