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1st Ave-14th St (L)
Astor Place (6)
Mon-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
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Creative, eccentric, oozing hipster cool.
From the pacman table arcade, to the connect four readily available to settle drunken disputes, and to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playing on their TV, I was sold on this place when I walked in. The yummy hot dogs helped too. They have some bizarre franks (lolwut? fried egg?), but its worth it to try.
Great late night spot. Oh yea! Get the tots!
So I just popped a low dose Bayer, in hopes to deter the imminent heart attack that's been brewing since I tried the spicy redneck-thing from Crif Dogs.
I admit, coming here after Pommes Frites may not have been a great idea, but even those over-sized, delicious and steamy hot fries didn't have as much salt as this hot dog.
I'm pretty dissapointed actually. I dot understand why eating a bacon wrapped deep fried salt dog ever appealed to me. My stomach and intestines are now making me pay for this horrible mistake,
-written from my bathroom
Finally made it here.
Disgustingly good. While something like the bacon-avocado-sour cram dog would appear to be the extreme, actually does not taste as shockingly decadent as it sounds. To explore this dimension further, try the pickle-cheese dog. Gross but good.
+ I was not expecting it to actually have a vibe or decor, which it has.
- orders can take a while.
The Best Hot Dogs in Town. I could not believe my taste buds! Sausages wrapped in bacon, or avocado in hot dog? You name it, they have it!
I'm so mad at Crif Dogs. It didn't give me my usual bad-food-causing-diarrhea, it gave me my-whole-body-is-nauseous-from-food-poisoning-diar rhea.
Despite that, I still didn't think it was that great. I got the Spicy Redneck and Chihuahua. Both hot dogs had overcooked bacon and I just didn't feel like the ingredients jived together. Sure, you think sour cream and avocados always go together but it was missing a sauce to hold it all together. And yes, chili, coleslaw, and jalapenos may sound appetizing but it was just a battle for your taste buds.
Don't forget the bathroom is right next to the phone booth. One time I went inside and there was an apple sitting on the counter by the sink; I contemplated eating it.
NY finally redeemed itself after that overhyped hot dog joint (ahem... gray's papaya) i had years ago.
i seriously wanted to try a bunch of them but settled for 3 since we were getting other things from other places.
chihuahua (bacon wrapped dog covered with avocadoes and sour cream.)... probably was my least favorite. i love how the dog is deep fried with with bacon around it... made for a crunchy and crispy outside with a juicy inside.
jon-jon deragon (the crif dog with a schmear of cream cheese, scallions & everything bagel seeds)... surprisingly... this was my favorite. toppings are not your typical for a hot dog but it works. maybe because i love hot dogs and the everything bagel?
spicy redneck (a house dog, bacon wrapped, with chili, cole slaw, and jalapenos)... a little twist from your average chili dog but i loved every bite.
i heard the tatar tots were good but had to pass them up because we ended up going to pomme frites and s'macs for our side dishes.
Wow. What a hot dog. I've only seen combos like this on TV shows like Man V. Food.
After Pomme Frites and ramen, we headed straight over to this place to eat again. Hubby and I shared the spicy red neck. I believe the dog is bacon wrapped and deep fried, topped with chili, cole slaw and jalepenos. The bacon has a nice crisp. Everything else on the hot dog was just a good combo of salty, satisfying good stuff.
My heart goes aflutter at the smell and sight of their Spicy Redneck hotdog. I'm convinced that their bacon wrapped deep fried sausage is one of God's greatest gifts to man. And you think that ketchup and mustard will do just fine as condiments to your porktastic dog.
No, Crif Dogs and I don't believe in your simplistic tastes.
As if it can get any better than a bacon-wrapped dog, they smother their Spicy Redneck with their house chili and top it off with some cold crunchy coleslaw and jalapenos. The play between temperatures and textures is so incredibly sexy.
After my first few bites, this baby reaffirmed my true passionate feelings for pork once more. Tater tots and a can of PBR are optional too.
