Nick Hall once remarked that the Revival Market Mangalitsa hot dog is "a pure representation of place." And it is: This hot dog embodies everything the little butcher shop/grocery store in the Heights stands for, incorporating local products and ingredients as well as a lot of pork. Mangalitsa refers to the type of ultra-fatty heirloom hog that's raised by co-owner Morgan Weber, and all the tasty parts from that pig go into making an incredibly meaty dog that's amped up even further by a topping of chicharrones (yes, from the very same pig).
The Burger Guys don't do anything by halves, and that includes their monster hot dogs. The one you see above is one of the restaurant's signature Akaushi beef hot dogs, battered in tempura and fried up to four times to achieve the perfect crunchy consistency. These monster dogs are served with house-made Dr Pepper ketchup and Shiner Bock mustard. (But if you're weak of will, you can order a regular hot dog or Chicago dog too.)
It would be a travesty not to list JCI among the Top 5 on this list. After all, it's an important piece of Houston's history, one of the oldest restaurants in town. The original JCI was opened in 1923 at Walker and Main, and while that store is now closed, the old-fashioned hot dogs and Greek-style chili live on at its 21 Houston-area locations. My favorite meal here combines both dogs and chili: the Houstonian, which comes with a messy tumble of diced white onions on top and a pile of chili-cheese fries on the side.