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From Greeks in Birmingham:

Gus’s Hot Dogs
1915 4th Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 251-4540

In Chicago they have different style [of hot dog]. They put [them] in the water,[and] they put mustard, onions, tomatoes and pickles and, uh, relish. Stuff like that. And, uh, in the southern—the southern states like here, we have different. But here is better because they cook with a grill, you know?
—George Nasiakos

Gus Alexander, a native of Greece, opened Gus’s Hot Dogs, sometime in the late 1940s. Alex Choraitis (current owner of Andrew’s Bar-B-Q) took the place over in the 1960s, when Gus and his wife returned to live in Greece. Then, George Nasiakos took it over soon after his arrival to Birmingham in 1997. George came to Birmingham from Tripolis, Greece, via Chicago, where he worked at his brother’s restaurant, Chris’s Grill. Aleck Choraitis recruited George from Chicago, where their brothers knew each other, so that he could concentrate on his barbecue business. The hot dogs served at Gus’s are your typical Birmingham fare: a grilled dog with mustard, onions, and the elusive special sauce. The sauce recipe used there today is the original concoction that Gus Alexander created and then sold to Aleck and later George. George says he’s added his own touch to the sauce in the intervening years. No matter, it’s still one of the best dogs to be found in the Magic City.

The Sneaky Pete’s in Tarrant used to have a Pepper Dog; a hot dog covered in a hot relish made from 5 pepper varieties. You broke into
a sweat with the first bite, and it was heavenly. I miss them terribly.

Written by Robin Newberry: “when we were in High School, I can remember my girlfriend’s Mom pocketing the sat and pepper shakers from the Sneaky Pete’s in Hoover; I don’t know why”)

One of the fathers of a baseball teammate of mine (the Forestdale
druggist Anthony Brooklere) was a hot dog fiend, and we went to all of
them. He would go on and on with his comparisons, and so I got
interested.

We were downtown a lot when I was a kid, and I went in
them all at one time or another (they used to be open until about 10 at
night, remember). Tom’s Coney’s was supposed to be the oldest (that’s
what the sign said), and as I said the place just reeked of sauerkraut,
but I thought the sauce a bit sweet at the time and something I had to
be in the mood for.

Now I’d kill for it. That was the thing - all the
sauces were different and satisfied different sets of taste buds. I
can really remember thinking that I wasn’t in the mood for Pete’s
Famous, and go to Gus’s instead because I was craving the sauce.

(written by Robert McCrary)

The first time my
father took me there I must have been around 8 or 9. It was built up to
me so much that I was sure it was a great honor to eat there. Dad loved
it because he burnt the hot dogs a little bit, and to this day it is
how I judge a good hot dog.

(written by Kevin Kilgore: “I thank you from the bottom of my all-beef heart!”)

Pete’s Famous Hot Dogs

Originally uploaded by re6smith.

1925 2nd Ave. North
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 252-2905

“[There’s] something about [these hot dogs]. I mean, you can take a hot dog
and wrap it up and put it in a sack, and go out there and eat it. It doesn’t
taste the same as it does when it’s in here. This preacher s—s—said it’s
something in these walls that, you know—that makes it taste like that. And
that’s true.”
–Gus Koutroulakis

Birmingham legend, Gus Koutroulakis, has been slinging hot dogs from the
same tiny stand in downtown Birmingham, Pete’s Famous, since 1948.
According to Gus, his Uncle Pete and a buddy bought the place in 1939 with
money they won in a Pinochle game. Pete renamed the place after his selfproclaimed
famous dogs when he bought out his business partner in 1946.
That same year, Pete installed the colorful neon sign that still lights up 2nd
Avenue. And Gus still makes his dogs the same way his uncle did: “all the
way” with mustard, kraut, and special sauce. Or, you can order a “special,”
with a beef topping that’s—be careful—not chili. The classic sauce is unique
to Birmingham and certainly a Greek addition to classic take-away fare. No
one’s quite sure who came up with it, but variations on that same sauce can
be found all over town. A visit to Pete’s Famous is quite an experience, so
when you visit, spend some time taking in Gus’s hot dog wisdom and
learning interesting tidbits from loyal customers, while downing a few of what
are arguably the most famous dogs in Birmingham. The record, by the way,
is eighteen hot dogs eaten in one visit.

(written by Robert McCrary)

(More on Pete’s Famous)