Chicago has plenty of upscale restaurants, but let’s face it, the Windy City is best known for its greasy comfort foods: Italian beefs, hot dogs, burgers, gyros, etc. Grease Freak is a website full of photographs of Chicago-style food—“edible and not”—rated on their taste, presentation, and restaurant ambience.
Start stocking up on napkins now.
Photo credit: GreaseFreak.com
http://www.greasefreak.com/
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Can you name the seven key ingredients for a Chicago-style hot dog? Here are ten great places to conduct your research (courtesy of Citysearch and Yelp).
10. The Wiener’s Circle. Love it or hate it, this greasy spoon has got a “charm” all its own.
9. Gold Coast Dogs. All ten locations follow the Chicago-style recipe to the ‘T’.
8. Superdawg Drive-In. The winking hot dogs on the roof will be a sight you won’t soon forget.
7. Huey’s Hot Dogs. While serving up great dogs and burgers, this eatery is also well-known for its vegetarian-friendly dishes.
6. Portillo’s Hot Dogs. Both the nostalgia and …read more
The Italian Beef is a simple sandwich that is unique to Chicago, and there are several places in the city to find this great dish. Of course, just as is the case with pizza and hot dogs, Chicagoans can debate for hours on who has the best. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible with this ranking order, but I’m sure there will still be contention. Be sure to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail, and let me know what you think!
8. Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage. For decades, generations of loyal customers have been enjoying this …read more
Chicagoans are just as opinionated about their Italian beef as they are about their pizza and hot dogs. So when a restaurant claims to have the best beef in town, they’d better prepare themselves for plenty of heat. And that’s exactly what Al’s #1 Italian Beef has got.
Since 1938, Al’s has been offering some of the best Italian beef in town… depending on who you ask. There are just as many people who drive away from this place as there are people who flock to this place. But among the many customers salivating over Al’s dishes are several celebrities, as …read more
Search the Internet for keywords like “Italian beef” and “Chicago,” and you will find dozens of ongoing debates about where to find the best jus and peppers in town. About a block or two east of La Peña, one contender whose name comes up often is Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage.
Roma’s definitely has a nostalgia factor attached to it. Talk to the regulars, and most will tell you tales of how their parents were regulars, too. For decades, customers have enjoyed the Chicago flavors that are cooked up here, including great Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beefs with sweet peppers. …read more
Alright, so we’ve talked about the best pizzas, but what about Chicago’s other mainstay: the hot dog? Here are Citysearch’s ten best places to grab a frank. What do you think?
10. Wiener & Still Champion. A good dog should be paired with good fries, and the freshly-cut ones here are among the best.
9. Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots. The shack’s outward appearance doesn’t stop hungry customers from lining up year round.
8. Scooter’s. The menu may focus on frozen custard, but they offer a darn good hot dog also.
7. U.S. Cellular Field. Hot dogs and baseball: it doesn’t get much more …read more
If you want a hot dog that packs a punch, head to Wiener and Still Champion in Evanston, where the cartoon wiener over the door is sporting a pair of boxing gloves. Anyone who’s been here will be sure to tell you that these franks are champs indeed.
Inside this simple storefront, patrons of all ages come to enjoy the Chicago-style dogs, along with fresh-cut fries that have been raved about since the place opened in 1975. Wiener also offers honest-to-goodness corndogs. It’s amazing how something so simple can hit the spot so perfectly. And they’re only a buck with any …read more
Sometimes a good hot dog comes from a good-looking, colorful restaurant like Superdawg or Portillo’s. And sometimes it comes from a place like Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots.
This dilapidated shack/trailer in Marquette Park may not look like much, but it has been serving up some of the best hot dogs and tamales to hungry customers for over 30 years. Open all year, it’s no surprise to see white-collar, blue-collar, and no-collar men waiting in line despite bone-chilling snow or blazing heat. Take a seat at one of the picnic tables (set up during warmer months), and enjoy your hot dog …read more
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So you want to go out and experience Chicago. You don’t want to just eat Chicago food… you want to feel Chicago. It doesn’t get much more authentic than Portillo’s Hot Dogs. There are several locations all throughout the suburbs, but the one in downtown Chicago (near Fogo De Chao and the Original Gino’s East) is an experience to be had.
Nostalgia fills the cavernous two-level space, gathered in an eclectic collection of ‘30s and ‘40s memorabilia. Period lamp posts light the room, complete with an old Coca-Cola ad, the 1938 Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup banner, and a 1928 Thompson submachine gun. …read more
If you’re in the mood for a hot dog, don’t go to the restaurant standing at the corner of Milwaukee, Devon, and Nagle Avenues. Because ever since 1948, Maurie and Flaurie Berman have not been selling frankfurters, wieners, or red hots. Their delicious pieces of beef on a bun are known as Superdawgs.
The winking larger-than-life male and female hot dogs standing on top of the Drive-In have been a part of Chicagoans’ memories for decades, including yours truly. A definite local favorite, Superdawg is a flashback to the days when girls donning skirts and skates delivered your food to your …read more
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