The Winking Dog

Great good’ convenient drive through, love the Greek chicken salad and two dog special! My kids love it!!!

The food is tasty, service a bit slow. My biggest complaint is that the fries are mushy, perhaps under cooked .but the price is right.

I thought I found my number 1 gyros place in Elmhurst at Southtown Dogs. This is my new #1. I asked for cheese fries and I got this…2 pound box! Pizza puff was excellent as well. I will be returning sooner than later.

I absolutely love this place. The hot dog special is daily & gets you 2 dogs with fries for $ 5. Tons of fresh cut fries! Also get their breaded mushrooms! They’re perfect my mom loves the Gyro (I do too). It’s made to perfection. Prices are fair, food is fresh & fast. Highly recommended

Decent burger and okay dogs. The interior could use a deep cleaning, but as far as the food? It was an okay burger and better than your typical chain restaurants but not comparable to a true burger joint, like Paradise Pup. The fries are crispier than some places which was nice, but the fries tasted like it was fried in old oil. I’m in the middle on this one.

To the owner, either give your counter girl a raise or teach her how to make change! Every time I eat here there is five to ten cents short in my change. If it wasn’t for the food I like close to work, I would never eat here again. If I want to lose money, I’ll hit the slot machines.

We always order Salads for lunch and they are always fresh! They give you a lot of salad. Price is perfect!

We are truck drivers who was delivering near O’Hare airport and as always we were looking for a local place to try out… I get my fill of fast good and we love to try authentic local cuisine if we are able. Well, coming to Chicago the first thing we look for is pizza… every single pizza place nearby was closed (what’s up with at?). So we stumbled upon this place. We (my bf and i) ordered a Chicago dog and gyro plate. I don’t claim to be a Chicago dog expert but it was great! The gyro plate was beautiful and very nice serving of meat (the black olives have pitts… so watch out for that). Let’s just say… we were very satisfied with our order… and if I ever come back to O’Hare again… I would make my way back to this place!

This place looks subpar on outside but hs nooks and different corners to eat away from the counter. They have video poker unfortunely and the gyros sandwich I had was very dry and not tasty. Still an alternative to eats in the Mexican restaurant and pizza filled corridor along North Avenue

Good hot dogs and good gyros. Staff is always friendly. My old man used to rant and rave about their fries when I was a kid. In fact there’s a running joke in my family about Winking Dog having «THE BEST FRIES EVER!!». They’re good, but far from the best.
Good place for a bite but nothing to go out of your way for.

As I pass this place all the time, I figured it was about time I stop in. Typical Greek fast food place with all the trimmings, but opted for the hot dog special. The hot dog is served with mustard, onion, relish, and sport peppers on a non poppy seed bun. The special comes with two hot dogs and fresh cut fries (my favorite). The fries come wrapped with the hot dog, the only problem I has was that one order of fries was salted very heavy, while the other no salt at all.
One of my favorite things to do is to read Unilocal reviews while eating. I did learn a new term today, a depression hot dog, which is what they serve here. The dining area was clean as was the washroom. They also have a little gambling area here.

Alright, so I was on North Ave with the boyfriend and we were like lets get Gene and Judes. and then I was like wait! I read a review for Winking Dogs to have similar hot dogs.
Having lived in the area for 24 years almost, not sure why I have never tried the place, but yesterday I finally did! (Thank you Unilocal!)
So I ordered a hot dog with fries and a chicken and rice soup. The hot dogs is made EXACTLY like Gene and Jude’s (Vienna hot dog, mustard, relish, onions, and sport peppers-​on a steamed bun) and then topped with a pile of fries. I must say the only reason it didn’t taste just like G&J is because its not soaked in the grease of the soggy fries! Which lets me honest here. that is why they are so addictive (SICK AS IT SOUNDS). all that grease when your hung over or drunk… is exactly what your body is crying for. and it adds that «unique flavor.» So for me the hotdogs are a perfect alternative. but here is the real kicker. THE FRIES are actually crunch and not all soggy like G&J. So for me the hot dog meal was a WIN. and its only like $ 2.50
For the chicken rice soup… I wouldn’t order it again. it was meh at most.
The boyfriend ordered the same sandwich he ordered most places. A combo with both hot and sweet peppers. Which he enjoyed.
Helpful Tips:
— There is a drive through. and yes that old box thing does still work!
–The prices are very affordable and they have daily specials.
–You are going to get what you get with these types of places. They are not find dining! Its hot dog joint food!

