Restaurants

Don't forget to buy your own relish to take home!

My husband is originally from York, Maine.  And since the day we met, there has not been a single time he’s bitten into a hot dog when he hasn’t looked up, sighed deeply, and said something to the effect of, “This is good but it’s just nowhere near as good as a Flo’s dog.”

For him, all hot dogs will forever pale in comparison to the steamed mini-dogs they serve in an delapidated old house along Route 1 in Cape Neddick, Maine.  Nothing will ever come close.  Not even the Flo-like dogs he tries to create at home.

Flo’s Hot Dogs is a bit of an area legend.  Open since 1959, the owners say the secret to a good hot dog is steaming both the dog and the bun – and making sure to add a generous amount of Flo’s secret relish.  Add some mayonnaise and raw chopped onion and – voila! – you have what my husband believes is the perfect hot dog.  (I prefer to avoid the raw onion and mayo, myself).

Don’t ask for a Coke here.  Flo’s only serves Moxie, Maine’s official state soda.  And outside of a bag of chips, there’s nothing but hot dogs for eating.  And be prepared to wait for the privilege of having one of those.

Flo’s is cash-only.  There’s no indoor seating (except for a couple bar stools that you may be lucky enough to squat on while your dogs are cooking) and the few picnic tables that are outside have seen better days.  There’s no phone on the premises to call-in a take-out order.  But still, people come from near and far to queue up and get their Flo’s fix.  The one thing you can always count on is a line.

But take a bite.  You may not develop the near-religious devotion my husband displays at the thought of a Flo’s dog but you’ll definitely believe it was worth the wait.

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Flo’s Hot Dogs
Blue Star Memorial Highway (Route 1)
Cape Neddick, Maine 03902

Menu:
Hot dog – $2.50
Soda – $1.00
Chips – $0.75
Milk – $0.75
Coffee – $0.75