It's a god damn hot dog people. So what if it has bacon on it. It is still not worth $5... and a 30 minute wait.
Think about what I am saying before you rate it 5-stars. IT's a f***ing hot dog.
No, it wasn't the best hot dog you've had in your life. All hot dogs taste the freaking same. You were drunk.
There's nothing about the idea of a "Spicy Redneck" dog that I can disagree with--I mean, its a hot dog wrapped in bacon, then deep fried and topped off with spicy cole slaw and onions. Not by any means something I'd characterize as worth seeking out specifically, its more "Deep fried hot dog wrapped in bacon? Awesome!" than "I had a really great hot dog the other day..."
The tater tots are decent but the chili cheese fries are worth passing up. Wash everything down with PBR.
Your stomach will really, really hate you after you come here.
P.S. The doorgirl for PDT is incredibly rude and she angered me greatly.
A group of us arrived here after a couple drinks under the mindset that we needed to get some food into our stomachs before continuing on into our long night of drinking. I can start off by saying it did do its job. However, the problem was that it is extremely over-hyped and hype is a hard thing to live up to.
The interior is kitschy cool. It's a walk-in, order, and pick-up your order type of place. There's minimal seating so it's not exactly accommodating to large groups (but that's not so much their fault as it is our fault for walking around st. marks like a bunch of freshmen during their first week in college).
FYI: If you are looking to continue your drinking, this isn't your place. They offer a total of 2 beers. But at least they offer them, so you can still coax your alcoholic friends to go with you. Especially if you got hipster ones... because they got PBR.
Ordered the BLT and it was as expected. Tasted exactly as you would expect - and just as good! The dog itself has a snap to it - which is key to good hotdogs. The waffle fries were warm and crispy and felt good in my stomach along side the massive amounts of beer that was already in there.
Here's where it doesn't get the full stars. It took a bit longer than usual because they forgot to actually put in the orders of 2 people in our group. I'm a bit weird about that because I like when a group (esp a slightly intoxicated group) can dig into their food all at the same time.
Other than that, it was good and I'd definitely go back to eat it again. Mostly because I'll eat anything wrapped in bacon.
The "Spicy Redneck" is quite delish, but I'm thinkin that I can top their hot dogs by making my very own in the kitchen. Deep fry a hot dog, toast the bun, put some chili on it, cheese, bacon, avacado, cream cheese, cole slaw and whatever else they have on their menu and viola, bon ape tit. but for late night munchies post dancing, I will resort to Crif Dogs.
Btw, my friend said that she saw a cockroach crawling across the wall behind me so don't lean your head or back against the brick walls no matter how sloshed you are. I am still giving Crif Dogs a 4 just because I am seriously used to seeing cockroaches, rats, and other creepy crawly things in NYC.
This place is so dirty looking. I think I may have gotten a staph infection from eating at the counter. The food is mediocre AT BEST. Waffle fries were dry and tasteless. The hot dog was just gross. Nothing special and nothing I would ever want to repeat.
Go to Dogmatic in Union Square for a fabulously gourmet dog European style. YUUUM!!!
One of my favorite late night spots in New York. After a night of heavy drinking, I'm always craving something weird and unusual, and that's exactly what I like to get at Crif Dogs. My favorite being a bacon wrapped hot dog with cream cheese, avocado, and everything bagel topped on it. We like to call this, the Mark, in honor of Mark S. (fellow Yelper) who perfected one of Crif Dog's simpler hot dogs.
The reason for the 4 stars is because their hot dogs tend to be over cooked, but this doesn't stop me from coming here whenever I'm in the area!
I come to this page every once-in-a-while just to see if I can spot any real posts amongst all of the obvious paid-for agency posts...
I can see that Boris C. is a thinking person...
along with Shil K. and Jelly H.
...read those reviews for an honest opinion
It's actually kind of funny to see the posts from people literally praising this shit hole.
I'm convinced that a large portion of those are paid for.
hahaa. I can't stop laughing at the RETARDS who actually like this shit-called-food.
on one hand, I…
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3.5 stars...
I really wanted to give Crif a 4 or 5, after all this place is awesome, but the food and prices fall too short of a place worthy of a 4 or 5. The place is a hole in the wall (in a good way) on St Marks, a block or so past all the crowds and shops. They have a hidden bathroom and somewhat secret bar both of which are awesome (though the bar doesn't open till 6 or so even on weekends). They also have a great menu with any hot dog imaginable, fries, tots, root beer floats, shakes, beer, just an overall awesome menu.
But the hot dogs are pretty tiny (just a tad bigger than Papaya King), and I believe are deep fried (or at least taste it) which aren't nearly as good as if they were properly grilled. The skin on the dogs are also too thick (much thicker than a Nathans dog). Most dogs cost $4-5, I've honestly had a better and cheaper chili dog at a street cart by my work.
Why do we tamper with perfection? The ubiquitous sidewalk hotdog street cart marries the simple hotdog and adds a wonderful balance of New York City taxi exhaust fumes.
Why mess with that I ask? Because you can get it grilled here!!!
I'm a hotdog purist. Don't like the queasy look of a Chicago dog. I do not need a hotdog wrapped in bacon - although they should call this the Paula Dean dog. I'll venture off as far as adding grilled onions and/or sauerkraut.
Expectedly, I order the New Yorker; yes, with grilled onions please. As my mouth waters and I bite into this fragrant dog, it snaps in my mouth. Hotdog ecstasy. The skin has been perfectly grilled in order to achieve perfect "snapness".
I wash my dog down with some taters, waffle fries, corn-dog and a Pabst (yes, you read that correctly). This place holds it's own and firmly takes a stand against the sidewalk hotdog. Viva la Crif Dogs!
Note: Always make fun of the people that are trying to make their way into PDT. Losers.
the perfect place to go after an unsatisfying dinner or a long night of drinking. sure it's rough around the edges, is usually packed at 2am, and you might have to wait 10-15 minutes for your food. BUT where else can you get one of the greatest handheld foods, the hot dog, amped to another level with bacon, cheese, egg, avocado, and other unique toppings. my personal favorite: the spicy redneck (a baconwrapped dog with chili and coleslaw on top) and splitting a side of cheesy tater tots.
you will leave having a warm feeling for the rest of the night.
wow BLKWRLD G, 2 reviews in your name and both are negative about Crif Dogs... they really must have done you good.
But I'd much rather trust the 3.5 star 3-month average instead.
I thought the dawgs were very delicious and the service was even more so. I was (somewhat) drunk and asked the girl behind the counter to what was the most ordered hot dog and which one was her favorite. The most famous dog was the Chihuahua, but I decided to go with her favorite - the Tsunami (house dog, bacon wrapped , with teriyaki, pineapple and green onions).
This was honestly the best hot dog I've ever had; nathan's (unfortunately) included.
She also suggested a side of tot's which was a stellar call - BIG ups for cute service
Overheard at Crif Dogs: oh my god, your weiner looks so lonely. Story of my life, people, story of my life.
Let me explain. I ordered a Chihuahua hot dog, which is the deep fried dog, wrapped in bacon (hi Titz), and accompanied with avocados,and smeared with sour cream. Thing is, I hate avocadoes so I told the girl not to put any in mine. So when it came out, the hot dog looked so plain, with no avocadoes, that my friend said, "oh my god, your weiner looks so lonely."
Please, keep your laughter to a minimum. Try to keep your composure.
Next time I'm here (which will be in about 48 hours) I am most definitely getting the Morning Jersey dog, which is a dog with a fried egg on top of it, taylor ham and cheese. Yes, Jersey rulz!
Again, please try to keep your composure.
PS the people waiting to get into PDT really looked sorry. I mean, shouldn't they be a "little" dressed up? I know I'm not the real Feather Prince, but come on!
Yummm! Great late night eats, great people-watching. I had a chili-dog with jalapenos, Tater tots and a root beer (fountain). My boyfriend had a ham-wrapped thing that was deep-fried - it was ridiculous!
