The Wieners Circle (PIC'S)

I have decided to give the WC its own launching pad for discussion both good and bad. Hate it or love it it is one of Chicago's most famous and well known hot dog stands and if you don't like it, it isn't because the food is bad.



I have stated my opinions elsewhere on the board if you want to know exactly how I feel about it outside of the food. This post is all about the food.

I hadn't been to WC in at least a year until a few days ago when I stopped by during the day. Nothing has changed food wise its as good as it was when I ate there a few times a week in HS. There were a group of 4 young HS boys, myself and some older regulars from the neighborhood and hospital. It was as mellow as a hot dog stand can get and there were "please" and "thank you" and "your welcomes" being exchanged back and forth. I got a char dog with a cheese fries, I always get my cheese on the side.


This is the best hot dog in the city that is not the old depression style (G&J and Jimmy's) One thing they dont do at WC is skimp on toppings, these dogs come loaded with grilled onions or raw, mustard, pickles, sport peppers, relish, tomato, and celery salt. The cheese fries? still my favorite batch of cheese fries in town.

Then last night when I was standing outside of the bar with my friend while she smoked a cigarette I got rather agitated. Some POS 30 something was walking around with his drunk friends yelling and make a fool of themselves when one said something like "are we going to wieners circle, I need a hot dog and to yell at those (wont repeat it) I need to unload some steam" I offered him the chance to unload that steam on me and told him to yell that at me or someone not behind a counter and see what happens. Well it ended with his friend dragging him away as they both were very scared and shaking and got worried that there designer jackets were going to get ripped apart.

So that is a peak into the other side of WC. I wont hide anything. Since my dog was so tasty and brought back many a memory I went back last night for a burger and to check the scene on a Thursday night around 1am. It was almost as quiet as my previous visit. The only time there was yelling go on was when I snapped this picture of the grill. I was told "to leave sumtin in that tip jar for that picture" and I told her in a normal toned voice "sweety I have been coming here longer than you have been here, you'll come to learn I always do"


The grill is always flaming at WC. This is a slow night, thats 2 dogs and a burger, you can imagine the grill on a night when the line is out the door.


Hey, they are the home of the char broiled cheddar burger. If you dont like these then you dont like burgers. One of the best around. OK its not quite as good as Paradise Pup's but its right behind it and a hell of alot closer to me.

So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

For every schmuck like that guy I ran into last night there is a neighborhood regular who knows what good Chicago fast food is and goes there to eat great grub and not yell back and forth.

Its also a straight shot down Clark St. from the downtown area on the bus making it one of the best hot dogs accessible to tourists and visitors.

Its a great stop during the day if your shopping, visiting the zoo or just enjoying the neighborhood.

It has GREAT street food and there is parking in back.

What more do you need? Sure it'll never get a GNR with its reputation for stuff other than the food but those of us that live in the area are sure lucky to have it and its not going anywhere soon.

Other mentions of WC can be found here, here, here here, here. Thanks a bunch Mhays, Ive been asking around about how I do that and trying to figure it out forever.

The Wieners Circle
2622 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-7444

Great post. I wish I frequented that area more, as I've only been to WC once in my two years in the city. I know they've been accused of being little more than a novelty, but I definitely agree with you that the food more than holds it's own.

I can't believe how hungary I just got looking at these pictures! I'd do anything for a big fat cheeseburger right about now. Thanks for the info. I will definately try this place. I've eaten at Paradise Pup and it is one of the best.

I was actually telling someone today while looking at this site (http://www.greasefreak.com/hotdogs.html) that Weiner Circle char dog (amazing topping distribution, ie tomatoes) and char-cheddar burgers might be my favorite of the city. Yes, I know during late nights some of the language and conduct you can find in the place is way over-the-line and sometimes very uncomfortable. However, straight up food-wise its tough to beat Weiner Circle as far as hot-dog stands.

I've never been there for the late-night ruckus, but both their regular dog and especially their char dog rank among the best in the city (and I'd say the char dog is perhaps the best in Chicago.)

I used to work right down the street and I always found it funny that the same people that would recognize me and be perfectly nice during the afternoon would do their best to tear me to pieces if I happened to be there after dark. One just has to take it for what it is, a comedy routine.

Da Beef wrote:
So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

I've never had the impression that LTH has given WC "a bad rap".

Kman wrote:

Da Beef wrote:
So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

I've never had the impression that LTH has given WC "a bad rap".

