Sweet Willie

I’m believe that Superdawg is THE best place for a great hot dog in Chicagoland, perhaps in the country.

They have their own hot dog, made especially for them with unique seasonings, with a skin that snaps, warmed poppy seed bun, great fries.

Plus the drive-in atmosphere with the kooky Superdawg figures on the roof (see website) are a hoot.

Make sure you hit this place, well worth the drive to the far north side of Chicago.

Superdawg
6363 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago
HOURS: Sunday-Thursday 11am-1am, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am
http://www.superdawg.com/

A strong nomination:

Wiener Circle
2622 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL
Open daily 8am – late (very late)
http://www.hollyeats.com/WienersCircle.htm

The Wiener Circle is a circus at night, drunks (like the old me) getting their greasy fill with lots of insults and abuse being dished out by the staff and customer alike. Great cheese fries (real cheese, not squirty stuff)

What are yours?

ElmhurstNick

I am not as partial to Superdawg's hot dog, but I like their Polish/Romanian sausage. (As I've gotten older, I find that I favor the complexity of a good Slotkowski-brand Polish over a Vienna-brand hot dog, but that's a different thread.) But, Superdawg at Midway is without a doubt the best airport hot dog in the world.

The good thing about the Superdawg, however, is its heft. Many hot dog places these days have standardized on the 10-to-a-pound hot dog, which I find completely lacking. When I want the bite that only a 6-to-1 or 4-to-1 hot dog can provide, I like Superdawg.

My personal favorite is Gene and Jude's in River Grove. They have the simpler condiment set (mustard, onion, relish, sport pepper) from their days on Polk Street near Maxwell Street. When I lived in Elmhurst and worked from home, I'd go there about every other week for a double with no pepper and a single with everything. Southern DuPage County has nothing like it.

thirdcoAAst

I think Jim's Original Hot Dog (1 block over from it's old Maxwell Street location) has the best Polish. Scary neighborhood, and you have to eat in your car, but it can't be beat!

PremEx2000

I stopped there on my way to Indiana, based on (I believe) Sweet Willie's recommendation. It was delicious. I had a cheeseburger and a Polish. Both were great and the fries that came with it for free were surprisingly good. I can't understand why the place right next door is 5 times as busy. I've heard it's worse.

Sweet Willie

I asked for hot dogs!

Jim's does have a killer Polish as well as one of the best bone-in pork chop sandwiches, w/fries and a pop for just over $3

thirdcoAAst

Okay. Wolfie's on Peterson. Asked them to Char it. Good fries, too.

ElmhurstNick

Jim's polish is (or at least used to be) a Slotkowski-brand polish. Yum.

Back to Hot Dogs... North Side edition

Wolfie's is pretty good, as is Fluky's. I used to be partial to Poochie's, but that's because they had a more well-rounded menu. But Harvey sold out several years ago and it's just not the same. I was never a fan of Michael's up in Highland Park. When I was a kid, Irving's For Red Hot Lovers in its prime was tough to beat, but they overexpanded into franchises and it all fell apart. The original Wilmette location is still there, but like Poochie's it's a shell of its former self.

I used to like Duke's over near Ridge/Hollywood, but I don't think they still exist.

A good Loop hot dog is hard to find. Gold Coast has gone way down, and their 2 N. Riverside location was sold to an independent.

In DuPage County, a good hot dog is hard to find. Teddy's is the local vendor in my area, and it's completely pedestrian. Portillo's has the most consistent dog, especially the jumbo dog, but it's somehow lacking that greasy independent feel that a good hot dog needs.

cawhite

Hmmmmm.....perhaps a weekend dog crawl is in the offing????

Wingman32

Gene and Jude's all the way!

Portillo's is good too

DataPlumber

My favoite hot dog joints.. Btw you guys already covered all of my favorite spots!!!!

Superdawg (love the pickled tomato and fries fried in 100% pure lard!)
Flukies
Gene and Judes
Paradise Pup
Wolfies (I thought I was the only person that went there!)
Portillo's (not the best but consistant and many locations)

MOre greasy 3000 calorie fare:
Great Gyros: Nick's (at Harlem and Touhy)
There is also a great Burger Joint at the corner of Lakewood and Lincoln Ave. The name escapes me, but it is damn good burger

ElmhurstNick

A daytime crawl or an overnight crawl? One cannot get the full effect of either Wieners' Circle or Jim's during daylight.

cawhite

Definitely night....besides ya gotta stop at Weiner Circle for the chocolate shakes!

ElmhurstNick

I'm not sure I want that kind of chocolate shake after four hot dogs and a pork chop sandwich...

So when are we going to do this??? Willie and I can fit ten people between us in our respective SUVs.

glg

I used to live next door to Fluky's. This was not a good thing, ate there way too often

I love the three layer fries at Paradise Pup.

MrFurious

The Whoopercheesie is one of mankind's best culinary creations.

What about Demon Dogs?