And on the third day, Crif Dogs spawned the bacon wrapped hot dog...and it was GOOD.
I'm just assuming here that Crif Dogs came up with the idea of wrapping hot dogs in bacon, but honestly I have no idea. Nevertheless, they should be commended as this is probably the greatest idea ever (anything+bacon=awesome in my book). I got the BLT hot dog ($4.50), which has ingredients that were somewhat self explanatory. The bun of the hotdog was pretty forgettable, but the hotdog was well cooked and the combination of the hotdog meat (whatever it may be, I'd rather not think about it) and the crispy bacon was simply amazing.
If you're going to get a hot dog, for the love of all things fried and disgusting do not pass up getting an order of the tater tots. A small order is enough for most people to finish on their own, and they're just like you probably remember them from your elementary school cafeteria. I mean this in the best way possible, I assure you.
Despite being very small, Crif Dogs has some seating so if you choose to sit down to eat your dogs you can. However, it was hot as all hell when I was in there so I personally recommend taking your dogs and tater tots to Tompkins Square Park and chowing down on one of the benches. It'll be a lot less sweltering, and the interesting people that roam the park provide an added layer of entertainment to an already bizzare meal.
Had a Good Morning Dog, some tots and a couple of beers. Wish I had stayed at Crif Dogs rather than succumb to the mystery of the phone booth bar: Please Don't Tell. Much more friendly and fun out there.
It's probably a better place to end a night rather than start it, since my stomach didn't love sitting through a movie and a train ride after this.
Overall, I have a great love for anywhere that will wrap a hot dog in bacon and deep fry it, I just don't know that I'll ever really go out of my way to visit here again. Who knows, maybe drunk me will wander over one night and rediscover this hot dog heaven.
So, pork wrapped pork... That can't spell anything but insane yumminess, and yet I still wavered when I walked in the door of Crif Dogs. The narrow, slender space was also slightly confusing to me, because what looked like the line was simply folks that had already ordered, and were waiting.
Once I got that figured out (also known as stopped being a dumbass), I walked up to the counter. After being slightly overwhelmed and impatient by the menu (natural indecisiveness along with huuuunger), I went in for the kill, and asked the guy working their what dog I just "had to try". His rec was the spicy redneck. Being a transplant from the south, the chili and slaw I was so used to sounded yummy, and bacon and jalapenos? Yeah, sign me up.
I also ordered small fries and tots, mainly to reach the credit card limit ($10), with plans to scarf down the dog there and save the carbs for later (you know, the subway ride five minutes later). The smokiness of the bacon was present throughout the whole dog, and it was nice. The bacon itself was well cooked and just easy to eat with everything else - not too crispy or chewy. The slaw was a bit on the wet side, the chili was chili and the traditional (pickled?) jalapeno slices added a nice vinegary bite. Average bun, but yummy dog.
I did end up eating the tots hot out of the bag on the ride home, and while I can't claim they weren't frozen, the fry on them was nice. I didn't realize the fries were waffles, and I tried one once I got home and was underwhelmed. Fries are always tastier hot out of the fryer, but they were particularly disappointing.
Go for the dogs, root beer (2 brands) (if you're a fan like me, they sounded yummy, either plain or floats), actually good deals ($5 for 2 plain Crif or NYC dog and soda), and maybe the hot sides if you're eating in. I'm actually not in the LES as much as I might like, so I don't know how often I'll go back, but if you're in the hood and it's late (or early, whatever) and you're craving something greasily delicious, check em out.
FINALLY made it over to this place at like 1 this morning, thankfully finding it still open!
There wasn't anyone there when I walked in, (although people did keep appearing through what seemed like a phone booth but in actuality, I learned, led to their bar) which was nice. The guy working the counter was really sweet and recommended the tsunami dog (I think it was called?). And, as I had hoped, it was amazingggggg! My efforts to pace myself ultimately failed, and had my budget not been an issue, another dog would have been downed! I can't wait to go back.
Anyhow, five stars for service, food, and wonderfully late hours.
