Johnny’s Red Hots

Went there before going to The Room — the owner was so kind and friendly. We had 20 minutes to eat — he grilled my hot dog, and made my friend’s polish — all with fresh ingredients! And the fries! OMG, handcut –cooked perfectly — and with a soft drink, all for $ 10! Excellent food — didn’t feel like fast food. Johnny (I am hoping this is his actual name) super nice guy seving alot of good food — I would go back just for the food (and I do not live close by)

Library advertising clearly made an impression on me. They have menus in the entrance space at the library and we were down the street… so why not? We love gyros and falafel and a small hole-​in-​the-​wall was just what we were interested in for lunch today.
The interior is easily 30 years old and the charm is all there. The signs have obviously been up since the 80’s at least. The menu is quite large ranging from (homemade) Italian beef, Chicago hot dogs, vegetarian falafel sandwiches, grilled chicken or fried, a variety of fried others and gyros. They serve French fries that were fresh cut and pretty good.
We ordered a chicken gyro, falafel sandwich, hot dog + fries and a small drink. We all shared (2 small kids, 2 adults) for just under $ 17. I’d call that a pretty cheap lunch. We’d go back again, rating the flavors about a B-​. The chicken gyro had a bunch of dressing on top which didn’t appeal to us, and the falafel sandwich had all the right components but was lacking a little flavor blast. Pretty good though and love supporting the local joint.

Best place to get a Gyros hands down anywhere around! Great everything, hot dogs, grilled chicken kabob sandwich is a favorite, Greek salad with grilled chicken, pizza puffs, chicken gyro. Been going here since they opened 20 years ago by now, great owners, the two brothers are great guys!

Unfortunately Johnny’s is located in a strip mall that isn’t doing too well. I hope it can stay alive. The restaurant is small, so it’s not great for groups, but they do have take out.
The gyros are awesome! They give you a ton of meat and the pitas are so fluffy and delicious. The gyro lunch special comes with salad or fries.
If you want a quick bite and you’re in the mood for gyros it’s a great place!

Hands down best Gryo and Fries in the Lisle and Naperville area. Service is always top notch and daily lunch specails are worth noting. Chicago Dog Thursday!?! Killer!

I came to Johnny’s specifically for a Hot Dog & Fries.
I perused the overhead menu anyway waiting to place my order while simultaneously watching a burger cooked to death on the char broiler. Every ounce of moisture had to be drained from that sucker. No burger for me!
My order only took a few minutes to put together as a carry out.
The Hot Dog kind of missed the mark as a true «Chicago Style Hot Dog». I’ll leave it at that. However the fries were spot on fresh cut spuds cooked perfectly.
The combo was packed ever-​so-​carefully into a small cardboard container. Kind of a rare thing these days.
The Hot Dog wasn’t perfect but the presentation won me over. As simple as that!

Ordered a 2dogs and fries combo and heres my thoughts. Bun was not steamed, room temp, kinda had a not very fresh taste not horrible but noticeable, and generic bun no poppy seeds here to be had. Pickle thinly sliced about half of what Id normally expect from a hot dog joint. Fries were pretty good but could sense a need for an oil change on the fryer. Inside the place was lacking in a couple aspects… The table were recently wiped down but while waiting I kept noticing alot of dirt and grime in certain places not kitchen nightmares but yeah not the cleanest grill and prep station. Also what up with the random 1980’s pastel modeling poster on the one wall, it looked like it was from previous tenant (hair studio or glamour shots) tempted to go 3 stars as the cook was nice but decided to leave it at 2 stars… my suggestions would be to declutter the inside and get rid of the random poster also maybe a paint job of the dining area. The outside looks pretty nice thou with the big neon sign. I would try again but not very optimistic on a return any time soon.

Nice guys good service and food. The chicken and beef gyros are great well portioned also like the philly!!!

Went here on a Saturday for lunch. Really good gyro — tons of meat, too much sauce tho. Fries were alright, although my boyfriend thought it might have tasted like the oil needed to be changed. We also had to wait to get our order taken and wait a while for our meal to be made. It appeared there was only one person working. While we ate at the restaurant other people were waiting too, but there was someone who was so frustrated with waiting she left. So if you go, prepare to be patient.

I recommend trying Johnny’s! The workers are very nice people and the food is great. They have great flavor in everything and the price for everything is just right. I would go here over and over again. The restaurant is a smaller older fashion restaurant but again the food is great.

I agree with you Raw, this place is not that great. I ordered a gyro plate, I got a ton fries and not to much gyro meat with my meal. I don’t know where these people come from giving a mediocre hot dog joint 5 stars. At the very best they should only get 2 stars.

Went here early afternoon. Wait time was moderate so prepare to wait a little during the lunch hour as its a 2 guy operation. When in doubt, I usually get whatever food item is advertised in their business title. The gyro spit increased my craving for it. I got that and a chicken gyro sandwich to go.
Highly recommend the gyros, especially the chicken version, as the meat was flavorful and juicy, which they weren’t skimpy on. The chicken gyro had some type of orange sauce that had a cheesy-​mayo-​sour taste to it that I never had before, but found tasty.

Whoa! Hold your horses, I notice a lot of people giving this a 5 star. Almost all from people who grew up in Lisle. But let’s be honest, this hole in the wall has seen better days, and should probably close, soon. My co-​worker and I went there during our lunch break at noon, there was a line of people waiting for their orders and a line of people waiting to place their orders. One person actually cooking and only one taking orders made for a SLOW process. It took 15 minutes for a gyro platter that was overpriced at TEN dollars. The gyro meat itself was good, the pita was dry and the fries that a lot of people wax poetic about were soggy and straight up nasty. I will not go there again. It’s a shame as I like to spend my money at mom and pop restaurants. It just won’t be at this one.

