Pete's Hot Dog Stand Inc — Restaurant in City of Newburgh

Sometimes, you just need something cheap, simple, and fast. It's not always about fine dining - occasionally, I just need a good 'dive' spot. You know, that grubby little greasy spoon, ingrained deep in some weird neighborhood on the bad side of town, situated in the attached dining room of someone's two-story flat. Street parking. Two patio tables in the front. Cash only. A maximum of ten items on the menu.

On a recommendation from my wife's third cousin, twice removed ( \🫤/ ) he ranted - no, raved - about Pete's 'World Famous' Hot Dogs. His fervor and passion for the establishment would have made you think that this place was Mecca. "You gotta go." He insisted. "They've been there since they invented the hot dog - oh, man, their the cat's meow!"

So after several years of avoiding the place - as soon you will see as to why - my wife took me into the heart of the city, to try out the local culinary icon. What city, you may be asking?

Newburgh.

Now, for those who haven't driven through Newburgh, New York, let me tell you, it is a real treat. Where else can you drive through a neighborhood where time seemingly stopped in nineteen-seventy-three, or where you can watch a grown man, standing in his boxers, with only one boot on, performing kung-fu moves while flailing a bag of garbage over his head like a pair of nunchucks? It's truly a sight to behold.

We pull up in what can only be described as not the savoriest of neighborhoods, parked the car, and headed into what was once the dining room of old Pete Orsino's home. Established in nineteen-thirty-two, They've been slinging out frankfurter's in natural casings for five (yes, five) generations!

No frills, this place offers six (technically seven) types of hotdogs. Mustard & Kraut, Mustard & Raw Onions, Mustard & Relish, New York, Texas, and Chili... or Naked if that's more your speed. The condiments are simple. Raw Onions, Jalapeño slices, Relish, Bacon Bits, or Cheese. Want a drink? Sure - Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Root Beer, White Cream, Sierra Mist, or water.

That's. F*cking. It.

Simplicity at its finest.

We put the order in, and less than one minute later, our order was ready. The dogs were straightforward and uncomplicated. Nothing fancy at all. Dressed in their condiments and presented in paper trays. They were tasty - nothing overly embellished. The Relish was sweet and tart, the Kraut was sour, the mustard, sharp. The chili is very good; just a simple chopped meat chili, but still, very good. And I don't know what White Cream is, but that put everything over the top.

Nobody inside talks - they're too busy eating their hot dogs. They want to finish and leave as quickly as they can - again, this might have to do with the very creepy guy ominously staring at the patrons while sitting in the corner eating his eighth hot dog. Y'eesch. Five hot dogs, two drinks, after taxes, twenty-two dollars.

Christ that's cheap.

Where this place loses it with me is the cringe-worthy drawings of some sort of human/hot dog hybrid, dressed in various costumes in filthy framed portraits that cover the walls like wallpaper. Their beady little eyes still haunt me with their cold, soulless glare. We finish our meal in under ten minutes and high tail it outta there.

Would I go back? Hard to say. If I'm in the area and it's in the middle of the day - yeah, if I'm craving cheap frankfurter's. Would I go out of my way to go back? No, probably not. But, now I can officially say that I have crossed the legendary Pete's Hot Dogs of Newburgh off my culinary bucket-list.

...Ahh. Cousin Jimmy...

I hadn't been here in 15 or 20 yrs. I was passing through and had a yen for dirty water dogs with sauce (red onions), Sabrett style. I drove over to Pete's for 3 and a soda. I had to have a sauerkraut, a chili, and a red onion dog. Nice size, hotdog, and bun. Plenty of the topping, and get it your way... mustard or not. I like it with the brown mustard. By the time you finish paying, the hotdogs are up! Friendly staff and good parking in the street out front. Eat inside at one of the shared counters, a'la all the old style hotdogs resturants! Or, get them to go. I'll be stopping back in for some more doggage the next time I'm passing through in May. Gosh, these were sooooo good! You've got to try it! BTW: they open early at 8am. Close at 5pm except Saturday. Here's their hours: Thursday 8 AM–5 PM Friday 8 AM–5 PM Saturday 9 AM–4 PM SundayClosed Monday 8 AM–5 PM Tuesday...

I have been going here since i was a teenager... Im not sure what happened to the once amazing staff of older ladies. There is now a young girl with glasses who works at the counter and is very rude and unsanitary. The least you could do is not laugh at someones order because they like certain things. She made my pregnant daughter feel guilty about eating her lunch. After ordering a drink, she only filled our soda up half way because she was too lazy for the bubbles to dissipate. Not to mention she had crumbs on her clothes and couldn't even put the food she was eating down to properly cash me and my family out. Disappointed they just...