Murphy's Red Hots is the kind of place that we think about when we picture an authentic Chicago hot dog establishment. What Murphy's lacks in grime and grit (yes, those can be big pluses for a true dive) it more than makes up for with top quality ingredients, passion and atmosphere.

As soon as you walk through the doors at Murphy's you know you're in for a real treat. Murphy's is very welcoming and has the definite feel of a neighborhood place. The walls are full of hot dog related signs, posters, newspaper articles and vintage Coca Cola signs. The counter service is snappy, yet friendly and the smell as you walk in is enough to draw folks from blocks away.

Murphy's even has a franchised location in Hiroshima, Japan. A T-shirt with Japanese writing and an article on the wall caught our attention and the guys behind the counter filled us in on the story.

We ordered the char grilled Chicago Dog and didn't have to do any hand holding with these guys. The only close call was with the lettuce, since some folks consider this part of "the works", but we don't subscribe to that religion. We watched as they assembled the toppings, expertly choosing the tomato wedge over the slice and placing the toppings on the dog in the correct order. These guys really know what they're doing. A post we saw on the internet referred to the Murphy's crew as "hot dog artisans"...we agree. If you have been a regular reader of our reviews, it's no secret that we appreciate the proper application of celery salt, which held true for Murphy's. We also really enjoy a bonus cucumber slice/spear on our dogs and Murphy's delivered on that too. The taste of the cucumber slice was perfect and the celery salt really enhanced the flavor.

The dog tasted even better than it looked. The blend of ingredients was in perfect proportion and everything was fresh. The dog was charred perfectly, had a great beefy taste and was nice and juicy. The pickle was fantastic and the bun was one of the best we've ever had. The tomato was crisp and fresh and cut into a proportioned wedge. We would have appreciated another tomato wedge. The sport peppers were niced sized and mildly hot. The cucumber slice was awesome and the celery salt was applied like a pro. This was the best dog we had of the 12 we sampled on 5/2/08.

Murphy's oozes the neighborhood atmosphere of a classic hot dog establishment. We absolutely loved this place, from the look and feel to the service, to the dog. These are folks that really put some passion into their work. Murphy's has a nice menu, everything from dogs (even a footlong) to a rib eye sandwich. They even offer a couple of salads and best of all they serve homemade, hand cut fries. If you find yourself on the north side of Chicago (Lakeview), you need to head over to Murphy's.

Rockstar Dogs on Ashland Ave is a tough place to miss...look for a big red wall with "ROCKSTAR DOGS" painted in huge bright yellow letters on it. This newcomer features a menu inspired by different pop icons and uses photos of famous performers as a backdrop. We love the fact that the menu states: "No ketchup unless you're under 13". We only wish more establishments took their (lack of) ketchup so seriously. Their menu features at least 8 different hot dog choices. We ordered a standard Chicago Dog, which we couldn't find on the menu. We think that they call it "The Zeppelin". However, no need to worry, the staff is well versed on what a Chicago Dog is. All their dogs are offered with your choice of the following toppings: mustard, onions, super green relish, fresh cut pickles, tomato, sport peppers and celery salt. They also offer a char-grilled option, so of course, we couldn't pass that up.

The Rockstar building is long and narrow. One of the first things you'll notice when you walk in is a stripper pole! There is shelf seating facing the street, but instead of the typical round stools that are characteristic of many hot dog joints, they have funky modern square stools. The walls are filled with pictures of rock legends, both past and present. We get the feeling this place primarily caters (do you think?) to the late night crowd, especially since they're open "very late" until 4AM on Friday and Saturday.

When our dog arrived, it looked like a work of art. It was charred to perfection and the ends were split to look like a butterfly (is this a tribute to the rock group "Iron Butterfly"?). These guys must have taken a master class in Chicago Dog-ology. Everything on this dog was fresh and in perfect proportion. The onions were diced nice and fine. The tomatoes were cut into perfectly sized wedges and the neon green relish was expertly applied. The dog came with two excellent pickle spears and the celery salt was obviously applied by someone who really understands this vital ingredient. The poppy seed bun was great and comfortably held the dog and its toppings. The Rockstar fries were excellent as well. They had a crunchy layer, which we thought was some type of batter, but couldn't be confirmed by the staff. Our only complaint about the dog was the price. At $5 (with fries), it's not outrageous, but definitely on the high end of the price curve.

