Hot Doug’s
3324 N. California
773-279-9550

Open 10:30 am - 4:00 pm Monday - Saturday. Also closed on random days for vacation; call or check www.hotdougs.com for info.

This sausage lover’s mecca offers your basic Chicago dog, brats, and polish, but they really impress with their adventurous specialty sausage and game meat options. A couple of goodies this week include kangaroo sausage with gin-juniper mustard and sheep’s milk brebille cheese, and apple-habañero chicken sausage with lime-ancho mayonnaise and habañero-jack cheese.

Vibe: Dive
Cost: $3 - $10
Must-try: The much-raved-about duck fat fries, available only Fridays and Saturdays. Yes, they’re that good, and no, they don’t taste like duck. They’re rich, almost buttery, and completely decadent.
Avoid: Veggie dog. Nothing wrong with it, but what’s the point?
Also: Get there at 11 am, especially on Saturdays, if you want your lunch to last longer than your wait in line.