Hot Dog Express

Have only tried gyro sandwich several times. Pita bread was soggy and meat was too crispy (I prefer tender). I will come back but only because it is close to my home. Service is fast and inside décor needs updating.

Went there for dinner last night. My husband had an Italian beef and I had a gyro. His Italian beef looked great but my gyro meat was slightly burnt. I like the meat cooked but it was actually black on some of the strips. I would go there again but definitely would not go with a gyro.

I was craving for fast food, particularly hot dogs. I’m from Chicago and it’s pretty easy to find good fast food for good price. Hot dog express food was good and quick. But $ 7.10 for two dogs meal was steep! I thought at that price it would extra ordinary but it was not. If your ever by Milwaukee and Foster in Chicago, try King Gyros. I promise, it will not disappoint!

Went here for first time on lunch. They have a sign that states that they serve homemade Mexican tamales. Well I say ok sounds good! So I asked order taker/​cashier as to what type of meat are in them as I don’t eat pork. She states they have pork and beef supreme. So I say oh ok! Give me 2 beef. I get back to work and open wrap for tamales they are in a plastic boil bag & so not close to being homemade. of good quality. I called to ask about and was told supreme beef means name of company who makes only the pork ones are homemade. At $ 1.40 each i could have gone to grocery store and got like 6 – 8 tamales. I also ordered a gyros and ummmm no the meat was not of quality I know of gyros meat. Sauce was good! I can say they do have prompt service but I wont go out of my way to go there in future. Lesson learned…

Normally I turn to Portillo’s when I have an inkling for this type of food, and in the future, I most likely will continue to do so. This place is just average in about every factor one would typically judge an independent sandwich/​hot dog place to be.
Their menu is certainly diverse enough. Gyros, Italian beef sandwiches, calzones, hot dogs, onion rings, etc. etc. etc. They pretty much run the gamut of unhealthy food options. The problem is that most of the time when you become a jack of all trades you manage to be a master of none, and that certainly seems like a fitting descriptor of Hot Dog Express. I do not know about you guys, but if I am planning on splurging on high calorie and/​or cholesterol food, I want to get far more bang for my buck than I got here. The hot dog was decent, but nothing special, and the fries (which did appear to be homemade) were soggy and over-​seasoned. Both of my co-​workers who came to lunch with me had similar sentiments. On the positive side of things, this place is dirt cheap, which is helpful if you are on a budget.
I am normally a staunch advocate of supporting local businesses over chains, and for that reason, I will likely pay this place another visit on the chance they were just having an off day.

You get what you pay for, for the most part.
If you have a taste for a burger but don’t have the $$$$ for Portillo’s, come here. Their beefs, burgers and gyros are decent.
My only gripe with this establishment is the price they charge for gravy bread. It’s not on the menu, but they sell it. Problem is, the price is always different. I’ve paid $ 1.25 one day. A couple of months later, $ 1.00. 6 months later it’s $ 1.50. Never a consistent price. They seem to charge by the seat of their pants. Not cool. Set a damn price and put it on the menu!

Nothing fancy. Fast service. I wish they would serve real beef kids hot dogs. My son was really hungry and ate three hot dogs (He is three years old).

Good gyros, good tamales, good italian beef, decent fries. It’s hard to get this combination in the immediate area. We were very pleased. Definitely going back.

The very best food you can get for the price the over stuff to gyros and beef very friendly staff always happy the food is ready quick and hot

Not good people, I think they use old grease or something. I don’t recommend this place. I tried them twice and both times ended bad.

Good tasting Dog! Thick cut fries baby! Yes! Good stuff! I’ll put this place on my Hot Dog Joint list for sure!

Good variety of options for food. Sometimes the hot dog buns get real soggy and make it hard to eat. The fries are okay and I think could be better. For the price, the portions are generous which is nice. The service is always prompt and friendly which is also nice. Will be coming back from time to time.

