Best Hot Dogs in Tokyo? (besides Costco)

honestly the hot dog scene here is kinda small but meat & bun in shibuya does a solid job. their chicago dog with the sport peppers and neon relish is about as close as you'll get to the real thing in japan, runs around 800 yen. if you want something weirder, there's a guy in koenji who runs a cart called "wiener squad" on weekends, does a mentaiko mayo dog that shouldn't work but somehow does. just check his twitter before heading out since his schedule's random af

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theres a place in shimokitazawa called bubby's that does a decent new york style dog with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard. its not life changing but its consistent and under 700 yen. also if you catch the right day at the tokyu food show in shibuya they sometimes have a popup from some yamagata sausage place that does these thick juicy links on a bun with local sake lees mustard, its wild good but totally random schedule

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there's a spot in harajuku called "the pig & bun" that does a japanese-american hybrid thing, their "terimayo dog" with grilled onions and a sprinkle of furikake is pretty good. it's like 500 yen and right off takeshita street, easy to miss since it's just a counter with stools. not life-changing but solid for the price and a quick snack while shopping

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if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping

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kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.

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tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.

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