The Wiener’s Circle
This Lincoln Park joint is legendary not only for its food but also for the verbal abuse its workers will gladly dish out on the late-night crowd. The scrappy stand has been in operation since 1983, though the insult policy wasn’t instituted until the early ’90s when owner Larry Gold found that the best way to get the attention of drunk and distracted clientele was to yell obscenities at them. Since then, it’s become a sort of rite of passage – a blustery, blissful experience that is quintessentially Chicago. It helps that its dog is a bit different, too. While it’s commonly served “all dressed up”– meaning with the classic toppings of tomato, relish, mustard, white onion, sport pepper, celery salt and a dill pickle – the wiener itself is a char dog, granting the whole thing a bit more smoke and bite than your standard steamed frank.