The Most Delectable Hot Dogs in Chicago

Mr D's Shish Kabobs

★★★★★ 4.7 (249) • $

"Today I really had a taste for some meat. I haven't been here for a couple years, but had a craving for a steak sandwich as wanted to finally leave a review.Mr D's is situated on a busy street, with no parking, so you're better off finding parking on a side street just be careful for resident parking only. Be aware that it's cash only, no cards, so you will have to hit up an atm prior. It's a tiny place with only four 4-person tables. I typically order for carry out and eat at home.This is a family run place with a very simple menu. You will see the same people working there every time. The wife is the one taking orders and she's a sweetheart. They have the process down to a Tee, and you will get your food quickly.It's nothing fancy but it's damn good, what they do, they do well. Everything is char grilled, by far my favorites are the steak sandwich and the cheeseburger or the double cheeseburger. The shish kabob sandwich is pretty good too, just be aware it's pork even though it tastes more like beef but again I have a hard time steering away from the steak sandwich.What is a steak sandwich? A thin cut of steak that's been marinated beautifully and char grilled. It comes topped with only tomatoes and onions and wrapped by French bread. It's also covered by thick cut fries. All sandwiches come with fries by default which is cool. The fries are a bit greasy, but in a good way. Mr.D is a great place to pick up food if you need a quick bite and have a taste for some char grilled meats. Give it a try, the pricing is also very reasonable, the steak sandwich is under $12 with taxes. Probably why they only take cash, to keep the prices down."

Nicky's Hot Dogs

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (22) • $

"So I will say I have history here, but a real Pulaski hot dog place. I worked down the road 20 years ago and would go there at lunch it was a full on Circus. So I am doing a job near by I stopped in. WELL LET'S SAY THE AREA HAS IMPROVED. It was a older Polish neighborhood but now appears a lot more upscale. So I get the Chicago Dog and a Italian beef. Yes I am a big guy. The dog was good, there relish is the one out of mustard. Tasty! there fry's are a steak FRY cut style. I love salt. So the the Beef I had hot peppers. It was huge amount of beef. So much you need to ask for extra hot peppers. I know odd! Well it is still solid. It not a Steak house it is a great lunch stop. Good to see it still on Pulaski!"

Byron's Hot Dog

★★★★☆ 3.5 (229)

"My love and I were in the area after a morning of walking around Ravenswood, so we were getting hungry. We decided to pop into Byron's, at the corner of Lawrence and Paulina. The interior has a bit of a retro design appearance, with black-surfaced seating in the booths and glass block. We each decided to go with a combo meal, which includes an order of fries and fountain drink. I don't believe any of the combos were priced below ten dollars, but the amount of food gives you the impression of a good value. They were fairly busy on this Saturday afternoon, but our food came out very quickly after we placed our order. My Philly cheesesteak was sizably loaded with toppings and was a hefty sandwich. I thought it was good but not great. I actually liked the brown sack of shoestring potatoes better than the sandwich, though you needed the ketchup for the fries. My love's hot dog extended past the length of the bun, but she agreed that it was also just OK. The fountain pop admittedly hit the spot for each of us after a lot of steps that day. Try the Green River soda (yes it's green) if you'd like!"

Donald's Famous Hot Dogs

★★★★☆ 3.9 (63)

"Came in for lunch after a recent MDW flight and we were very happy with the choices. Gyro was great. Fries were great. The rib tips went down. The hot dogs did the trick. And there's just enough seating in here that we found a booth for the four of us to enjoy our grub.None of it knocked my socks off, but all of it was prepared well. Definitely a place I will hit on the way out after future flights!"

Andy's Hot Dogs

★★★★☆ 4.2 (17)

"So... I used to eat here ALL THE TIME. Back before I was writing reviews and during an awesome time in my life when I used to work locally.My husband and I stopped back in one day just recently and it was sweet memory overload. I've never ordered anything bad from here. We often have a hard time deciding what to eat because we wanna eat everything. Even their desserts... so yum.More than anything though... their sweet service. After all these YEARS they still remembered us.I need to make it a point to come back more often. It's far for me now but really so worth it."

