The Wiener's Circle
Categories: Hot Dogs, American (Traditional), Fast Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park2622 N Clark Street
(between Drummond Pl & Wrightwood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 477-7444
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Late Night
- Alcohol: None
5 reviews
Neighborhood: The Loop
"Wow. Had a welcome to the company lunch here and was astounded. The service was indescribable. The people at the Metropolitan all wear…" read more »
208 Reviews for The Wiener's Circle
The late night shennanigans would be more endearing if the customers weren't, to a man, so very repugnant. Go during the day, the food is just as good (and it IS very, very good).
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I miss getting yelled at by Miss Pussy Juice. The young ladys who work here are so much fun. Gotta get back to Chicago soon.
About the food -- the char dog is... memorable at least. I normally don't like hot dogs, but it's burnt to a crisp, so I could hardly tell what it was. Taste of bun, ketchup, relish, pure char.... Yum.
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"Two char dogs, cheese fries, and a cup of water," might be the best words ever uttered after 3am. The phrase reminds me of many late nights in Chicago, and I have no fonder memories than those made at the Wiener Circle (except maybe that time my friend Andrew got in a fight out front and ended up with a head lac). The radioactive green relish and gritty cheese-like topping for the fries...classic. Earmuffs recommended for children after 10pm.
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Upon our first trip to Chicago there were 2 things I wanted- authentic deep dish Chicago pizza and an authentic Chicago dog. After a tour of Wrigley Field I thought what was more fitting? We had asked around several places and people for "the best Chicago dog", well, if this is it I don't want it.
I was first met with the confusion of the flock of hens tending the restaurant. Was this a gimmick? Was I to shout my order in the same fashion they shouted at each other? After 3-4 minutes of us just standing there, confused, I tried to order. I wasn't even acknowledged. Round 2. I shouted "can I get a dog?" You see, everyone said "you have to get the dog 'Chicago style'" Well I didn't really know what that meant and I doubted if I asked one of these ladies, that they would have kindly explained, so good ol' ketchup for me. 5 minutes later my boyfriend was finally able to squeeze in his order between a shouting match of Mexican cuss words.
The dog was, okay. The fries were the best part and my boyfriend veggie burger was not of an edible standard, he threw it out.
Overall they experience was a hoot, but I don't think my wish for an authentic Chicago dog was really met.
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"Punk ass white boy! Speak up!"
I love this place. I didn't believe my buddy when he told me about what goes on here late late in the morning. Holy crap!
I found it so difficult to scream at somebody the way the rest of the people were. Maybe my southern upbringing made me shy to scream, "I want f*&^%ing dog right now, you lazy b*&^%)!!!!!!!!"
It was absolute pandemonium. I ordered a chocolate shake and boy did I get one. I actually went up 3 different times to try and refine my screaming insults. It was hard work, but at the end of the day I was proud of my showing.
Don't half step. If you don't feel like you're offending somebody then you're not ordering the right way.
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So GQ magazine named it as a place worth traveling to in one of their articles about a year ago. When I stumbled across this information, I thought I guess since I don't have far at all to travel, I should really check it out.
I have gone both during the day and at night and both times are fine by me. But to be fair, I haven't been there past 1:30-2 AM so I might be missing some of the more wild stuff.
I have never been made fun of or anything, once they made fun of the guy I was with but he was already giving them some sass.
Sometimes during the day, they are, gasp! Nice! :0)
And this is one place where I can actually get a non meat option! I know, I know but I'm a vegetarian and my husband likes meat. So we try to go places where he can get his meat on.
I absolutely love their veggie burger and all the fixin's they put on it. Yum! Probably the best veggie burger I've had if I am going to be completely truthful. And the fries? Oh good lord in heaven, the fries! So so good and yup you guessed it, so so bad for you. They are the real fries with skins on them and a little bit of grease. Ok, maybe more than a little. But not to the point where they are soggy. Always nice and crispy.
And my hubster likes the hotdogs and hamburgers there, so it's a win win for both of us.
Check 'em out, but enter at your own risk after 2 or 3 am. From what others say, it can get wild with a capitol W!
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After attending the Belmont-Sheffield festival I was in the mood for a char burger. So I decided to take up Wiener's Circle. It seems like the highest reviews had some common ingredients. Drunken group of friends and hot dogs. I did not have either, so I think I missed out on the full exp. I tried the cheddar char burger and I was not enjoying it. The bun just fell apart on me and the meat + cheese was pasty and chalky tasting.
