Ghazi wrote:

sujormik wrote:My grandmother lived in Albany Park and we lived up in Morton Grove. Since my mom didn't drive on expressways we used to come home via Elston to Milwaukee then north to Dempster. Anyway, we did this pretty much every Friday night of my childhood, and in all these years I don't think I've ever eaten at SD. My brother and I used to call the rooftop dogs Gumby and Poky, no idea why except the blue/red of the eyes may have corresponded to our toys?

Anyway, I think I shall have to give it a try.

The dogs are high on quality, but if you want the best-tasting option, go for the Romanian Polish Sausage and the very interesting bbq sauce they put on it. Not for the timid, but highly recommended.

That would be a Whoopskidawg®. The only thing I eat there.

Dave148 wrote:The dogs are high on quality, but if you want the best-tasting option, go for the Romanian Polish Sausage and the very interesting bbq sauce they put on it. Not for the timid, but highly recommended.

That would be a Whoopskidawg®. The only thing I eat there.[/quote]

I'm not much of a Superdawg fan. Every couple of years, I stop in to remind myself that although it's a cool as hell looking place, I just don't like the food. I've never tried the Whoopskidawg. I'll have to give it a shot on my next visit. Maybe there is something decent there after all.

The Wheeling Superdawg is all lit up!

They're looking darn close to being ready to open: lots of red white and blue neon, ordering stations, paint on the parking lot, etc.

Still no Maurie and Flaurie on the roof, but there's little ones on the signage.

JoelF wrote:The Wheeling Superdawg is all lit up!

They're looking darn close to being ready to open: lots of red white and blue neon, ordering stations, paint on the parking lot, etc.

Still no Maurie and Flaurie on the roof, but there's little ones on the signage.

Their Facebook page is saying they'll be open in the next 2 weeks, but they can't give an exact date.

We hadnt been to SuperDawg in maybe 3-4 years, and after dinner @ Elephant Thai last night we had to sneak a quick stop in for a SuperDawg for the ride home.

As good as ever, steaming hot, and I really enjoyed the sausage they are using, alot more "garlicy" than I remember. Made for a nice snack while driving home.

Went to the Wheeling location on May 19 with some friends from the area (including a 4 year old) and one from out of town. It was a beautiful evening, and the lot has benches out back and a grassy area for kids to run around in. The only silliness is not taking credit cards due to "their unique drive-in approach." Last I checked, Sonic takes credit cards just fine, you swipe your card after you call in your order. I'm ok with them being cash-only, but be honest about why.

We ate very well, I am meh on the hot dogs but like the Romanian sausage and the pineapple shake.

It'll definitely be in my short list for when I go to Milwaukee for work but leave the Loop too late for a proper dinner when I arrive - it's only a mile off the Tri-State and with traffic it's just past the halfway point time-wise, so it's an easy place for a stop.

I live in the Niles Neighborhood just north of Maurie and Florie....The family and I just had lunch there today in a thunderstorm....yummmmmmm

The Wheeling Superdawg seems to be hitting its stride. When I ate there soon after opening, it was decidedly inferior to the Chicago location, both in food and service. Yesterday's meal was greatly improved -- beefy dog and soft-crisp fries all as usual; nice, perky carhop. Also Maurie & Flaurie are proudly up on the roof and the hours have been extended to match Chicago's.

One oddity ... I can't recall the last time I ordered an ice-cream soda at Superdawg, but yesterday our strawberry soda came in a medium-sized plastic cup, with a little cup of extra soda alongside. What's with that? Why not just make the soda in a big cup to begin with?

threadkiller wrote:I'm ok with them being cash-only, but be honest about why.

When Superdawg opened in 1948, credit cards hadn't been invented yet. I suspect they figure what's worked for them all these years is good enough to go on with.

LAZ wrote:When Superdawg opened in 1948, credit cards hadn't been invented yet. I suspect they figure what's worked for them all these years is good enough to go on with.

That's fine, but they should just say that. Because if you pay at the counter in Wheeling, there's nothing about the approach which is so unique that they couldn't take credit cards if they wanted to do so.


Meanwhile, the Midway airport Superdawg is no more. Great idea, so-so execution, surprisingly few patrons whenever I went by it. I think it would have done better in the Gold Coast Dogs location in the food court. Sad, because a Romanian sausage was always a far better dinner option than Potbelly.

I have rarely been so excited to meet someone!

Gary, Flaurie, Maurie

That's a shadow of Maurie's face on my shirt, not a giant stain

The Bermans are just the nicest couple!

Fries were peak last night, unusually crisp and beefy, along with a fresh dog with extra pickled tomato. Dog, fries, and malt came to $10.47, which compared to Portillo's lately is not that outrageous, so I enjoyed myself. Late summer / early fall is to me the ideal Superdawg season, and a no-brainer after dropping anyone off at O'Hare for those of us that don't live in the area (straight shot on Devon, or 90 over to Nagle north). Still not sure whether to tip at initial payment exchange, tray pickup, or both; last night I had a different hop for payment and tray pickup.

Best thing I've eaten lately: my wife and I split a Whoopskidawg and fries at Superdawg yesterday. It was amazing. We were also really proud of ourselves for splitting it!