Hound Dogs Burgers & Teriyaki

★★★★☆ 4 (38)

"Went in for a breakfast sandwich and it did not disappoint. The prices are great, and the service is quick. Plus it seemed like a family owned business and I am down for keeping as many of those around. The sandwich was good, and it seems like it would be perfect for breakfast after imbibing too much the night before. I also had the hash browns, and those were a bit greasy but like I said, the best hair of the dog you can of. I have to say that I am very impressed with the packaging of the food. We ordered to go and everything was individually wrapped. My OCD heart was very happy."

Donald's Famous Hot Dogs

★★★★☆ 3.7 (44)

"It has been more years that I can count since the last time I got to have Donald's Famous Hot Dogs. There was one not too far from where I grew up that I got to stop at on occasions and I've been to them in other parts of the city and surrounding area. I know I've driven past this one but I don't think I've ever stopped at it before. But since I am in the area and it was lunch time I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. I was going to have to eat while driving and it was pouring rain outside so I took a chance in their drive-thru and ordered something simple. I just ordered their two hot dogs with fries combo and got the dogs plain. Ordering was easy and the employees were friendly.The french fries were everything I remembered being a straight cut fry with just the right amount of salt and coming in a paper sack. It has been a long time since I last had plain hot dogs and these were everything I remember about eating them. They tasted like memories and I wish I had more. This was the perfect meal to get me through the day and then price was spot on. One of the things I've learned about good food is that it often comes from places that look their age. Donald's have always looked to me like places that have been around forever. The food though is everything you want it to be."

Nicky's Carry Out

★★★★☆ 4.3 (52) • $

"This place is a neighborhood staple and it is still serving up fast food the way it should be - fast. The service is polite and professional and everyone who works there is efficient. I personally love shoestring fries (just like McDonald's) but these are less salty and less greasy-win/win! I've also had their chicken bread sandwich which is delicious and huge - I personally ate half for lunch and saved the rest for dinner. Easy parking right behind the restaurant is also a big plus."

George's Gyros

★★★★☆ 4.3 (111) • $

"We were unable to visit Greek town so we door dashed gyros! Best gyros I've had so far and I am always on the hunt for my favorites comfort food. Big thick cuts of meat, tons of yogurt sauce, and the warm soft pita! Chef's kiss!"

Bunny Hutch

★★★★☆ 3.9 (131) • $

"Found this gem and it saved me and my besties lives this day. The chili cheese dog gave us hope and will to live. will be returning for more and also to blow off steam at the batting cages. great idea, genius, no notes."

Windy City Hot Dogs

★★★★☆ 4.4 (92)

"Service was good. Food was cheap and easy. Got two Chicago dogs with everything & fries for $13! Quality for a hot dog & the fries were fresh/crispy! Air conditioning inside and no line on a Wednesday at lunch."

Victory Grill

★★★★☆ 3.6 (125)

"Love this place. Elite burger and nice staff. Will be back for sure. I just have to workout first."

Michael's Beef House

★★★★☆ 3.7 (119) • $

"Met some friends after church for lunch. Have been here before several times. This time I had the gyros cheeseburger - interesting and very good.Onion rings are real onion - could have used a few more in the order.Wife had the Southwest salad w/o the Cajun spice - very good."

Red Hot Ranch

★★★★☆ 4 (342) • $

"The food was good! Fresh, hot, of good quality. Bookmarked for a few years and searching for a good burger. I decided it was their day. Lol, we went about 8 pm, and it was empty until we ordered, then people started coming up and packing the place. We ordered burgers, polish, and fried shrimp. DELICIOUS EVERYTHING!!!! We ordered well done everything, and it wasn't. We had to take the polish back to have them deep fry them more, but they were cool about it. I'm definitely going back! They lost a star because I saw an employee use the restroom, and the sink didn't have water or soap in it, idk if he washed his hands or not. **SIDE EYE***"

Johnnie's Beef

★★★★☆ 4.4 (1796) • $

"Cash only. I think I forgot to mention that in other reviews. When people say "neighborhood gem" this is the standard I assume will be met. Johnnie's is the original "spot."I'm living in Nevada now and pretty much whenever I see a place that advertises Chicago Italian Beef, I give them a play. Some are tasty almost none can pass (there's one place in Henderson...that's for another review--it's all about the hot peppers.)The ice, the beef, the rolls, the fries-- oh yes oh yes...the fries.I was scrolling through my drafts and realized I hadn't posted this one... so what you are feeling is my wistful nostalgia. My heart !!I'll drop in one last time when I go to pick up and move my parents later this year. Then my memories will become the thing of myth and legend. Enjoy!"