I’ve had a polish with kraut & grilled onions (good) as well as a gyros sandwich (dry, but otherwise okay). Their fries are hand cut, but both times I’ve been here they weren’t exactly piping hot… Most places like this that serve gyros/​dogs/​char burgers have baklava, but Winking Dog is the exception to the rule. No sweet treats other than their shakes, so that’s disappointing.
They have some video poker machines, but they seem oddly out-​of-​place here, especially since they were dark, dusty, and look like they haven’t been touched in years. Also, some toppings on their Chicago-​style dog (tomato, pickle, sport peppers) are an extra charge, which seems kinda bogus.
It’s generally pretty good practice for a company to thank their customers when given the chance. I’ve sat in for lunch twice, and they had ample opportunities to say ‘thanks, enjoy your day’, or ‘come back soon’, but alas. Nada. In fact, when I looked the register babe right in the eye and said ‘have a good one’ on my way out the door, all I got in return was a blank stare and an equally indifferent smile. Since they’re SO happy to have my lunchtime business, I’ll probably head elsewhere from now on.

The hand cut fries are great, the sandwich was perfect, and everybody was friendly! The dining area was clean and there was a television with news on to the side. My order cam up quickly and was served with a smile. The meal was fast and carry out is available.
I recommend stopping by for a lunch. There are daily specials and tasty treats (try a milkshake, why don’t-cha!?).

This isn’t so much a review, simply a list of things I’ve had, enjoyed, and would recommend you trying if you have not yet:
The Philly cheese steak sandwich.
Reuben on Rye.
Half Slab of ribs, with the sauce on the side. (Half a slab is always enough for me.)
Fried fish sandwich.
And of course, the gyro! Like the ribs, I prefer the sauce on the side.
Also, best fries for miles, and it comes with most meals.

Two days ago I got to go in and see for myself where my delicious soup and huge fresh salad came from the day previous. I was a little let down that there really was no spark, no magical like I thought there would be. Instead there was some good no-​nonsense food at good no-​nonsense prices.
I had the gyros special which is a gyros sandwich with fries for $ 5.50. The drink was separate. If you’re really thirsty order the XL as the L is like a medium really so watch out for that.
My husband had 2 hotdogs with fries for $ 5. Now that’s a great deal because we can always use that to save money and feed us both for under $ 10 really.
Taste wise I was a little disappointed, hence I took a star away. Maybe bc I’m not a fan of hand-​cut fries but they seemed greasy and overcooked. My gyro was huge on looks, not so much on taste and it was just slippy all around. Too much meat, not enough pita to hold it all in. Lacked seasoning and enough tsatsiki in my opinion. I will be coming back here don’t get me wrong, and for the price I’m not saying it’s all that bad. I’ll definitely stick to my salad from now on, and on Wednesdays will be ordering my cream of chicken soup.