Just did a quick Superdawg lunch today for the first time in a long time, and it's not as good as I remember it.

The high point is the Superfries: crinkle-cut (fresh, I've been told), they're crisp and flavorful, although the pieces are somewhat on the short side. For NW burbs, they're high on my list, and I can't say that Rand Red Hots' straight skin-on version beats them in any way but price (an order of Superfries costs the same as a dog plus fries at RRH).

The low point is the Superdawg. What I remembered as a spicier-than-Vienna dog doesn't seem to be anymore. It's a big tubesteak, bigger than a typical Vienna stand, and they've got my favorite green relish, but the dog itself is borderline bland with a greasy mouthfeel, and a stronger smokiness than I recall. If were to taste it without the condiments, I'd probably say that it's a dead ringer for the Costco dog of recent years, which is not a compliment. And as it's always been, cramming the dog and fries into a box does nothing good texturally for the dog or the fries.

Is it worth almost twice the price of Rand Red Hots to have someone bring a tray to my car? ($5.50 for a dog and fries vs $2.89). Nope.
I'd have gone to RRH today, if it wasn't in the opposite direction of where I needed to be.

Is it still an "Essential," I have to wonder.

JoelF wrote:Just did a quick Superdawg lunch today for the first time in a long time, and it's not as good as I remember it.

The high point is the Superfries: crinkle-cut (fresh, I've been told), they're crisp and flavorful, although the pieces are somewhat on the short side. For NW burbs, they're high on my list, and I can't say that Rand Red Hots' straight skin-on version beats them in any way but price (an order of Superfries costs the same as a dog plus fries at RRH).

The low point is the Superdawg. What I remembered as a spicier-than-Vienna dog doesn't seem to be anymore. It's a big tubesteak, bigger than a typical Vienna stand, and they've got my favorite green relish, but the dog itself is borderline bland with a greasy mouthfeel, and a stronger smokiness than I recall. If were to taste it without the condiments, I'd probably say that it's a dead ringer for the Costco dog of recent years, which is not a compliment. And as it's always been, cramming the dog and fries into a box does nothing good texturally for the dog or the fries.

Is it worth almost twice the price of Rand Red Hots to have someone bring a tray to my car? ($5.50 for a dog and fries vs $2.89). Nope.
I'd have gone to RRH today, if it wasn't in the opposite direction of where I needed to be.

Is it still an "Essential," I have to wonder.

They changed their sourcing for dogs several years ago, which is when I stopped visiting.

The only thing I eat there is a Whoopskidawg®. Had one a few months ago. Still good.

As long as they still have the pickled green tomato slice, they are playing my siren song. And I stopped there just last week after Smak-Tak for just a chocolate malt - they make da best in that style. Bummed that the core dog has changed, though - I enjoyed the variant spicing and snap from the (venerable) status quo.

This does not really surprise me. If you go back to when I was more active on Yelp® in 2008, my dad and I stopped in there one weekday afternoon. We thought it was less than spectacular.
If you didn't click through, the salient line from my review was "If you enjoy carnivals, you will enjoy browsing around here. But the corollary message being conveyed here is that the hot dog is the sideshow."

Interesting to read this history. The first I stopped there, I had the Superdawg and was really disappointed. I gave it another chance sometime later and tried the Whoopskidawg, which was excellent.

spinynorman99,

Any ideas why they changed or who was the old source and who's the new one?

My Bride and I had their hotdog around a year ago and it was pretty good. Nothing bad. Always great to break out of the Vienna rut once in a while. On the other hand, the burger really rocked.

On the other hand the prices have always been high but what are you gonna do?

Sometimes we get a touch fussy.

What a wonderful idea to pack the hot dog into the bottom of the box beneath a bunch of fries! NOT. Add Superdawg to the list of places that I don't understand... I did, however, like the onion chips.

Maurie Berman founder of Superdawg passes away.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2015051 ... dies-at-89

From an e-mail:

We are deeply saddened by the death today of our husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Maurie Berman, founder of Superdawg Drive-In.

Superdawg Drive-In Chicago and Superdawg Drive-In Wheeling will be closed this Tuesday, May 19th, 2015,
to honor his memory.

It's been a few years since I've been to Superdawg, but I got there this afternoon. I've been going there for over 40 years but I just don't know that I'll do it again. The dog itself and the fries were still good. But the sticker shock, I think, has finally hit me. Seriously $5.75. It's a damn hot dog.

Not that surprising. I've seen places with $3.50 dogs and $2.50 fries. I don't eat there either, when Rand Red Hots is $2.99 with fries. RRH is minimal toppings compared to SuperDawg, but so much more bang for those three mealy bucks.

$5.75 with fries, or no?

Yes, with fries. Though for the first time I noticed they had a sign saying you could order any sandwich without fries for a $2.50 discount.

teatpuller wrote:$5.75 with fries, or no?

With Superfries.

I guess we weren’t the only ones enjoying some of the awesome hotdogs in the Chicago area today.


We traditionally don’t order a drink but My Bride was thirsty after taking the pup for a walk in the woods today.

Everything spot on, even the fries that I thought were overcooked we not. Just a little more brown.

Tableside ordering is awesome!