Crif Dogs

Brooklyn, United States

3.4

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 718-302-3200
Website:
www.crifdogs.com
Address:
555 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11211
b/t 7th St & 6th St
Williamsburg - North Side
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
520 ftBedford Avenue (L)
0.3 miMetropolitan Avenue (G)
0.4 miLorimer Street (L)
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Today

Today –
Local time (Brooklyn) 19:40 Friday, 11 July 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Crif Dogs traveled over the bridge from the East Village to open our Brooklyn location.

Located in the heart of Williamsburg off the L train, get your hog dog on with Crif Dogs.

We offer a variety of dogs: A Crif Dog, made from beef and pork, is smoked and deep-​fried to order. a New Yorker, our all-​beef dog, is served grilled. Try the Spicy Redneck: deep-​fried, bacon-​wrapped hot dog covered in our house chili, jalapeños, and cole slaw.

We also serve grilled veggie dogs and can make veggie corn dogs upon request for those who are conscious of what they put in their mouths.

Treat yourself and put our hot, steamy, and delicious wieners in your mouth!

History

Established in 2001.

In 1999, Brian Shebairo and childhood pal Chris Antista hashed out a plan to serve hotdogs in the alley behind Lansky Lounge, a (now closed) speakeasy that Chris operated in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. They grew up in New Jersey eating at Johnny & Hanges, Callahan’s, Hiram’s, Rutt’s Hut, Nathan’s and Walter’s. On October 6, 2001, after two years of research and development, Brian and Chris opened Crif Dogs, a name they came up with when Brian tried to say his former partner’s name with a hot dog in his mouth.

Meet the Manager

Tim M.

Manager

Join us for hot dogs, or don’t, but you’ll be missing out. We have the best sausages in Brooklyn. No beef about it.

Nearby

Near this location:
30
ft
El Almacen
557 Driggs Ave
50
ft
Northside Pharmacy
559 Driggs Ave
80
ft
N7
218 N 7th St
100
ft
Two Boots Williamsburg
558 Driggs Ave
100
ft
Williamsburg Realty
199 N 7th St
120
ft
Junk
567 Driggs Ave

