"'I don't see it as just a hot dog place. In later years, the family changed to eight to the pound. So Flaurie and Maurie brainstormed and bought a piece of land right on the corner of Milwaukee and Devon. Donald Duks Red Hots. Mervyn Dukatte and his cousin Donald Marselle thought it was a catchy name for the West Town hot dog stand they opened in 1957, an obvious reference to the most famous of all ducks but also to themselves. The hot dogs are awesome too. Probably slightly longer, because theyre fried twice, with a rest between, as one must with truly great frites. Shirley Fountain, from left, Corey Holmes, Marquita Fountain, Brianna Fountain and Eugenia Fountain at Dave's Red Hots, in the 3400 block of West Roosevelt Road, the oldest hot dog stand in Chicago. Like a special reserved table.. $4 at Walmart. The Fountains have added a few things to the original four-item menu. What is known is that in 1941, Max Karm and his sons, Nathan Karm and Hyman Hy Karm, bought the hot dog stand. Hot dog with fries: $3.80Whats on it: Mustard, grilled onion, hot pepper. Its my favorite food, Sohn says. Its given freely, but still only in packets, because she doesnt want to see ketchup on hot dogs either. Located at Belmont near Racine in Chicagos Lakeview neighborhood, Murphys has been around since the mid-'80s. 6.7. Portillos is legendary, and their hot dog is one that many locals hold very close to their heart. Dave Kaplans grandson Jerry Kaplan lives in California, so he couldnt join the family reunion. Art's Chili Dog Stand Art's Famous Chili Dog is a bargain at $2.30 and includes mustard, chili and onions. "Sugar and fake smoky weirdness," said one taster, while others complained that . She ran the counter with Miss Bea. In 1963, Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer to open the first Portillo's hot dog stand in Villa Park, IL, which he called "The Dog House." Years later, Portillo's has become a brand synonymous with Chicago. 1,185 were here. Barnett Sizer was 15 in 1958 when he started cooking there, back when hot dogs were 26 cents and Polish sausages were 32 cents, he said. Theyre entrepreneurs. Gina Fountain, right, owner of Dave's Red Hots, meets with the grandchildren of the restaurant's two previous owners on Sept. 2, 2021. He finished his route that day and soon after opened Jakes Pup In The Ruf at 950 W. Montrose Ave. (Ruf because It was a rough neighborhood, but I didnt want to make it look bad, he said.) Chicago Magazine ranked the top 10 best hot dog stands all around the city. Keeping long hours, fending off late-night hooligans, enduring change sometimes upheaval in the neighborhoods that they anchor while giving customers what they want and expect (even if that includesketchup) iswhat theyve done for decades and transcends the art of customer service. What makes Byrons stand out isnt the dog itself. To learn more, visit their website here. Still, while he doesnt talk much about his relatives, and vice versa, there appear to be no hard feelings. The Mighty Dog is a legend inside the confines of Fat Johnnies neighborhood and its all-beef namesake has been named the Best Hot Dog by a variety of local and national publications and television shows. If youve grown up in the city or suburbs, chances are that you have a certain sort of love for Portillos. One was an air ball., Go big or go home. Its a side gig hes an expert witness economist living in California but not taken lightly. Rose keeps the line moving, with no changes to the original four-item menu of hot dogs, Polish sausage, tamales and fresh-cut fries. The shop now serves 12-to-the-pound hot dogs, skinny, but still snappy with natural casings. Chicago Dog & Co chef Doug Walters and co-owners Monica Walters and Sandra Rivera stand next to their restaurant venture in . It was the only thing standing. $9.52. Friendly staff, fast moving. But for more. My Poppy and my dad had a saying. The world has changed around us, but we havent changed, we do the exact same thing.. Owner Eugenia Fountain serves an order at Dave's Red Hots on Aug. 13, 2021. Like it or not. In 2014, Dick Portillo sold his chains, 33 in all, to a private equity group in Boston for one billion dollars, easily making Portillos one of the most successful hot dog stands in history. Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicagos diverse neighborhoods. But one thing that has always stayed the same is the notoriety of a famed hot dog stand called the Weiner's Circle. He also was responsible for the creation of Express Grill, the competing stand next door (No. The now-defunct Fluky's, started in 1929, claimed to have invented the original Chicago-style dog, then called a "Depression Sandwich.". Like many hot dog stands in the city, you can also grab an Italian beef sandwich, a tamale (Fat Johnnie's has a famous one known as the Mother-In-Law), pizza puffs, cheeseburger, chicken sandwich. Well, add Charred Polish and Salami to the menu along with some Fried Shrimp and Homemade Mac & Cheese and Fatso's Last Stand is the new late night haven in the Ukrainian Village. Or, seal the hot dogs into a GladWare food protection container. Its Fountain and the family she shares. Dave's Red Hots founder Dave Kaplan, standing second from right, is surrounded by his sons, their wives and his wife Ida Kaplan, seated center, at a family wedding in January 1939 in Chicago. He wouldnt compromise the quality of the product and he passed that along to us. The onion rings and mac and cheese are sinful. So according to that new study, each one cut 36 minutes off my life. Look at somewhere like Gene & Judes. That's not, however, what makes Dave's Red Hots special. Thats also an apt word for what these businesses represent for the families who keep them going. What to eat. The young blonde working next to him is Rose Faruggia, Faruggias granddaughter who sat on the counter as a kid selling napkin drawings to customers and now runs the place with her siblings. But a big, old hot dog sculpture. $10 at Fairway Packing. But my grandfather was a pretty happy-go-lucky, friendly kind of guy. The oldest stand in town (around since 1938), it looks the part, but the quality of its food hasn't faded. Nearly every order includes a side of their glorious fries. She has a stash account with a portfolio. Before it was called Als Under The L, it was Als Red Hots and before that, going back to 1949, it was a Jewish guy named Al slinging red hots, cheeseburgers and Polish sausages out of a trailer at Lake Street and Francisco Avenue, said current owner Larry McCullum. We dont know the exact year, but do know it was earlier than previously believed, in 1938. Ten years later, he bought the entire building and moved the hot dog stand to its current northeast corner spot. For most of America (with the exception of New York), hot dogs arent really a big deal. Take-Out/Delivery Options . Hot dog with fries (and pop): $3.50How its dressed: Mustard, ketchup, relish, onion, pickle, sport pepper, lettuce. You may remember our story last month about the shop's current owners, the Fountain family. Where other chains failed, Portillo took the idea to a whole new level by opening more of a food emporium. Nothing fancy, though, just a stand-up counter and a window where you pay. Two (2) Vienna pure beef hot dogs served on One (1) steamed bun. 24 / 29. That means the oldest hot dog stand in Chicago is older than we thought. The only condiments they had in the store was mustard, pickles and peppers, said Karm. There were hot dog stands all over the streets of 1920s Chicago, including one on the northwest corner of Halsted and Maxwell owned by Jimmy Stefanovic's aunt. Founded by H.E. Owner, Bill Murphy lives right next door to the spot and has kept a hands on approach to his business. What you need to live your best life now. Anything you can imagine. The pulled pork chub dog is a. Located on Peterson Ave at California, right on the border of the city and Lincolnwood, its right within the boundaries of being properly labeled as a Chicago staple. It was 1959. Ive met so many people here, and its not at all like people in the neighborhood are portrayed. A good rule for general traffic at a hot dog stand is that you can plan on 5 percent of foot traffic stopping to make a purchase you generally hope for 1,000 people an hour passing by. The business is now being helmed by Mauries children, Lisa Drucker, along with her husband Don, and her brother, Scott, and his daughter Laura. Their late mother, Sonia Kaplan, also worked at her fathers shop, before marrying Ruben Meyerson, who became known as the Mayor of Roosevelt Road. The Magnificent Seven are reduced to the Magnificent Four: relish, onions, hot peppers, and mustard. There is no ketchup at Jimmys Red Hots, never was from the day Jimmy Faruggia opened it in 1954 on a busy Humboldt Park corner. Its no frills, no ego and its a damn good Chicago hot dog. Were oldies but goodies, she said. Al's Red Hots. Its