Hot Dog STREET STANDS Only

[Amelie]

Ok, I know the hot dog issue has been hotly dbated and explored in depth. Let's narrow it down to stands only.

What's YOUR favorite hot dog stand brand in Chicago?

[nsxtasy]

There is an Encyclopedia of Chicago (who knew?) and its website at www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/p... notes that street vendors are restricted to certain areas:

"In the 1990s, the term “peddler” was changed to “vendor,” and vendors were organized and licensed by the city to operate in designated locations or territories. These areas have included such public spaces as outside of museums, where vendors sell food from trailers; along State Street, where fruit or hot dogs are sold under canopied carts; in ethnic neighborhoods, where pushcart peddlers sell ethnic confections; along popular streets, where vendors sell beneath magazine kiosks; or in busy city streets, where newspapers or various merchandise and food items are marketed to vehicular traffic."

As for hot dog brands in Chicago, I'm pretty sure that Vienna Beef is the largest brand in Chicago by far.

[gleam]

Define "stand". As in, no seating of any kind? Seating, but they only serve hot dogs and maybe a small menu of other stuff?

[Amelie]

Oh, good question.

I mean STREET stands! Is this possible? To get a good dog on the street like the Sabretts of NYC?

[Amelie]

I edited my title to indicate street stands, thanks.

[nsxtasy]

I think you're referring to pushcart vendors, but I don't think we even have them here. I know, in New York they're everywhere, but I don't think we have them. Maybe at special events (outside Taste of Chicago or Wrigley Field on game day) - I'm not even sure about that - but certainly not routinely in the downtown areas. Nope.

Yes, things here are a little different. If you're walking down the street and you want a soft drink ("soda" in New York, "pop" here), you have to walk inside a store or fast food restaurant to get one, you can't just get one from one of the half dozen pushcarts you walk past on every block. Must seem weird, huh? :)

[Amelie]

Oh well this is quite embarrassing.

:-)

[amoncada]

We certainly do have push cart vendors in and around certain neighborhoods in Chicago. There's a popular outdoor hot dog stand at the corner of Milwaukee, Damen, and North in the Wicker Park neighborhood. There's one of the longest running hot dog stands in Independence Park on Irving Park Road. There are a few on the lakefront and many more out and about in the city during the summer months...but nothing like in New York.
We have tons of Hispanic push carts strewn about the city that sell anything from Paleta's, Corn on the cob slathered with mayo and chili powder (apparently it's pretty tasty), Fruit on a stick, taco's, tamale's, drinks, etc.

[nsxtasy]

Maybe they just don't allow them in the downtown area. I know they aren't common there - at least not in the commercial areas. I don't know what the regulations are but I'm sure it's all due to differences in the law, or permits etc.

[chicgail]

I would say if you can identify the two or three stands, it's a pretty good sign that we don't have anything like the pushcart vendors in NY. The one at Six Corners in Bucktown/Wicker Park is part of and in front of a real sit-down restaurant.

Many of the larger parks (e.g. Grant, Lincoln) have snack stands that serve, among other things, hot dogs. But not push carts.

I would love to check out the wares of the wandering hispanic vendors in the summertime. But no hot dogs that I know of.

[leek]

I have seen a pushcart selling Chicago dogs outside the Field Museum in the summer, and there's a cart selling something (not sure if dogs are included) right on the lakefront where Buckingham Fountain is.