Agreed. I think most of the previous comments about the food at WC have been positive. It's the "show" that some -- myself included -- find offensive. Still, that probably wouldn't stop me from eating at WC during the light of day, if I were in the neighborhood. Back in the late 80's (or was it the early 90's?), my gf lived about a block from WC and I happily ate there on a regular basis.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Kman wrote:

Da Beef wrote:
So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

I've never had the impression that LTH has given WC "a bad rap".

Agreed. I think most of the previous comments about the food at WC have been positive. It's the "show" that some -- myself included -- find offensive. Still, that probably wouldn't stop me from eating at WC during the light of day, if I were in the neighborhood. Back in the late 80's (or was it the early 90's?), my gf lived about a block from WC and I happily ate there on a regular basis.

=R=

Sounds like you were the type of people that they were targeting and their shtick worked. Come on. Haven't you ever ran across a crotchety old diner waitress (the real deal)?

It seems to me that Dick's Last Resort tries to project that type of waitress image. Doesn't work as well as the brassy broads at TWC, those college girls just can't pull it off with conviction.

It's just a shtick. Place your order, wait for the next victim and enjoy the show. It's nothing personal.

I personally think the food there is great! The fries with the huge glop of cheese is certainly not all that good for you but you can always pick around the edges. The Merts cheese (or other) topping is unique in the Chicago area with the exception of Paradise Pup. Flame broiled or steamed dogs will always give both camps a choice.

Paradise Pup‎
1724 S River Rd
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 699-8590

Kman wrote:

Da Beef wrote:
So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

I've never had the impression that LTH has given WC "a bad rap".

You dont got to be offended but lets be real, I started this thread b/c every other thread has nothing to do with the food at WC with the exception of a few shout outs here and there. People are more concerned and "offended" by what goes on there rather than the quality of food. Which is fine, you dont have to like it and can even hate because of the carnival, but just like I dont let dirty run down places stop me from eating there if the food is good, I wont be stopped b/c some drunk kids are yelling, Ill yell at them and happily eat my hot dog.

All you have to do click here.

Da Beef wrote:

Kman wrote:

Da Beef wrote:
So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

I've never had the impression that LTH has given WC "a bad rap".

You dont got to be offended but lets be real, I started this thread b/c every other thread has nothing to do with the food at WC with the exception of a few shout outs here and there. People are more concerned and "offended" by what goes on there rather than the quality of food. Which is fine, you dont have to like it and can even hate because of the carnival, but just like I dont let dirty run down places stop me from eating there if the food is good, I wont be stopped b/c some drunk kids are yelling, Ill yell at them and happily eat my hot dog.

All you have to do click here.

I don't see where I said anything about being offended. Please don't put words into my mouth that clearly weren't there.

I truly believe, though, that any objective reading of the many posts on LTH regarding WC would show that the majority opinion is that the food is very good - which I thought was your original point (though perhaps I missed it).

OK, after seeing the pictures and reading the reviews, we just had to go. Went today with my partner, and followed your note above by taking the 22 bus down Clark. For some unknown reason, I had pictured a much larger place (I told him I had a mental image of a K-mart of hot dog food); in fact, he mistakenly went into the store next door thinking it was WC. We quickly corrected our errors and ordered. I had the double char hamburger, and he had a char polish dog and a char hamburger. We also had the cheese fries. I loved the double char hamburger--just the right amount of char and crunch. Also loved the grilled onions, etc., that they put on it (at my request). He thought the polish hot dog was great--right up to his prior standard of Hot Diggity Dog before it closed. Neither of us was that excited with the cheese fries so out they went. But we loved the WC and going for lunch rather than at night, the crowd was quite tame. Fun times!

I respectfully disagree with how great the food is. I almost cringe when my friends say "hey lets go to wc" especially after midnight. Not only do I get subpar food but I'm almost 'forced' to pay $9 for a dog and fries as they hold the food ransom. (yes, I'm one of those that give this place a bad rap) Now I'll be honest...I've never tried the double cheeseburger and will make a point to try it now that you've recommended it, but the iffy char dog, weak fries, and what I think is awful cheese is just not for me....ever.


*Anybody want to come out to WC and maybe other places for a mini LTH run on Tuesday? If so shoot me a message and I'd gladly try anything with my day off.

Panther in the Den wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Agreed. I think most of the previous comments about the food at WC have been positive. It's the "show" that some -- myself included -- find offensive. Still, that probably wouldn't stop me from eating at WC during the light of day, if I were in the neighborhood. Back in the late 80's (or was it the early 90's?), my gf lived about a block from WC and I happily ate there on a regular basis.

