Downtown Dogs

Food was solid, no complaints. Prices are excellent. What prevents a 4^th star for me is the hours. They close at 4:30 making this a lunch place only. Not sure why a place like this would not be open for business during dinner time. More business for the Algonquin Mexican Restaurant, Sub Shop and Texas BBQ I guess.

I had a taste for a hot dog so I figured this place would hit the spot. The hot dog was good, but nothing out of this world special. I have also tried the Italian beef which is a little sub par. I would go back just because the location is pretty convenient.

Just left downtown dogs for the first time ordered a gyro and an Italian beef it was great I give them two thumbs up and if I had five I’d give them five thumbs up Great job downtown dogs will be back it was wonderful! u

Needed a quick lunch on a Friday afternoon in between my daughter’s games. Didn’t want McDonald’s and so a quick Unilocal search led me here. Our lunch (hot dogs and fries) was very good and the prices were even better.
Had a break in between Sunday games so went back with my husband since Sunday’s are Gyro Special day. We thought the gyro’s were good! Not the best we’ve ever had, but very good! And I think the total bill for 5 people was something like $ 22. I seriously felt bad that it was so cheap! Can’t beat that for good, quick food!
Only negative things to say would be that it is pretty warm in there, and they serve Pepsi.
I’ll be back the next time I need lunch in that area!

Grew up in Chicago. Been to most all the famous beef joints. Scatchels, Roma’s, Marge’s, Al’s, Connie’s. The beef I had today was as good as any of them. More beef at half the price of Portillo’s (overrated). We’ ll be back to try a combo.

First time I went to this place was after a fun night at the Creekside Tap just down the street. I’m a typical hot dog/​Italian beef type of guy. I walk in and the staff was very friendly when taking my order. If I remember correctly, I think I ordered the hot dog/​fries special. They were fast with my order and the food was delicious. The only one thing I wanted to point out was: during the warm weather season, or summer, the front door and window are swarmed with bugs, mainly gnats. At least they don’t get inside the building. Best thing to do to make their business twice as better is finding a way to get rid of the bugs. I also heard that this place serves great Italian beef. I think I will try that the next time I go.

Went there for a stop from McHenry, didn’t want to do mcdonalds or any other chain… Hot dog special is 4.00!!! 2 dogs, fries and a refillable soda!!! Beef special is 5.00!!! Hot dogs were good, fresh and the buns were fluffy soft!!! Fries were crispy goodness… Kids under 12 get a free self serve ice cream cone too!!! My kids missed that by one year but 99 cents is nothing to complain about!!! Wish they had outdoor seating I’m sure
Folks would stop if they saw that too!!! Love to support small awesome eateries like this one!!!

Everything you’d expect, done well. I had the beef, sweet and hot. It was a little light on the sweet peppers, but mainly because they were cut a little small. Rita had the Chicago dog. There were two random cucumber slices. Not normal but a good compliment.

This is always worth the stop when I’m at this corner (31 & Algonquin)…the dog special is value superstar and I usually use it to wash down a Gyro…
Easy parking in back and ESPN usually on TV…
and their SLAW is pretty good.

We love this place! Food it Very good! It’s walking distance to a park on the river and a short distance from the bike trail. We love to walk down on a nice day, pick up the 2 hot dog special for everyone and eat at the park overlooking the river. (The park has nice picnic tables) My favorite is the chili cheese fries. The service is always friendly and fast. I would not recommend dining in as the place is VERY small. Prices are cheaper then eating at home! I’m giving 4 stars due to the dine in area being small.

Downtown Dogs has come a LONG way and with the departure of Dante’s im finding myself more often at DownTown dogs.
Having been here over a dozen times the 4 $ 2 hot god meal is the best deal in the area, bar none. the Sunday $ 2.59 gryo is also a great deal, they do not skimp on the meat or anything.
The hotdogs are some if the best around. Im glad they are doing better in the customer service too, its been great on my last few visits.
Good Job!

Gyro Sunday! Delicious!

