Classic American hot dogs aren't quite the rarity they used to be (check our list for evidence) and we've got several top-quality frankfurters to scarf down here in Beijing.

Top Dog

Get your tubular tour de force underway at Bar Uno. This Gulou institution’s been slinging meat since 2009, when it opened up along with a wave of other small hot dog stands, most of which haven’t stood the test of time. Apart from its primo location, Bar Uno’s managed to stick around because its dog selection remains one of the most varied in Beijing. Get yours Chicago style (¥25 for the beef version—don’t order the pork), topped with chili, or go for the stand’s default option, an intriguing concoction topped with brown mustard, ketchup, veggies and a white substance that can only be described as “cheese-like.”

Find it: 89 Nanluoguxiang, 南锣鼓巷89号 Tel: N/A

Holy Cow

This little stand’s forerunner was named Crazy Dogs. It was much beloved. It closed, was mourned, then was resurrected with a new name. And yet the dogs remain crazy. We’ve sampled a lot of hot dogs in Beijing, but none scratched the itch like Holy Fries’. Celebrate summer with an American dog (¥12) cooked to caramelized perfection on a flat-top grill. Slap on some mustard (and ketchup, if you must) and dive in.

Find it: 41 Chengfu Road (across from Lush), 成府路41号(Lush对面) Tel: 158-0151-3518

Disappearing Sausage Trick

Say we told you we were going to open a really awesome hot dog place in Sanlitun, but it wouldn’t be open on weekends, and only until 8pm on weekdays (including Friday). You’d probably think we were insane, right? Yet such is the case with NMB, which is especially bewildering considering the quality of their offerings. Nowhere else on the east side grills up a girthy, delicious, custom-made dog like Bunz’s large hot dog (¥20). A word to management: we love your dogs. We just wish it was easier to get one.

Find it: Building 1, Xingfu Ercun, 幸福二村1号搂1搂 Tel: 8602-1672

And now, the ones that didn't make our top picks. Some are good-quality hot dogs to sink your teeth into...others, well, are sad experiences barely remembered moments afterwards.

WURSTBUDE: The clear runner-up. The only reason this one didn't make our list is because it's not, in fact, a hot dog. Still, wurst-wise, this place towers head and shoulders above its competition. Right smack at the north end of Nanluoguxiang, Wurstbude's proprietors (a German and his lovely Chinese wife) whip up a chubby, textural sausage with a satisfying grilled flavor. With imported sauerkraut on the menu unfortunately available only as a side (and not as a topping) with a lick of American mustard and a surfeit of ketchup. If they swapped out their generic white bread for a heartier kaiser roll and started offering sauerkraut as a topping, we'd probably end up setting up camp on their doorstep.

STADIUM DOG: More often seen as an appendage to Chad Lager's speakeasy stalwart Fubar, Stadium Dog shouldn't be overlooked as a late night pitstop in its own right. Although we have to deduct points for the gas station-esque rollers used to prepare the dogs (is an electric griddle really too much to ask?), the sheer variety of toppings--mustards especially--on hand go a long way towards easing the pain. They've jazzed up their menu recently too, adding options like burritos alongside the original hot dog options (we're still fans of the Italian).

FATBURGER: ... lives up to its name by providing us with a more-than-value dog, far and away the biggest banger from any place not named "Bunz." Just like at Holy Fries, the Fatburger Fatdog comes griddle grilled, and they'll toss on some grilled onions if you want them. Judging from aroma alone, we forked out a little extra. But flavor-wise, we walked away disappointed; a deflated balloon's got more pop. A more generous serve of onion might have also helped to mask the processed taste of the undercooked meat.

HOOTERS: The Hooters Hot Dog experience can be likened to being served by a hotpants-clad waitress with a leaky gel-filled push-up bra: sadly deflating and slightly water-logged. The dog was unremarkable: over-processed and over-boiled. It cemented its place in the mediocrity pantheon with a squirt of watered-down chili and a day-old bun. We're curious why they chose only to grill the bun: surely a quick sizzle would given the dog's flavor a needed jolt and ensured that it did not come to the table lukewarm. For such a pricey wiener, we expected more.

Did we miss your favorite place for hot dogs? Have you had a truly wretched sausage experience? Leave a comment down below!