Maxwell Street Depot

★★★★☆ 4 (190)

"Been wanting to try this place out for a while now. Finally made it in. Service is great. They work quick and efficient. They're also very friendly. Price is very reasonable and the food will fill you up. I ordered a polish and a pork chop sandwich. The pork chop sandwich was very tasty. The pork chop was very tender and flavorful. I wasn't a big fan of their polish dog. It had no snap and tasty a little mushy. I'm glad I finally gave this place a try. I certainly won't be going out of my way to come here, but if I'm ever an the area, I might be down grab me some pork chop sandwiches."

Mr Submarine

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (65)

"Most Mr Subs that we come across are pathetic dudes giving us lots of money to spank or abuse them in some way, fun times, easy money, being alpha comes naturally to both of us.This one however is all about the noms, rather than the doms.This is a lovely little sub shop for the neighbourhood up in the north suburbs of Chicago and I'm not really sure why people don't like this place because it's a good sandwich shop and it has a lot of traditional standard varieties and it tastes so much better than a Subway and it's not expensive and some of the sandwiches are dirt cheap so that's really good.I probably like it better than the likes of Quiznos and Jersey Mike's as well. Deserves more star ratings that gets but it's in a neighbourhood with a lot of fancy hipster stuff so maybe it's not exciting and different enough for the types of people that are around here."

The Clark Street Dog

★★★★☆ 3.6 (410) • $

"Ordered 2 cheeseburgers and a fry for my dinner. This was so delicious the patty was so thick and juicy! Toppings included my favs tomato, lettuce, chopped onions, mustard, and pickles for delivery French fries were so crispy and not soggy at all. Packing was great too, sealed with a staple."

Fatso's Last Stand

★★★★☆ 4.1 (954) • $$

"Since these folks do not steam their hot dog, they grill it, it is going to taste a tad different. It still works amazingly well, and this one had all the trimmings to make this hot dog special. Love the little way they make the endings all cute.Prices are a tad on the high side but they serve alcoholic milkshakes! I thought about ordering one but figured to back off. Maybe I will get one of these and a hot dog before I leave this city.The floors were very sticky so points lost for ambiance.Great late night snack food overall."

Jay's Italian Beef & Sausage

★★★★☆ 4.1 (286)

"Jay's Beef was so delicious and were very accommodating. I haven't been back in Chicago since discovering that I can't have gluten, so I had to get the beef on a bed of French fries instead of bread. One of the greatest decisions of my life. They have the type of fries that just tastes so delicious and is the perfect texture. Crispy and soft at the same time. Real mom and pop feel in the restaurant. Definitely one of the better beefs in the city."

Kim & Carlo's Hot Dog Stand

★★★★☆ 4.4 (373)

"My first Chicago dog! I could've eaten three of them it was so good. I got it loaded with the classics; sport peppers, celery salt, relish, onion, pickle, tomato, and mustard on a poppyseed bun (did I get that all right?) It's so freaking good. I don't even like hot dogs that much but these are top tier. Each ingredient adds something important to the composition, but I think the sport peppers are the best addition. Tiny bit pricey when ordering for the whole fam, but what isn't these days? All in all, liked the simplicity of this spot right outside the Field Museum on a beautiful day. It was the most perfect setting for our first full day during a Chicago vacation."

Nicky's Gyros

★★★★☆ 4.3 (96) • $

"This by far is the ABSOLUTE BEST I've ever had for a Gyros! The serving size is ridiculous & serves at least 3 but the taste. I don't know what they do or how they do it but it's really REALLY GOOD!!"

Patio

★★★★☆ 3.8 (92)

"One of the very best Italian Beef sandwiches in Chicago. Seasoned perfectly. Sweet and hot peppers and give it a bath.Taylor Street. Friendly staff. Quick service."

Tommy's on Grand

★★★★☆ 3.6 (83) • $

"If you get to try this place, drop me a note and Tommy how you feel about it. I know you Tommy not to ask for personal communications, but that didn't sound genuine Tommy.Tommy's was a little disappointing because the two beautiful girls didn't seem to like me very much and the one with the tattoos seemed annoyed that I gave her a tip lol. Maybe she thought I was hitting on her. Maybe I was. Honestly, I would have loved to have hit on her but I actually give tips to pretty much everybody I am served by. And I'm a little shy around beautiful women so I'm sure she couldn't have thought I was hitting on her. Anyway.The hot dog was a little dry and wasn't wonderful. The crinkle cut french fries tasted like oven fries and were really bad. The hot dog wasn't awful but it certainly wasn't as good as I hope for when I come to Chicago. I don't like that they don't have napkins on the table they only give you a couple with your order.Overall it's somewhere between a 3 and a 4, and it's hard to decide which rating would be more appropriate considering the various elements, and the fact that I try to be supportive of family businesses."