also unclear if he sold the shop to another owner who ran it briefly, or perhaps had a middleman sell the business, because the next longtime owners didnt know the founder of the shop theyd run for 30 years. Lisa says, Weve been doing the same thing at the same place. Its the one place where the most appropriate of girls, after a long night of drinking and maybe a Cubs game, might blame another girl for stealing her hot dog before insulting both the other girl and her mother, who may or may not be present. But he would charge a nickel for a package.. Foursquare. Highest Rating 2022 1. Wolfys is now owned by two brothers named Peter and Gus Romas. And all of a sudden its just too sweet. According to Don, the secret to Superdawgs success is because Maurie was very particular and paid attention to detail. Seal. And for all pizza news, all the time, check out The Slice. His rebound downs Marian Catholic. Inside, coffee-brown booths from the original location line up on your left. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. To get the water he needs, he runs 250 feet of garden hose from a nearby building into the trailer. From the age of about 14 until 22, I probably had a hot dog five days a week, Karm said, laughing. Where was the first hotdog served? Dave's Famous double red hots are seen at Dave's Red Hots, 3422 W. Roosevelt Road, the oldest hot dog stand in Chicago, which dates to 1938. Hy and Rose, whose surname had been lost to time, named the restaurant for their son, according to the oral histories shared with Eugenia Gina Fountain, the current co-owner along with her mother, Shirley Fountain. The fallout from Mayor Lori Lightfoots defeat began quickly Wednesday as her hand-picked police superintendent said he would resign his post March 16. Varellis late husband John and her brother Don Caputo opened the business farther west on Taylor, literally as the outdoor patio of their restaurant, The Rendezvous, serving the kinds of foods that taste better under the sun hot dogs, clams, watermelon wedges and Italian beef, for which theyre better known. That's not, however, what makes Dave's Red Hots special," writes Louisa Chu at the Trib of the women of the oldest hot dog stand in Chicago, Dave's Red Hots in Lawndale. Inspired by hot dog stands of Chicagos yesteryear, the Avondale location boasted a rotating menu of hot dogs, sausages, bratwursts and with almost any type of meat you could feast your eyes on and think of -- it came to be known as an option for affordable food for foodies. I drove my father, who was living on the North Side, down to see what was left, Karm said. And about 95% of what they sold was hot dogs. The next year, they opened a bigger location across the street -- this location seated around 100 diners. Shirley Fountain, from left, Corey Holmes, Marquita Fountain, Brianna Fountain and Eugenia Fountain at Dave's Red Hots, in the 3400 block of West Roosevelt Road, the oldest hot dog stand in Chicago. He left to fight in Vietnam and came back to his job at Als. It All Began in the Dog House. He saw a man put a For Rent sign in the window of an Uptown storefront. Ketchup is still, for the most part, verboten. In 1983, Bowen co-wrote a book called, Hot Dog Chicago, along with his friend and colleague, Dick Fay. Its bankrolled by fees developers pay to build high-density downtown buildings. They got back to business, serving the community that saved them, for a few more years. No one would believe that when we had Daves, it supported four families, he added. When you add ketchup, its overwhelmingly sweet. For decades, legacy customers and a 100-year-old former employee cited the shops original owners as a Jewish couple who opened it in 1938 on Homan Avenue and what is now Roosevelt Road. In 1939, when Stefanovic arrived in Chicago from the former Yugoslavia, his aunt was sick and ready to call it quits. Their pickles are not spears, but unusually cut from whole dills with their fry cutter every morning. A few years later, Izzy Kaplan would indeed go on to become a very successful Vienna distributor. We just dont use it and thats just it. Asshole. This set off the known-reputation of late-night abuse from the workers. 10 on our list). Thats the goal, anyway, of any stand worth its celery salt and presumably whats motivating you to begin with. In May of 2015, Maurie passed away at the age of 89. Theres no way in the world that it would look like that if we did., The bulletin board at Dave's Red Hots.