When in Chicago you need to get your hot dogs from the Wiener Circle. The key is to get on the good side of the staff. You may know this place by reputation, so don't mess this up. How to do this - be confident and precise in your order. They don't have time to deal with your wishy-washy indecisiveness. I recommend the char polish Chicago style, but I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. It's been a while since I've been here, and love what they did with the back. Came during the day so didn't get to experience the nighttime bar, but a great upgrade from the dusty parking lot. read more

The Wieners Circle - Wiener Circle - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I lived a brief walk from The Wiener's Circle for a decade and had to return on a recent visit to my hometown. I got what I deserved! I miss their parking behind the building, but that's neighborhood progress, maxing out property space. About 20 interior spaces are marked by stools, but the experience is the staff's sassy approach, which is the visit's fun. They crushed me, and I enjoyed the heck out of it, particularly all of the abrupt sexual innuendo! I loved my chardog, but I received much criticism about using ketchup. Well, I am a native, and I don't give a damn. Relish rocked, and celery salt is a MUST in this town. A heaping order of fries was precisely as I remembered them. My friends who came with me loved every minute and enjoyed me bearing the brunt of the verbal barrage. But we all loved our food, which ALWAYS kicks ass. read more

The Wieners Circle - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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my best friend was sexually harassed and verbally assaulted here. DO NOT GO HERE. we went in super excited to try our first chicago style hot dog and left in literal tears and WITHOUT the food we paid for. the check out person also practically forced my friend to give them a cash tip and then proceeded to make aggressive, sexual and extremely inappropriate comments to my friend. after my friend reacted to these comments the situation just escalated. the check out person started yelling at us both, calling us bitches and demanding we 'sit the fuck down' while they make our food. the chef came out and then added to the situation by calling me Ellen which is wild. these people were CLEARLY under the influence. at this point we don't feel safe and we walk out. DO NOT GO HERE. it was the WORST. i wish i could give zero stars. read more

Came here to get cussed and fussed out. That didn't happen, but the food was good. My son and I watched some videos about this place and thought it would be a fun place to visit. When we went in, they were not too busy. They weren't super friendly, but not as rude as we expected. This might have been because I had a kid with me. They talk pretty fast and take orders pretty quickly. The prices are good and the food came out fast. I did notice that the cashier asked all of the other patrons for tips. Again, she probably didn't give me a hard time about a tip because I had my son with me. I ordered the Char Cheddar dog with fries. My son ordered a cheeseburger. The fries were really good. it seemed like they were fresh cut. They were seasoned perfectly, not too salty. No ketchup needed for the fries. The cheddar dog was amazing. All of the flavors blended well. If I had known it tasted so good, I would've ordered two. My son said that he enjoyed his burger. Char Cheddar Dog 1-5=4.5. Fries 1-5=4. read more

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The food is not worth the price. To greasy and tasteless. Money well spent across the street!

Tbh...I don't care for the shouting & the smart remarks. Give me my goods & let's call it a day. Honestly, this pl hits. The chard dog was tasty and the def sealed the deal. I can say that, ketchup seems to b frowned upon request, but nonetheless it was grt eats. read more

The staff just got into a verbal dispute which escalated to one of the staff members pulling out a large kitchen knife, forcing my wife, myself, and several others to leave without our orders. The other (of the two staff members involved) went to his car and returned with a large wrench. Cops should have been called. Thought this was part of the "act" for the first minute, but it was made obvious that it wasn't when they went after eachother. If the "rude" experience is a part of the aesthetic of the place, there needs to be clearly identified lines of how this is experienced by the general public, this intensely blurred these lines and was unimaginably inappropriate. read more

Let me start off with the most important thing. ORDER THE CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE!!!!!!!! I CANT MAKE THAT ANYMORE CLEAR With that being said, never has a hotdog spot, even one in Chicago, bring such joy and ambiance. I wish every place I attended was as entertaining as the wiener circle. The staff is the complete opposite of polite and thats the best part!!! AGAIN, ORDER THE SHAKE! Bring $20 cash, as its cash only for the milkshake. read more

