I love Nikki's! My husband and I eat here atleast once a month and their hotdogs are consistently delicious. We usually get the Mexican and the coney and really enjoy the combo! Their service is hit or miss however, the cashiers have never been super warm, and there are times Itll take us 25 minutes to get 2 hot dogs and there won't be many people waiting - but when we're not in a hurry it's worth the wait, and when we're are in a hurry, they offer online ordering! I love the very old school diner vibe they have, the train inside is super cute and always gives us something to look at. read more

Nikki's Dog House - Hot dogs - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

the service was good. the ambiance is appropriate for families with children. the problem is the food. the hotdog with beans was almost inedible. the hotdog tasted like it had never seen a grill and was boiled, tasting like a school lunch hotdog. the roll was unremarkable. in fact, I couldn't eat the whole thing. the beans definitely did not look or taste like any kind of Boston bean I have eaten. the onion rings were tasty, but a bit overcooked. My husband had the coney dog, he noted that a good hotdog needed a good roll. Neither the hot dog or cheeseburger had a good roll. He had a single burger, and to tell the truth, he would have had better food at McDonald's. at least there the bun would be proportionate to the burger. the sweet potato fries with maple syrup were interesting, but as the onion rings a bit overcooked. the reviews led us to try this resturant. The parking in the area isn't great and despite the staff and environment we will not return, nor will recommend this "best hot dog" place to anyone we know Lynne read more

They have really expanded their menu since last year. First off, the food is great, and the prices are very reasonable. We both had the Greek salad which was huge and tasty, and so was the wife's BLT. My Coney dog was so-so. The overhead trains are always a treat to watch. But the main reason for the three stars in the service. I ordered chips with my hot dog, found they weren't with my order, and didn't realize you had to pull off a bag from the rack to get them. The server should have told me that before I picked up the tray. Also I did mention the salads were huge. so much so that we couldn't finish them. When asked for a doggy bag I was told they didn't have any! I would say there is no excuse for either of these flops, but will return due to the food and prices. But next time we'll order onion rings and bring our own containers. read more

We experienced great service at the Storrs location! We had a pretty large order and the lady taking our order was kind enough to throw in some free fries on the house!! not only was the service like family. But the food is a super wide variety and super good! Came here a couple times now read more

The dogs are small but mighty! Very good!! I got the Coney Island and the Boston of course being from Massachusetts lol. Atmosphere and wait staff's were very friendly. And its a nice cozy local place to eat in also read more

Very disappointed. Dogs were small, and the meat sauce tasted like it was just cooked ground beef. We will not be back.

Yum yum yum!!! I went here for the first time yesterday and all I can say is if you haven't been here you need to try it! The girl taking my order was super nice, it was super cute inside, there is such a good variety of dogs and it's not that expensive!! I got the Kansas City BBQ dog ( coleslaw, pickles and BBQ sauce ) my husband got fries and root beer! Even the fries where so tasty! Kinda like a McDonald's style but way tastier and perfect amount of salt! I will definitely be going back! read more

Nikki's Dog House - Kansas City BBQ dog - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Nummers! My wife's family lives in the Quiet Corner of CT and though we're mostly in the area for family events, every now and then we have the chance to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant in the area. Putnam is freaking adorable and the Main Street area is like a Hallmark Christmas movie (especially right now, the weekend before Thanksgiving). Nikki's is quite the institution and they recently changed ownership, the look of the joint and revamped the menu and I LIKE IT! We met my in-laws on a Sunday about 30 minutes before they closed, to grab a quick bite to eat. I am a huge fan of hotdogs and was excited to try a few different ones. My in-laws and wife are huge patty melt fans and all three of them ordered patty melts, which they loved. Apparently patty melts weren't on the previous menu and but they're a very welcome addition. I had the classic coney dog and the reuben dog. Both were very tasty. The "small" orders of fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings we got were quite large, crisp and delicious. The staff is very welcoming and happy to see you. The price point is crazy low (I think it was $37 for all that we ordered plus 4 sodas). They have much more than dogs and burgers, like a falafel, some tacos, salads AND ice cream. Check them out if you're in the area. I think you'll dig it. read more

See all

Food is good but slow. Don't be in a rush. I wish they were more like Coney Island Worcester where after you pay and they give you your change you walk away with your order. I realize Nikki's has a variety of items on their menu but hot dogs should be relatively quick , not 25 minutes. Still good though. read more

It was ok. The hot dogs were alright, nothing really special about them. The fries were soaked in grease, saturated in fact. Been wanting to try it, so we tried it and that's the end of that. read more

Nikki's Dog House - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Nikki's is an absolute treat. Every month I travel to Putnam to make a day of it. The town has a lot of gems to offer. Nikki's is always the spot to grab a piece of classic America. The hot dogs, burgers, & fries are always on point. However it's the not so usual menu items that I love. Their variety of chicken tacos (honey garlic for me) are fantastic along with a side of onion rings and complete the meal with a shake or soda. Also their chili is great. Staff is super friendly. Highly recommended when your in the area read more

One of the best hot dogs I've ever had. Check this spot out nestled in the cute downtown area of Putnam CT. read more

