The Best Hot Dogs in Chicago, According to Someone Who Has Tried ‘Em All

If you’re looking for the best hot dog in Chicago, you’ve come to the right place. While I can’t tell you how many hot dogs I’ve eaten in my life, I am sure that number is in the many thousands. After high school, I worked at Nick’s Nest, a hot dog stand in my Massachusetts hometown, where I would have one for lunch every day. They’re a favorite food to eat while traveling, and I regularly grab them in my daily life as well, because I live in Chicago, where the hot dog is a local staple.

Served in a steamed poppyseed bun, the Chicago dog has specific toppings: mustard, chopped onions, neon green relish, tomatoes (slices or wedges), pickles (usually spears, sometimes chips), spicy sport peppers, and celery salt. The all-beef dog has a natural casing, which gives a perfect snap when you bite into it. While most Chicago dogs are pretty good, the best ones are constructed so you taste everything in every bite. And you probably know this, but just to be sure: that bite will not include ketchup, as the tangy condiment doesn’t mesh with the other toppings (this is a real if-you-know-you-know thing in Chicago—and you want to be in the know). When you’re in the city, whether you’re siddling up to a hot dog stand or popping into a casual restaurant, order yours as a “Chicago dog” or ask for it “dragged through the garden”—a signal that you know what’s up, and that you want everything on it.

These are the best places to get a hot dog in Chicago, according to a dog-loving resident.

Read our complete Chicago travel guide here, which includes:

Multiple locations

Must order: Hot dog

It feels very Chicago that you can get an excellent hot dog inside Home Depot. Fixin’ Franks is a family-owned spot with outposts in stores around the city. You’ll find the stands tucked near the exit, where it’s a treat for finishing all your home-repair shopping. There’s a tight, locally sourced menu of hot dogs, Polish and Maxwell Street sausages, Italian beef, and elotes. Get a classic Chicago dog—and if you want to push the envelope, add J.P. Graziano hot giardiniera on top.

1017 W. Irving Park Rd., Lakeview; 1701 W. Lawrence Ave., Ravenswood

Must order: Hot dog

While most restaurants follow the dragged-through-the-garden approach, Byron’s, which served their hot dogs at the White House during the Obama administration, takes a different approach. The standard dressing at the 51-year-old stand consists of mustard, relish, onions, tomato, pickle spears, and celery salt, and adds lettuce, green peppers, and cucumber slices (hot peppers are available on request). While this is, admittedly, a lot to maneuver while eating, the salad approach adds a lot of freshness and almost makes it seem like a healthy choice.

1250 S. Union Ave., University Village; 2775 N. Elston Ave., Avondale

Must order: Polish sausage sandwich, pork chop sandwich

Chicago’s hot dog stand culture includes more than just dogs. Jim’s is the best place for two other local beloveds: The Maxwell Street Polish and the pork chop sandwich. The Polish, a garlicky smoked beef and pork link, is generally credited to the stand’s namesake, Macedonian immigrant Jimmy Stefanovic, who took over his aunt and uncle’s stand in 1939. It’s served with mustard, tons of grilled onions, and sport peppers. The pork chop sandwich, served bone-in (bite carefully!) comes with the same garnishes, as does the all-beef hot dog. There’s no seating at the University Village location, which is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., but you can eat at the metal counter or sit on the curb—Jim’s always feels like a party.

Multiple locations

Must order: Hot dog, chocolate cake shake

When visitors come to town and want to try Chicago classics, I send them to Portillo’s. The local chain, which Dick Portillo founded in 1963, offers solid versions of local favorites, including hot dogs, Italian beef, and a Maxwell Street Polish. The steamed dog is expertly done and a go-to. Also a go-to is the chocolate cake shake, which is made with—you guessed it—a slice of chocolate cake blitzed into a milkshake. It’s decadently rich, and a true Chicago experience.

3057 N. Ashland Ave., Lakeview; 2449 W. Armitage Ave., Logan Square; 500 W. 35th St., Bridgeport; 4811 Dempster St., Skokie

Must-order: Hot dog and fries, RHR double cheeseburger

With four locations of this locally beloved stand (the O.G. Bridgeport location goes by 35th Street Red Hots), you are never far from one of the city’s best dogs. The links are served Depression-style, which means they have stripped-down toppings: just mustard, onion, relish, and sport peppers, with a pile of fries on top, for a full meal that tops out at just $5.20. Many locals, myself included, feel that Red Hot Ranch’s double smashburger is the best in the city, so get one of those to split as well.

6363 N. Milwaukee Ave., Norwood Park East; 333 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling

Must-order: Superdawg

In 1948, Maurie and Flaurie Berman opened their drive-in with two signatures. First, the couple appears as 12-foot hot dog statues on the building’s roof—you can’t miss this duo. And second, they serve a hot dog with a point of view: It’s a custom all-beef dog a bit larger than your standard link, and topped with mustard,

a pickle, sport peppers, and chopped onions, plus piccalilli and a pickled green tomato. It comes tucked with crinkle-cut fries in a custom cardboard box, which you can even peep in an episode of The Bear.

2701 S. Eleanor St., Bridgeport

Must-order: Chicago-style Duck Inn Dog, fried cheese curds

What happens when you take a Chicago classic and put it in the hands of one of the city’s best chefs? You get Kevin Hickey’s Duck Inn Dog. Every element is made to Hickey’s specs: The juicy beef, pork, and duck fat sausage is grilled, tucked in a brioche poppyseed bun, and dressed with a “supercondiment” of mustard and relish mixed with tomato and onion. It’s finished with a dill pickle, pickled serranos, and celery salt (and perfect with fried cheese curds alongside). This is the glow-up the humble dog deserves.

2622 N. Clark St., Lincoln Park

Must-order: Char dog, cheddar fries

Much of the love for 43-year-old The Wiener’s Circle is for its heckling servers, led by local institution Poochie Rollins. That experience is one reason to visit the Lincoln Park stand, which is famously open until 4 a.m. on weekends (and 2 a.m. the rest of the week). The other? The excellent food, like the char dog. Most stands steam their dogs, but the charring approach here adds a smoky flavor and crisper texture. Do not miss the fantastic cheese fries, with a generous dollop of tangy cheddar sauce.

3847 S. Morgan St., Bridgeport

Must-order: Chicago-style dog

Most hot dog stands in Chicago use locally made Vienna Beef links, and it’s worth venturing straight to the source to try one at this cafe, which is located across the street from the factory. Snag a red stool and order the textbook Chicago-style dog and a side of crispy fries. After lunch, peruse the goodies in the shop, which range from cases of hot dogs to hot dog stuffies.

4009 N. Elston Ave., Albany Park

Must order: Kielbasa, hot dog

Artur Wnorowski’s casual Polish joint serves some of my favorite sausages in town. All are made in-house: The kielbasa, which he learned to make from his grandfather, is smoked over pecan wood and dressed with caramelized onions, sport peppers, and hazy IPA mustard, while the all-beef dog is available Chicago-style or Polish-inspired. With sauerkraut, onions, sour cream, and a potato and cheese pierogi on top, it’s a nod to the sense of fun Chicago’s hot dog stands deliver.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler