Hot Doug's

I am madly in love with the Chicago-style hot dog. I find it vastly preferable to its New York counterpart, which is immersed in what can only be described as hot dog water and garnished uncouthly with ketchup (the same cannot be said about pizza, but that is a story for a different time).

Image 1. The Fire Dog

This past weekend I had the pleasure of stopping by the one and only Hot Doug's. I had been meaning to visit since my college days, as the place was of UChicago-level fame (seeing as U of C students are generally too busy spending their days and nights in the Regenstein library - without eating, sleeping or bathing - to explore the city, something that is UChicago fame-worthy is a huge deal).

I'll have you know that when we got there, it was 2:30 on a Monday. Despite that, the line to Hot Doug's was out the door. Once I stepped inside the establishment and was greeted by a diverse menu of budget-friendly hot dogs (tax included, I might add) covering an entire wall, I knew it was love.

I ordered the fire dog, which is basically a spicy hot dog. For the toppings, I chose raw onions, giardiniera, sport peppers, a dill pickle, and spicy brown mustard. With a side order of fries, my entire meal cost a whopping $5.50, so I thought I would add this root beer into the mix.

Image 2 .The root beer was okay

As soon as I took a bite out of my hot dog, I started crying immediately. Not because it was that delicious (even though it was), but because it was incredibly spicy.

But it hurt so good.

Image 3. My meal!!!!!

All I can say is that I'm glad I don't live within walking distance of Hot Doug's, because if I did, I would eat hot dogs at least twice a week. The original Chicago-style hot dog is only $2.50 (again, that's tax included)! How could anyone pass that up?

10/10 would go again. There are no words.

Image 4. The secret to their deliciousness

Hot Doug's

3324 N California Ave

Chicago, IL 60618

(773) 279-9550

http://www.hotdougs.com/

P.S. One small drawback is that they are cash only. But then again, with those prices, I wouldn't take credit cards either.