The Hat Chicago

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (189) • $

"Could be said this place is old hat. It certainly looks like an old school Chicago greasy grill, whether that's a good or bad thing who knows. The Hat has burgers, but that's just one of many things. Also has one that's plant based. Falafel is another protein choice available as a burger or a side. A few times and I've had the vegan friendly choices. It's surprising this place has a few. The last time it was the Char Vegan Burger, which has got to be the healthiest item. It's about $8 and it's pretty big. This comes on a whole wheat bun, so you get grains and proteins. Be sure they don't put the cheese and mayonnaise on it. They don't seem to know any better and automatically put it on if you don't say to leave it off.Good place to go to even when it's late. It's open until early in the morning. The burgers include the meaty Vienna beef, but there's also the falafel and the other one for vegans."

Pappy's

★★★★☆ 3.9 (90)

"I love this place! Food is always fresh and there service is outstanding! I fell in love after my first visit!"

Charcoal Delights

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (234) • $

"My bud and I were searching for a quick place for a late lunch, so we wound up at Charcoal Delights. Located at Foster and Kedzie, they have a convenient parking lot if you are driving. They have an extensive menu, so it might take a minute to peruse everything on the board. Once we placed our orders, the food came out quickly. I must say the service was super, as one woman knew I wanted a take-out box for my leftovers before I even asked for it. She also impressed my bud by reciting their entire week of soup specials. My bud ordered a two piece broasted chicken meal, which comes with coleslaw, biscuit, and soup. I ordered the ribs 'N' broasted chicken combo, a staggering meal including a half slab of ribs and half broasted chicken (4 pieces). My meal also came with garlic bread, coleslaw, soup, and baked potato. The soup of the day was navy bean, which was a very hearty cup filled with more beans than liquid. The broasted chicken is similar to fried chicken but allegedly healthier for you, so that's cool. The ribs were saucy and good if not great. Indeed, I had plenty of food from this combo to take home and share with my love. It cost $23.99 but since I got a couple of meals out of it I believe it was worth it."

Doug's Dogs

★★★★☆ 3.6 (72) • $

"Solid choice for your standard burgers and dogs, with fresh cut french fries that are a notch above the rest. See photos. I'll be back!"

Jim's Original

★★★★☆ 3.9 (39)

"So I had a hankering to try out Jim's Original after my lovely wife and I ran some errands along the Elston corridor. Neither of us have been to the "Original" Jim's Original formerly located at Maxwell Street and now currently on Union, but we have heard good things about this much newer location at the crossroads of Elston, Diversey and Western. There is a free parking lot if you are driving here.The no-frills interior has vintage images of the OG location, along with metal stool seating if you are dining in. You order at the counter, and our food came out in a snappy fashion. We did not mind listening to the atmospheric bluesy soundtrack.All sandwiches are decently priced as they come with fries, so these are tasty value meals that you just cannot get at your average fast-food joint. My love enjoyed her hot dog, and I certainly liked my pork chop sandwich (yes it comes with the "bone in" so be sure not to bite into the bone). Our items are generously garnished with grilled onions and mustard, and the fries are good with or without ketchup. We were very satisfied with our meal at Jim's Original."

Wrigleysville Dogs

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (269) • $

"Remember when Jennifer Coolidge wanted a hot dog real bad in "Legally Blonde"? I was slightly pickier and was feeling the same way about a Chicago dog. Fortunately Jamie W. booked our hotel right across the street from Wrigley Field, so prospects looked good for us to find an authentic Chicago dog. Sure enough, we walked only one block up Clark and found this spot.I initially pooh-poohed the idea that we could get a high quality Chicago dog here, but they showcased a surgical diagram of what goes into their Chicago Dogs, and I have to admit I was impressed. So impressed, in fact, that I ordered the $11.50 Chicago Dog Combo Meal with fries, of course, and a 20-ounce Diet Coke...like that was really gonna help. I have no idea whether the Chicago dog was authentic, but it sure was tasty.The split Kosher pickle, the sport peppers, the diced onions, the florescent green relish, the celery salt...they were all present and accounted for. For lack of immediate comparison, I have assessed the Wrigleyville Chicago Dog as ultimately satisfying. So much so we came back after an Andersonville gay bar jaunt and had another dog. It worked really well after a couple of cocktails elsewhere.FOOD - 4 stars...oh yeah, this IS a real Chicago dogAMBIANCE - 3 stars...just a fast food jointSERVICE - 3 stars...not much chit-chat with the staff hidden behind the signsTOTAL - 4 stars...when you need a Chicago dog real badRELATED - Exploring Chicago? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/44c4CZO"

