Larry Olmsted

Special for USA TODAY

The scene: Ted’s is one of America’s classic hot dog joints, with dogs chargrilled in plain view and offered with all the extras you might expect. But the history and local love of Ted’s goes deeper than most places cut from the same cloth. The rich tradition dates to 1927 when Ted, one Theodore Spiro Liaros, a Greek immigrant, started selling hot dogs from a horse-drawn cart to construction workers erecting the Peace Bridge, which connects the U.S. and Canada. When the bridge was finished that year, one of the construction shacks used to store tools at the site was suddenly obsolete, and came up for sale. Liaros moved in, and Ted’s was born.

That first location opened in 1927, followed by a larger Ted’s in nearby Tonawanda in 1948, but the Peace Bridge shack closed in 1998. Today there are nine Ted’s Hot Dogs in and around Buffalo, the oldest dating back almost seven decades, and somewhat randomly, one in Tempe, Ariz., home of Arizona State University. There is now also a Ted’s food truck at special events around town. The most recent addition, opened last fall, was the first Ted’s in downtown Buffalo, as most are scattered in nearby suburbs. In all cases the signatures are hot dogs broiled to order over a charcoal grill in sight of the customer, made-to-order milkshakes, hand-cut onion rings and Ted’s famous secret recipe hot sauce, locally popular and sold to go in jars.

Given the history, Ted’s are surprisingly modern and built in the style of roadside fast food chains with synthetic furniture, plastic trays, communal napkin and condiment stations, and lots of posters advertising specials, combos and new or limited-time food offerings. But the friendly service and made-to-order food still gives it a bit more soul than a national chain. Onion rings are served in unique folded tents of wax paper, French fries in cardboard cups. But because the hand-cut onion rings and fries are made constantly in batches right behind the counter, it smells more like frying oil, in a way that makes you hungry, And the food is better.

Food pilgrimage: Buffalo wings in Buffalo, part 1

Food pilgrimage: Buffalo wings in Buffalo, part 2

Reason to visit: Extra-grilled hot dogs, Ted’s Sea Dog, loganberry juice or shake

The food: The original shack bore the words “Ted’s Red Hots,” and today the branches have signage boasting of “Jumbo Charcoal Broiled Red Hots with our famous hot sauce,” so a bit of spicy bite has always been part of Ted’s tradition. Such heat is something many other hot dog joints eschew, but a wildly popular option in the city that gave its name to spicy chicken wings. However, most of the menu falls into the traditional burger and dog non-spicy comfort zone. The hot dog options are regular, foot long, jumbo, kids skinless and veggie, and if you want the extra spice you have to move to the sausage section of the menu for the Polish, which has a very nice flavor and is just mildly spicy, but definitely more so than the regular dogs. There is also a classic Italian sausage.

The signature at Ted’s is the charcoal grilling, and the result is slightly blistered and snappy exterior that is much different from most of the famous hot dog places this column has visited, closest to the blistered oil-fried southern Connecticut-style. One option not on the menu that is very popular with locals is to order your dog “extra grilled” for even more blackened, smoky taste, and since the whole reason to visit Ted’s over other hot dog options is for the coal grilling, this is the way to go. Likewise, the foot-long is better than the regular just by virtue of more exterior surface area to capture the grilling, and the jumbo is appreciably thicker, meatier and more satisfying. Many locals also ask for their buns toasted.

Great American Bites: Fried hot dogs sizzle at Connecticut drive-in

Beyond the grilling, Ted’s other signature is lots of toppings, but while many hot dog places boast weird piled-high combos, here it is more about layering your preferred flavors. The standout additions are the excellent bacon — real slices and not ersatz bits — and the house chili sauce. The secret house hot chili sauce is thick and stronger than the tomato sauce-like version many hot dog places use, and adds more deep smoky flavor. Besides these two options, many regulars go for “the works,” which includes relish, mustard, ketchup, diced onion and pickle spear, in my opinion a great snappy, vinegary contrast that adds a lot to any hot dog. The mustard used is “Buffalo’s Own” Weber’s horseradish spiked version, a local favorite. Besides the standard works, options include the chili sauce, bacon and cheese, which can be skipped, as it is sort of a mild gooey nacho cheese sauce.

The burgers are pretty basic, with thin, fast food-style patties, slightly elevated in flavor by being cooked on the same grill, thought the reason to come is for the dogs. The odd exception is Ted’s Sea Dog, tube-shaped breaded fried fish served in a foot-long bun with optional spicy cherry pepper relish that is surprisingly good, crunchy outside and light and flaky inside, a nice alternative (or addition) to the regular dogs and better than you would expect at a place that otherwise does not do seafood. In general, Ted’s is very good at frying, a skill that can be very hit or miss, and as result, the onion rings are very good, thin and on the lighter side, always served hot and fresh. The French fries are also quite good, similarly fresh and well cooked, but the rings are the standout here.

Hot dogs + tater tots = A 'happy' time in Cleveland

Ted’s make better-than-average shakes for a fast food kind of place, closer to an actual ice cream parlor, but if you visit from out of town, the thing to drink here is perhaps Buffalo’s oddest and most singular local specialty: loganberry juice. Real loganberries are hybrids of raspberries and blueberries, and the fruit-flavored juice was supposedly invented or popularized at a now-defunct area amusement park called Crystal Beach. The juice became so well known that it outlived the park, and Crystal Beach is one of the three big local brands (along with Johnny Ryans and Aunt Rosie’s). It tastes like a slightly more real-fruit version of Kool-Aid. In any case, it’s something Buffaloans swear by that you won’t see almost anyplace else, and Ted’s also uses it to make a loganberry milkshake.

What regulars say: “Go extra grilled on a toasted roll. They need to be really charbroiled. After you’ve had a thousand in your lifetime you know exactly how you like it,” said Mary Roberts, director of Buffalo’s Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Martin House historic site.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: No, but a signature food to have in upstate New York.

Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $-$$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: Original, 2312 Sheridan Drive, Tonawanda; 716-834-6287; tedshotdogs.com

PHOTOS: In search of the best Buffalo wings in Buffalo​