Where can you get a hot-dog covered in cream cheese and everything-bagel topping, or a hot-dog wrapped in bacon, egg, and cheese with a side of tatter-tots covered in nacho cheese??? I had been wanting to try Crif Dogs for a looooooong time and it definitely reached my expectations. Not only had I heard of their incredibly dressed hot dogs and tots, but this is also the hot dog joint you have to go through to get into the speak easy PDT.
Although I am too much of a health nut to go back frequently, there are still a number of dogs I am anxious to try.
I was also happy that they actually had something good for my vegan friend.
Oh Crif Dogs how I adore you. Been going here since 2005, and their hot dogs are still incredibly good. Plus, you can't beat the fact that they're open until 4am.
My absolute favorite is the chihuahua.
The only thing is it's quite expensive for hot dogs. $4-$5. But I guess its not bad when you're drunk.
The sausage is kind of dry and thin (not as juicy and plump as I would hope) but points for having a BLT hot dog. Yay! I wish they had real Coke though. The chili waffle fries are great.
I love the Crif. The Chihuahua dog might be the best hot dog I've ever had in my life. Bacon wrapped, sour cream smothered avocado sliced goodness. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Finish that up with a plate of tots and a can of PBR. Breakfast of champions.
Place is tiny though so I like to take it to go. Or pack in to watch some drunk B&T buffoons try to talk their way into PDT. Cha.
You've been drinking all night and have the beer munchies. What's the cure?
I had a bacon wrapped hotdog with tater tots and it really hit the spot.
Crif's is the cure.
Dangerous. Seriously dangerous. These dogs are good. Dressed up in a variety of different ways - conveniently located walking distance from bars.
I had the Philly tube steak hot dog. Just a hot dog, in a bun, with "cheez wiz" and onions. It was really good. My friend, visiting from France - had the Garden State - wrapped in bacon, cheese and sprinkled with pepperoncini. She said it was the best hot dog she's ever had.
Dope. Inexpensive. Open late. Dangerous.
Crif dogs made the fat girl in me weep with joy. I don't even like hot dogs. But apparently, when they are wrapped in bacon and fried to a crispy sheen, I love hot dogs.
I was halfway through my Spicy Redneck, with extra jalapeno (cuz I'm hard core). My hapless dining friend suddenly got sprayed with coleslaw when I saw waffle fries and tater tots being served. I said something like 'go git us sum of doze' while throwing a $5 bill at him.
I scarfed those waffle fries down in record time, eyeing my friend suspiciously. Get. Your. OWN.
Needless to say, I may be short on dining companions in the future, but Crif Dogs gives me all the love I need. Even if it eventually will not be able to get its arms around me.
This place was all hyped up and when i went yesterday evening i was less than impressed. I had the "good morning" which was a bacon wrapped hot dog, fried egg and cheese. It cost $5 and was neither exceptionally large nor anything special taste-wise. I could easily have made this at home. The bacon-wrapped idea was good, in theory, but in practice i found the bacon did not lend any spectacular bacon flavor to the dog, and actually made it difficult to take a bite without ending up pulling off more bacon. The cheese was melted American. Personally, i loathe American cheese, but even besides that, for a $5 hot dog of normal-to-small size, that damn cheese had better be gruyere. At the very least, a decent cheddar. I had one. It was not filling. I could have eaten two more. I could have gotten fuller off of a bagel with schmear.
If i were drunk, starving, and rich enough not to care that the hot dogs are overpriced, i would eat here, but my tastebuds still wouldn't find it anything special.
Oh. My. Gosh.
SO GOOD.
We were Crif virgins. Everything looked so good we didn't know what to order. Some other nice, drunk customer suggested we go with the Good Morning Dog (chili cheese bacon wrapped dog with fried egg). So, we did. It was perfect drunk munchie food.
Can't make up your mind? Get the spicy redneck hot dog, it's not actually spicy unless your extremely sensitive. Good hot dog, can't ever go wrong with bacon. Go now!