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Let me preface by saying I ate here at 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon.
I had heard the lore of the Weiner's Circle many times over- the yelling, the rude counter staff, etc. The people I encountered were nothing like the jerks I'd expected. They were high school (God I hope so, I'd be really sad if they were in college) and pretty much incompetent. I really don't care what you say or do to me as long as you make me a f-ing sweet char dog.
The food was pretty gross. The char dog was CHARRED- I was able to flick of pieces of burnt... stuff... the size of a dime from the hot dog. It tasted like grill drippings.
Okay, so the food is blah. It's all about the EXPERIENCE, right? So I mentioned the employees incompetence. When I walked in it took them 2 minutes to acknowledge there was a customer standing there because they were having a water fight in front of me and all the food. Water was splashing on everything- the fries, the condiments, etc. Gross. I ordered, took me about 15 minutes to get a char dog and fries, and they didn't ring me up. They just continued their water fight. I stood around awkwardly then thought, Sweet. Whatever. And sat down. About 10 minutes into my meal the girl yells "Bitch you didn't pay!" oooookay.
It's hard for me to describe the service without using the word rude because I'll be bombarded with "that's the schtick!" I'm well aware of what the schtick is, and this wasn't it. They were just flat out incompetent. Again, if you can make me a sweet-ass hot dog and still be a dick that's one thing. But if you can barely ring up an order and the food is nasty? No thanks.
Also, there was nothing to suggest the $20 chocolate shake and for that I am supremely disappointed. That would have bumped up the review to 2 stars.
My friend Steve once asked me to explain why Weiner's Circle was so popular. The conversation went as follows:
Me: Did your parents ever take you to Ed Debevic's when you were little?
Steve: Yea.
Me: It's kind of like that. Only instead of the waiter calling you a pipsqueak because you didn't finish your cheeseburger, large black women call you a mother fucker for taking too long to order.
Steve: Wow
To be honest, I'm not even sure if Weiner's Circle is open before 2AM because 90% of their business is from the post bar crowd. I'm a big fan of their cheeseburger despite being not much different than any other greasy spoon burger in the city. It doesn't matter. People come here for the drunken debauchery, not the food.
Now, I've always been slightly conflicted on going here. I'll admit, it is kind of funny to watch the occasional unsuspecting tourist get completely owned by the foul mouthed workers. However, I have never once been here without being made uncomfortable at least once by someone in the crowd. When you get a bunch of white customers being served by a bunch of black women acting out stereotypes for entertainment purposes, you can understand how I feel like a man without a country on occasion.
Then there's the chocolate shake. If the workers are in a good mood, a $20 tip will trigger the infamous chocolate shake. Once the lights start to flicker, the crowd knows what to expect, and begins to chant "CHOCO-LATE SHAKE" loudly as the biggest and flabbiest pair of breasts on the staff are bared and shaken as the crowd cheers. Yea - you can imagine how I feel about this tradition. A guy once tried to pick me up here by saying "ooo girl I'd give $50 to see your butterscotch shake" and I pelted him with a half eaten cheeseburger.
As much as this place can get under my skin, I have met some interesting people and had some fun conversations while eating on the patio. It's really not a bad place if you're social like me and can ignore all the BS on the inside. To avoid a crisis of identity, I usually just send a friend in to order for me while I stay outside. In all my visits, I've never been brave enough to order directly. The people in my office call me valley girl.... those women would pick me clean!
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I love a hot dog stand that's open after the bars close. And this one is convenient to Raven's and the hot dogs are good.
However, I've got to agree with Alexis L. The ladies behind the counter are known for their offensive comments, that's fine. But hearing a priveleged drunk white frat boy repeatedly call them "Bitch" makes my skin crawl. And the white boys all did it so gleefully. It's quite frankly gross and not funny when it's coming from that side of the counter. Am I too sensitive to race and gender? Maybe, doesn't change the creep-out factor.
Also, the cheese fries were gross. Well, mainly the cheese. I'd have thrown them out if I wasn't drunk at 4:30 am. My friend and I ate them and then agreed: disgusting cheese. The fries themselves were very good.
This would probably get 2 stars if I had not seen an amazing fight among the patrons. Unfortunately, the vapid half-dressed LP girls "won" it, but the fight itself was glorious and I had front-row seats. Eat your food on the benches, don't take it home -- you don't want to miss the post-bar hijinks.