I drove almost an hour to eat here.
It was my day off of work.
I was hungry.
I haven’t been to Winking Dog since the early 1990s. My parents used to take me here when we’d visit my grandma and aunt, or when we spent a Saturday afternoon at Swap O Rama (but only during the summer when the outside vendors were there, because it was more bang for, LITERALLY, your buck entry fee). I have long considered anyone who lives near Winking Dog to be LUCKY. This was proven when I met Unilocaler Mark G. He said he was from Melrose Park. Instead of initiating normal conversation, I screeched,
«OHMYGAWD DOYOULIKEWINKINGDOG?»
Walking into this dump (I say that in an endearing way), nothing has changed. The floors are kinda dirty, the menu board is dingy, you can barely see the employees behind the register because the counter is so high, the TVs are SUPER LOUD!!!, and the tables and chairs are exactly the same. I remember watching Telemundo or baseball games with poor reception; now it’s CNN in HD.
The food, from what I remember, is the same. The hot dogs are good, even though my grandma bitched when we’d go because they were «rubber hot dogs,» whatever that meant.
The fries were kinda lame. Being covered in cheese sauce saved the day. They were pretty soggy and pale-​colored like they’d been in an oven and not a fryer.
The mozzarella sticks were goooood. They’re the kind that, when you bite into them, you might get shot in the face with some grease. If a pimple shows up on my chin tomorrow, I will smile, because it would’ve pissed me off anywhere else. Not here. It’s like being a kid again. Only this time I didn’t wail like a priss about it.
Hot dog with fries, mozzarella sticks, and a small drink only cost $ 8!
If you don’t eat at Winking Dog and you live in Northlake, Melrose Park, Maywood, or Elmhurst, you’re an asshole and I hate you.
If you don’t eat at Winking Dog and, like me, you live almost an hour away, I don’t blame you. You don’t have the same bizarre childhood memories as I do, so you’ll think it’s another gritty hot dog joint. But anytime you are in the area, it’s the absolute best option for a few miles.
And come on, that sign with the winking pup is adorable!

I had the steak sandwich, which was fairly cheap at less than $ 5, the deep-​fried mushrooms, and pizza puff.
I wouldn’t recommend the steak sandwich. I took one bite and was disappointed, did not finish it. Didn’t like the tasteless bread and the bland, tough steak.
The deep-​fried mushrooms were pretty good though, a variety of large and small mushrooms that were served fresh and piping hot, the juices almost scalding haha. But then again, I haven’t had a bad experience yet ordering deep-​fried mushrooms in my eating history ;}
This is the 2^nd Iltaco pizza puff that I’ve tried. I first found out about the Iltaco pizza puffs from the food site seriouseats. It looked appetizing with a golden deep-​fried shell that was similar to toaster strudels, but a tad crispier. The first few bites were good, but I wasn’t impressed. Lito’s Empanadas does the fried dough filled with goodness better.

In driving down North Avenue on more than a few few occasions I’ve driven by the Winking Dog Restaurant and said «man, I need to stop here sometime». Well that day finally came and I decided to try the hot dog.
Before I go over the food there’s a few interesting things about the restaurant itself. First off I love the look of the place, it has a very unique old feel to it. There’s a board where you can order from out at the edge of the parking lot rather than a normal drive-​thru on the side of the building and the inside seems small but actually goes back quite a ways. It’s definitely different than you would initially expect from looking at the building from the outside.
The hot dog served by Winking Dog is served depression dog style. The hot dog I received came wrapped with fresh cut fries on a soft non-​poppy seed bun. The way the dog was assembled was a bit sloppy after opening it up the condiments were applied all throughout the bun but the hot dog was wedged over to one side so that when I picked it up quite a bit of mustard and relish spilled on to my shirt. The dog was as mentioned earlier served depression dog style. So no pickle, celery salt or tomato. There wasn’t too much mustard, relish or onion and the sport peppers applied gave it a nice flavor.
Overall this hot dog tasted fine, but wasn’t exactly assembled perfectly. The fresh cut fries included had a nice flavor and were better than most fresh cut fries I’ve had. I’d say this place is average overall and give it three stars.

Do you know how long Winking Dog has been on ya?
Probably since Prince was on Apollonia. And since OJ had isotoners.
Probably about that long.
With Portillo’s (Goliath) right down the street, Winking Dog (David) has done quite well for themselves, as they’ve been in business for at least a few decades now.
Guess what? I don’t have to drive to River Grove to get a hot dog with onions, relish, mustard and peppers with hand cut French Fries piled atop. I can get them right down the street at Winking Dog, and they are just as good, if not better. Oh, did that hit a nerve, Gene & Judes fanatics? You’d never admit it anyway. You’re too stuck in your ways. Winking Dogs fries actually possess some crunch. Not soggy horse crap. Winking Dog wins.
The best part? They serve more than just hot dogs. Beefs, gyros, burgers, submarine sandwiches, steak sandwiches, so on and so forth. And they accept credit/​debit.
Take six and take this, haters.