Mario’s Red Hots

This place is perfect!!! First off dollar hot dogs!!! That’s right $ 1.00 for Chicago style hot dogs can’t beat that! Also there cheesy beef sandwiches for 2 dollars are so damn good yes their on hot dog buns and that makes em better in my opinion! Small local joint with awesome food and service ! Also on Black Friday everything in the place is $ 1.00!!! EVERYTHING! Keep it up Mario’s great food!

Mario’s Red Hots was a great place to eat at! The prices were reasonable, the hot dogs were classic Chicago Dogs and the staff was super friendly! We love supporting a family owned business and these are good people! Eat here and be satisfied

Normally I would give this place 10 stars but lately I’m so disappointed in them. Can’t complain to much food is pretty cheap, but like the saying goes u get what u pay for I guess. The hot dogs are amazing. But the fries are disgusting. It’s almost like the recook them they have never been fresh always a darker brown color I usually just toss em out! The last couple weeks we’ve been the FOUR times between 930 and 945, and twice the door was locked and the other two times (930) all they had were a certain amount of hot dogs left. We wanted burgers and fries but were told the fryer and grill had already been cleaned and shut down. Well if that’s the case why would u advertise that ur open til 10? Makes no sense to me it’s just a couple of young kids trying to get out of there. But than you should say 930 last order and doors close at 10. If it wasn’t for the cheap hot dogs I would of stopped giving them my business…

Mario seems to be a popular name among geeks and gamers. Yes, in this case I’m referring to the Italian boy in a video game. However, for many Chicagoans, Mario’s footprints have extended onto food, such as Mario’s Italian Lemonade, and the topic of this Unilocal review, «Mario’s Red Hots.»
Reasons why you should stop by Mario’s Red Hots, on the southwest corner of Harlem and Grace:
1) you need your last Chicago-​style dog fix before heading to O’Hare (CTA Harlem O’Hare Blue Line station is ten (10) to fifteen (15) minutes northbound).
2) you’re on CTA #90 bus and starving.
3) you’ve finished shopping at the depressing HIP and don’t want to dine at the nasty mall food court.
4) you don’t feel like having to eat at Mr. Beef (near Harlem & Irving Park), even though their Italian Beef sandwich is fantastic.
5) you’re attracted by the bright Red & Yellow dog house.
If you have some spare cash (a cash-​only establishment), want an affordable lunch or dinner ($ 5.49 for two (2) dogs and two (2) servings of fries), and like your Chi-​style dog with a large pickle on it, Mario’s is here for you!
Their patio is quite large, so your consume your dog there and make the pedestrians jealous.

I don’t know how you guys stay in business but please never leave. Great comfort food for super cheap prices. True chicago, blue collar food. So don’t expect A/​C or a fancy seating area. Good quality but at their prices, I go all out quantity.

This is the place to get cheap hotdogs. I mean where else can you get a hotdog for only a buck and there’s no limits on how many you can buy. They aren’t the best tasting by any means but they aren’t the worst either. I guess I’d compare them close to having an Oscar Meyer wiener and they come garnished Chicago style which I liked. I also got an order of fries, they were fresh cut and ok. They also have other items in their small menu, but come you know your here for the $ 1 hotdogs. So bring those singles because they don’t take credit or debit cards.

Hot dogs are either good or bad, no middle ground and no where is that more important than in Chicago. While Gene’s and Jude’s still rules the roost, Mario’s is a great alternative! Vienna dogs, steamed buns and fries that were cooked to perfection. 2 dogs, fries and a drink was under $ 5.00, you can’t touch that anywhere else. Indoor seating is ok, but bring someone to talk to, no TV in the building, a few outdoor seats are also available. Overall, quite good and I will be back to try their Italian Beef.

Better than any fast food chain! Fresh food and good prices. Place isn’t great looking but it’s all about the food! Give it a try you won’t regret it. Don’t let the look fool you, its a great neighborhood spot.

Read reviews. Lived down the street. Figured I would give it a shot. Two orders up including mine. They gave the other guy my order. Mistakes can happen. So, let it slide. Then I get my food. The fries defy all logic. I do not know how this is possible, but they had no discernible taste what so ever. Try another fry. Nothing. Zero taste. How is this possible? I don’t know, but I decided to toss the rest of my food and head to another place. Live and learn.

If you are anywhere REMOTELY close to this place… say five miles… DO NOT GO TO ANY OF THE «BIG NAMED» PLACES… GO HERE. you will not go wrong. Its a hot dog… repeat…its a hot dog… and you shouldn’t be paying more than a buck for it. OK… I got a hot dog and ALL the works including sports peppers for a buck thirty and thats incl tax. CAN I GET ANY CLEARER ON THIS? they use vienna franks too. There should be lines at this place.