Get the gyros. Skip the wings. Everything else is standard grease food. Wings are dried out and bland.

I finally found a place out here that sells [good] gyros! I already told the manager that they need longer hours– like in Chicago. There are good honest people here.

The interior is pretty dingy (din-​JEE). They have swivel seats that are bolted to the ground, bizarre. I did not enjoy the 20 minutes sitting inside.
To the food…
I had a gyros and fries. It was decent, a good amount of meat. Nothing special.
It’s unlikely that I will be back.

It’s a nice lunch time place. It’s what you would expect from any good non-​chain fast food place. It’s menu consists of the usual suspects. Hamburgers, hotdogs, gyros, beefs, and polish sausage. All of the great sides like fries, pizza puffs, onion rings, etc. The food was tasty. I had two hotdogs (Chicago style) and fries. I must say the fries were done perfectly with no need for any salt. Prices are good too. It’s what you expect from these types of places, but they don’t screw it up.

Came here for cheap, easy eats. And it’s just around the corner from my home.
We came around dinner time. The ambience reminded me of a classy bus station/​swanky Dunkin Donuts. Nothing at all wrong with that, of course. My boyfriend ordered the steak sandwich, and I ordered a hot dog meal and a vanilla shake. Before my receipt finished printing, my meal was ready. My boyfriend’s meal came soon after.
His steak was HUGE. It spanned the length and width of the Italian bun and then some. He said it was «pretty good» and tender. My hot dog wasn’t terrible, but it was disappointing. They use regular, cheapie hot dog buns even for the Chicago-​style dogs. It is not the same without a poppy seed bun. It’s just not.
The fries were just okay. Not the worst I’ve ever had, but not the best. They get cold pretty quickly, so eat them fast or ask for fresh. The ketchup that was supplied at our table was watery and nearly tasteless.
My vanilla shake was pretty much like drinking thickened vanilla milk. I don’t know if it was the humidity and heat in the place with no a/​c, or not enough ice cream, but the texture was pretty thin. But I enjoyed the taste. I am a sucker for almost anything vanilla, so I wasn’t entirely let down.
I wasn’t wowed by this place, but I’d give it another chance. The prices aren’t too bad (hot dog with fries and a soda is $ 4.79), and the service is friendly and quick.
Word to the wise: soda refills are fifty cents. Skip the ice and your drink will last a wee bit longer.

ok, i rethought my prior review. they deserve 5 stars for being super friendly & great service.
i usually just get a gyro plate, only meat (no pita/​fries/​sauce/​etc). I combine that w/​a salad from some place else. They do that perfectly & nicely for me every time.
And family owned, so I like supporting these types of places :)

Just sub-​standard greasy burger/​dog/​gyros joint.
Interior is old and sticky with layers upon layers of grease and the workers look even greasier.
My gyros was crispy. It literally made crunching sounds as I chewed on the overcooked gyros chips inside of that pita. No bueno.
The fries were the standard thick cut frozen variety and stunk of old oil.
I tried the tamale since the sign outside said homemade. Homemade it was, corn husk and all, but the filling was scarce to none. Just a sliver of some mystery meat found only in the very middle. At $ 1.49 it certainly was not worth it.
Prices are fairly cheap for the amount of food received so it’s great if you’re on a budget but aren’t watching your weight.
With so many other better choices for the same type of food within the immediate area (one mile radius) I highly doubt I’d ever bother coming back here as sanitation looks to be a serious concern here.

It’s a good hot dog :) I had to try their namesake, I actually ordered a Gyro also. The hotdog was a nice vienna beef hot dog with that snap you are looking for in a good Chicago dog.
The gyro was also very good, off the spit. They pan fry it a lil bit before serving it. Very very greasy though. You do get a large portion. I could have had this by itself!
Service was fast, we had take out and the price was right. Only 6 bucks for the two. I didn’t get any fries, so I’ll have to try those next time.