The employees will probably be mean to you here, so be prepared. Best Chicago dog I've found so far, though. The back patio area is fun to hang in as well. Make sure your fries get salt and they'll be so good. read more

The Wieners Circle - Char Dog + Large Fries - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My sister and hubby are in town visiting and have never been in Chicago. Hubby and I said we have to make a stop so they can experience the unique atmosphere of our favorite hot dog spot. I told my sister to make sure she orders her char dog with ketchup but she was onto me and didn't have the opportunity to experience the wrath that would have come down her for that one. The ladies behind the counter are sassy, fun and comical. You can't take what they say to heart. It is all good fun. Food did not disappoint, always excellent! read more

The Wieners Circle - Fries and a Chicago style char dog - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fire hot dogs, chill ambiance and service is as you expect haha iykyk. Always in for a Chicago dog here and the fries are solid too! Nice in the summer too! read more

I appreciate the humor associated with the Wieners Circle but as a restaurant ultimately your priority should be food, and in that regard I think they come up short. The messages on their sign can be hilarious. The deliberately rude service is also quite funny. But this is just an average, overpriced hot dog in a city that excels at making hot dogs. My rating would be much higher if they could improve their food. read more

My hot dog was ICE cold. My first experience here. Awful. Would never come back even if I was starving. I would rather not eat anything than eat here again. read more

This place exceeded my expectations and it was so good I had it two nights in a row. Both polish char and red hot char was absolutely amazing and can I say these fries were fried and seasoned to perfection. Customer service was hilarious and great recommendations by them. This was the highlight of my trip to Chicago. read more

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Two REAL, and delicious Chicago Hot Dogs at Chicagos' The Weiners Circle. The bonus insults were great, although I was expecting them to fly. I gave it right back! Fun. A MUST VISIT when in Chicago. read more

The Wieners Circle - Vienna Beef (grilled) Chicago dog - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Based on one visit Saw this place on Adam Witt's You Tube video with Dennis Lee who is a Chicago food writer. So decided to give it a try. We bought a few Vienna Red Hot Char dogs with everything. The dogs came off what appeared to be a charcoal grill. The hot dogs were excellent just as advertised. They were around $7.50 each. Ingredients seemed very fresh and flavorful. Crispy pickle and onions, and tasty tomato. The ordering was chaotic and be advised there will be heckling as part of the service. Its pretty fun but not for everyone. Totally fine with heckling but the confusion of what I owed seems to be due to the fact they took orders 3-4 people deep then forgot who ordered what when time to pay between the two people. Should you come here? I think so. The picnic tables outside offer allot of space to sit and the hot dogs were great. Old style charm is abundant. If you come at night apparently its pretty loud and crazy at times. We came during the afternoon and it was calmer. read more

Carbon copy of the old Ed Debevic's thing of giving customers sh*t that has gotten old. And how many times do we have to hear the shake joke? The food is average at best with some things like the burgers being below average. Look at the relish. It looks radioactive. You can get a much better dog at Red Hot Ranch, Gene & Jude's, Superdawg's or Jimmy's. Even Portillo's is better. And all of them are a lot cheaper. read more

The Wieners Circle - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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5 stars got to come here 3 times during this trip (twice in one day!) so tried a bunch of different menu items. Suggestions - don't ever change Weiner Circle. Sat outside and enjoyed weather on the back patio expansion with the new added bar. Looks great but wasn't open. It's a must tourist stop, for bike tours the backspace makes it easy. Please keep the front room the same with the Yelling. I loved it Had a burger with perfect crisp fries! And a couple of different hot dog links. Now Remember the hotdog lady yells cause she cares. She has to be heard over 5 fryin pits, grills, steamer, old men that have lost their hearing and now have questions about the next 25 orders. She need you to hear her over all that noise. That's why she yells. She's not mad she standing in the middle of White noise. So dig deep and use your big big voice and Order your Weiner so she can hear you. read more

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I came here with my friend to try out the classic Chicago hot dog during the weekend. For those who may not know, (certainly I did not), but apparently ketchup on a Chicago hot dog is a sin. Be warned as we saw someone getting chewed out for wanting ketchup. Anyways we got the hotdog and fries combo. It was good and decent. Not much expected from a fast food spot, but it was definitely an experience! read more