Only been there once and actually during the day which from the reviews seems to be against the grain in and of itself. It is what it is, a hot dog stand, so comments on decor seem pointless( lots of outdoor seating and a chance to commune with random munchers is there). The staff was nice to us but I could see where they would get feisty based on the limited space they are in. Now the dog, its charred goodness with good fresh toppings, no complaints. Its different than Hot Dougs or others in taste which I appreciated because they score the dog a little for the flame. In a contest I would always take Hot Doug's but its a little bit of a destination and this is more accessible both for a bus and a 3 am drunk meal.
I've only been after the bar, so that is the disclaimer.
Aside from that, I have to say the experience is completely insane and totally entertaining. First of all, the line is long and full of drunken folks. Second of all, if you are lucky someone will order a chocolate milkshake, and you will get quite the show. Finally, the hot dogs themselves (the actual dogs) are so tasty. I have only gotten the charred dog with mustard, but it is all I could ask for. My friends have tried to get the dog Chicago-style, with all the goodies, but those are just too complicated. I haven't seen anyone order one and be completely satisfied, or even mostly satisfied. Apparently, they have a really good veggie burger, too, but I was too distracted with my own item to give it a try. Hands down best hot dog I've had in Chicago... ever.
5 stars for the awesomely rude atmosphere-- 2 and a half for the food.
"NEXT BITCH IN LINE!"
The tip jar reads: "Tip the help, bitches!"
I love sassy divas.
Divas + charred Chicago dogs = bliss. Their hot dogs are great but their cheese fries require some intoxication to truly enjoy. Wiener's Circle is always a magnificent late-night train wreck to witness after the bars.
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These are the best damn Chicago dogs I've had.
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Look, the food here is slightly above average for a hot dog stand--certainly nothing great, and not fit to carry Hot Doug's hot jock. But you aren't a Chicagoan until you've been to Wiener's Circle between the hours of 2 and 4 am. It truly is feeding time at the zoo. Once you've seen the show a few times though, this place becomes pretty skip-able, though I do occasionally stop by on a weekend afternoon for a quick bite.
Oh and don't forget to order the chocolate milk shake.
My nights in college and for a few years after always seemed to end at The Wiener's Circle. I was convinced that they had the best cheese fries in Chicago. And then there was the day I decided to try their fabulous cheese fries while sober. Big mistake, HUGE! Best cheese fries? These are nasty!!!
Now that I'm all grown up (or at least pretending to be) it had been a few years since I've been to The Wiener's Circle, but with many of my friends getting jumping on the wedding bandwagon (included myself) I often find myself ending bachelorette parties here. Their cheese fries are nasty (I now can recognize that while drunk) and I'm not a fan of their hot dogs, but 4 stars for the rude staff and fun atmosphere. Who cares if the food is nasty...it's nice to visit a place that makes me feel young again!
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I didn't like the food my first time here since the bun for the hot dog and burger were dry and sandy. However, my friends love this place so I got drag back to this place and for some odd reason these buns were great. Nice soft and moist bun that didn't break off easily(sesame seed bun). Once the bun was not an issue, the hot dog and burger tasted great. I do not have the sandy taste in my mouth anymore.
The service was great. They were just down to earth people. There are 2 type of services-
Male staffs with an older lady - They won't cuss at you or anything and just do their job unless you request for a nice show.
Female staffs - They usually start their show at around 9pm and get really extreme near midnight. It's all fun and game. (Guys avoid taking a girl there since you will get embarrass by these girls. I seen it happen and it was hilarious.)
Ok, let's be honest. Lots of places in Chicago can manage to put together a decent hot dog - they are not exactly the hardest things to make. But this place KNOWS Chicago and they KNOW Chicago dogs. And this from a girl who considers herself pretty knowlegeable about the city herself!
The service is hilarious. Be prepared, this is much more Ed Debevic's than Charlie Trotters, and I doubt they are even as nice as at Ed's. I was getting pissed at some guy, and they were like, "Oh no honey, he did not!" Ahhh the joys of dating.
Go. Eat. Get yelled at. It's fun, I promise.
This is the true definition of a Chicago hot dog stand. Don't ask for ketchup either or you will be cruicified, but that is why I love it. They have a few tables outside for the warm weather months. I have only had the hot dog and fries and I love them. This is a good cheap true chicago hot dog.