We really loved our Rockstar Chicago Dog and definitely recommend you give this place a try. This isn't a place to go if you're looking for a traditional hot dog joint, especially since it kind of has a Planet Hollywood feel to it. Let us know if you ever see anyone using the stripper pole.

Wieners Circle has the look and feel of a classic Chicago hot dog dive. There are picnic tables outside, and shelf seating is your only option inside. It’s a tight squeeze inside, but there’s no doubt that things are hopping in the kitchen area. As you’d expect, Wieners Circle is a cash only establishment, however, there’s an ATM inside that will bail you out if you’re only carrying plastic. This place just oozes atmosphere.

We ordered up a char dog and waited while orders kept rolling in. We’ve heard the lines get pretty long after bar time, but the place was hopping when we placed our order around 6:30 pm.

The dog looked incredible. The bright red Roma’s were sliced thick, extremely juicy and fresh. The sport peppers (we had to ask for them after the fact) were some of the best we’ve tasted. They were ideal size and had the perfect combination of heat and juice as you took that first bite. The bright neon green relish was ample and tasted fantastic. The onions were coarsely chopped and the dog came with two pickle spears that had great crunch and flavor and rated as some of the best we’ve had. The steamed poppy seed bun held up well with the perfect blend of mustard and all those fantastic ingredients. The char dog was cooked to perfection and had us thinking of ordering another as we barely started into our first one.

Wieners Circle caters to the late-night crowd, but don’t hesitate to stop in when it’s still light out. If you stop in late (or I guess you could call it early), you can get lippy with the staff and they will give you quite a tongue lashing in return…all part of the late-night atmosphere. We read many other reviews about this place and it appears that either you love it or you hate it. There are definitely loyal regulars and then the crowd that believes Wieners Circle is overrated. One of the many gripes was that this place is a dump. Hey, it is a dog joint, what do they expect? Another review made us laugh because it’s not considered a “romantic spot”. I think someone summed up the Wieners Circle experience perfectly, “It’s not just the food, it’s the experience”. We agree.

We can’t say enough about the Wieners Circle dog. Overrated or not, don’t miss out on a visit to the Wieners Circle. It’s worth the trip. A dog runs $3.00 and is worth every penny. Seating is limited and there’s ample parking in the rear (by Chicago standards).

Mitch grew up on Poochie's dogs, so we were excited to visit and find out if Poochie's lived up to his memories and more importantly, our DOGS formula.

We loved the fact that a Vienna Beef neon sign is prominently displayed in the storefront. Poochie's was another place that just oozed the essence of the Chicago Dog joint. Although there are some tables, the majority of the seating is "shelf" style with red round stools. The owner greeted us as we entered and made sure we were taken care of immediately. We were really impressed by the very friendly and helpful staff.

The menu included a standard Chicago Dog as well as a "char dog" for $2.25. We were licking our chops as we ordered one of each. A combo was also available for $4.99 that included fries and a drink. Ketchup was not in plain site, but could be "brought out" in the unlikely event it is requested.

The dogs arrived in a basket and had all the required ingredients. The tomato was sliced instead of our preference of wedges. We loved the taste of the char dog. The poppy seed bun was steamed to perfection and the peppers were perfect in size, texture and taste. The neon green relish was ample and blended perfectly with all the other ingredients. The pickle was fantastic! It had a great crunch and blended nicely with the celery salt.

Overall, Poochie's was one of the best dogs we've reviewed to date. We were so impressed by Poochie's that we think it would be a sin if you were in the area and didn't stop in...even if you've already had lunch. Poochie's serves a number of sandwiches and sides. They only accept cash, but an in-house ATM is available if needed.

Hot Dog Island definitely wins the award for the best furniture. The round stools along the "shelf seating" wall are the classic yellow "Vienna" stools. The ambiance was typical of a Chicago Dog joint and was further enhanced by the Cubs game on TV. We were probably the only non-regulars in the joint.

Hot Dog Island offers a "normal" Chicago Dog as well as a "char dog". The "normal" dog runs $2.30, while the char version will cost you $2.50. Various combos were also available for a modest price.

