Olneyville New York System
The Rhode Island Hot Wiener Landmark Since 1946
If you know hot dogs, you know Olneyville. A Providence, Rhode Island, landmark since 1946, it was founded by Greek immigrant Anthony Stevens and his son Nicholas and has operated at its current location since 1953, with a second outpost in Cranston. One of America’s most famous & beloved hot dog joints, it's a true culinary treasure.
With its tall neon sign, the low-slung, unassuming restaurant is the state’s most iconic destination for hot wieners, also called New York System wieners, which get their name from a time when hot dogs were closely associated with Coney Island. A Rhode Island specialty, hot wieners are made with a combination of beef, veal, and pork, and have a noticeably different flavor from standard hot dogs. When topped “all the way” with savory meat sauce, tangy mustard, fresh diced onions, and a sprinkle of celery salt, it’s hot dog perfection – especially when washed down with another Rhode Island classic: coffee milk, a sweet, creamy combination of coffee syrup and ice cold milk. It’s up to you if you’d like to prepare yours like the countermen there famously do: lining them up along their forearms – up to a dozen at a time – to apply toppings.
Olneyville has been featured by everyone from Alton Brown to Andrew Zimmern, and in 2014 it was named an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation. This is a true local legend, and it’s finally shipping nationwide!