Nikki's Dog House - Coney Island dog - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Nikki's dog house REVAMPED! The place has a fresh new look and a new menu! My husband ordered the Coney Island dog as well as the reuban dog. He was pleased with both! I ordered the spicy buttermilk ranch taco (I ordered two since it's only 1 per order) and a small fry. I can't give 5 starts because my fries were cold, but I would order the taco again! I can't wait to try out other new menu items, especially the ice cream! read more

See all

Cute interior and friendly staff. The hotdogs and buns are steamed; the toppings are tasty. read more

Nikki's Dog House - Dirty Water Hotdog - sauerkraut, onions, spicy brown mustard, hot sauce. - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Heard Nikki's Dog House had a great hot dog meat sauce. So we drove an hour 14 minutes to check it out. I ordered 2 dogs with meat sauce. My order comes, The bun is so hot I can't pick it up. The meat sauce has zero liquid, like the meat was dry crumbled hamburg, it wasn't a sauce by any meaning of the word.The bun was small and steamed, the dog was short on both ends, they were tiny. Dogs were very soft, almost mealy. Terrible dogs. read more

Love stopping in here every now and then when I have a hanker for a coney island dog. And ofcourse I get my pup Narwhal a dog too. The staff is always super friendly. read more

Nikki's Dog House - Narwhal waiting for our dogs to be ready. - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Food was better than expected, everyone was happy with it. Employees were nice but service wasn't the best. I recommend if you want a cheaper place to get good food read more

I have been coming here for at least 7+ years and have not been let down once about my food. Has a warm welcoming diner vibe. The milkshakes are a 10/10 every time. Staff and owner are very friendly highly recommend if you are ever in the area :) read more

0/2 meals did make the cut; burger was dry; Japanese chicken burger was overly salty; the falafel was doughy; the only reason I'm forced to come back is my son's obsession with hot dogs and the train read more

Good food cheap and fast. I have been to a few hot dog places and I can say the atmosphere here is better than most. It's clean and has an abundance of seating inside and out. read more

Nope.... No excuse for it to take over thirty minutes for three hot dogs at a dog house.......

I often eat here while my partner shops in the various antique shops in Putnam. There's great '60s ambience here, straight out of a time warp. And I like the little model train that goes around the ceiling. But the basic food is basic. They use really really cheap buns for their dogs and burgers that have no flavor. Great if you are Kobayashi-the-hot-dog-eating-champion and want to dunk 100 of them in 5 minutes, not good if you want to actually enjoy eating them. At least the food is inexpensive. But I really wish they would crank it up a gourmet notch and get better buns and toppings. read more

Last year I purchased a Gyro platter which came with fries, feta cheese, olives and lettuce and paid a reasonable price. I went there today tried to order a gyro platter only to find out that there is no longer a platter, and the price of JUST the gyro is a couple of dollars more than what the platter was last year. Had to order fries separately. Don't give me food costs, food costs, food cost... I understand that prices have to be increased to keep up with the times but this increase with the decrease in what you get is not reasonable. Will not be returning. read more

On Main Street of Putnam, among boutique and antique stores, Dog House has chicken and hot dogs. We have Coney Island dog and Krout Dog, each about $2. It's tasty, good treat after a walk. Staff were funny and welcome us nicely. The train run on top of our heads is the highlight of the spot read more

See all

A long time ago, I came here and loved their curly fries. Last week, I came around 4pm on a Friday. Yeah, it's kinda cutesy with the model train running the perimeter. And you can't beat that great downtown location. But the food... meh. The guy behind the counter took my money, and then, without washing his hands, picked up a hotdog. With his other hand, wrapped it in cheese. With bare hands, pulled out a slice of raw bacon, microwaved it and put it on the hotdog. Then he handed it to me. Well, that took the cake. It was a nice day and they had the door open. I was the only customer around, not counting the flies that took the open-door invitation and availed themselves of the hot dogs sitting still on the roller. No big deal, the employees didn't seem too concerned. To sum up my thoughts, I have a brief list. 1) If you are going to use your hands on my food, please wash them first. Seriously, please don't handle money and then my food. Just don't. 2) I know the flies came from outside. But really. Who wants to dine with flies? 3) Here's the deal with meat. It's either gotta be hot or cold. Don't let the hot dogs sit with the roller off. 4) The combination of #2 and #3 can be problematic for humans and a party for flies. 5) I know Nikki's is a fast-food-hot-dog-burger place. That's fine and good. But you gotta have some kind of standards. I'm not really sure what is going on here. Maybe everyone just kinda stops caring after the lunch hour rush. I don't think I'll come here again but... I guess every restaurant has an off day, right? ...I hope. read more

I love hot dogs! We found this place while driving to Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang camp. I must say this place was dirty and rather expensive for an old hot dog joint. The dogs were only fair at best and did not compare to Yoccos! They do have a couple really cool old trains running around the restaurant and the kids enjoyed that. read more

Just stopped by in the area! Great service! Ordered a hot dog with "sauce" I was told it was a meat sauce but was a dry Hamburg! But they have the best onion rings I have ever had! Great atmosphere! Everyone should try! read more

