Hot Doug’s Sausage Superstore and is only open during the day. If you plan on coming here at 4pm, you’ll be out of luck. What makes Hot Doug’s highly desirable is their specialty hot dogs. Fois Gras Hot Dog, Crocodile Hot Dog, Elk Hot Dog, and an endless combination of toppings.
They’ve been covered on the Food Network and even have their own book. They have gotten worldwide popularity and most tourists make a visit here when visiting Chicago.
Sadly, I have to admit, I was one of those tourists. Seriously, you can’t come to Chicago and not try the best hot dogs. (or at least what people of the internet claim to be the best).
When we arrived around 1pm, the line up was huge. It wrapped around the corner and the wait was about an hour. We thought we could avoid the lunch rush, but we got caught up in the lunch rush.
We at least had a good view of these little piggies. I got educated on the different pork parts.
Once you somehow make your way through the long line, this colorful interior awaits you.
There’s so many choices to choose from. Even some hot dogs are named after celebrities. When you are ordering, you’ll be greeted by Doug of Hot Doug’s that will take your order at the counter. He was quite nice to all the customers.
Escargot & Guanciale sausage ($9) with parsley-garlic goat butter and double creme brie cheese. This was a strange sausage but I adored the creamy brie cheese on top. The sausage was charred on the outside and lacked a distinct flavour.
Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage ($10) with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel. One of the most popular items on the menu, might as well order the best. It’s pretty good.
The Dog ($2) is a Chicago-Style Hot Dog with all the trimmings – pickle, peppers, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and mustard on a poppy seed bun. This was a cheap hot dog compared to the other specialty hot dogs. The hot dog is much smaller compared to the others.
Overall, I was impressed by the toppings but the quality of the sausage wasn’t as good as I anticipated. They were a bit on the small side and the not juicy at all. It just felt like the sausages were just sitting around for a while.
We Rate Hot Doug’s: 
Address:
3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL
Website:
http://www.hotdougs.com/
[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=3324+N+California+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60618,+USA&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&hnear=3324+N+California+Ave,+Chicago,+Illinois+60618,+United+States&z=16″]