Hot dogs aren't very big.. its normal sized, I think if they offered a polish dog version like at Costco, that would be the best. It's worth the walk from the subway if your in East Village, but the price is around $5 for each type offered on the menu. Calories and fit minded people have no place here.
Vibe, it's a small place, a bit hot & stuffy even with the A/C units that are working, they felt like they were on power save mode, phone booth entrance to PDT is also pretty cool.
Very Unique place for a NYC Hot Dog experience. The person who served my friends and I seemed very curtious and helpful. I enjoyed the large variety and selection which cater's to all. It is cool b/c there is a secret passage to the rest room and the lounge in the back which FYI cant allow entrance to just anyone. So the best thing about this place is that you can either go for the food or simply laugh at the people getting rejected attempting to enter the lounge in the lol. It was like oh wow there must really be some cool and fun people just enter and never come out...... as I then watch them attempt to enter then suddenly ha ha ha ha ha DENIED back to eating your snack. lol thx for reading my review.
UGH. Why do I do this to myself?!
I AM A FATTY FAT MCFATTERSON FATTY.
Maybe it's because I was a little tipsy.* Maybe it's because I have a fat kid living inside of me.** Maybe it's because I'm just that disgusting.***
But it was absolutely vital to my arteries, heart, stomach, colon, and general health that I order the following:
- A New Yorker with relish, ketchup, and mustard
- A corn dog that I proceeded to dip in ketchup and mustard
- A regular order of hash browns, also dipped in ketchup and mustard
- A can of Pale Ale****
This was AFTER 2 pitchers of beer, pork dumplings, and bacon-wrapped asparagus.
The only thing that could've made me THE HAPPIEST BOY ON EARTH is barbecue sauce. I'm a little perplexed about why it doesn't exist at Crif Dogs. Hm.
Let the judging commence.
__________
* Tipsy Tuesday!
** Maybe two fat kids.
*** Probably the real reason.
**** Hey, college. Nice to see you again.
Went to Crif Dogs after hearing so much about it and was expecting something different. And different it is. I had the hot dog wrapped in bacon, and fried with all the fixings. Pretty heartstopping, but if I'm going to eat something unhealthy, I'm going all the way.
They have fries too and a variety of drinks which is always good. It's a good place to bring someone on a food tour for something different, though you will pay a premium for the pleasure. For 2 people, drinks, fries, dog, it came up to about $25. That's a lot for hot dogs. It's not a place that I would go to all the time, but it IS different and one of those hidden gems that people talk about checking out.
PROS : Deluxe dogs that you won't get at other places
CONS : Can get crowded, not much seating, and kinda pricey for a dog.
Bottom Line : Bring your friends to check it out every once in a while, but not quite good enough to make it into my list of spots I go to on a regular basis.
BONUS : Watching the phone booth of people coming in and out of the secret speakeasy is pretty entertaining.
I'm not sure if you're into all that expectation disconfirmation theory and all that sh*t ... but in case you are ... I have to first state that my expectations were already LOW. I'm not a big hot dog fan. It's not that I don't enjoy a nice salty weiner ... but it's just not something I CRAVE.
That all being said ... I do CRAVE the hot dog that I had from Crif. OMFG!!!! Simple, yet delicious. The most tantalizing for the tastebuds was the fried strip of warm mayo that squirted in your mouth when you bit into that delightful mess (I know it sounds really gross ... and I'm not even a big MAYO fan, to be honest) DELICIOUS surprising DELIGHT ... this combined with some fresh crisp lettuce and that smoky hot dog ... and let's not forget that soft, sweet potato bun or their secret chili sauce. YUM ... YUM ... YUM!!!! Flavors and textures were ALL just a ripe recipe for pure, mouth-filled pleasure.
So, if you ARE a hot dog fan ... I can only imagine that your experience would only be considered ORGASMIC here at Crif's.
I also was not too impressed for the cost of these dogs. I had a veggie chihuahua. I figured that they would have some kind of turkey dog, but no such luck. The dog was alright but there was nothing special about the quality of the ingredients to justify the price. Been there and done that and on to another late night food depot.
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