Sam’s Red Hots

I rarely eat shrimp, but their fried shrimp was pretty rad and delicious. I was here on new years and it was rather busy.

This place is terrible. Fries are inedible and the bun soggy. Just go to Red Hot Ranch on Western.

Continuing with my neighborhood list I hit this joint. I pass this place daily and have stopped 3 times because like my Pop I’m nuts over a good dog. First I feel bad for the older two ladies that never seem to leave. It took the one lady all she had to take my order. I’m not sure if she is I’ll or exhausted or both. After pulling her face out of her hands and not wearing gloves or washing her hands she assembled my polish with everything. No poppyseed bun, no celery salt, no tomatoes, no pickle. I guess their everything is mustard, onions, relish and sport peppers and the smallest polish I’ve ever seen if in fact it was a polish. You must get fries. $ 4.65 no drink. I hate that. I just wanted a Chicago style polish. However the fries are the best part. Hot crunchy crinkle cut, nice color. I’ll just get my dogs from home depot on elston. Ten times better, cheaper and they wear gloves and have all the correct fresh toppings and the polish is a polish not a more expensive dog. Sad. I feel bad for them.

The one & only place I get my wieners! Just doesn’t get any better than this! Their fries are the best too! I squeeze the juice of the sport peppers on my fries! OMG! You have to try that! When my family flies in from Orlando & Virginia they have to go to Sam’s before they go back home its our Chicago family tradition.

Standard order: polish w/​onions and mustard (fries are included) and tamale
My first polish was from Sam’s when I was, probably, 10 years old in 1980.
Although I’ll order a polish at another place if I’m with a group and there is no other choice, no one… NO ONE makes a better polish than Sam’s.

Been coming here since I was a kid! Love smelling the hot dog smell before you get there, their prices are good on the pockets too. If your in bucktown looking for some great tasting polishes/​hotdogs then you need to come here.

This place is awesome! Their polish is the best… We drive from the burbs just to eat here, literally. Don’t let the exterior scare you. I don’t know why their hot dogs and fries taste so good they just do. Good value for the money as well.

Can’t beat these prices, and best polish sausage and crinkle fries in town. Yeah it’s a little sketchy, but I’ve been coming here for 25 years never had a bad experience.

Decent Chicago dog at this shack. Great price at $ 3.45 with fries (menu said $ 3.15 by whatever). Fast service, probably more of a drunk meal than your typical must-​try Chicago. If you’re in the mood for a fast take out, away from crowds, easy parking, grub your heart, Sam’s Red Hots is a great option C or D.

I love their hot dog w/​fries. I’ve been coming here for a long time. This is the only place that I buy my hot dog. The best thing about getting your hot dog is taking it back to your car and eating it there. I so recommend this place.

No care taken, just get the food out as fast as possible, should be better for price point, they didn’t put celery salt on a Chicago dog, blasphemous

$ 3.30 (that’s WITH tax!) for a hot dog and fries? Obviously, Sam’s isn’t Hot Doug’s but if you are just hankering for a dog and some old-​skool krinkle-​cut fries, it’s really hard to beat this deal. The space isn’t exactly high on the hygiene scale, but when you do a walk-​up window at a dumpy-​looking hut, you should know what you are getting into.

I live nearby Sam’s Red Hots but choose to walk further to Red Hot Ranch. The hot dogs at Sam’s Red Hots are average and judging from the exterior I have concerns about food quality and cleanliness (I’ve spotted rats quite a few times…). Play it safe and walk to Red Hot Ranch for a better hot dog and some cheesy fries.

perfection on chicago dogs + crinkle cut fries EVERY DOGGONE TIME!

I don’t know how this place is passing health codes, I see rats creeping in the back door. The staff probably keeps them as pets. Disgusting and not even good food. Go elsewhere.

Well the downward slide continues.
If you’re a hardcore thug-​gangbanger, Sam’s is the place for you.
You can chase all your rivals across the street on Western or even hassle some normal neighborhood types.
Seriously, the staff is rude, dirty and they all could use some time outside their trailer homes.
Place had potential but obviously the owner (who’s never around) just doesn’t care. I am done giving Sam’s any more of my hard-​earned money.

Not gonna lie, I’ve questioned the whole health issue regarding this hot dog stand myself, and yet we’ve been going to Sam’s pretty much my entire life and I’m still here! I think there were a few years in between that I stopped going because I got a bad batch of french fries — but I eventually missed those damn hot dogs and now I’ve returned. I usually get a hot dog from Sam’s at least a few times a year.
This place is pretty cheap too! Each dog/​polish comes with a healthy amount of fries (enough for 2 people if you ask me). The french fries are best when they first come out of the grease (i will not speculate as to the age of the grease).
Pizza puffs? Tamales? can’t comment as to the taste cause I don’t really eat them, but they are your standard hot dog stand type — the puff is deep fried, flaky type pie — tamale is that steamed cornmeal prepackaged deal…
Pretty limited menu. Shack or not, for this place to be around for decades has to mean something… I know I keep going back… I’m hooked… or immune to the bacteria. :-D

Best Hot Dog stand you can find in all the city of chicago! My father introduce us to his favorite place when we were kids and since then I will too take my kids there when I have them. My Dad calls this place and we all do too «The Presidential «it sounds more awesome :)
Although its tough to stand and wait for your food in the cold, it adds a cool feeling. Your in the heart of Chicago’s West side getting a great Vienna hotdog!!! nuf said!

I have since returned to Sam’s and it was everything I thought it would be. That’s to say, I got an assload of food for $ 2.50.

My husband and I can eat here, be full, and spend about $ 5.50 total.
The portions are generous, the hot dogs are good, and I love those crinkle fries.
The menu is limited — hot dog, polish, pizza puff, tamale — but the cheap prices draw me in every time.
As some other commenters mentioned, this is literally just a hot dog stand — no inside area for customers to sit.
Have yourself a cheap date, grab some hot dogs, and head to Margies Candies just across the street for dessert. Yum.