The Vienna dogs were cooked to perfection, since we experienced a snap as we dug in. The application of mustard was a tad aggressive, but not excessive. The poppy seed bun was one of the best we've tasted. It was steamed to perfection and was able to withstand the onslaught of ingredients without getting the least bit soggy. The sport peppers had a nice bite, but also had a little sweetness to them...some of the best we've ever tasted. Our pickle spear was the perfect size and had that great deli taste and crunch. The neon green relish was applied in perfect proportion to the other ingredients, but the tomatoes were thinly sliced instead of wedges.

Overall, Hot Dog Island has one of the best dogs around. We also loved the fact that the owner took a few minutes to make sure we enjoyed our visit. Hot Dog Island offers a variety of items including gyros, chicken, ribs and many sandwiches. This is one Island you will not mind being stranded on.

Say the name "Chubby Wieners" out loud and you will have a smile on your face in no time. I am not sure how they came up with this name, but rumor has it that its namesake is from someone named "Uncle Chub". The outside window has a caricature of "Chubby" the wiener and a sign proclaiming their one year anniversary. This place is really small inside, but has a lot of character. The exposed brick walls really add to the ambiance. Seating is limited as there are only four booths and the black and white awning above the counter created a deli-like atmosphere. They do not have a parking lot, so metered street parking appears to be your only option.

We placed our order with the friendly woman at the counter, took a seat and anxiously awaited our dog. While we were getting situated, a young guy walked in the door, made his way to the counter and asked us "if we needed help with our work". We were pretty confused by this odd comment and were not sure what to make of it. We just thought it was some crazy guy off the street trying to be funny. Anyway, it turned out that the guy was the manager and didn't appreciate that we "were doing work" without his consent. He thought we broke some rule of common decency, but he was having difficulty communicating that in a professional manner. We mentioned that we were doing a review and during our conversation he said that he doesn't put any stock in reviews, either good or bad. He told us that this was his establishment and his rules. He said we could do a review, but we could not write up anything while inside his place. We thought that was a tad curious, especially since in our 40+ reviews we've never had someone approach us about this (and definitely not in that fashion), but we put away our review sheets and got down to business with the dog.

The presentation of the dog was fantastic! This is what a Chicago Dog should look like. It was obvious that the dog was NOT hastily thrown together and great care was taken during its creation. We were assured by the manager that he doesn't skimp on toppings and uses only the freshest ingredients. This fact was definitely reinforced when we took our first bite. The ingredients blended perfectly and it is one of a handful of places that really understands the application of celery salt. Neon green relish was generously applied and the pickle spear was one of the best we've had. The coarsely chopped onions were in perfect proportion to the rest of the condiments and two thick, perfectly ripe tomato slices nicely balanced the dog. The steamed poppy seed bun ranks as one of the best we've ever had. The sheer quantity of poppy seeds was off the charts and the bun had a great texture and more than held it's own with the other ingredients. We also have to mention that the battered fries were excellent.

After we polished off our dog, the guy seemed to have lightened up and asked us what we thought of the dog. Mitch said, "it was one of the best dogs we had today" and he countered with, "I seriously doubt that". For some reason, he was convinced that we would give him a negative review because of our earlier interaction. Again, we stated that we loved the dog and that is what we are reviewing. He then told us that he tells his staff to prepare the food as if they were making it for themselves.

We really loved our dog at Chubby Wieners and highly recommend it. A "Chubby Dog" and fries will run you $3.35. One of their menu items is called the "Capitalist Pig". For $250, you get a Chubby dog along with a bottle of Johnnie Walker blue label. We're going to hold off on that one, but be sure to let us know if you give it a try.

There's definitely something special about Dempster Street in Skokie. Once again, another great Chicago Style Dog can be found on Dempster at Herm's Palace.

For well over 30 years, Herm's has been serving up a great Chicago Dog. It's hard to miss their red and yellow colored building. The outside is adorned with lots of Vienna signage which makes it obvious that they proudly feature Vienna products. On the inside, Herm's has that welcoming ambiance that you expect from a typical hot dog joint.

There is certainly no shortage of seating and you have your choice of tables, booths or shelf seating (complete with round stools). Some of the walls contain painted murals featuring Chicago sports teams.

