Chris’ Little Chicago

I’m not a huge fan of chicago dogs or italian beef, but I AM 100% a chicago italian sausage aficianado. I have at least 2 every time I’m in Chicago. And it’s really hard to find in Austin!
I was really excited to check this place out. The first time I went there, the sausage was served a little cooler than I am used to — in Chicago they are usually SUPER hot. But, Chris gave me a great tip, to ask for the italian sausage to be deep fried before serving. I did this the next time and it was AWESOME. Not quite as good as the very best sausage I’ve had in Chicago, but pretty darned close.

First of all, if any review was written by a Texan disregard it because they haven’t a clue what a hotdog is… too much sausage an brisket stuck between their teeth.
This hot dog is the closest thing you will find to the truth. Maybe it is the truth as well. Nothing else in town really comes close.
The Beef is good too but it would be great if Chris could figure a way to get the Gonella French rolls down here. The beef is really tastey and the sweets and the hots. Without the bread it just is not the same.
Oh yea, I got shorted on my fry order this weekend. I didn’t complain but for the prices, the little cardboard containers should be overflowing…
The Chicago dog is the only way to go. Have at it!!!

I pass this trailer o’ franks at least weekly so I finally remembered to stop by. One chili and cheese (deep fried), one plain, and an order of fries to go please! The sweet smells of dogs cooking were eh… not so sweet. Not real enticing at all. Kind of sickly actually. Hoping that the taste would surpass the smells, I headed home and delivered the fried chili dog to its rightful owner and opened the plain for myself.
To say that my frank looked a bit ‘off’…well that might be an understatement. Can a frank in its after life look hellish postmortem? Was my frank a really bad apple frank who lived a life on the streets and ended up in the life of crime? Damaged goods only to end up strangled and left for dead, decaying in the streets of The City of Frankin. That’s about how my frank looked. Greyish with white circles on the ends where the ends twist. Had it been boiled? Debatable. Had it been boiled in a bath of hungry bacteria? Probably. Combine that deliciousness with some extra greasy fries which were garnished with seasonings and I had one hell of a meal. Would I go there again? Um, no. Because bad ass franks in their afterlife don’t exactly make tasty meals.
Extra star because the lady who helped me was super nice and it was eight trillion degrees outside. I would have lodged a fiery greasy frank in someone’s eye if that were me.

Man, Chris (I am assuming this was Chris) is so friendly! Thanks, I appreciate that! When I went he was sold out of a few things but he was great at recommending.
I had a chili AND slaw dog. Great combo. Chili is not spicy (which I sort of prefer) but this chili was good. Very meaty chili for a hot dog… but GOOD. The Chicago dog was excellent too… but I liked the chili/​slaw better.
Oh and my hot dog was deep fried. :)
Equally as good as Frank, although no «artisan sausages». I never get those at Frank anyways.

Chicago Style (The Classic): ⁵⁄₅ — the best — next time I would order three just for myself
Slaw Dog: ⁵⁄₅ — it was something different and delicious.
Jalapeño & Cheddar Dog: ³⁄₅ — just meh.
service: ⁵⁄₅ — super nice folks

Went here with my kids and some other families who just finished tadpole hunting (i.e., wading around in cold water and throwing rocks).
These guys use Vienna Beef hot dogs for their hot dog dishes, which just makes the Chicago Dog that much more authentic (and delicious). The Vienna Beefs have a much milder frank flavor. My kids loved their Plain ol’ Dogs and my 5 year old even asks for the ketchup and mustard like the way they did it there.
I also had the chili cheese fries which were great, too, mostly because they made the chili themselves. If you are looking for spice, though, this isn’t it.
I would give this 4 ½ stars, but I’m docking ½ for the fact that I can’t imagine how hot this place would get in the summer (we visited in February). That and you can’t give ½ a star.

I was so excited to finally go here! I’ve been trying to find a place in Austin that does a good Chicago style since I first visited Chicago in August, and I heard this was the place.
The price was a little higher than I’d like. I got the hot dog combo for $ 6.50, and the same sort of thing in Chicago ran me $ 5, and the dog by itself is almost $ 4. I don’t know about that…
Taste-​wise it was good, but not GREAT. It felt like something was missing almost… not enough mustard or relish or something. LOTS of celery salt — maybe too much, and the tomato wedges were HUGE and a bit on the pale side.
A+ to the cook for being friendly and for asking me only if I wanted ketchup on my fries, not on the dog. Incidentally, the texture on the fries was great — thin and crisp is awesome, and they were really fresh, but the description on the menu said «SEASONED french fries», making me expect something more like a curly fry in taste, and I didn’t really taste any seasoning on them. They would totally be worth the $ 2 if they WERE seasoned, though.
In conclusion… it was okay. I might eat here again if in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here or bring my friends from Chicago.