=R=

Sounds like you were the type of people that they were targeting and their shtick worked. Come on. Haven't you ever ran across a crotchety old diner waitress (the real deal)?

Actually, no. I've never personally been subjected to it. And even if I were, I assure you that I could take it. I just find it offensive overall, because of what it reveals about the participants (on both sides of the counter). For me, the racially tense, alcohol-fueled dynamic possesses none of the charm of a crotchety old diner waitress. And since the owners pretty much endorse it, it's a very difficult place to support. But their food isn't bad.

=R=

I used to work right down the street and I always found it funny that the same people that would recognize me and be perfectly nice during the afternoon would do their best to tear me to pieces if I happened to be there after dark. One just has to take it for what it is, a comedy routine.

This is a great dynamic of the Wiener Circle. As a neighborhood local for many years, the same employees would see me, and greet me by name at lunch or dinner time, but if I were to come by after hours, I would become another player in the Wiener Circle's nightly show. The food would be great at all times, and at night, sometimes getting a wink or a thumbs up from the employees as I leave in my opinion was always a thanks to me for playing it both ways.

Not to get away from the point of Da Beef's post, the food is as good as you will get at a hot dog stand, and blows away any similar hot dog stands in the neighborhood.

I've been to the weiner circle a couple times and i gotta be honest - i hate the food. I have never tried a burger, so i guess i still have to get back for that, but i've had the char dogs a couple of times.

They just taste like celery salt. There's also way too much condiments on it. One of the worst things you can do with a dog is over-condiment it. To me, it's worse than putting ketchup on a dog. I want to taste a dog, not celery salt and tomatoes.

Fries have never been anything of note to me.

Maybe i'll head back there in the future to try the burger and the fries. I know how inconsistent fries can be (Jimmy's), but i really don't think i'm sold on the char dog. And maybe its me - typically i don't like my dogs grilled anyway but it doesn't help that you can barely taste it over the mound of stuff they put on it in disproportionate fashion.

The char dogs can be love/hate but in my opinion if you don't like the char dogs from WC then you don't like char dogs. Aside from my own grill, I haven't found a better char dog anywhere.

Im the opposite on the condiments, I love pickles so I don't mind them throwing three spears on there. I just eat two of them separate. I will agree that the fries are also love/hate but I happen to love the Merkt's style as opposed to some orange stuff from a can and when you get cheese on the side, you can decide how much cheese you want to eat on each fry. The orders are rather large, theres no doubting that but you can also order a half order of fries, it may or may not be on the menu but they are available.

A char dog fully loaded is $2.70, and yes thats without fries but a half order is like $1.75 so its not outrageous price wise and that includes grilled onions which I think are essential for a char dog as opposed to raw.

I'm sure the food varies by day and night with day time being better b/c they can char everything perfectly and its not a madhouse. When it comes to a hot stand though I still think this is the best overall. I like G&J and Jimmys style of depression dogs a little more b/c Demon Dogs was a little closer to me than WC as a kid and the depression style still taste better than any style of dogs around the country. But when I want a char dog its all about WC, for me anyways.

Per WBBM 780 News:
Wiener's Circle Restaurant Closed by Health Department
Posted: Friday, 19 December 2008 5:53PM

CHICAGO -- Wiener’s Circle employees have dished out plenty of insults to customers over the years.
On Friday, Chicago health inspectors delivered a snappy comeback: You’re closed.
The Lincoln Park late-night favorite at 2622 N. Clark St. was shuttered because there was no hot running water at the restaurant, required by city code for safely washing hands and dishes, the city said
There also were two pounds of cooked onions with a temperature of 104 degrees, “well below” the 140 degrees the city requires.
There was a silver lining, though. The city went to the Wiener's Circle off a tip to 311 that there was a rodent infestation there. No rodents were found.
Friday’s inspection was the second in one week. Health inspectors visited the restaurant Dec. 12, ticketing the Wiener’s Circle for an overflowing outside garbage bin.
Restaurant representatives are required to appear at a Jan. 22 hearing.

http://www.wbbm780.com/Wiener-s-Circle- ... rt/3528741

ticky-tack. shouldn't have shut them down for that. i have sympathy for restaurant owners who have to deal with trumped-up complaints, which it appears that this inspection came as a result of.

When the complaint called in is not the cause of the health bust, my suspicions are raised a bit. I smell a rat, alright. On the other hand: no hot water?!?!

I guess one of the employees just went too far with someone. I can see it happening there. But now that they found no hot water, yuk - no more late night dogs for me. If anyone is going to handle my food with unwashed hands it will be me!