I ordered up a Chicago Dog "with everything" and eagerly awaited its arrival. After a short wait, I was handed a yellow basket containing a great looking Chicago Dog. Herm's does a great job with presentation. The dog wasn't just thrown together. Instead, each ingredient was placed with care.

The natural cased dog had an excellent flavor. Neon green relish was on the dog, but the quantity was extremely light. Originally, I didn't see any, so I asked if this was the norm. After some digging, I finally found the relish. The lack of relish was the only disappointment. The sliced tomatoes were thick and fresh and the onions were nicely chopped. The pickle spear was excellent. The two sport peppers were a nice size and appropriately placed to allow for a little pepper with every bite. The peppers had some heat to them, but were not overpowering. The poppy seed bun was excellent and held up nicely. Celery salt completed the package and unlike some other places, Herm's wasn't shy about the application.

Overall, my Chicago Dog was excellent and certainly recommended. As mentioned earlier in the review, there should have been more relish. Their Chicago Dog costs $2.10...a true bargain. A complete lunch (dog, fries and drink) is under $5.

Herm's menu is very extensive and includes several hot dog options including a Grilled Jumbo Dog.

While recently in Evanston, I stopped by the world famous "Mustard's Last Stand". Located near Ryan Field on the Northwestern Campus, this institution is a popular spot before and after the game.

Mustard's has been in business for about 40 years and is located in a small unassuming building that looks like it was originally a house. They are even a featured question in Trivial Pursuit ("What's the specialty in an Evanston, Illinois, eatery called "Mustard's Last Stand?").

From the moment I entered, I could sense I was in for a special experience. The ambiance at Mustard's Last Stand is unbelievable. Without even tasting their food, I already loved this place and knew I would not leave disappointed.

You could spend all day looking at the photos, letters and other memorabilia on the walls which highlight their rich history. Everything from sports magazine covers, signed celebrity photos, Northwestern related items and even some tennis rackets adorn the walls.

The place is so small, there is no room for tables/chairs. Shelf seating, complete with round Vienna stools, is available along one of the walls. If you can't get a seat inside, there are tables outside with Vienna umbrellas to keep you out of the sun.

For the last 20 years, Keith has been serving up the food. Keith is probably as much an institution as Mustard's itself. Since they were not too busy when I visited, Keith and I had a great philosophical discussion about hot dogs and also discussed the controversy of adding ketchup. Although Keith does not agree with putting ketchup on a dog, he said he will because he wants the customer to enjoy it. Keith also stated that 80% of people in Evanston put ketchup on their hot dog. I also learned that the owners had originally planned on opening this location as a pizzeria.

I ordered my Chicago Dog and Keith quickly created it. Their Vienna beef dog is served on a steamed S. Rosen's poppy seed bun. The application of the yellow mustard appeared to be heavy, but I think that the dog got slightly crushed when wrapped up and caused it to ooze. The relish tasted good, but I was slightly disappointed that it was not neon green. The onions were finely chopped and the dog was stocked with some nice tomatoes. There were 2 extremely small sport peppers...I would have preferred some larger ones. If there was any celery salt, it was applied so light I couldn't even tell it was there.

Overall, the Chicago Dog was great and I was already craving another before finishing the first (always a good sign). In our opinion, Mustard's Last Stand should not be overlooked. Give the place a try...you will NOT be disappointed.

Besides their Chicago Style Dogs, another favorite is their double cheeseburger. I have also heard that they serve some great shakes and malts.

U Lucky Dawg resides at the same location as the original Fluky’s. The memorable iconic sign is the same, except for the new name. Although the ownership of this location has remained the same for the past 10 years, the Fluky’s name was dropped in February 2006 and changed to U Lucky Dawg. Fluky’s still has a couple of locations in the area and is under different ownership. U Lucky Dawg is owned by Larry and Randee Estes. Incidentally, they are also the owners of the popular Max’s Italian Beef.

After placing an order for a char dog, Larry stopped by to talk with us. Time flew by as he shared some great stories about Fluky’s, U Lucky Dawg and a few other dog joints. We can’t say enough when the ownership takes the time to connect with their customers. I guess that’s why they’ve been in business for so long.

