Anne Hathaway Raves About Walter’s Hot Dogs

For Anne Hathaway, Walter’s isn’t a discovery. It’s a tradition. Her husband Adam Shulman’s family has been going to the Mamaroneck pagoda for generations, and he brought her there when they first started dating. Years later, during filming of her new movie Verity, she brought the Walter’s truck to set as a thank-you to her crew, something Entertainment Tonight later called her “love language as a producer.” Here’s what she said about Walter’s, and why the Westchester institution has been earning that kind of praise for over 100 years.

What did Anne Hathaway say about Walter’s?

The backstory came first. In a conversation about Walter’s, Hathaway shared that her husband’s family has been going there for generations, and that he brought her when they started dating. That’s not a casual food recommendation. That’s an invitation into family history.

Later, while promoting Verity on Entertainment Tonight alongside her co-stars, Hathaway reflected on the day she had the Walter’s truck brought to set as a thank-you to her crew. She called it an amazing hot dog stand, pointed out it’s been open for 105 years, and added the line that’s since made the rounds across every Walter’s fan group: “Their black and white shake may be my favorite in the world.”

For a 1919 institution that’s been quietly doing the same thing for over a century, that’s the kind of endorsement no amount of marketing can buy.

Why do celebrities and food critics love Walter’s?

Anne Hathaway is in good company. Walter’s was voted the #1 hot dog in the country by Gourmet magazine, featured by The New York Times as “topping the whole list” of noteworthy hot dogs, named a Food Network Chef Pick in 2016, and has racked up Best of Westchester wins year after year. Press from The Daily Meal, Westchester Magazine, and WCBS-FM has stacked up alongside it.

The common thread across every review is the same: it’s the simplicity. A proprietary beef, pork, and veal blend, split and grilled, house mustard, buttered bun. Nothing fancy. Nothing changed since 1919.

What makes a Walter’s hot dog worth the trip?

The meat blend is the first thing people notice. Walter’s uses a proprietary blend of beef, pork, and veal that hasn’t been reformulated in over a century. The cooking method is the second: split down the middle, grilled on a well-oiled surface, brushed with the house butter sauce for crispness and flavor. And the mustard is the third. Walter’s house mustard is a blend of mustard seeds, relish, and spices, trademarked for a reason. Available by the jar at both locations and through Goldbelly.

Together, those three things make a hot dog that doesn’t need toppings, add-ons, or reinvention. It’s the same reason Anne Hathaway could sum it up in a few seconds: there isn’t much to say beyond “try it.”

What is Walter’s black and white shake?

The one Anne Hathaway called a favorite is the classic black and white: Walter’s homemade hand-scooped vanilla ice cream blended with chocolate syrup, served thick and cold. It’s on the shake menu at both locations year-round, and it can be ordered as a standard milkshake or as a Cowboy®, the extra-thick version.

If you’ve only ever had the hot dog, the shake is the other reason to come back.

Where can I try the hot dog Anne Hathaway loves?

Walter’s has two locations in Westchester. The original Mamaroneck hot dog stand, at 937 Palmer Avenue, is the 1919 pagoda and a nationally registered historical landmark. The White Plains location is an indoor/outdoor fast casual restaurant with the same menu.

If you’re outside the New York area, Walter’s ships hot dogs nationwide through Goldbelly, so anyone who wants to try the hot dog (or the shake) Anne raved about can get it delivered to their door.

What’s the Walter’s experience like in person?

The Mamaroneck pagoda is small, walk-up, and almost always busy. Line up at the window, order, grab your paper tray, and eat at a picnic table or back at your car. The whole thing takes about five minutes. White Plains is bigger, with indoor seating. Either way, the hot dog and the shake are the same. That’s the point.

Try it for yourself

Stop by Mamaroneck or White Plains to grab the hot dog Anne Hathaway raved about, or order through Goldbelly to ship Walter’s anywhere in the country.