Drove past here a couple times in the past week, still closed and from the street it looks like the kitchen has all of the equipment removed. Since the kitchen is a step or two above ground level though, it might just be that you can't see over the counter from the street though. As much as I hate that cheese sauce, they do have the best fries in the immediate neighborhood.

Funny, I love that cheese sauce -- on the cheese fries -- so much so that I made a bit of a special trip this evening (not knowing of the closing) in hopes of having what a fellow customer sneeringly referred to as "a heart attack on a plate" (while he munched on a char-dog and cheese-less fries). I depend on Wiener's Circle and Poochie's for Merkts-style cheese fries (I say Merkts-style because the owner of Poochies once said to me, "C'mon, our cheese is better than Merkts!")

There must be something wrong with me because those cheese fries look absolutely repulsive! Is it even real cheese?

The dog looks awfully tasty.

There must be something wrong with me because those cheese fries look absolutely repulsive!

Nothing wrong with you, but food close-ups are always tricky. My wife and I sometimes have to turn-away during Check Please when their too-close-up shots of individual dishes render what is probably delicious food into a super squishy looking mess that is borderline-repulsive.

Is it even real cheese?

If they were using Merkts (as I once read somewhere on LTH), the answer is, surprisingly, yes. Cheese fries are definitely a personal preference thing (the more common, Velveeta-style of cheese fries is, for me, the definition of "Meh").

RobK wrote:Drove past here a couple times in the past week, still closed and from the street it looks like the kitchen has all of the equipment removed. Since the kitchen is a step or two above ground level though, it might just be that you can't see over the counter from the street though. As much as I hate that cheese sauce, they do have the best fries in the immediate neighborhood.

They have removed everything from the inside and I'm not quite sure whats going on. It sure is a joke that they had to close this long for not having hot water. This is a hot dog stand that caters to inebriated drunk yuppies and the ones that go there stoned sober know what the deal is. Sure you should have to have hot water and they should of been made to replace it but to have to be shut down for this long, during the holiday season and NYE when they have so many people in town from here and around the globe that were looking forward to stopping there. Every time I have driven by it since they got shut there have been people standing outside lookinh in and reading the post. The worst part of it all is the servers building your dog and grilling and handling your food wear gloves anyways. Big whoop. What a joke.

majorlance wrote:

There must be something wrong with me because those cheese fries look absolutely repulsive!

Nothing wrong with you, but food close-ups are always tricky. My wife and I sometimes have to turn-away during Check Please when their too-close-up shots of individual dishes render what is probably delicious food into a super squishy looking mess that is borderline-repulsive.

Is it even real cheese?

If they were using Merkts (as I once read somewhere on LTH), the answer is, surprisingly, yes. Cheese fries are definitely a personal preference thing (the more common, Velveeta-style of cheese fries is, for me, the definition of "Meh").

It is real cheese and that's how it looks, no deceptions here. It doesn't look appetizing unless you've tried them and like them and can taste the picture. Looking at it right now I would if drove over for a burger if not for the clown that took made the phone call because his or here feeling were hurt.

I'm surely not the foodie that most are who post, but I respectfully disagree about the idea that the cause for closing of the WC is not terribly meaningful.

I live two blocks away and have loved their BBQ Chicken Sandwich, always enjoyed sober at lunch or dinner. An I have touted the place to all, and taken all out of town visitors there. So, I consider myself a fan of the place.

But, no hot water is simply not acceptable. Particularly after an inspection the previous week that passed with conditions, so WC knew the city was coming back.

Health regs are in place for a reason, and as someone who eats out over 850 meals a year, I fully support the efforts to enforce the code.

mss60614 wrote:But, no hot water is simply not acceptable. Particularly after an inspection the previous week that passed with conditions, so WC knew the city was coming back.

Health regs are in place for a reason, and as someone who eats out over 850 meals a year, I fully support the efforts to enforce the code.

I couldn't agree more. Hot water is no small thing in foodservice and wearing gloves does not mitigate its absence.

=R=

mss60614 wrote:Health regs are in place for a reason, and as someone who eats out over 850 meals a year, I fully support the efforts to enforce the code.

Totally off-topic, but damn! Mageirocophobia?

You may recall that LTH Favorite Barbara Ann's went through the same issue a few years back. Lack of hot water was cited as their issue. However, to fix everything, they had to shut the kitchen for almost six months and rebuild it. I'm somewhat indifferent to the Weiners Circle as a place to eat. But, I do hope that it reopens as it adds personality to my neighborhood that seems to lose more and more of its personality every year.