The inside of U Lucky Dawg is filled with original hot dog artwork. This place definitely has the atmosphere of a hot dog joint. The seating is ample both inside and outside, with a variety of tables and booths.

The char dog arrived quickly and looked fantastic. We were very pleased to see an ample amount of neon green relish and a perfect blend of mustard and onions. We could hardly wait to dig into this puppy. The thinly sliced tomatoes were decent, but the dog itself was so tasty, it was hard to think about anything else. The large pickle spear ranks with the best. Our only complaints were with the sport peppers and celery salt. The sports were atomic. We mentioned this to Larry and he explained that they vary from batch to batch and it’s something that’s extremely hard to control. We understood and have heard that before, but it didn’t help the immediate problem, so a trip to the counter for a drink solved that immediate problem. The celery salt was either applied in a trace amount or forgotten, which was too bad, since they have a decent sized shaker near the condiments.

After chatting with Mr. Estes, it was obvious he takes great pride in providing a dog with the highest quality ingredients. He mentioned he serves the 8-1 (8 dogs per pound) Vienna, which is slightly larger than most dogs you’ll see at other places. We heard some great stories and wished we could spend the day, but we needed to press on to do more reviews.

We really liked our char and would highly recommend U Lucky Dawg. The ambiance is what you’d expect for a hot dog joint and the dog is fantastic, just keep your eyes on the peppers and make sure they give a couple extra shakes of celery salt.

Dog Day Afternoon is located in a converted trailer, within a residential area. If it wasn't for the bold signage on an old wooden fence, you would most likely miss this gem of a place.

As soon as you walk in the door at Dog Day Afternoon, you know you're gonna get an authentic dog. The ambiance of this place is great. The inside is cramped, but there is still plenty of room for you to enjoy your dog. The walls are adorned with newspaper articles and trivia. They even managed to jamb in a TV and a couple of arcade games. Shelf seating and stools are available on the inside, and when the weather is nice, you can sit at the picnic tables on their outside patio.

Dog Day Afternoon serves the Red Hot Chicago brand and is one of the first places ever to do so. The owner almost talked us into getting their famous Maxwell Street Polish, but we resisted the urge, since we were on a mission.

The dog was fantastic: A Red Hot Chicago brand, 8-1 (8 to a pound), natural cased beauty that was cooked to perfection. This dog had a great beefy taste, excellent snap, and was juicy on the inside. The dog was assembled to spec and everything was authentic, except standard sweet relish was used instead of the neon green variety. This didn't seem to affect the taste in an adverse way. A tomato slice was present as well as a piece of cucumber. The pickle was fantastic and the celery salt was expertly applied. We really appreciate folks who understand the application of this vital ingredient. We really had no complaints about this pup. The peppers were hotter than most, but still tasted great.

The owner was very friendly and made us feel welcome. We certainly enjoyed chatting with him about Chicago Dogs. This is definitely a place you need to visit to get the feel of a real Chicago hot dog joint.

We obviously really loved Dog Day Afternoon. We appreciate a place that really understands how to put together a fantastic Chicago Dog. You're not gonna find too many places that will put a smile on your face for $2.71…and that includes fries.

Franksville has been around since 1964 and is another one of those places that has more of a fast food feel than a true Chicago hot dog stand. Plastic is gladly accepted and service is friendly.

Mitch was excited to visit Franksville because he vaguely remembers his regular visits to Franksville as a kid. A long time ago, back in the day when Mitch probably put ketchup on a dog, there was a Franksville located at the corner of Waukegan Rd and Golf Rd in Glenview (the current location of Kraft Foods Corporate Headquarters). He can’t tell you anything about the dogs, but he never forgot the engineer on the sign riding the hot dog train.

Franksville has a vast menu and offers 10 combo meals. We ordered our Chicago Dog and received it without sport peppers. A quick trip to the counter resolved the issue and we were off and running.

The skinless dog had excellent flavor and was nice and juicy. We were also happy to see a generous amount of neon green relish, which was expertly applied to the dog. Mustard was in great proportion to the other toppings and two, thick and juicy tomato slices rested on top of the dog. We also appreciated the fact that the dog came with two pickle spears that were top quality, providing excellent flavor and crunch to the overall dog experience. The dog was served on a standard bun and was also missing celery salt. These MIA requirements would punish Franksville’s DOGS score.