It’s a cheap hole in the wall local grease trap.
The good? Cheese fries, certain days they do $ 2.50 gyros, and they used to give out $ 1 hot dog coupons.
Now the bad. I’d give it a better review if it weren’t for the fact the owners an absolute elitist ***hole. God forbid you ask for him to fix something if he gets your order wrong. The man gets a immature horrible pissy attitude with the customer and will blatantly deny any wrong doing or willingness to fix it. If you can deal with a man who will call his own customers liars with no shame, this is a place for you.

You get what you pay for. Yes the hot dog meal is cheap, but it’still not worth it. The bun is soggy, the hot dogs taste like they have been boiled for days. They put on some sort of unidentifiable shredded cucumber, but no celery salt. I’ve had better Oscar Meyers on stale white bread. Don’t waste your money.

Awesome place! Great prices and the best Chicago style hot dog I have ever had.

Their hand cut fries and pretzel dogs are AWESOME.
They have GREAT Prices.
There is not much competition in Algonquin for hot dogs so hopefully there business will stick around. The downtown area can be tricky but I noticed plenty of people stopping in while I was eating there.

If you’re looking for a decently priced, run of the mill Chicago style hotdog, Downtown Dogs is your huckleberry, but don’t expect too much from this small eatery in the way of frills (décor, service, taste, etc). We’ve dined here once just to check it out, but I can’t bring myself to come back, despite the fact that it’s on the way home from work & I almost always have a hankering for french fries.
I will say that their menu is fairly extensive. They’ve got hotdogs, burgers, Italian sausage, as well as your typical sides of fries, drinks, shakes, yadda, yadda, yadda. Nothing that we’ve eaten there has been horrible (although the «fresh cut» fries tasted sort of old to me), but nothing really makes me enthusiastic about this place either.
I will have to say that it’s great to have more food-​type establishments in downtown Algonquin, and I do hope that this place attracts more foot traffic to the area, maybe a little more competition too.

This was a fun surprise! We stopped in Downtown Dogs for a late lunch on a Monday afternoon. My Dad had obviously been here before because he knew all about the specials before we walked in the door. There were five of us and since it’s a bit of a tight squeeze in here, we sat at two hightop tables on stools.
The staff was friendly and quick. A winning combination in my book! Here’s the rundown:
Dad — The hot dog special. Two dogs, fresh cut fries and a drink for $ 4. Free refills that you do yourself. Aka you control the ice. ;-)
Mom — The Italian beef special with fresh cut fries and a drink for $ 5. She got hers dipped and was smiling all through the meal.
Lil’ Bro who’s not so little and turning 21 in a few days — The hot dog special. Just like dad’s.
My favorite 15 year old son — Another hot dog special… plain. He’s eating like a bird again, so we found out that the food reheats pretty well the next day.
Me — The Italian beef special. Dry. Side of hot peppers. I too chose the fresh cut fries instead of crinkle cut. I really, really enjoyed my sandwich. The beef was lean and not greasy at all. The bun was firm and held up well to the hot peppers and oil. The peppers were unique and really tasty. I love pickled cauliflower and there was plenty. My only criticism would be that my fries seems like little bits while everyone else had large, full length fries.
It’s a hot dog joint in all the best ways. Next time, I’m thinking that pretzel dog sounds like the way to go, but we’ll see if I can tear myself away from the Italian beef.

Really pleased with this place. They have a pretty extensive and flexible menu, and the hot dog deals are super cheap. I got two Coney dogs, fries, and a drink for a whopping $ 4. Not many places you can get that kind of deal anymore.
Kind of small inside, and I wished they had a table or two on the sidewalk outside during the summer, but with the traffic on 31, it might not be such a great spot to sit anyway.
I’ll have to come back to try a few other things on the menu, but the first visit definitely had me wanting to return.

A nice place to grab a quick dog if your in the downtown area. I had the special with two dogs and fries. I chose the fresh cut fries, which I think were a little on the greasy side and not crispy enough. They do offer frozen fries and I’ll try them next time. The dogs are good. Service is usually quick. Its a little small inside, so don’t plan on bringing a large group here.