Ferro's

★★★★☆ 3.6 (112)

"I've been here a couple of times already just never reviews it for some reason. I've haven't tried their food here yet, but exclusively come here for their Italian ice. It used to be cash only, but now take credit cards. I'm not exactly sure If that will be a permanent change, or I'd they will go back to cash only once this bull crap is all over. They only had two flavors when I went, and to be honest that's all I need. Strawberry and lemonade. The Italian ice here is a very delicious, not too sweet and made with real fruit. I used to think this place was pricier than others, but you actually get a lot for the price that you pay so it is as expensive as I thought. If you haven't tried their Italian ice, do so soon because you're definitely missing out!"

Pete's Red Hot's

★★★★☆ 4.4 (196)

"Pete's has been a staple in the community for as long as I can remember. The best gyro, hot dog and polish sausage you can imagine! I highly recommend Pete's‼"

J's Corner Hot Dogs

★★★★☆ 4.1 (45)

"Stumbled across a mention of an excellent Bulgogi Sandwich at J's and thought to myself "I've stopped in before but not noticed this sandwich". Made a mental note to stop by again and try the Bulgogi Sandwich. Glad I did, I've stopped in twice in the last month to enjoy this unique delight. Give it a try, also a decent fish sandwich, excellent, quick service. (FDV Approved 4.0 - Food, 4.2; Design, 3.5; Value, 4.4)."

Jimmy's Red Hots

★★★★☆ 4.2 (372) • $

"--Location/Parking--Located on the westside of Chicago, the area looks like there are plenty of parking for at least 10-12 cars. Bus stops on both sides of the street. Busy intersection, I went during the day, but at night I guess this is not the safest area. The location is not near any metro stops, but there are two bus stops I can see on the street corners.--Ambience--Old school hot dog stand. There are no seats, just a long counter on one side of the room and a large windowless area to order and pick up your food. There does not look like an area you order or pick up your food, just look at any of the employees and they will help you. The interior is a triangular hallway to order food and pick up your food. On the wall behind the counter were two vintage signs showing a couple of items on the menu. I didn't look at the menu before coming to the place. I wish I did because they had more to offer then what I expected.--Service/Staff--Staff is very blunt, but friendly. On a Sunday late afternoon there were 6 or 7 employees behind the counter, over half look like they were in high school or just graduated. The employees did correct me on the menu ordering.--Food/Products--I ordered two original hot dogs with everything. It consists of a regular size hot dog with chopped onions and mustard served with NO ketchup which they are known for and had two jalapeno pepper on top. I wish they removed the stem edge of the jalapeno peppers, but that didn't interfere with the taste. On top of it which I think was a side, I was not expecting French fries to be served on top. The fries were very salty, which I pushed off to the side just to eat the hot dog. The original hot dog was overwhelmed by the jalapeno peppers, which was disappointing, because I love peppers, but I don't remember tasting any of the sausage at all.--Capacity--Plenty of space in the triangular hallway. I can see this as a late-night food joint for a quick hot dog or tamale choice. The interior can hold 20 or 30 people, maybe 15 people on the counter on the opposite side of the room.--Overall--If I lived in Chicago and I owned a car, I might come back to try out their other items on the menu. The big question is if you don't mind not have ketchup on your hot dog and being replaced with jalapeno peppers. I might give it another go around, but the trip to the location, which is not near the L train makes it a difficult spot to visit."

Byron's Hot Dog

★★★★☆ 3.9 (312)

"Cool place to stop and grab a Chicago dog with the Bryon's twist on it, tomatoes, cucumber, relish. Shame it wasn't a poppy seed bun. Not the easiest hot dog to eat. Nice dog thought nonetheless. Seating outside, covered and uncovered to eat at."