Overall we really liked our Franksville dog. The dog was put together nicely and sure looked colorful and tasty. The atmosphere was more family oriented than the typical hot dog stand. Franksville was inducted into the Vienna Hall of Fame in 2006. If you’re looking for a decent dog and don’t need the ambiance of a hot dog joint, Franksville is a good choice.

We arrived at The Dogfather at about 10:40 AM Friday morning. They had only been open for 10 minutes, so we were surprised that we weren’t the first customers of the day. This was the official start to our ambitious day of trying to review as many places as possible.

The Dogfather is located in a strip mall. As we pulled into the lot, one of the first things we noticed was a neon Red Hot Chicago sign in the front window. Although we don’t always have the opportunity to eat Red Hot Chicago brand dogs, we certainly enjoy them when we get the chance.

The interior is spacious and bright. The yellow and red painted walls reminded us of the official “Hot Dog Chicago Style” colors.

We ordered our dog and sat in one of the many booths. Seating is very plentiful and if you prefer shelf seating, you can enjoy your dog while sitting on a classic round stool reminiscent of a traditional hot dog joint. Although we rarely mention bathrooms in our reviews, you owe it to yourself to check out the bathroom. The men’s bathroom walls are adorned with various pictures depicting the last supper with Tony Soprano and various other TV and movie mob bosses. We can only wonder about the theme in the women’s bathroom.

The dog was nicely put together and had all the expected ingredients. Unfortunately, there was no neon green relish…only the standard pale green relish. The skinless Red Hot Chicago dog was excellent, quite tasty and juicy. Other high points were the pickle, which was bun length and had a great taste and crunch. The steamed poppy seed bun was very good. Mustard and celery salt were applied on the light side, but the amount of onions were appropriate. Lastly, the two sport peppers were a little too hot and overpowered the other ingredients, but overall the dog was pretty good.

We’d recommend the Dogfather. It’s not one of the top Chicago Dogs we’ve ever had, but we still enjoyed it. The Dogfather also serves Gyros, hamburgers, chicken and a nice assortment of deep fried goodness. The Chicago dog runs $1.85.

With a name like “Wrigleysville Dog”, we honestly weren’t that excited to conduct one of the last of 14 reviews of the day. We were expecting a tourist trap with overpriced and underdressed dogs, but we were pleasantly surprised after tasting a dog from this place.

Wrigleysville Dog is a short hop from Wrigley Field and has more than ample parking in the rear. There isn’t any shelf seating, but there’s plenty of seating both inside and out. They don’t accept plastic, but there’s an ATM in the building, so you don’t have to worry about being turned away.

Wrigleysville doesn’t offer a char dog as an option, so we ordered a traditional Chicago Style dog for $1.99. Service was friendly and extremely quick. We had our dog in no time…in fact, we barely had time to put away our change before the dog arrived.

The skinless dog was perfectly cooked. It was nice and juicy and had a great flavor. A few requirements were missing, namely the poppy seed bun and celery salt. We were ok with that, since the dog itself had such an excellent taste, but the DOGS score was going to suffer a little on this one. The pickle spear was excellent and the sport peppers were spot on. The relish wasn’t the nice neon green stuff, but still tasted pretty good. The dog had 3 thick Roma slices, which were decent, but not outstanding.

We enjoyed our dog at Wrigleysville Dog and would definately return for another. Don’t be turned off by the name or location, since the service is fast and friendly and the dog will leave you craving another, even if you already had 12 or so preceding it.

Dear Franks is another establishment that resides in a strip mall, although once you open the door you’d never know it. This location is where the now defunct U Dawg U was located. The interior black and red color scheme is heavily influenced by the Chicago Bulls team colors and a lot of Chicago memorabilia adorns the walls. Seating choices consist of tables and shelf seating with classic red round stools. The staff is very friendly and best of all, they offer a char dog.

As we ordered our char dog we were asked by the cook if we wanted to “go jumbo”. After a “no thank you”, the guy appeared to question our manhood, but it was all in fun. We were glad to see this guy definitely wanted us to have the best dog possible.