This is a decent little hot dog joint. The toppings are limited by most of today's standards, but tasty nonetheless. I wish they had more toppings like coleslaw, bbq onions, baked beans... They have their "coney sauce", mustard, relish, onions, ketchup, bacon, and cheese (an actual slice of cheese, not cheeze whiz.sauce). Everybody's "Coney" sauce is a little different, and Nikki's is good. Being located in NE CT they have a little bit of Worcester-style and a little bit of RI hot wiener style. I haven't had any fries or anything here other than the dogs, but they look good on other people's trays. read more

Good place for lunch! Great hot dogs and kids love to look at the trains and fun stuff they put out in the front window. CASH ONLY... read more

Nikki's Dog House - This place if so fun for any child that loves trains! Friendly employers and good hot Dogs - Fast Food Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

New to the area just in from California trying to find some good food around here is pretty hard. Back home great food less then 5 minutes away in every direction... With that being said I have been wanting to try this place finally I did.. Although we had set backs such as the girl who took my order seemed annoyed at my questions my order was a lil wrong but nothing I couldn't fix. The food was inexpensive but it should be considering the thin patties (little undercooked) & small hot dogs price goes with the portions. However still tasty but the fries I will some back for wow those fries are amazing!!!!The was one girl who was by far the nicest person in the place young & short hair super sweet :) Craving those fries now !!!I will be back again best place since I've been here. read more

A great staple of Putnam. Always gives back to local charities. Always hoping. Always has great food. I am never disapointed when I come here. I always enjoy my visit. read more

I'm finding it hilareous that some of the reviewers rate this place two stars and claim it is too expensive. It's a hot dog stand ($1.50 per dog) - for the love of gawd - in a quiet little town. I think the place was perfect for what it was and has just enough kitsch to make it interesting. It's simple. But to me, the establishment is on my must-visit list when I visit. Plus, the locals visit, so it can't be all bad. I say check it out and accept it for what it is. read more

if you are ever tootleing around the quite corner of CT, check Nikki's in the downtown putnam antique district. $1.50 Coney Island style dogs = a dog with mustard, ground beef, onions. wash it down with a Hosmer Mt Sarsaparilla Root Beer (locally produced). read more

Okay as much as I hate admitting I eat hotdogs, I do and these are great ! The fries are also super good too. Cheap and easy I would recommend this place for a quick bite. Also, only takes cash which can be a pain since Im an active debit card user. read more

today was my first visit here, with my boyfriend. i'm coming off of a cold, and, truthfully- we were headed somewhere else to fulfill a craving of mine... but that place was closed. he's always bugging me about nikki's, so we decided to give it a try. - cash only. - you order at the counter. staff is nice enough, but all business. there is seating inside, including a counter, though we chose to eat outside since it was one of the last nice days of the season. the menu is pretty classic hot dog stand: burgers, dogs, fries, sides, etc. there is also a chalkboard of specials. i was super in the mood for soup, but, today's feature was chicken noodle (not my favorite), so i passed. another special today was a grilled ham and cheese with fries, which my boyfriend ordered. this being the "dog house," of course we needed to get hot dogs. he got one with cheese and bacon, mine was with cheese, kraut and mustard. i also got a side of "spicy" (AKA seasoned) curly fries, and cole slaw. dogs were good, but not cooked as much as i prefer; there was no "snap." cheese is real cheese, not cheese sauce. fries were excellent, both my curly ones and the boyfriend's shoestring. they were fresh, hot, and tasty. ham and cheese was griddled to perfection. the cole slaw as good, though i think it could have been jazzed up with a little extra black pepper, or lime, or other acidity. i'm a bit remiss, because i come from a town with a very well-known hot dog joint (capital lunch), and i didn't get a coney dog. so i can't compare the chili sauces. but, my boyfriend informs me we'll be back, so that shouldn't be a problem... read more

My son is almost 4 and this is his favorite place to eat. They are very chld friendly. They have a train that goes around the top of the wall inside the restaurant. It is run down and could use some new floor and the booths are taped together in some places. BUT you can't beat the local dive for a quick cheap lunch with your kid. They have TV and they play the old popeye and woody wood pecker cartoons. It is a great throw back. read more

Friendly service. They serve Coney Island style hot dogs. I had a hot dog, fries and a root beer. The dog was small, but tasty, roll was fresh. Nothing special about the fries. They were shoestring style fries and mostly small pieces. The soda was by Hosmer, good old fashioned taste. The price was right, under $6 for lunch. I would go back again, but probably order 2 dogs! read more

Updating my review since my last one was a bit harsh. I have only ever had their hot dogs, and their fries, both of which are satisfying. They aren't out of this world but just enough. They have cool trains and a nice window to sit at and look at a few Ginko trees and Main St. in Putnam. read more

My grandfather's favorite hotdog place ever. He lives in Georgia and we go every time he visits! He has been to several and says that it's the best. I couldn't agree more! read more

The food is okay, but the atmosphere was dirty and not kid friendly. Hasn't changed furniture since opened and floors were disgusting.