Zack’s Hot Dogs

In the middle of North Carolina’s BBQ Country, Burlington is also a major hot dog epicenter. Since 1926, Zack Toupoulos and family have owned and operated Zack’s Hot Dogs, and its current store—built in 1977 on West Davis Street—is just around the corner from its original location at the corner of Front and Worth Streets. Soon after Mr. Toupoulos bought the Alamance Hot Weiner Lunch in 1928, locals began referring to it as “Zack’s Hot Dogs,” due in part to Zack’s famous chili: a fine-grained meat sauce with no beans, and the bright orange grease left in its wake is reminiscent of similar Greek-style chili sauces in the Albany/Troy, New York area.

The chili dogs are obviously popular, but the favorite among hot dog connoisseurs is the Combo, with a slice of American cheese underneath the weiner then covered in chili. Zack’s uses Curtis Franks, a packing company in Greensboro, and by lunchtime the meat/pork weiners fill up the griddle that’s visible through their storefront window. Zack’s also serves soda in glass bottles, and there is nothing like enjoying a brace of Combos with a tall Cheerwine at a counter stool. Dessert is simple: cardboard boxes of pre-packaged honey buns and pies near the cash register. Some swear by the chili dogs at Boston Sandwich Shop around the corner, but it’s Zack’s Hot Dogs that keeps us returning to downtown Burlington time and time again. Zack’s is open from 6am to 10pm Monday-Thursday, and 6am to 11pm on Friday & Saturday—closed Sunday.