The dog took a little longer than expected to arrive and almost everything was to specification. The Mary Anne poppy seed bun wasn’t steamed and the tomato slices were not very ripe. Standard relish was used instead of our favorite…neon green relish. The relish was good, but was applied a little too lightly. Our dog had a nice flavor, but the outside was a little tough to chew through. The sport peppers had a slight sour after-taste, but this did not affect overall taste of the dog.

Although there were a few minor issues with our dog, we did enjoy our visit and recommend the char dog.

The Works has been in business at the same location (Talisman Village) since 1978. You have to be doing something right to survive (in this cut-throat business) that long, so I had high expectations for their Chicago Dog, but came away a little disappointed in the end.

From the outside, it is pretty clear that their specialties are Gyros and Dogs. It's my guess that they are more well known for their Gyros. Inside, I was welcomed by several Vienna Beef signs and the familiar ambiance you expect when visiting a place that serves Chicago Hot Dogs. Their extensive menu has several hot dog choices, but does not specifically mention a Chicago Dog. I asked for a Chicago Dog with everything on it and also ordered a basket of fries.

When my dog arrived, the first thing I noticed was the missing sport peppers. I brought my dog back to the counter and asked if they had any. The guy behind the counter promptly grabbed 5 gigantic sport peppers and added them to my dog. These peppers were the biggest I have ever seen and unfortunately, some of the hottest I ever tasted. Their heat overpowered the other ingredients.

At first glance, the Chicago Dog looked pretty good. However, upon further scrutiny, there was no celery salt and the relish was the standard sweet pickle relish. Standard relish contains a lot of liquid and a typical side-effect is a soggy bun. The poppy seed bun was soggy and started to fall apart while eating my dog. On a positive note, the pickle spear was excellent. It filled the length of the bun, had a nice crunch and tasted great. My only comment is that the pickle was so huge, it was difficult to keep wedged into the bun. The onions were coarsely chopped and three thick tomato slices rounded out the ingredients.

Overall, my Chicago Dog was good, but I always expect more from places in the Chicago area because there are so many great places all within a short distance of each other. An exceptional Chicago Dog is a perfect balance between the toppings. My Chicago Dog from The Works fell short of my expectations and did not balance the toppings well. My dog certainly wasn't bad, but better options exist.

We arrived at Byron's Hot Dog Haus tired at the end of a long day where we reviewed 13 Chicago dog establishments in the previous 8+ hours. Most folks might call it a day, but we're professionals and always have room for one more dog.

As you walk into Byron's you're greeted by a friendly staff and a plethora of options. Should I get the jumbo dog or standard dog? Do I want to deface my dog with lettuce? The choices are endless, but we had to stay focused. If you order a dog with the works, it will include the standard ingredients (mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, pickles and celery salt) in addition to lettuce, cucumbers and green peppers. We specified the sanctioned Chicago dog ingredients and waited for our masterpiece to be assembled.

Seating in Byron's is plush by Chicago hot dog joint standards. There's plenty of space and you have a choice of either tables or booths. Byron's proudly serves Vienna brand dogs and is a member of the Vienna Hall of Fame.

The best part of our Chicago dog was the dog itself. The skinless Vienna was cooked perfectly and had excellent flavor and texture. The pickles were decent, but were sliced cross wise, instead of the traditional spear. This upsets the balance of the entire dog, since you won't necessarily get the proper blending of ingredients with every bite. The peppers had a reddish tint, which made for a nice picture, but it didn't make them taste any better, since they were a little tough and unremarkable. The dog had two tomato slices, but the tomato wasn't very ripe and didn't add much flavor to the experience. The dog had plenty of mustard and neon green relish was in abundance, both major pluses in our book. Celery salt was applied, but on the light side. The bun was good, but was missing poppy seeds.

We'd recommend a Byron's dog, but keep your eye on the staff and let them know that lettuce is not acceptable on a Chicago dog. Overall, the dog was good, despite a few minor flaws with a couple of the ingredients.

Lucky Dog is not your typical small, hot dog place. It’s reminiscent of a fast food chain, so there’s tons of food choices and plastic is accepted. The first thing we noticed on our visit was that the drive-thru was doing a brisk business, even though it was pushing 1:30 pm.

