Dave's Red Hots

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Dave's Red Hots on the Westside is one of a few remaining businesses from a different era. The neighborhood underwent a shift in the 50's as residents made the move out to the suburbs. I'd never heard of this place until I was driving by and realized it was in fact still open after thinking it was permanently closed upon first glance. As I always do, I decided to check out google and see what was up with this mysterious to me hot dog stand. It didn't take long to see that of course Mike Sula from The Reader has been there, and as it turned out this hot dog was a childhood favorite of another friend from the food chain's father. As always Mike is all over this, you can read it HERE.

Longtime Locals Favorite in Lawndale

I will try each and every Chicagoland hot dog stand before this is all over so I knew I was coming in no matter what, I just wanted to see what I was going to be eating and admittedly I didn't think it was going to be great until I read the Reader article. Stands like these in this neighborhood tend to cater to portion size and thus will use the cheapest ingredients available to make the most money while satisfying the customer.

as we enter

However they haven't changed a thing at Dave's. The wieners are still Vienna Beef natural casing and the fries are still cut fresh. The dog includes the typical minimalist toppings of mustard, relish, onion and sport peppers as well as thinly sliced kosher pickles. This is the style I grew up on (minus the pickles, RIP Demon Dogs) and this is the style that reminds me of my youth, which was great, thus so was the hot dog. Never change Dave's.

Hot Dog everything from Dave's Red Hots

Dave's Red Hots
3422 W Roosevelt Rd
Chicago, IL 60624
(773) 722-9935