Spring has sprung again, and that means two things: baseball season and hot dogs.

While a good number of Austinites could care less about baseball, the city is home to many different hot dog venues, each with its own distinct menu and backstory.

The hot dog scene has exploded over the last several years in Austin, especially with the embracing of trailer food culture. The choices for one of America’s favorite foods are vast and diverse. Here are our four choices for the top dogs in Austin.

Dog Almighty

Since 2005, Dog Almighty has been an Austin hot dog haven while winning multiple awards from critics and hot dog lovers alike. It was the runner-up for the Austin Chronicle’s “Best New Restaurant” award in 2005 and took home top honors for the hot dog category in the paper’s restaurant poll  three years in a row from 2007-2009.

Boasting five different sausages, close to a dozen variations and over 20 toppings, the ways you can dress your dog are nearly limitless. In addition, Dog Almighty offers Frito pies, burgers and grilled cheese for those who aren’t in the mood for a frank.

Perhaps one of the most unique aspects about the restaurant is its dedication to ensuring vegetarians aren’t left out. The menu reads, “Please be aware that EVERYTHING on this menu can be veggie.”

In fact, Dog Almighty’s chili won the Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-off twice in  a row. Whether it’s the restaurant’s variations on a classic or the vegetarian-friendly menu, Dog Almighty is a mainstay for Austin sausage connoisseurs.

Frank

Perhaps the most decadent and aesthetically pleasing establishment practicing the art of putting sausage between a bun is Frank, the flagship of the Austin hot dog scene.

Opened in 2009, Frank is nestled among some of the fanciest restaurants in town at its location on Fourth and Colorado Streets.

All of the restaurant’s sausages are made in-house, and, compared to its surroundings, the prices at Frank are practically a steal. You can get one of their non-premium dogs, such as the Chicago Dog or Hot Polish, and a small basket of waffle fries for less than $10. However, some of the more artisan offerings are totally off the charts.

The Jackalope, as the name implies, is a sausage comprised of rabbit and antelope meat. The Texalina combines pork and beef sausage and is served with cole slaw, barbeque sauce and white cheddar.

To make your choice even more difficult, Frank offers weekly dogs that borderline on outrageous. Boasting a full-scale bar, coffee service and a general store right inside the restaurant, Frank is a one-of-a-kind gourmet hot dog experience.

Man Bites Dog

In just a few short years, Man Bites Dog has gone from the project of food lover Jeremiah Allen to being a force in the South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery.

It’s been so successful, in fact, that Man Bites Dog will be opening its first indoor location on Burnet Road sometime in the next few months.

While the menu selection is thinner, given its current status as a food trailer, Man Bites Dog boasts several unique variations. The Buffalo Hottie tops a Vienna beef frank with buffalo wing sauce and bleu cheese crumbles, while My Big Fat Greek Dog takes a lamb sausage and smothers it with all the toppings you would expect in a gyro, including tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.

With the added space of a store front, it will be interesting to see if Man Bites Dog introduces any more hot dog combinations to its menu. However, the fact that it’s been this successful with its current menu means that new menu choices may not even matter.

Man Bites Dog reminds us of the origins of hot dog culture. Since they first took off at the beginning of the 20th Century, hot dogs would be provided by street vendors; their little stands provided hot dog goodness on the go.

The Best Wurst

One company that has kept this tradition alive in Austin since the “Slacker” era is The Best Wurst, a cart-based vendor which is just as much an icon on Sixth Street as any of the clubs or music venues.  

With a choice between four sausages and five toppings, the restaurant is a throwback to the days before hot dogs were given the creative and gourmet treatment.

Given its name, the vendor’s featured sausage is the German-style Bratwurst, though they also offer smoked Italian, smoked jalapeno and all-beef franks.

Being a mobile vendor, The Best Wurst is able to make its presence known at events around Austin, with the Pecan Street Festival and Austin City Limits being the next stops later this year. If you’re ever in need of something to combat all those late night drinks, you can do a lot worse than The Best Wurst.