The interior of Lucky Dog is spacious, bright and more closely resembles a McDonald’s than a hot dog joint. There’s plenty of seating, with a variety of tables and booths. No shelf seating in this establishment. A myriad of Vienna posters and signs line the walls.

We ordered a loaded dog with crinkle cut fries, which costs $2.25. Not a bad deal for the suburbs. The dog arrived pretty quickly, but was missing sport peppers. A quick trip to the counter resolved that issue, but looking back at it we really should have brought our own.

The skinless dog was alright, but there were some ingredients that didn’t help the cause. The sport peppers were absolutely toxic, easily overpowering the other ingredients. One, thick, unremarkable tomato slice was centered over the dog. A very light application of mustard was on the dog and the standard green relish was applied on the light side as well. If the toppings weren’t applied so sparsely to this puppy, it would have rated much higher. Celery salt was absent, but the poppy seed bun was steamed. The best part of the dog was the pickle spear. It wasn’t in our top tier, but had a nice taste and excellent crunch.

Overall we’re recommending this dog but we’re teetering between a cautious “Yes” and “Better options exist”. It’s obvious when you pull into the parking lot that you’re not going to get much ambiance at this place, but we’d stop in if we had a long day and needed a quick fix.

We had high hopes for Wolfy’s, since they’ve been serving Chicago dogs since 1967 and have survived the test of time; at least that’s what we thought.

The building interior has some nice pictures on the walls featuring the hot dog. One of our favorites was the classic American Gothic painting with a dog on the farmer’s pitchfork and a shake in the woman’s hand. The counter is right in your face as you walk in and the place has the classic “bolted to the floor” seating. The vibe felt right as we got in line and ordered up our dog. We somehow missed the char dog option on the menu and only realized this after the guy behind us specified his as such. We were kicking ourselves, but how could we go wrong in a place that has been serving dogs for such a long time?

Our Chicago dog arrived and we were initially impressed with the presentation…it sure looked the part. Upon further examination, we were put off by the dog itself. It looked bad and had a funky smell. This dog was really overcooked. It was extremely mushy, but somehow we found the inner strength to still eat it. We didn’t think it was possible to turn a natural cased dog into something soft and spongy, but that was certainly the case for this one. Everything else on the dog was pretty decent, with the exception of the sport peppers, which overpowered the other toppings. The excellent neon green relish was the best part of this dog. The thick sliced tomato was decent and the steamed poppy seed bun tasted fine and held things together appropriately. The oversized, mild pickle spear could have been so much more, but it didn’t detract from the dog. The only ingredient that killed this dog was the dog itself.

Our main regret is that we didn’t order a char dog. We doubt it would have been mushy and we probably would have had an excellent experience. As it stands, we can’t in good conscience recommend Wolfy’s. Execution is a vital factor in the dog experience and this pup got misplaced in the electric chair. We will have to stop by another time and see if things improve.

Al's Italian Beef is a little place located at the end of a strip mall. We would describe the interior as upscale for a fast food restaurant and reminiscent of a sports bar. The seating is ample and consists of tables and booths. The obvious specialty is Italian Beef, but we were there for the Chicago dog.

We ordered a Chicago Style dog for $2.19 and had it in hand in no time. The dog had a casing and overshot the bun by a half inch or so. Even though the dog was decent sized, it didn't have much going for it. The flavor wasn't anything special and it was slightly rubbery. The rest of the dog was no walk in the park. Although the large pickle spear was excellent, celery salt was absent, a cardinal sin in our book. Two thin tomato slices topped the dog and the onions and the standard relish were on the sparse side. The worst part of the dog was definitely the sport peppers. The oversized peppers looked the part and had the right amount of heat, but they tasted vinegary and had a sour after taste. Lastly, the steamed poppy seed bun looked pretty good, but disintegrated into a pile of mush as we ate the dog.

We can't recommend the Chicago dog at Al's Italian Beef. Better options certainly exist, especially since Niles has a fair number of dog places in the near vicinity. Although their Chicago dog was not a hit, the Italian Beef sandwich looked pretty good. As they say, "When in Rome…"

We happened to stumble across Johnnie’s while on the way to another review. It looked like a place that would have a great dog, so we instinctively pulled into the lot and got down to business.

The inside was mo