I left the happy smelling wrapper in my truck on purpose.
Clearly they use bits of real panther.

When people think of hot dogs, it can be rather plain. Grab a plain white bread bun, boil the weiner, add ketchup and mustard, VOILA DINNER.
This place wipes away those sad memories of my lazy hot dog lunches of childhood past.
When it comes to hot dogs, I don’t know much. I mean I enjoy the Best Wurst stand on 6^th street after a drunken adventure but hey eating a hot dog by choice AND SOBER?
I walk up to the stand and I immediately order a classic Chicago hot dog. He asks me if I want it deep fried or boiled… uhhhh is that EVEN a question, deep fried weiner FO SHO. Why didn’t I think of that? I cant even imagine when I visit my parents and telling them, hey, deep fry the weiner first. That’s crazy talk, yo.
This little hot dog came on a precious fluffy bun, with the black dot thingys (I’m embarrased I dont know what its called.) The gorgeous fried hot dog was topped with HOMEMADE relish of pickles/​celery. Topped with dill slices of pickles, sliced fresh tomato, and some tiny little green peppers. (I am salivating as a write this.) I also got some seasoned fries that were so fresh, they are definitely fried in a different oil because they had a slightly different, but better flavor (vs vegetable oil) Light and airy fries, YUMMY.
Got to come back here to try the rest of this money. GO OUT AND FULFILL YOUR HOTDOG DREAMS.

Heard about this joint from my Pop; he enjoyed the Chicago style dog for lunch yesterday. As I work near Stassney/​Montopolis, it’s a short drive to this field and food trailer set up.
While the facilities are not cushy (picnic tables and trash cans), it’s definately eccentric in an Austin sort of way.
An Italian hoagie (hot, sweet and wet) and a NY-​style dog all the way, topped off with a Dr. Pepper and some great friends made for an enjoyable lunch.
The bees swarmed my drink which made the entertainment factor on the higher end of the scale for my friends (since I’m afraid of bees).
The food was delicious and I’ll be back there for sure.

Start to end, a throwback.
I was transformed to when I was kid walking around the windy city, hot dog in hand, and displaying the biggest grin on my face to the world. Every ingredient within Chris’ Chicago Style hot dog was there memory: poppy seed bun, sliced wedge tomatoes, pickle spear, mustard, mini peppers, relish, celery salt, and the all important Vienna beef dog. I couldn’t believe it. I began to hallucinate in the dirt parking lot. Did I really just devour a true-​to-​form Chicago-​style dog 1000 miles away?
Answer: Yes, I did. And I loved every bite of it. Oh yeah, the New Yorker with kraut and mustard ain’t too shabby either.

Great Dogs here I tell ya.
The lady-​cook was quite frendly and enthusiastic — and helpful.
The dogs were really nice too… only they needed a little more kick for me.
I’ll ask for extra peppers next time.
The cheese fries, ok, I’ve had much better…
but worth it for them dogs!

Stopped by this place on sunday. We were starving. Unfortunately the credit card machine was down, and between my husband and I, we could only scrape up 11 dollars. tear tear ;(
We were able to buy 2 chicago dogs and an order of fries. Each dog was 3.75 and the fries were 2 dollars.
The dogs were AMAZING. I was soooo sad I could only eat one. Waaah. The fries were tasty. Crispy and Hot.
Let’s just say we liked this place sooo much, we were tempted to take a hit of 3 dollars in fees at the ATM for more.
Unfortunately, they closed at 5 on sundays and it was already 4:45.
TIL NEXT TIME! and there will be a next time for sure!

I decided to stop at this dog stand on south lamar on a whim, just to see if they had veggie dogs… before conversion, I could not stress how much i missed a good vienna beef chicago dog, and the trip to Round Rock to Lucky Dog was well worth it, but just took too long to be practical.
Dog almighty makes a pretty mean chicago veggie dog, but the dog itself is a bit weak. The best part of the real chicago dog is the plump juicy vienna beef base, and the limpy, wimpy veggie dogs at dog almighty dont QUITE cut the mustard. (but til now, were the best thing around, as far as authentic chicago flavor for a veggie)
chris’ DOES have a veggie dog, and though its pricier, it’s also plumper and seemingly tastier. The dog was outfitted perfectly, and the fries were fantastic.
i dig the hot dog stand and picnic table setup, its very reminiscent of Willie’s Weenee Wagon (now johnny’s weenee wagon) in Markham, IL… the hot dog stand of my youth, and gold standard to which all other hot dog stands are judged. (see my review!)
As for the reviewers who complain about chili dogs and ants in their flip flops… I say phooey. Chicagoans do not wear flip flops. And Chicagoans do not put chili on their hot dogs. The sign clearly says «Little Chicago» — Its like ordering a cheeseburger in a sushi restaurant.

