Huntington Area Hot Dog Trail loaded with memories; follow me to all 9 stops!
- Steven Keith
- 15 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 44 minutes ago
Visit these historic, delicious spots for good eats and cool prizes
There are few foods more American than hot dogs.
And for my money, there’s no better place to dig into one (or nine, as I just did!) than along the Huntington Area Hot Dog Trail in the quintessential American city where I grew up.
Not just because the dogs are gloriously messy and delicious, or that you can still find them at old-fashioned stands and drive-ins that have lovingly welcomed friends, families and visitors for decades.
But because the iconic restaurants serving up tasty hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings, ice cream, milkshakes and more are truly special places that are deeply personal to me.
These are the spots where my parents took us for lunch after our Saturday morning bowling league. To share play-by-play stories over food after a win – or drown our sorrows with ice cream to forget a loss – after a Little League baseball game. To celebrate birthdays and good report cards and, well, sometimes just a random Tuesday.
All of those memories came rushing back when I recently spent two delicious days following this trail, which features nine local hot dog stands stretching from Milton to Lavalette. That means you can spend a few days exploring the greater Huntington area while enjoying dressed-up dogs morning, noon and night.
That’s exactly what I did on an epic culinary journey during which I scarfed down nine hot dogs, three BBQ sammies, four orders of fries (one of them loaded), three milkshakes, two cheeseburgers, two orders of onion rings, two sides of chips, two root beers, two sodas, one bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese, one massive pepperoni roll and one plate of roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy (because, why not?) – all in 24 hours!
The Huntington Area Hot Dog Trail is a great way to enjoy delicious food and win prizes, too.
Dine and get your passport validated at any five participating locations to receive a novelty hot dog pin. Visit all nine and you’ll be crowned a “wiener” with a commemorative t-shirt. You can snag your passport and get more details at www.visithuntingtonwv.org/hotdogtrail or by visiting the trail’s Facebook page.
Ready to dig in? Here are all of the bite-by-bite details of a tasty trip you won’t forget.
1226 S. Main St., Milton
304-743-6800, www.facebook.com/shaffersdriveinnmiltonwv
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Family owned and operated, Shaffer’s has been serving up an impressively large menu of classic American fare for generations, including dozens and dozens of creatively flavored milkshakes, from an unassuming roadside spot in Milton.
You have to try a classic West Virginia dog topped with sauce, slaw, mustard and onions – and yes, they unashamedly call it “sauce” in Huntington. (“Chili” is something you plop in a bowl and eat with a spoon around those parts.) You’ll be tempted to order fries and onion rings, too, but don’t sleep on their thick-cut chips. And their house-made tangy barbecue is totally top-notch. Not only was Shaffer’s my first stop on the trail, but it landed near the top of my taste list as well.
Huntington Mall, Barboursville
304-733-0424, www.thebigloafer.com
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
I was over the moon when I learned that “The Big Loafer,” as we called it growing up, was a recent addition to the hot dog trail. As one of the first restaurants to open in Huntington Mall’s food court back in the early 1980s, this was THE place to eat during a day of shopping and movies at the mall.
Big Loafer’s claim to fame is made-from-scratch sandwiches featuring various fillings baked inside fluffy, yeasty house-made bread and served with fat crinkle-cut fries.
While the signature meatloaf sandwich is a classic and the hot dogs are always a hit, the restaurant’s fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and thick pepperoni rolls stuffed with melted cheese are absolutely incredible.
5965 US Route 60 E., Barboursville
304-736-5819
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Opened by the Farley family back in 1968, Farley’s serves hot dogs on steamed buns in an old-school roadside drive-in in Barboursville. What makes them famous? The secret house-recipe chili and tangy slaw that has topped their dogs for nearly 57 years.
And while many come for the hot dogs and giant batter-dipped onion rings, Farley’s now sells almost as many cheeseburgers as they do franks. They also love adding new surprises to the menu from time to time. (Funnel cake fries? Yes please!)
2445 Fifth Ave., Huntington
304-529-3647, www.stewartshotdogs.com
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
1025 Oak St., Kenova
304-453-364710 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Considered the granddaddy of them all by hot dog purists, Stewarts is Huntington’s oldest drive-in having opened in 1932 – that’s a whopping 93 years, y’all! – back on the same lot along Fifth Avenue where it still stands today. (You can’t miss its bright orange painted building there, but there’s also a second location in Kenova.)
