Move Over Tacos: One Mexican Street Food Takes Hot Dogs To The Next Level

When thinking of Mexican street food, tacos are likely to top the list — hot dogs, probably not so much. But Mexican-style hot dogs, known in Northern Mexico, where the style originated, as dogos or dogos sonorenses, have made their mark in the United States. Stateside, they're known as Sonoran hot dogs, and the traditional version starts with a bacon-wrapped frank that's grilled and sliced lengthwise, then set into a toasted, soft white bread roll similar to a bolillo (a traditional oval-shaped Mexican bread). It's typically topped with pinto beans, grilled and raw onions, a jalapeño-based salsa, mustard, diced tomatoes, and mayo.

That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various toppings that have found their way atop this regional dish, so if you're a fan of other topping-heavy hot-dog styles, like the Chicago dog, there's much to appreciate. In Hermosillo, the capital of the Mexican state of Sonora, you'll find a wide variety of garnishes, from chopped cucumbers to cottage cheese, marinated mushrooms to nacho cheese sauce. In Tucson, Arizona, where they're wildly popular, they tend to stick to the traditional toppings, while in Los Angeles, you're more likely to find them served with grilled onions, peppers, and jalapeños. And then there's our version that includes salsa verde mayo.

Hot dogs may have arrived in Mexico around the turn of the 20th century, and there are several origin stories about how they first got there, including being introduced by a traveling circus, U.S. sailors, and the arrival of baseball. But as with other Mexican foods with international roots, the country's talented cooks made the hot dog their own.

The birth of the Sonoran hot dog has been pegged to the 1940s and attributed to either Cipriano Lucero, who served hot dogs at his American-style restaurant in Hermosillo, or an American couple who sold hot dogs outside a bullring there. By the 1990s, these dogs had migrated to Arizona, where they quickly made inroads in Tucson's food culture thanks to Daniel Contreras' hot dog restaurant El Güero Canelo. These days, the Sonoran, especially the Los Angeles style, has spread via social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, but the Sonoran isn't the only Mexican-style hot dog out there.

There are various regional variations throughout the country. In the Yucatan, you may find your hot dog served with bologna instead of bacon, while in Tijuana, it may be topped with potato chips. So now, when you think of Mexican street food, your mind may drift towards hot dogs rather than tacos. But either way, you're probably getting hungry.