Adam B.
Yelp
3-stars for the dive bar atmosphere and friendly bartender. I have been meaning to try Rutt's Hut for a long time now ... but rarely had an excuse to go into Clifton, NJ. I have long heard stories of their famous ripper hot dog. After all these years, how disappointing to basically find an average to below average hot dog.
Hot dogs are hard to fuck up. Generally, even a boiled Fenway Frank hot dog at a Red Sox game is delicious. I have been to all the big spots, except for Chicago, when it comes to famous hot dogs ... Pink's Los Angeles (worth it!) ... Coney Island in Worcester (interesting) ... Papaya King in NYC (meh ...), Hot Dog Johnny's in Butzville, NJ (interesting) Nathan's (the best tasting, on its own) ... The Old Town Bar, NYC (yes!!) and Ben's Chili Bowl in DC (the best all around) so I am not just whistling Dixie.
Rutt's Hut dogs were simply average, at best. I found it to be very bland ... no garlic, spice or basically any taste. The 'famous' relish condiment, served in a communal jar (cringle) helped give it some (any!!) taste ... albeit very sweet. I don't even really like relish but slathered it on just to give it SOMETHING!
I wonder if mine were undercooked ... they were barely split open. I have used my air fryer to cook hot dogs, which kind of fries the outside crisp and gives it a salty/meaty bacon-y taste. I much prefer my air fryer hot dogs to these! The hot dogs at Rutt's Hut are pretty thick. I am usually a 3 dog guy ... but two was plenty for me to be full. (If they were amazing, as described, I could have probably got another one down.) From the time I ordered until the time my food came out was less than 4 minutes.
The french fries were also bland. Fried crisp ... but bland. I could have skipped these for sure, they added nothing to my meal except carbs. I think the fries were more expensive than a hot dog! The best part of the meal was the birch beer, served cold in a mug in all its red colored glory. I had to convince myself that the birch beer alone made the trip worth it. The prices weren't terrible but they weren't a great value, either. 2 rippers, fries and a birch beer, with tip, was around $20. I remember when this would be a $10 meal around 5 years ago.
The elephant in the room (on the bar side anyways) is the cleanliness. I am all for dive bars and vintage places. This place looked like it could have been around in the 1920's for sure ... however, it looked like it hasn't been cleaned since the 1970's. The vibe is as much vintage as it is grimy. Opposite of Anthony Bourdain's warning about what an unclean bathroom says about the kitchen. The bathroom was the cleanest looking area in the place. My spot at the bar was caked in dried up old ketchup and had the remnants of salt from the previous diners.
The outside looks like it could be the set for a 1970's Halloween movie, representing a small town diner/hot dog stand. It was fairly empty on both sides around 2 p.m. on a weekday. I expected, based on its fame, to encounter long lines. I am glad to have tried Rutt's Hut and the staff were really nice ... but I just didn't find anything worth going back for. I've had better hot dogs and fries from the concession stands at a little league game.