Stopped at my brother’s in New Jersey on the way to take Zoey to college. Many years ago he took me to a great hot dog place near his house, and I insisted we go back there so I could get my dog for the day.
Jimmy Buff’s is famous for its Italian hot dogs. They deep fry an all beef dog, put it in a quarter pizza dough roll, and pile it with fried onions, peppers and potatoes. There is one guy at the grill and next to him is the guy working the register. You can get a single for $8.86 or a double for $12.15.
While we were there, a guy came in and said, “ Wow, this place looks exactly as it was 30 years ago. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve been here. Looks just the same. I live in Pennsylvania now. Just back in town. Wow. This is great!”
I ordered five hot dogs to take back to my brother’s so everyone (wives, nieces, daughter) could sample one. I was, also thinking if there was left a leftover one, I could have it for breakfast the next morning, but when we got back, they all got eaten so much so that his wife who had bought shrimp to cook us for dinner, never even bothered to cook the shrimp because the dogs filled everyone up. My brother is a vegetarian, but instead of passing, he just took the dog out of his and ate the roll with all the onions, peppers and potatoes.
As I did 12 years ago, I have to rate Buff’s as among the very best hot dogs I have had.
If you are ever in West Orange where this Jimmy's Buff's is or at any of the other Northern Jersey Jimmy Buff's locations, try to stop by on a Thursday night for Throwball Thursdays where you get a second dawg for a low price based on your decade of birth. For me (born in 1958) that would mean getting a second dawg for only 75 cents. Anyone born in the 1990’s or later would only have to pay $3.
Jimmy Buff’s was featured in Jane and Michael Stern’s Road food article in parade magazine in 2016.