The Wieners Circle - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went here on a trip to Chicago, the hot dogs are nothing to write home about it's just a fricken hot dog nothing special. The service is rude which is what they're going for still, I wouldn't take my 8 year old to this place with all the cussing going on. read more

I love restaurants with "salty" talk and banter. But the lady behind the counter was just mean. Not funny or friendly mean. Not fun banter with condescending tones. She was just mean. I literally planned on buying a teeshirt and she woulnd't let me see the size of it to see if it was made true to size. She sucked. I loved the hotdog. I'll never be back or recommend the spot. So bummed. Go to Wrigleyville Dogs down the street. Same quality Chicago Style Hot Dog that rocks, without the staff ruining your meal. Again, I LOVE salty, rude, fun, restaurants. Bummer. read more

Thanks Wiener Circle for having plant based options! I had the Beyond burger, which was tasty. We shared a few orders of fries. Service was good and we enjoyed sitting outside in the back. Love the board with names on it - including mine ;-) read more

Who the heck are the people who don't know that the service is part of the atmosphere? Cmon y'all lol. I thought the hotdog was pretty damn good for what I expected Chicago dogs to taste like. Much better than Portillo imma be real. I thought Portillo was mid, but Wiener circle was legit. Come here, enjoy the food, and enjoy the "service"! read more

The Wieners Circle - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really enjoyed the char-dog! The grill adds a great flavor and crunch that you don't get with the typical steamed hot dogs. Also had a great snap from the natural casing. The toppings were all fresh and plentiful. Loved the sport peppers! The fries were good, but my fault for letting them sit in the to-go bag. Otherwise, some solid fresh-cut fries. Would def return for a few dogs anytime I'm in town. read more

The Wieners Circle - Char-dog and fries - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I understand that this place tries to create a "funny" or sarcastic environment, but what I experienced crossed the line into outright racism. The cashier was extremely disrespectful and made racially charged remarks toward me, even shouting at me about "how things are done the American way." It was humiliating and deeply offensive. I ended up paying and leaving without my order because I felt so uncomfortable and hurt. Racism is never funny, and it should not be tolerated under the excuse of humor or customer service style. No one deserves to be treated this way. read more

This was a fun late-night food grab while traveling to Chicago for a day. The service reminded me of the servers at DICKS Last Resort Restaurant but better. The restaurant is famous for its sassiness and customer service. The food was affordable and quick. Get a classic Char Hot Dogs with Fries. If you want something to never forget Order a Chocolate Shake. read more

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Lame, played out and the workers even seem to be miserable and hate working there. Waste of time and a ton of other options. read more

A good business became good by respecting its clientle. The Wiener's Circle never respected it's clientle. The food is great but no one should take the hateful abuse by the staff. One day, the Wiener's circle employees will mess with the wrong one and things will go bad real quick. read more

The lady behind the counter was very nice when taking our order. This was my first Chicago dog and it was delicious! The fries were good too. read more

The Wieners Circle - Cheddar Dogs, Chicago Style with fries - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came in early for a Chicago style red hot and yes the hype is deserved. Love the staff, foul mouth and all and they made this Californian feel right at home. Oh, and the dogs are much better than Pinks. read more

The Wieners Circle - Chicago style char dog. - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Man, the Weiner Circle really went down hill. Growing up in Chicago, this was one of the best hot dog stands in the city. Now, its just all about the attitude, f**K the food. The hot dogs and polishes are half the size, and the cheddar fries, which were iconic, ain't what they used to be. The cheddar is definitely not the same, no matter what they claim. It's a much thinner cheddar, and they don't put nearly enough on it. Yes, i get there is inflation, but I would rather pay more for the greatness that they used to offer, then paying the same price for their sub par offerings. The attitude is still the same, but who wants that if the food isn't good. Go to Michaels, Superdawg or even Fatso's Last Stand if you want a good hot dog. I won't be returning. No reason to ruin my fond memories of the place. read more

