Olneyville New York System ★ 4.8
Open until 02:00 most nights, 03:00 weekends, the 1946 Olneyville hot wiener counter is Providence's late-night feed. James Beard America's Classics 2014.
Try: Hot wieners 'all the way'
History
Greek immigrant Anthony Stevens and his son Nicholas left Brooklyn for Providence in the 1930s and opened Olneyville New York System at 8 Olneyville Square in 1946. They moved to the present 18 Plainfield Street address in 1953. The buttered-bun-steamer-line technique and the celery-salt-on-everything finish became the canonical Providence late-night feed. The James Beard Foundation gave Olneyville New York System an America's Classics Award in 2014. The brand was sold to Heritage Restaurant Group in February 2025, with the menu and staff intact.
Common allergens: Gluten, Beef
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 8 New England-style small-format frankfurters
- 8 soft potato hot dog buns (top-split, no seeds)
- 60g salted butter, softened
- Yellow mustard
- 1 small yellow onion, very finely diced
- 2 tbsp celery salt
- 500g lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 240ml beef stock
- Salt, black pepper
Method
- Make the meat sauce. Combine ground beef, grated onion, paprika, chili powder, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, tomato paste and beef stock in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, breaking the meat very fine with a wooden spoon.
- Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is a smooth thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- Bring a wide pan of water to a low simmer. Place a steamer rack over the water, or use a roasting rack. Steam the buns 90 seconds until soft and slightly puffed.
- Steam or simmer the frankfurters 4 minutes in another pan of water (do not boil; the casing splits).
- Butter the inside of each steamed bun lightly with softened butter.
- Place a frank in each bun. Top with a stripe of yellow mustard, a small spoon of meat sauce, a generous pinch of finely diced raw onion, and a dusting of celery salt.
- Serve immediately with coffee milk.
Tip from the editors. The bun must be soft and steamed, not toasted, and the celery salt is non-negotiable.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat hot wieners
Hot wieners in Providence
Spike's Junkyard Dogs ★ 4.0
Spike's jumbo all-beef Junkyard Dogs come loaded with tomato, pickle, scallion, banana pepper and mustard. The Warwick storefront is the last Spike's.
Try: Junkyard Dog with all the toppings
More cities are in research. Want hot wieners covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.