Editor’s note: This is The Rough House’s second feature appearance in The Food Section; the Southern hot dog capital last showed up on our list of the top go-to restaurants (meaning consistently good, locally owned, and usually open) in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties. You’ll find the whole list here.
Any map of America’s significant hot dog joints would have to include Abbeville, South Carolina, for two restaurants: The Rough House and Saxon’s Hotdogs. Neither will likely win a Michelin star and their hot dogs are, shall we say, not remarkably delicious. So, what puts them on the map? For one thing, longevity. Saxon’s Hotdogs opened in 1956. The Rough House, now on Abbeville’s town square, dates back to 1932.
History aside, their undeniable asset is personality.