20 reviews of Crif Dogs

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Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
We came back from a party in Williamsburg and before hopping on the subway, we wanted some drunchies. We first wanted to get pizza at Two Boots, but it didn’t really look too satisfying for our hunger so we went across the street to Crif. A hot dog was exactly what we were craving and the interior was very chill and had fun music.
The food was okay. This place uses mediocre dogs but makes it fun and attractive to customers because of the variety of toppings it offers. I got a New Yorker dog with a side of fries which were lattice potato fries that were not amazing but hit the spot for my potato craving. Don’t get me wrong, I chowed down the food in a matter of minutes because it was pretty solid, but nothing amazing and I’ve had better premium dogs before. Boyfriend got 2 dogs– the Tsunami and Chili. Once again the meat was not the greatest but the toppings made it delicious.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
You want a true New York experience with real New York flavor? You can’t go wrong. Best dogs in town.
Place rating: 3
East Harlem, Manhattan, NY
Definitely a late night drunchies spot. Pretty damn good. I enjoyed my hot dog quite a bit, but the cheesy tots were seriously overcooked. Cider in a can is a little expensive for what it is… The hot dog was great but so messy and full of toppings it literally fell apart as I ate it. Being pretty buzzed, this was posed quite the challenge for me. Check this place out next time you’re drunk and hungry, it beats another deli sandwich.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Oh Crif Dogs Williamsburg, you aren’t as good as I remember. And certainly not as good as I remember your St. Marks location to be. You leave NYC for 2 years and everything changes! But I digress…
My friends and I made a quick, late-​night stop here to soak up some of the booze in our system from all of the pre-​Halloween party craziness. First of all, they don’t accept Discover, which is ok, but service took forever. My tried and true is the Jon Jon Deragon and cheese tots. My boyfriend got the Spicy Redneck, no coleslaw. We were already making bad decisions, and that Spicy Redneck might have been one of the worst for the bf. The cheese tots were overcooked, greasy, and overall bland. The bun for my dog was dry and the cream cheese couldn’t really save it. And I didn’t even want to touch that Spicy Redneck.
Overall, I wouldn’t be back to this location. St. Marks Crif Dogs, I hope you are still good! Or were you ever that good to begin with?
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
The food was good. My GF and I had the Chihuahua and Chili Dog. Not usually a fan of chili dogs, but this one was pretty good. They didn’t drown the dog in it…
The service was just ok, and the server/waitress…Elyssa was her name, she was just rude. Not a hi, goodbye, thanks, f-off…nothing. I know this is hipster Williamsburg, but have some sort of personality or get out of the service industry.
Probably wouldn’t go back. The food is good, but for what they charge and the subpar service, there are other spots in the neighborhood that would appreciate our business.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
The positives —
Yum, bacon wrapped hot dogsssss !
Great hot dogs
interesting flavor combos (peanut butter and chips on one)
2 draft beers and nice cider cans
The negatives–
The bins need help, wish they were better
Tables aren’t wiped down and weren’t clean
Bathroom isn’t clean
We were there 11-​ish on a Sunday and it was empty, just another couple there. They could’ve cleaned up properly.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
After experiencing the Living Room and the Nitehawk Midnight flick, Crif Dogs was a yummy spot to plop in. I came to the counter, ordered my food, and was looking for my wallet. Alyssa, immediately comped me. She must have saw some desperation in my eyes. No, boo that was my ‘I really waned to see Cowboy Bebop but ended up watching American Psycho look, honestly.’ So I also bought a cider, and tipped her.
The food came quickly. Two dogs and kraut with a cider were tasty. No complaints.
Place rating: 3
Queens, NY
In terms of concept, pretty cool with the decorations like it’s play time or something, especially the arcade table: eat a hotdog while playing Galaca. Alright but it’s still trashy in there, clean but trashy. Hipster indeed. Over-​priced indeed also but not overly so.
I wouldn’t mind over paying if I got a «wow», «awesome», «want more» factor but I didn’t get that. I got a plain hotdog, though the grilled skin on the hotdog was somewhat crisp but not really. Tasteless hotdog with average toppings. Yes, many topping made for a nice touch with my choice of toppings but lackluster in taste or flavor. The over all rating for the hot dog is 3 stars. Abundance does not make for good.
Over-​rated Stamp.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Crif Dogs is a wonderful place to get your hot dog fix. My personal favorite would be the Good Morning dog because of the egg and bacon. I would also come here with a group of friends after a long night of drinking; this would be our last stop of the night as we finish it off with Six Point and cheesy tater tots.
Place rating: 3
Manhattan, NY
I tried the Chihuahua on recommendations from Unilocal and the cashier. It was yummy, but tasted exactly how you’d expect.
My friend tried the Lil Ma, which is potato chips, peanut butter and pickles. I should have gotten this one instead — at Crif dogs, get the weirdest thing on the menu — it will be the most unexpectedly delicious.
Place rating: 3
Manhattan, NY
Oh Crif Doogs the drinken nights I have come to you for good olé chilli cheese tots and Tsunami Hot dog. Good times.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Love Crif dogs and it’s right by the L train station. Easy access to a snack or a meal. Their large variety of different imaginative hot dogs is mind blowing. Not just ketchup and mustard dogs here but a variety of creative ones as well. Favorites for me are Tsunami (bacon wrapped dog with pineapple and teriyaki sauce), spicey red neck (bacon wrapped dog with cole slaw, chili, and jalepenos), and the morning jersey (bacon wrapped dog with fried egg and cheese). All the hot dogs are of great quality with some snap. The fries were also great. Fried up perfectly crispy. Would definitely be back for a great snack.
