Maxwell Street Polish
A grilled Polish sausage piled with grilled onions, yellow mustard and sport peppers. Best eaten late at night.
Jim's Original
The stand that says it invented the Polish, open since 1939. If you only eat one Polish in Chicago, make it this one.
Express Grill
Jim's rival right next door also claims to be the original. Try both and pick a side.
Maxwell Street Depot
An old-school walk-up where Bridgeport and Sox fans get their Polish.
Jimmy's Red Hots
Open since 1954 and famously strict: ask for ketchup and they'll refuse. One of the last great depression-dog stands.
The Wiener's Circle
A great char dog plus the famous late-night trash talk between staff and customers. Go after midnight on a weekend for the full experience.
Portillo's (River North)
It's a chain, but it's the one every Chicagoan grew up on. The downtown location is the easiest proper dog for visitors.
Fatso's Last Stand
The char dog locals name first: snappy, smoky and cheap. It's a walk-up counter, so plan to eat in the car.
The Chicago dog's grilled cousin
A Maxwell Street Polish is a grilled or fried Polish sausage on a bun, heaped with grilled onions, yellow mustard and sport peppers. That's it. It was born at the old Maxwell Street open-air market on the Near West Side, where stands fed shoppers and late-night crowds for generations.
How to order: "Polish with everything" gets you onions, mustard and peppers. Add fries. Many stands tuck them right into the bag with the sandwich.
Good to know: the old Maxwell Street stands are cash-friendly walk-ups, not sit-down restaurants.
If you're working through the classics, start with the Chicago-style hot dog and our hot dog guide.