Hot Grill in Clifton has been slinging Texas wieners since 1961. Order one, or a burger, 'all the way' and you'll taste why the restaurant is essential.
I'll just come out and say it: I love Hot Grill in Clifton.
I love it in a way that I think many of you do, too, judging by the comments you submitted when you nominated it as one of the 25 most essential restaurants in North Jersey. You called it “one of the “four horsemen of the hot dog apocalypse” (along with Rutt’s Hut, Hiram’s and Jimmy Buff’s). You said it was one of the last places in North Jersey to get a Texas-style wiener. You said, “Run, don’t walk,” to Hot Grill.
Though I normally bristle at hype around a restaurant, I couldn’t help but be immediately disarmed by Hot Grill: Cheap prices, a dining room that feels plucked out of the early days of fast food, and food that simply delivers.
Though I’d never been there, the dining room and the taste of its simple burgers, sandwiches, soups and dogs felt so familiar. It felt essential.
About Hot Grill in Clifton
Hot Texas wieners — a deep fried beef-and-pork frankfurter — were invented in the ’30s in Paterson, and there existed a few dozen spots in and around the city to get one. There are fewer today, but the Hot Grill, in business for more than 60 years, endures.
For more on the early days of Texas wieners in Paterson, check out the documentary ‘One All the Way,’ which includes Hot Grill.
Italian and Greek immigrants Carmen La Mendola, Domenick Sportelli, Nick Dorris and Peter Leonidas opened Hot Grill on Friday the 13th of 1961. That, clearly, wasn’t a bad omen. They originally opened in a small building that could seat 20 people at barstools, but expanded to their current Clifton spot in the ’80s to meet what was a burgeoning demand.
That demand was stoked by their presentation of their dogs, serving them “All the Way,” which includes mustard, onions and their secret-recipe chili. Too, folks gravitated toward their crispy fries drenched in house gravy. That people — me included, now — still rave about those two items and more is a testament to the Hot Grill, and so it’s no wonder you all pegged it as essential.
The food and dining experience at Hot Grill
The dining room at Hot Grill is clean and spacious with retro booths, wood paneling and a few TVs on the outside, and a walk-up service counter in the center. You head up there, peruse the menu, order what you’d like and the team drops it all on a tray in a matter of minutes, maybe less.
Let’s start with what’s literally flashing in neon lights at the end of Hot Grill’s parking lot: the Texas wieners. The frankfurter is slender and blistered on the outside; I’m sure you can get a better bite of meat from another hot dog, but it works for me. Plus, it’s a canvas for a spectacular chili, which is smooth, meaty and perfectly spiced — I hesitate to play this game because I’m not very good at it, but there is just a hint of clove that makes the whole thing pop. Add in brown mustard and chopped white onions, and I dare say that it’s the only way I want a hot dog from now on.
The fries are standard straight and crispy, but you throw some of Hot Grill’s gravy on it, and it becomes something to travel for. The gravy is perfect, silken and fatty without being unctuous and meting out a pop of black pepper. You can get it in tubs to-go, and I did.
The gravy also shows up on a simple roast beef sandwich, and I don’t know if any of the executives at Arby’s are reading this, but take notes: this is how you do a fast food sandwich. Served on a soft bun (or kaiser roll, if you choose), the meat was tender and abundant, succulent even, and the gravy just kept oozing into each nook of the sandwich.
The burgers, too, are simple and excellent. As with hot dogs, there is a lot of talk about which non-chain makes the best fast food burgers in North Jersey; I’d submit Hot Grill here. The patties are substantial — even more so if you get a double, obviously — they’re cooked just right, you can actually taste the beef and they melt in your mouth. Go “All the Way” with that and forget about it.
Homemade minestrone soup is hearty with three beans and veggies, and though I’m not a big shake guy (and so wouldn’t know the difference between a good and great one), the vanilla shake was thick, creamy and satisfying. I’ll be back for the tuna sandwich, chicken nuggets, soft-serve, root beer float and, well, just more burgers and dogs.
The verdict
My hope is that I don’t hype up Hot Grill and then you go in with expectations that are beyond what it is. I’m hyped because this is what I like and I find it’s a little rare nowadays: simple, delicious and satisfying food served without frills. It delivers exactly what it promises for a reasonable price (loaded hot dogs and burgers are $3.80, the roast beef sandwich is $6.15).
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That’s enough for me. I literally slapped my forehead halfway through my first meal at Hot Grill and thought, “Food really doesn’t need to be complicated.” It doesn’t need gimmicks. It just needs to be made well, and the simple stuff — like the fare at Hot Grill — is about as much as you can ask for from a plate of food.
It seems like others have had this thought for 60-plus years now. I may be late to the party, but I’m glad I’m here now.
Go: Hot Grill. 669 Lexington Ave., Clifton; 973-772-6000, thehotgrill.com.
Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/The Record. If you have recommendations for other essential North Jersey restaurants for him to visit, go or email him at [email protected].