I come here for one thing, and one thing only — in fact when I get to the counter, they know exactly what I want… Just gimme a hot dog, no onions, no peppers, and a root beer. The fries are the magic part. I really come for the fries, and the hot dog happens to come with them… To be honest, I’ve never had anything else besides my hotdog & fries :)
Still true, 2015 — even with the shopping center losing stores — this is a mainstay — Hot Dogs — Had to come back and fix my stars — made it 4 —

Sorry Johnny’s but after several bad experiences and trying a little more of your menu I’m forced to reevaluate my original review. I’ve never personally tried one of their beefs but I did witness one of the owners making a beef and I saw something very disturbing… he scooped the beef out of a Papa Charlie’s container and warmed it up. It’s one thing to use pre-​made beef but to sell Papa Charlie’s (the same awful stuff that’s sold in the freezer section at Jewel) out of a Chicago style fast food place? That’s just sad.
My next issue has the do with the hotdogs. I used to like the dogs but they switched from poppyseed buns to plain buns… a Chicago style dog deserves a poppyseed bun. It’s just not the same with a plain bun.
My last issue has to do with consistency. The gyros, hamburgers and fries are great when fresh but the quality is really hit or miss. Half the time the fries are cold, I’ve been served gyros on stale pitas that weren’t warmed up on the grill, and I’ve been served desiccated sausages… I have ordered an italian and polish from Johnny’s and both were super dried out and not fresh tasting. Not surprisingly I felt sick and both meals.

Meh.
I am a dedicated slave to keeping my cholesterol level as high as my SAT score. I have been to Johnny’s 15+ times in 10 years, and as Clint Eastwood once said, «It just aint makin’ it».
Very spotty quality, sometimes good+, other times very marginal. Sometimes hot fries (which are great), but more often than not, a serving scooped from a bin that has way too many fries made-​up… that have been sitting and cooling off after being heavily salted.
Lacking in consistency, but it’s better than Portillos.

Johnny’s Red Hots is a hole in the wall located off of Ogden Avenue and Main Street in Lisle. Inside are a few tables, some stools and a couple of outside tables with umbrellas.
In visiting Johnny’s Red Hots I decided to try the hot dog with fries. The hot dog I received came on a plain non-​poppy seed buns. This seems to be more of a minimalist style dog as it did not include tomato, hot peppers or celery salt that I could detect. It did however feature a thinly cut pickle, however the pickle was not as long as the hot dog so you didn’t get pickle in every bite. The bun was soft but didn’t appear to be steamed very long, the hot dog itself was fine and had a nice juicy flavor to it. The application of mustard, onions and relish were fine, but the brand of relish used was not the neon-​green type found at most hot dog joints and gave off more of a sour flavor.
On the plus side the fries I received complimented the hot dog well and had a nice crisp outside and a nice potato flavor inside. They weren’t too salty or too plain, these were excellent tasting fries.
Overall Johnny’s is a decent place to get a hot dog. While it’s not exactly a 100% authentic Chicago Style hot dog as it’s missing generally regular components found at most other places it’s about middle of the road. The better than standard fries are another draw. I give three stars for Johnny’s.

Highly recommend this place! I ordered something that was not on the menu and the owner made it perfectly for me… the best gyro burger ever (cheeseburger with gyro meat and homemade sauce topped with grilled onions.
Definitely will go there again!
This review was brought to you by my brother! ;-)

I hate to give one stars… I very rarely do but I have to for Johnny’s Red Hots.
I ordered an Italian sausage to-​go for lunch. Service was quick, no wait. Through the hot peppers, the sausage looked old and wrinkly. But whatever, I can get through appearances, its not like it’s a gourmet restaurant. I just really hoped it tasted good.
uuuuuuugh. First thought, is this meat? After my first bite, which I contemplated spitting out, I examined the sausage. Inside of the chewing casing was a mushy and soft crumblings of a supposed meat and some spices… W.T.H.
Lost my appetite and my openness to go back. Sorry Johnny.

Dis is my first Dear Johnny letter. So I don’t know how to put it, so I put it.
Dear Johnny,
I don’t know who you are until the Unilocal.The Unilocal say you got some good stuff goin, so I went to see you. Johnny… WTF, you got no AC? 95 f’in degrees and no AC? Johnny feels bad… he’s in the parking lot, greats us and TELLS us he aint got no AC. Gotta respect that. No BS with Johnny. He’s got a good rep, this Johnny, so I follow him in.*
So’s I go in and we order a bunch of dogs and gyros and fries and all that good stuff. Poor guys sweatin it up, but bein all nice and stuff. Food’s ready, we got our greasy bags and out we go.
Now we’re rippin up the bags, anticipatin and Johnny’s as good as gold. Man-​O-​Manischewitz his food is taste-​E! The gyro plate has got a big ol boatload of meat… more than enough for me to chow down on and offer my fam. Fries galore too. Yeah, they are greasy lil suckers and divine… divine. The dogs are what I wanted, and they were juicy and succulent.
Thank you, Johnny. I will be back… I hope. They don’t have joint like this in NY… I wish they did.
*Johnny’s was experiencing a temporary issue with their air conditioning. This does not detract from their delicious food.