Originally only selling root beer and popcorn, the menu has since expanded to include a host of offerings, including an unbelievably delicious hamburger, popular thick-crusted onion rings and signature hot dogs still topped with founding owner Gertrude Mandt’s original recipe.
And you simply must wash them all down with a cold Stewarts root beer served in a heavy frosty mug.
1449 Hal Greer Blvd., Huntington
304-523-6851, www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048287325907
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday
You can’t miss the larger-than-life mug of root beer that spins atop this retro drive-in tucked alongside the city’s bustling Hal Greer Boulevard.
You won’t want to miss the food and floats here either.
Founded in 1959 by Rupert McGinnis and William Warnock back when Frostop was a large national chain, the Huntington location is now one of the few Frostops left standing. McGinnis’s daughters now own the restaurant, which delighted me with a sensational slaw-smothered hot dog, a savory smoky barbecue sandwich and a righteous root beer float that dripped all over the place, yet I didn’t care a bit as I slurped it all down.
445 Sixth Ave. W., Huntington
304-697-3644, www.midwaydriveinwv.com
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Of all the hot dogs I ate in Huntington as a child, Midway’s was definitely one of my favorites. Revisiting this corner stand for the first time in decades, I was thrilled to discover that some things never change. (The Food Network loves it, too.) Opening back in 1939 near the former Colonial Lanes bowling alley, Midway Drive-In has been a staple in West Huntington for 86 years.
Those hot dogs I so fondly recalled are still topped with a signature sauce made with ground beef, onions and a secret blend of seasonings slow-cooked for hours. They were just as good as I remembered, but Midway’s cheeseburger (featuring seasoned beef with super-fresh lettuce and tomato on a soft bun) was a new revelation. That and the peanut butter milkshake I devoured with it? SO good.
526 Camden Rd., Huntington
681-529-1355, www.samshotdogs.com
2885 Fifth Ave., Huntington
681-268-3080
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Although there are dozens of Sam’s Hot Dog Stands around the region today, the original got its start back in Huntington when founder Frank Lucente’s favorite local hot dog place closed. When he couldn’t find another restaurant that made dogs just as good, he joined forces with friend Rocco Muriale (you may know him as the man behind Rocco’s Ristorante) and they decided to open their own place.
Those 100% all-beef hot dogs certainly lived up to their hype, but it was the house-made mac ‘n’ cheese here that really blew me away.
It was just made on site mere minutes before I arrived and it was everything a textbook mac ‘n’ cheese should be. Thick, rich, creamy and silky with just a hint of heat to give it a nice little kick. A+.
4450 Fifth St. Rd., Lavalette
304-696-9863
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday
Having grown up a mere 15 minutes away, I’ve driven by “Triple H” thousands of times during my 14 years living in Lavalette from third grade through college. Looking back now, I could kick myself for not stopping by more for a hearty home-cooked meal back in the day.
Opening the day after I was born back in 1969, I guess you could say Hazlett’s and I literally grew up together. Still operated by the same family – and still offering the same curb service in addition to its retro counter stools and booths inside – it’s a popular hangout for locals. Many adore the restaurant’s meal platters, dinner baskets and daily specials, but their larger-than-most hot dogs (drowning in delicious slaw) simply can’t be beat.
6951 Ohio River Rd., Lesage
304-762-2458, www.hillbillyhotdogs.com
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Monday
Some places need no introduction. And then there’s Hillbilly Hot Dogs, which is so kitschy-cute and bizarro-wild at the same time that it truly defies description.
But I’ll try by telling you it’s a roadside “weenie stand” along the Ohio River in Lesage adorned with so many signs, structures, décor and more that it’s hard to miss. When you order, they may sing to you. That big yellow school bus you see parked on the side? You can dine inside it. The wedding chapel over yonder? You can get hitched in it. Like, for real. The colorful owners’ names? Sonny (who passed away in 2021) and Sharie. You can’t make this stuff up.
There’s nothing wacky about the food, though, which is just plain good. A menu of decked-out dogs are dressed with toppings like pizza sauce and cheese, taco fixings, fried spam, country ham, crushed pineapple, scrambled eggs, grilled bacon and oh-so-much more. And then there’s the famous “HomeWrecker” (a 15” one-pound weenie with two pounds of toppings) and “WidowMaker” (a 30” two-pound weenie with four pounds of toppings).
I’ll leave those for you to try!
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at wvfoodguy@aol.com.