I had a coworker bring back a large order from this place... so I never actually visited it's interior. Nor was I drunk, which I imagine every place should get a 5 star review when you're a drunk reviewer. But from what we had this was just another very sub-par hotdog. With so many good dogs to be had in Chicago this was as non-impressive as it could be. So it receives my 2 star BLEH rating. I'd take a microwaved Ballpark over this joint anyday.
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The all time best place for late night food. The cheese fries taste like sand, but the "char dogs" are like heaven.
The people who work there will insult you "Yo Barbie bitch what do you want on your f*cking hot dog!?" They have a plastic taxi-cab like partition separating the patrons from the employees for good reason. Before said partition was installed, I'd seen many inebriated customers literally DIVE over the counter to fight with the help.
Just be sure to warn out of town guests, I've had some who were quite offended at being referred to as a "honky" when placing their order.
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No thank-you unless I am pissed drunk and had my head in the toilet for the last half hour and subsequently need some sort of grease to quell the nausea in my stomach. Look, no snob here, but what is it with Chicago, grease, and atomic green chili peppers?
Wiener's Circle is my favorite thing about Chicago.
It's a shack. You should go there around 2AM and you should order a dog with the works and an order of fries with cheese. And you should expect to get dressed down by the staff. Oh, and it's helpful if you're drunk.
You will like this hot dog.
This hot dog is SO worth the calories and the morning after guilt. In fact...
this hot dog may be worth a plane ticket to Chicago.
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I had heard great things about this fine dinning establishment.
So I was very surprised at the lack of customer service and how rude the staff was. I'm a customer and I demand to be treated with respect.
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Best hot dog and fries in the city. Classic Chicago hot dog joint. No shiny frills. Just a great dog, great bun, great condiments and fantastic fries. When you want to indulge, this is the place.
I heart this place. Weiner Crcle is a great place to end up after a fun night of bar hopping. The fries and dogs are tasty. Great entertainment, good food, and excellent people watching. Be careful when asking for a milkshake-don't say I didn't warn you.
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Ok, honestly - consider the source and the age of the people writing the reviews. I am 38 years old and I live 3 blocks from here. If I were 10 years younger, perhaps my review would be different, but here goes:
For what it IS, I give it 2 stars. I have had their hot dogs and cheese fries while sober, and they were really less than average!! The place is filthy (be sure you've had all your shots before going to eat there) and the people - although it is part of their schtick - are rude. So, less than average food, dirty place, and rude employees make it a 2-star joint. They get two instead of one because their late night hours are convenient, and the hot dogs weren't bad. (The cheese sauce was made from a powder, and I could TELL that, and that is bad.)
THAT BEING SAID - it is a legendary Chicago place (mentioned in several movies including The Break-Up) and everyone should go once and garner their own opinion. If you have a friend visiting from out of town, take him/her there. It is fun once. But take my advice - GO THERE DRUNK after a bar hopping night. The food tastes MUCH better when you are intoxicated (read in: who the heck CARES what it tastes like....) and the rude people are borderline funny. BUT ONLY WHEN YOU ARE DRUNK. If you are on your own, looking for a place to have lunch on a Thursday, keep walking down Clark Street and try somewhere else. If you go sober, you will most likely regret it.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
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My favorite here is the Charbroiled Cheddar Cheese Burger. The fries were tasty too.
Two words: food poisoning.
Never again. The atmosphere was amusing, but puking the night/next day away was not. Just looking behind the counter should have been a red flag.
From now on I will stick to burritos when struck by late-night drunken hunger.
OMG, just thinking of this place cracks me up. They should put this place in GTA4 as it's that ghetto fabulous. Late night madness is the theme here at this literal "shack" of an eatery. You scream your order at the family run joint along with any defenses of your ethnicity at the same time. I swear, if you ain't got game, you might not get served. Get the burnt hot dog, literally smothered or should I say flooded cheese fries and the famous Milkshake and hope not to die in the process. Drunk ppl galore show up here like flies attracted to a buglight after hours, then the real party begins...
Oh how could I forget about my drive-by experience at Weiner's Circle?! We had just got done seeing a movie and were driving by this fine establishment on a Friday evening when we heard and saw a man screaming at the top of his lungs in the doorway. We looked inside the crowded spot and witnessed a 300+(estimation) pound cook in the back lifting her shirt and exposing her tig ol biddy's and bobbing them up and down.
