Searching for the Best Chicago Dog in Chicago: A 5-Dog Taste Test

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Searching for the best Chicago dog in Chicago? I’ve taste-tested five spots on my quest to find the city’s best Chicago-style classic and provided rankings on each to help guide you in the right direction.

Blossoming during the Great Depression era, Chicago dogs have been a staple in Chicago’s food culture ever since. This quick, cheap, and hot handheld-meal once satisfied customers at a mere 5 cents a pop. And while Chicago dogs go for much more these days, they’re still a relatively affordable meal on the go.

The burning question remains though – who makes the best Chicago Dog in Chicago?

When figuring out the answer to that question, you might also be thinking, is there really much of a difference when ordering a Chicago dog? While I think Chicago dogs are generally similar across the board, there are a few varying factors in my opinion:

1. Hot dog choice – Vienna Beef is the gold standard and the O.G. of Chicago hot dogs
2. The bun needs to be fresh – no dry or stale buns!
3. Proportion of toppings (extra sport peppers for me)
4. Aesthetics (for bonus points really)

How to Order a Chicago Dog

Chicago dogs are known for their unique “drag it through the garden” style, which includes a juicy hot dog topped with with mustard (never ketchup – don’t even think about it), diced white onions, an unnaturally-colored green relish, dill pickle slices, sliced tomatoes, pickled sport peppers, and celery salt all stuffed into a poppyseed bun.

My advice: get it with everything – it just works!

Best Chicago Dogs in Chicago

Ranking the best Chicago dogs in Chicago is a tough task because there are SO many places in Chicago to get a good dog. Truly, I don’t know that there is a bad place to get a Chicago dog (at least none that we’ve experienced so far). However, I do have my preferences!

Here’s a rundown and rating of all the best Chicago dogs in Chicago we’ve had the privilege of eating.

Okay but what about the Chicago dog itself? I rated it at a 7/10, which is kind of a bummer because it sure was pretty. The sad part for me – a dry bun. A bun is a big component of a hot dog! Of course, it could have been an off day, but that was our experience.

That being said, I would still 100% come back and grab a hot dog and a pint of cider and watch the boats float by along the river. The location and city views, stale bun aside, still won me over for being repeat-visit-worthy.

The Chicago dog here is a solid choice, but overall didn’t make the list of top favorites me. Presentation was a little messy and nothing about the hot dog was really memorable. However, it’s still not a bad spot for a Chicago dog, especially if you’re hanging out at Navy Pier for other activities!

They do also use Vienna Beef brand hot dogs, which is the holy grail of hot dog brands – especially for Chicago dogs.

For an airport hotdog, Rush Street at Chicago O’Hare surprisingly does a great job. Firstly, presentation is on point – everything was packed into the dog nicely and had that aesthetically-pleasing drizzle of mustard on top. Secondly, the dog passed the taste test and had a very generous sprinkle of celery salt.

A Rush Street Chicago dog is a great way to bid farewell to the Windy City!

Now, this Chicago dog experience was a little different than the rest because I had to make my own. At first, I was a little annoyed at the extra work. However, as I was making my dog, I was actually happy that I could pile on the toppings to my liking (i.e. extra sport peppers, which are my favorite part!).

I don’t know if it was the atmosphere of being at the ballgame (maybe my beer kicked in too), but this Chicago dog really hit the spot for me. The bun was nice and moist and the Vienna Beef dog was salty and delicious. It did get a little messy at our seats, so just beware extra napkins may be required (especially if you’re a mustard fiend like myself).

Portillo’s

Last but not least, we have Portillo’s. Originating as “The Dog House” in 1963, Portillo’s is a staple when it comes to the Chicago dog scene! They also just happen to take the top spot for our favorite Chicago dog.

• Location Visited: Portillo’s & Barnelli’s Chicago, 100 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60610
• Overall Rating: 10/10

Ranking Portillo’s against my DIY dog at Wrigley was a tough decision, but in the end, Portillo’s won us over for the top spot with their jumbo dog option. Bigger dog = more of that Vienna beef hot dog flavor!

The Portillo’s & Barnelli’s location we visited in downtown Chicago was very bustling and decorated in a fun way to mimic a street scene from the 1930s and 40s Prohibition era. That right there is enough to get you into the shop and grab one of the best dogs in Chicago!

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