I Tasted Shake Shack’s New Hot Dog Menu—Here’s a Food Editor’s Honest Review (with Photos)

• What It Is: Vienna Beef 100-percent beef hot dog topped with melted cheddar and American cheeses, a hot pepper blend (cayenne, garlic and paprika) and chopped cherry peppers on a toasted potato bun
• Price: $6

The aroma of the pickled peppers hit my nose the moment I opened the box. The toppings and seasonings delivered a tingly medium heat that I doubted would come (a lot of chain restos are sheepish about spice!), while the brine of the peppers also offered a touch of acid that enhanced the spice level even more. The cheese, on the other hand, added a richness that complemented everything while also cooling it down. That said, this was the soggiest dog of the bunch, and perhaps the most unappetizing in appearance.

• What It Is: Vienna Beef 100-percent beef hot dog topped with Angus beef chili and crispy onions on a toasted potato bun
• Price: $7

Chili cheese dogs are sort of the king of hot dogs, IMO. I got it without cheese to mix things up, but you can also get it with cheese sauce for 50 cents more. Here, crispy onions took over for traditional raw white onion. I enjoy both, but I think the O.G. works better on this particular hot dog because of the onions’ crunch, juiciness and sharpness that counters the decadence of the meat. Here, it’s double decadence. As for the chili, it was fresh and moist, but a bit bland. I wish it had a touch more salt; it was surprisingly sweet for my taste and notably warm-spiced.

• What It Is: Vienna Beef 100-percent beef hot dog topped with fried pickles, chopped bacon and melted cheddar and American cheeses on a toasted potato bun
• Price: $7.50

I tried the fried pickles solo when they first launched. I liked the crunchy, peppery breading and how acidic the pickles were (in fact, I enjoy them plain more than fried for a cooler, crisper punch of sourness). In this application, I liked that I could smell their dill and vinegary tang right off the bat. The breading stayed pretty crisp for being nestled in a hot dog. I basically always think bacon on burgers, hot dogs and the like is superfluous, but theirs was tender-crisp and flavorful, several notches above that of most fast food joints. However, it was expensive for a hot dog, and I’d want at least three pickle chips for that price.

• What It Is: Vienna Beef 100-percent beef hot dog on a toasted potato bun
• Price: $4.50

I’m from New Jersey, where the preferred type of hot dog is deep fried. It may not have been a Garden State Ripper, but I certainly appreciated how caramelized, browned and crisp the exterior and the butterflied center of the dog are. It was a bit pricy for a plain-Jane weenie, but it was meaty, moist, flavorful and didn’t taste bogged down with artificial smoke or additives.

• What It Is: Vienna Beef 100-percent beef hot dog topped with melted cheddar and American cheeses and crispy onions on a toasted potato bun
• Price: $6.50

Full disclosure: I’m a *big* fan of Shake Shack’s cheese sauce. I love that the cooks filled the split center of the hot dog with the sauce, rather than drizzle it over top. This kept much of the mess inside the bun, which was soft and fluffy for each hot dog. I also appreciated how generous they were with the onions, and that they didn’t go soggy after a few minutes. They were crisp, sweet and pretty darn irresistible. This combination had a great variety of textures, between the silky sauce, crunchy alliums and juicy-yet-snappy dog.