Blackie's is on just about every top 10 hot dog list you can find in Connecticut and is even on some national lists. Finally got there today. My wife and I drove the 20 minute excursion to our West. The route reminded me of all the weekend trips to AAU basketball with our daughter who is now getting ready for college.
Blackie's is a classic! Founded in 1928, they serve Martin Rosol dogs in steamed bun. First, they cook the dog in oil, and then if you ask for it Well, they will toss it on the grille. You add the condiments yourself. $3.75 for a dog.
I thought I would be brave and try their special relish. Keep in mind, I don't like relish, but this was delicious, and made for one of the best hot dogs I have had. I even bought a jar of their special relish for $8.
I also ordered a birch beer, which they have on draft. For those of you who don't know what Birch Beer tastes like, it is like a less sweet root beer.
Blackie's is cash only and closed on Friday's. This dates back to the old Catholic tradition of not eating meat on Friday's.
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Here's a longer review:
Blackie’s is on nearly every best of Connecticut hot dog list I encounter. Yankee magazine called it one of the best of New England and People magazine in 2019 named it the best hot dog in Connecticut, and Reader’s Digest did the same in 2024.
Founded in 1928, as a gas station by Irish immigrant Mary Mahoney and her American husband Art Blackman, people gathered at the station for the hot dogs they served. 98 years later Blackies is in its fourth generation of family ownership; the gas is gone, but the hot dogs remain. Today Blackie’s is a no-frills hot dog and hamburger joint, known for its secret recipe spicy black pepper relish that is made every fall with fresh local ingredients. The building, rebuilt after a 1945 fire, still has the old gas station feel with its two garage doors that open onto the counter with stools. On either side are simple tables. People order hot dogs simply by calling out the number they want. The dogs are specially made for Blackie’s by Martin Rosol with a special beef and pork blend. They boil the dogs in oil which causes them to split open. If you ask for your dogs “well,” they throw them on the flat-top grille to add a little char. The dogs are served on warm plain buns. Customers add the condiments themself from communal dishes - the spicy black pepper relish, brown mustard or ketchup. Blackie’s serves milk shakes and birch beer on tap. They don’t have fries, just small bags of chips. Instead of fries they say, just have another dog.
My wife and I learn all this when we drive out on a Sunday afternoon. I don’t even like relish, but I try it and like it so much, I buy a jar to take home. The relish has been shipped all over the country and even went into space (to the International space station) when requested by local astronaut . Blackie’s helped NASA design a special squeezable tube.
There are two signs of note on the walls:
Closed Fridays. Fridays are no meat days for Catholics so Blackies, whose founders were devout, have never opened on Friday.
No Dancing. Many years ago they had a juke box and the juke box led to people dancing, and in Connecticut there was a tax on, so they put the sign up so they didn’t have to pay the tax.
I don’t know if I can rank Blackie’s number one based solely on one visit, but it is a contender.