Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats
Sign In | Register for Free!
Restaurants Recipes Forums Eating Tours Merchandise FAQ Maps Insider

Bethel Hot Dog Palace

44 Stony Hill Rd., Bethel, CT - (203) 790-5064
Posted By Michael Stern on 4/13/2012 3:27:00 PM
The Bethel Hot Dog Palace, which has dubbed itself "A Great American Diner," used to be the Roadside Chili House, and although the name has changed, the cuisine's the same. The star of the show is not chili (it never was), but a foot-long, natural-casing Hummel brand hot dog that comes covered with chili. You also can get the dog with cheese, bacon, and/or onions. If your frankfurter aesthetic is of the Bauhaus school, you can have it plain, presented in a nice, grill-toasted bun. The ultimate configuration, with everything on dog or burger, here here known as Texas-style.

The chili is fine-grind beef with a just a whisper of tongue-tingling kick. Containing no beans or other vegetables, it's more a meat sauce than a meal; and I would imagine that a bowl full of it ($7 with cheese and chips) would be monotonous. But on hot dogs or hamburgers or piled onto French fries, it's a dandy halo.

To drink, on the side: a milk shake, please. Available flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and orange Creamsicle.

17 out of 17 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes

Scorecard

3 - Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour
Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour
Chili Dog
Milk Shake
Texas Dog
Texas Burger
chili cheese fries
Rate this place

Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

This handsome chili dog only comes in the footlong length, and we should've ordered chili fries for extra spiciness.
"This handsome chili dog only comes in the footlong length, and we should've ordered chili fries for extra spiciness."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch





The Texas Burger is named because it includes a layer of all-beef chili below the meat. Atop that are sauteed onions and strips of bacon. It is a slithery mess that leaves the bun in tatters. I would put it on the honor roll of kill-or-cure gastronomy -- the kind of thing that sounds like a great idea -- and tastes terrific -- at 3am when the bars close. Cold sober in broad daylight, well, that's another story.
"The Texas Burger is named because it includes a layer of all-beef chili below the meat. Atop that are sauteed onions and strips of bacon. It is a slithery mess that leaves the bun in tatters. I would put it on the honor roll of kill-or-cure gastronomy -- the kind of thing that sounds like a great idea -- and tastes terrific -- at 3am when the bars close. Cold sober in broad daylight, well, that's another story."
Michael Stern


Texas Dog: a voluptuous foot-long wiener topped with a mantle of melted cheese, a spill of peppery chili, lots of bacon, and raw onions. The bun is toasted and in comparison to its ingredients tastes almost sweet. This is not a sophisticated frank, but when the Tube Steak Siren calls, it fills the bill.
"Texas Dog: a voluptuous foot-long wiener topped with a mantle of melted cheese, a spill of peppery chili, lots of bacon, and raw onions. The bun is toasted and in comparison to its ingredients tastes almost sweet. This is not a sophisticated frank, but when the Tube Steak Siren calls, it fills the bill."
Michael Stern


The dining area is an enclosed porch up front. To the left in back is an open patio for nice-weather meals.
"The dining area is an enclosed porch up front. To the left in back is an open patio for nice-weather meals."
Michael Stern


While the Bethel Hot Dog Palace won't likely be winning epicurean awards for haute cuisine, it does get the bargain-hunter's prize for cheap eats.
"While the Bethel Hot Dog Palace won't likely be winning epicurean awards for haute cuisine, it does get the bargain-hunter's prize for cheap eats."
Michael Stern



What is Roadfood?  |   Submit Content  |   Privacy Policy  |   Contact Roadfood.com   Copyright - Roadfood.com