Red Top Hotdogs opens new location in Germantown. Here's where to find it

Ryan Cohee didn’t plan on moving to Louisville.

The experienced chef visited the city on vacation about 15 years ago and then, charmed by the place, moved here a week later.

He also probably didn’t plan on starting a hot dog business here that's — 10 years later — a local favorite.

In 2014, Cohee launched Red Top Hot Dogs as a hot dog cart, the kind you’d picture on the sidewalks of New York City.

“There was a niche that wasn’t being fed at all in this area and that was hot dogs,” Cohee told the Courier Journal.

Cohee wanted to bring the kinds of quality hot dogs prevalent in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.

“There was just no culture here,” he said, comparing Louisville to cities like Indianapolis or Columbus, Ohio. “I wanted to introduce Louisville to this style of hot dogs.”

After running the cart for about a year, Cohee made enough money to build his own food truck and show up at flea markets and small events. Red Top’s truck eventually rolled into bigger gigs and is now a staple at festivals such as Bourbon & Beyond.

“It just grew and grew,” he said. “People didn’t realize there’s such a thing as a really good hot dog.”

Part of the pull comes from Red Top’s premium products and inventive recipes.

The menu features dogs with wagyu beef, locally-sourced pork bratwurst and vegetarian Italian sausage.

Styles include nods to this area and region, with names such as “Germantown” and “Hoosier.” One simply called “Louisville” is topped with cheddar beer cheese, Flint-style coney sauce and organic yellow mustard.

A hot dog called “Nirvana” is made with cream cheese, fried onions, fresh jalape?os and jalape?o jelly. Another is made with blue cheese, bourbon-grilled onions, smoked bacon and blackberry jam.

For a few years, Red Top had a brick-and-mortar space near Shelby Park. Cohee closed the restaurant after business slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of May, though, Red Top again has a permanent location.

Cohee moved one of his food trucks into the back of Atrium Brewing, 1154 Logan St., where Red Top opens daily at 11 a.m.

“What goes better together than hot dogs and beer?” Cohee said.

To celebrate Red Top’s tenth anniversary, which falls in July, a celebration is planned Thursday at Atrium, the Fourth of July.

Festivities include turtle races and a hot dog eating contest.

Another Red Top truck will still be seen at area events.

“Hot dogs are universal,” Cohee said. “They make for great fair food or festival food.”

When people try Red Top’s stuff, they often tell Cohee it’s the “best dog they’ve ever had.”

“That makes my day,” he said.

Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Red Top Hotdogs opens standalone spot in Germantown neighborhood