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
Son, I am disappoint.
I got the tsunami dog which was just ALRIGHT. I’ve definitely had better dogs? I really don’t understand. Am I getting the wrong things here? I also ordered the cheese tots and they are really nothing special. It’s just normal tots with that fake nacho cheese that is so gross and great at the same time.
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
Time for an update!
The tsunami is delish… bacon wrapped hot dog drizzled with teriyaki sauce, topped with pineapple & green onions. Also waffle cheese fries are a must try!
Service is good, pretty quick… altho sometimes they are packed.
theres an item on the menu called crifs Pack… description days something about enough to feed to hunger people, nothing else. I asked what that included for 10 bucks… apparently its 2 fries & any 2 specialty hot dogs… ANY 2 CHOSEN BY THE CHEF! Who wants that? They serve dogs wrapped in ham, different toppings like pickles & jalapeño selections that i do not prefer! So this «deal» doesn’t apply to me or anyone with a prefence or desire to choose there own type of dog!
Maybe soon some better «deals» for these dogs?
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
This is ultimately excellent food to eat after you’ve been ingesting other substances.
For instance, the $ 10 Stoner Pack.* They tell you it’s «enough for one dude with a monster case of the munchies.» (Said munchies can be induced by drinking, smoking, other activities, or just being yourself.)
This is true, but more specifically it’s going to be two of their signature dogs, and one of their sides. This is a good deal, but the catch is that you don’t get to pick which ones.
If you’re me, you’re just hoping to get the Chihuahua, the Good Morning, or the Spicy Redneck for dogs, and the tater tots for a side (I don’t think they ever put chili and cheese on the tater tots in the stoner pack, but a guy can dream).
It helps to get in good with the staff, who are almost always pretty cool people. Last time, we bonded over Slick Rick, and I may or may not have told her to treat her mom like a prostitute. Which could’ve been awkward, but it wasn’t.
I like you, Crif Dogs.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
*Apparently these are now called «Crif Paks,» because some mom complained. [Insert complaint about gentrification/​breeders/​the man.]
Place rating: 2
Manhattan, NY
So coming from Chicago I have hot dog expectations. Although it may not be a Chicago dawg (sorry, to be that person), it was very much a New York dog in its innovative way. The scene is very divey and hip, perfect for its area. One of the tables was a broken ping-​ball machine, we ate on t that. The space is fair amount of space for its concept. I think it can seat up to 30 people.
I thought it was cool that they were able to put so much on a hot dog! Bacon, avocado, pineapple! All very interesting toppings! Me, not being innovative I got a chilli dog. I thought it was okay. Not somewhere I would go again.
Also, they do have condoms to-​go at the counter so you can wrap your dog up! If you know what I mean…
Place rating: 3
New York, NY
After a elite event, a few of Unilocalers and I were still hungry, and being near the area of Williamsburgs, we made the decision come over here.
First I have to point out that they use working arcade games like Pac Man and Galaga as tables this is awesome, they also have a great collection of Start Wars. They also were giving free condom.
I order the Good Morning a hot dog with a bacon that is wrapped in a dog smothered with melted cheese & a fries egg. The hot dog was amazing and very unique.
The staff here were very friendly and the service were also fast. Overall, a great spot for a delicious hot dog experience were you also can play some video game.
If I’m in the area, I definitely will come another time.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Yet another little trendy spot that fits right into Williamsburg.
I came here late night after an event and this place definitely hit the spot!!!
I tried the chili dog and the tator tots. So yummy and perfect for a night out after drinking. This place is small and seating is limited but people seem not to stay too long. The selection of hot dogs is crazy so I decided to play it safe and I definitely picked a good choice going with the chili. I definitely recommend coming here if you want to grab a quick bite. The table I sat at had a quarter arcade game covered with plexiglass but I was too busy stuffing my face to find out if it really worked!
One other strange thing is that they have free condoms on the counter if needed. Pretty strange but gave us a good laugh!
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
This place was such a surprising visit of fun and great food. I’m a huge fan of their manhattan location so while a few bars over in Williamsburg I decided to drop in and check out their brooklyn location and it was not a let down at all. Same amazing food and quick cooking time. I was surprised to see that the staff was almost better then their st. marks team which is hard to top. The traffic is a lot less so if you are a big fan of Criff dogs and don’t want the cramped feeling you get in manhattan then stop over here.
ALSO VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY… order the Veggie Corndog. Literally almost brought me to tears because it was so good and thankfully my friend ordered some cheese tater tots to bring this meal to an amazing close.
ALSO thank you to the cashier Steph, above being adorable she was really kind and helpful and she made us laugh a ton ^_^
Place rating: 2
Calgary, Canada
I ordered a New Yorker hotdog to try. I opted to top it with sauerkraut, mustard, relish and ketchup. It fell apart after the first bite. The sauerkraut was really good but the hotdog wiener itself was thin and small and pretty boring overall.
You are better off with a hotdog vendor on the street! Good try though Cliff dogs. Better luck next time.
P. S. I should mention that I was neither starving nor high nor drunk while eating this hotdog. So maybe my standards were too high.