I go to Hot Doug's weekly, and the trick to not standing in line is to go around 3 in the afternoon. He closes at 4... Of course, during the summer when foodie tourists and kids home from school abound, I don't go at all. If I'm really jonesing, I'll call and order up something to pick up. So I guess you could say that I'm there in the fall, winter and spring. It's impossible to enjoy the place when it's jammed with newbies. Doug's a great guy, and one of the most creative configurers of encased meats, condiments, sauces, flavors and textures you'll ever hope to encounter on this planet!
Hot Doug’s, Chicago
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Photo: Beth Rooney
Of all the hot dog joints in Chicago, none are as good, or as "out there," as Hot Doug's, a small corner shop on the city's Northwest Side that earns its self-declared title of "sausage superstore." While the owner, Doug Sohn, who always works the counter, makes a great Chicago-style dog, topped with the usual pickles, mustard, tomatoes, sport peppers, and celery salt, it's all the other creative combinations that make the place extraordinary. He changes his menu almost daily, to include specials like bacon sausage with crème fraîche, caramelized onions, and double-cream Brie; and chicken sausage with Sriracha mustard and sesame seaweed salad. The only thing that bothers me about Hot Doug's is the ever present line around the block, but then, I always make the time. —Carolyn Gordon, Chicago, Illinois