The Wieners Circle - Cheddar fries. The cheddar has changed. Not as good as it used to be. - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cold and grey looking "steamed" "hot" dog, old ass oil for fries, yuck. Why the cheese sauce brown now? This place is supposed to be iconic Chicago. Used to be good. Straight up shame. read more

The Wieners Circle - Grey cold dead dog. - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I got two hot dogs on May 26, 2025 at 9: 30 p.m. The cashier was rude and obnoxious. She thinks that she is clever because she can curse. A third grader can curse too. She is an obnoxious jerk and should be fired. read more

Funny, I never tried a Chicago dog, thinking I would hate it. I have now tried at 3 different spots, and I can firmly state that I think they are alright, provided they do a good job. To compare this though with a NY hot dog is not fair. They are two very different styles. A Chicago style hot dog is made with an all beef (Vienna hot dog), topped with celery salt, relish, mustard, tomato, pickled peppers, onions (sorry - no onions for me), and a pickle spear. It has a more vegetal taste, in comparison to a NY hot dog, which is meatier. I heard good things about Weiner's Circle, and part of the allure is the service is getting a bit of sass and lip when ordering. So did I get all that? When I got to the restaurant, I literally got to the counter where a Hispanic worker kindly took my order. Right after he read it back, I heard very loudly, "WHO THE HELL ASKED FOR NO ONIONS ON THEIR HOTDOG?!" Meet Evelyn, the owner of the restaurant. African American and probably in her late 30's or early 40's, she then took my credit card, swiped it, and went to work preparing my food. Seeing my New York hat, she then toned it down a little, explaining her story and being genial in every sense of the word. Sure, sass and profanity was regularly added in the conservation, but once she gave me my food, and I tried her hot dogs, I dug what she was giving me. A great tasting hot dog, excellent flavor, good healthy portion of everything. It was quite literally, "dragged through the garden" (a hot dog that has it all), and as a result I ate two with little to no effort. I heard Superdawg is the best in the city. I will have to go out that way and try it before I leave. And maybe stop by here one more time to get a little more sass from Evelyn (wink). read more

The Wieners Circle - That's a hot dog! - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is good, but the workers are pricks. At least they were late Friday night. Maybe that's their shtick, but I don't care for it. And then they asked for a tip after insulting me. No, that's not happening. There are plenty of other places to get a hot dog and fries. read more

Finally made it to the weiners circle randomly. We passed by the Vic and saw pop star Chappell Roan was playing an aftershow for Lollapalooza and she set up a pre-aftershow party at the weiners with drag queens serving up some... you guess it weiners! The line was around the block. The drag queens weee super friendly and nice and as usual the counter service was rude and comical with a nice GTFOH on the way out. So Chappell Roan whole style is over the top drag style. There were camera and a free ticket giveaway and a DJ spinning Chappell Roan's music so I got familiar with that. The food was pretty stock chicago dogs. It was crowded and I was hungry so I didn't get to snap a pic but they do have vegan dogs too. The fries were too saturated with grease though. But this is the second event held here. That I've seen. Last was a pop up with the DJ Marshmello. So definitely worth checking out. It's a great strip of restaurants with plenty to do. Fun times! read more

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If you like hot dogs & want an instagramable/ TikTok place.. this is it. Just one advice.. Go in with an open mind and enjoy their hot dogs. They say don't get ketchup, but I love ketchup so I got ketchup. I can finally say I've tried a chicago dog in chicago. Parking is street. In the back, there's a patio and bar. You can also sit in front. Definitely go try this place & let me know what you think. read more

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Absolutely delicious. More importantly Evelyn was very entertaining. We are from LA was recommended by friends did not disappoint at all! From food to staff everything was amazing! read more

A friend from Chicago recommended The Wiener's Circle so I had to try it! I was warned that the staff will be extremely mean but that's all part of the experience. It's like diner food so with that expectation, it's perfect. I went in the afternoon and turns out they don't turn on the meanness until the evening. I got a char cheddar dog and cheese fries to share with one person. I loved the crunch that the hot dog had with all the veggies, and the cheese made it really good. Cheese fries were great too! read more

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I have only been to the Circle once but I recall that the hotdog was not that great. It's been a while since I had a great hot dog in general! read more