I just want to say «WOW» !! 1.00 doesn’t buy much these days but you definitely get your money’s worth and beyond with Mario’s Red Hots. Yes they have $ 1 Hot dogs, that are the best, every ingredient is fresh and high quality, but they also have other items like mini beef, excellent beef in a hot dog bun w/​nacho cheese. AWESOME and for $ 2, you gotta try it. They keep their prices low and quality high.
The service is excellent no matter what, any mistake on either party, no questions asked, they fix it to what you want.
Being in Customer Relations for over 20 yrs it’s really nice to finally see a business give back instead of take.
As long as they are there, my family and friends and I will continue to go there, CUSTOMER’S FOR LIFE!
Keep up the GREAT SERVICE AND FOOD!
IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THEM YET, GIVE ‘EM A TRY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE $ 1.00? .YOU WON’T BE SORRY :)

If you’re craving food along the lines of hot dogs (or an Italian beef) you don’t get any cheaper than this. Yes the hot dogs are a buck, BUT they don’t taste any different than ones at other places where you’d pay like a 1/1.50 more. So why pay more, especially if you are buying a few! They don’t have a big menu with a lot of variety, but what they do have is cheap with no downgrade in quality from any similar place. Best for carry out, not much room to sit (plus it can get rather hot in there) and the place is usually busy. I’ll give a mention about their beefs. They work for me, not dry not too fatty. And, they’ve got the «mini beef” — with the same meat in a hot dog bun. It’s cheap too. The only thing lacking (but that’s just me) is that their fries are the thick type, not the thin cut ones. Another plus is that they are open fairly late, especially on Fri. & Sat.

I’m a big fan of Gene and Jude’s. Then I start thinking Franksville if it’s too close to noon, for obvious reasons. Today however, I went to Mario’s for a dollar hotdog. I was expecting edible but bad, I got a very good tasting hotdog and it was for a buck! My new place for a dog!

Mario’s Red Hots is a fantastic neighborhood quick-​service food joint. The employees are friendly and funny. They care about the awesome food they serve, and they really seem to like their customers. I have been here several times and have enjoyed the friendly conversations between customers and employees. It is a small place that can get warm on a hot day, but the food is so good and the people so friendly, that it is worth dropping in.
The hot dogs are perfectly balanced — a meaty, spicy dog with a snap to it — dressed perfectly with mustard-​relish-​onions-​pickle-​tomatoes-​sport peppers-​celery salt, Mario’s Red Hots are delicious and satisfying. I usually get 2 dogs with everything — for $ 2.20! I have seen and smelled other foods being made here (it all looks good), but I had 2 dogs my first time in, and I just can’t get myself to try their other offerings because the dogs are so very good.
Parking is available on Harlem Avenue, but it may be easier to park on a side street a half a block away and walk over.

A very small and generic hotdog stand. The food is nothing special and what can you expect when teenagers are cooking the food. I am sure the food is pre-​packaged and nothing special you cannot find at your local supermarket. A nice small neighborhood place.

Passed by this spot what feels like a million times and one day finally said just try it it’s a buck… needless to say me and my roommate were back within the week! 1 $ hot dogs you can’t beat! We ordered the 2 hot dogs each fries and pop meal each with 2 side cheese for the fries and it was under 11 $ !! Generous amount of fries also! FYI if your a liquid cheese junkie like we are their cheese is to die for with a nice jalapeño kick! This is a new favorite spot!

Great place to stop for a quick lunch that serves great hot dogs with fresh ingredients at a really cheap price. Not fancy, but I’d rather have a great hot dog at a cheap price than pay a high price to stop at a overly decorated, over done hot dog joint. Highly recommended. I’ll be back.

First I would like to say sorry to the owner as I told him that I would proptly put a positive review about my experiance here but I was having trouble with getting my Unilocal up and running mixed with me being a little lazy… With that being said I’ll say this.
So I’m leaving a funeral serive not many blocks away from Mario’s… and I keep tellin my wife «I need something quick and cheap» and it wasn’t more than a couple moments until I see this place shaped like a house with sign that said «$ 1 hot dogs». So I stop the car and go in and ask this gentleman «how much for a chicago style hot dog» and he tells me «uhhh, $ 1»… I was confused but hungry so I was prepared to have one of the worst dogs ever, considering the price. Well I got to see this guys son make my dog with fine ingredients (very cleanly I might add) and it was one of the best damn dogs I have ever placed my lips on. I don’t know how this guy makes money but if you are around the area and you have $ 5… you’ll get like a king… Love these types of joints… keep up the good work brother!!!

Cheap dogs at $ 1.00 each. Decent too! One of the best hot dog places I have been too! Great Hot dogs, TATER TOTS!!! Limited menu but that keeps it simple!

I am right there with the 1^st poster. Good place, very simple… a little too simple though. I am a Fry Freak, their fries were just basic dog stand fries, but this IS a basic dog stand.
Your typical awesome Vienna Beef dogs, great toppings. Also had a pizza puff, good stuff. Would love to see fresh cut fries there which are my usual preference. 4 Stars for sure with better Fries.
I’d definitely go back, its 4 blocks from my house. 2 picnic tables in front on Harlem.
If you go there, try to use side streets if you can. Harlem is terrible ANY time of the day. Usually back up solid from Irving to Addison.