When you grow up eating Oscar Meyer Wieners that have been boiled on a stove, or nuked in a bowl of water, any other hot dog, cooked any other way, tastes unbelievable! So, Chris’ Little Chicago already has that going for it! On top of that, this little hot dog stand took my Chicago-​style dog cherry. And while I’m more partial to a good ol’ chili dog, the idea of putting fresh veggies and pickles on a dog was so new and different to me, that I couldn’t stop thinking about for weeks and weeks and weeks, or maybe a few minutes. But if you’ve ever tried to hold my attention, you’d understand; a few minutes, is pretty newsworthy.
Service-​wise, this place was fast, friendly, and efficient. Taste-​wise, very satisfying! I also recommend scraping some change together for the fries which are pretty delish. A really high recommendation for a pit-​stop lunch.

I see a lot of reviews that are comparing Frank to Chris’ Little Chicago. It’s like seeing two beautiful women argue! Girls, girls! You’re both pretty! But secretly in my head I’m thinking one of you I like to drink with, relax, have a conversation. The other. .. well. .. how to put this delicately. .. you’re just a quickie.
CLC is a nice little spot to stop for 5 – 10 minutes at their picnic tables for a delicious Chicago Dog. And yes they are DEEEEEEEEELICIOUS! And CLC is a nice little spot to grab a to-​go order. Very convenient direction and side of the street for me. Seasoned Fries aren’t bad either. Customer service is super-​friendly!
I am definitely returning to get an Italian Beef soon!
Be careful parking. Loose rocks and slight dips make it a hazard for some cars. Take it easy when pulling in the lot.
IDEA TIME: Hey CLC, you should have a hot dog eating contest next spring! Charge an entry fee. Give out a T-​Shirt!

I was first introduced to Chicago style hot dogs at my beloved Red Hot Lovers in Ann Arbor, where I went to college. It was love at first bite; the big, juicy dogs smothered in toppings I’d never even heard of (hello, sport peppers and celery salt) took my breath away. And the waffle fries… ohhhh, those perfect, perfect waffle fries…
But I digress.
Since moving to Austin, I have many times bemoaned the fact that there aren’t any good Chicago dogs to be found here (or Jewish deli sandwiches… what is up with that?). So when I heard about Chris’ Little Chicago, I hurried down for a visit just as quickly as I could.
Chris’ Little Chicago is just a little red trailer in the middle of a totally overgrown field off S. Lamar. There are a couple of ramshackle tables surrounding it… definitely not an upscale dining experience.
Service was extremely friendly, and I was able to place my order very quickly and with little fuss. I had eyes only for the Chicago style dog — an all-​beef Vienna dog covered in tomato wedges, a pickle spear, day-​glo-​green relish, chopped onion, mustard, sport peppers, and celery salt. The sweet woman working there told me that Chris went through 25 bags of fries before he found the right ones, so I had to order a side of those, as well. The combo — dog, drink (canned soda or bottled water), and fries — cost $ 6.50.
I thought the dog was very good. The toppings were perfect, really; my only minor beef (rimshot) was with the dog itself. It was a little on the small side and kind of watery — I really like my hot dogs to have a firmer, more dense texture. The fries were perfectly cooked and tasted great, as advertised, although I’ll admit that I personally prefer plain fries to seasoned fries, particularly with a very flavorful dog (like those waffle fries at Red Hot Lovers… ohhhhhh). But if you like seasoned fries, these were a nice representation of that genre.
The dogs at Chris’ Little Chicago don’t quite live up to the Chicago dogs I hold so dear in my memories, but they’re about as good as any you’ll get in Austin.

From the poppy-​seed bun to the sport peppers and pickles, purely authentic chi-​town goodness. Went with the Italian Sausage sandwich and was not disappointed– lots of flavor in the link combined with explosions of sweet and spicy put a smile on my face.
My girl had the ‘original’ with fries (very good seasoned variety, btw) and is now in love with sport peppers.
They lose a star for not offering any recycling bins– I know Chicago is a green city so no excuses here. Get with it!

I love his Weenies!!! It seems like I go at least twice a week. I know it’s time to get dogs from Chris’ when my assistant starts dancing around the shop sing-​songing «ask me about my wiener!».
Best Dogs in town!!!

Tried the ‘Wet, Hot & Sweet’ Italian Beef sandwich today at Chris’ on S. Lamar. Great stuff. The giardinara relish was good and the roll sopped up the ‘wetness’ well (although it failed the final test: ultimate disintegration ½ through my meal). The fries were really good, hot and crispy. And the view is stellar. Think I still prefer the dog with the wonderful chili on it, but the Italian beef will be my ‘stand-​by.’ Great place.