On July 20, 1969, history was forever changed when Neil Armstrong stepped out of his capsule and took “One giant leap for mankind.” Fifteen days earlier, the world of hot dog lovers was similarly changed when Tommy’s Italian Sausage opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It's now been a beloved local institution for half a century.

Tommy’s looks like it should be on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, or part of the midway at a state fair, but it actually sits in downtown Elizabeth,  the state's largest city  – and close to Newark for anyone who is hungry and heading out of the busy airport. It occupies a corner on a short block laid out at an unusual angle to frame a triangular town green in the middle of a traffic roundabout, complete with a statue of a canon.