Upon seeing this I immediately thought to myself, 'boy am I hungry for a gyro.'
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Late night at The Wieners Circle!
I was called, by the staff, a F*g, a sissy boy, a slob, a klutz, shown a boob or two, asked if I wanted a chocolate shake in between a few MFers. "every b*tch must tip"
Overlooking the broken stools, lack of restrooms, vulgar language, and the horrible divide in Chi-Town's upperclass Lincoln Park neighborhood its still a Chi-Town have to visit.
The Red hot chars are ok - not great; the cheddarburgers are fine and the fries complement "finely". The place is sad for its making money on racist, bigotried ways. This place is just a smaller version of the current America: pushing weiners and hatred. Good luck.
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You have to love this place. If not for the food at least for the entertainment. As everyone else is saying if you end up here at the end of the night after the bars close you know you had a good night. How could I ever forget the interaction between the counter lady and my roommate? It starts off with my roommate trying to pay for his food with a credit card. (which they do not accept)
the counter lady: "What you want me to do? Run that through my pussy?"
My roommate: "Only if I get a receipt."
Typical for weekend late night.
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Weiner Circle is great. Although it is definitely no Hot Doug's, it is infinitely more convenient and open pretty much all of the time.
Weiner Circle has good, cheap dogs (have never eaten anything but the hot dogs and fries) with all the fixings, tasty fries, and fantastic service. By 'fantastic' I mean quick and entertaining. They aren't nice, will probably make fun of you, and will kick your ass if you cause trouble, but it is all part of the character of the place.
Super tasty, and with parking too! Now that I live in SF, this is usually the first place I stop on the way from the airport to my family's house on the North Side.
I really like The Wiener's Circle. They have tasty hot dogs and awesome fries.
The girls who work here are also always really sweet to me. I can't remember the last time I was called honey so many times in the span of five minutes. They are really cool and get your food to you damn fast.
What is this I'm just now hearing about the employees here being abusive? I have never ever witnessed the use of any off-color epithets at The Wiener's Circle.
Maybe it's just that I'm not an asshole.
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Three stars for the day...decent dogs
Zero stars for the late late after bar crowd.
This review is not so much about the place, as it is about their late night customers.
If you want to watch a bunch of drunk rich racist yuppies talk shit to the staff at night...and be able to walk away feeling refreshed so in Sunday morning confessional you can feel cleansed of your sins; this is your place for a cathartic moment.
I cheer for the staff and understand this is done for "fun" but when I was there the comments some of the customers made went way way way over the line. It is embarrassing to see within the city of Chicago rich "outstanding, law abiding, I need a tax break, patriot act voting, big box chain store shopping, I can't wait till they open an Applebees, future Republicans" show their true colors".
I guess whatever floats your boat, but I won't go back because if I worked there the food would become a dangerous experiment. Hint to the staff, keep some visine in stock for the real assholes and watch them shit themselves.
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I was in Chicago for a business trip in February and it was a great trip. It was a foodies dream come true. I had heard of all the great restaurants this city had to offer but was so surprised to have the best hot dog I had ever had in my life. We happened upon this hot dog stand at 4am! We were at a club asked a random guy where we could get a good hot dog? We were pretty drunk and I am sure he thought this was a pick up line but he pointed us in the right direction. This was a hamburger on a hot dog. Absolutely delicious! There was a bunch of drunkards there too and the women working the grill were hilarious! I would definitely go back to Chicago for another hot dog!
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This place has the BEST double chocolate shakes.
DC has jumbo slice pizza, Paris has crepes, Morgantown WV has the hot-dog man, and SF has mission burritos.
And Chicago has The Weiner Circle.
I take everyone of my out of town guests here.
Cheese fries. In the immortal words of Dick Enberg. "Oh my!"
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Ever get the urge to eat a hot dog and slur out "suck it, whore" at a stranger? Well, maybe you're a pervert...yeah, me too. This is the joint place for that. And I do mean joint; it's a glorified shack. If there is a Church of the Almighty Hot Dog, this is their baby jesus' manger.
At any rate, the food is decent and the show is amazing. Don't actually talk back though unless you're good (like Nicole Richie good) cause you'll totally get tole'. And your whole family will be embarrassed.
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