Hot Dog Express

Great service, amazing prices, and wonderful food. Our out of town family wanted a dog and sure enough we were very pleased! A great spot — and in our neighborhood.

I love their Philly cheese steak. Fries are yummy and a good portion size. Hot dogs are good as well. Friendly staff. Need to update their online hours as I believe they are closed on Sundays.

Can I say best gyro I have ever had I love it the white sauce is nice n creamy with pieces of cucumber it’s so crisp I just have to tell everyone lol I will never go to Susie’s again

I gave this place several tries. I first tried their Italian beef and was extremely unsatisfied. Very rubbery feel to the beef and bread fell apart. Lack of seasoning. So the. I tried their Chicago Dog. Very bland, no flavors, no poppy seeds on the bun. Their Maxwell was just as plain and bland. So then I said, alright I’ll give their Gyros a try. Very weird looking, the meat itself tasted old and was really hard. Location and appearance has so much potential, especially in this neighborhood we here I feel good food is really lacking. If you want good food, head north a little bit to Bacci or east on Cicero and try Romas. It’s unfortunate, because the guys here a very friendly and quick, but the taste is the food is what got the 1 star.

My go to spot for gyros Greek salad. Everything is always fresh! I’ve tried other places and have yet to find anywhere better. I really should try a hot dog one day!

I love this place. Great food. Gyros, Hot Dogs and Burgers are great. Not to mention affordable and always greeted with a smile.

It’s my first time here, one thing I can say, it’s not the best food in town, but definitely tasty and cheap. One of my friend said it’s the best hot dogs, but I’m not really into it. But it’s a good experience.

This place is great. Food is fresh and delicious. Greek salad with grilled chicken is on point! Grilled chicken on pita bread is delicious. They marinade their chicken which is a plus!

Overall, I would come back. Hot dog was good but my fries were undercooked. Everything here is fresh and I would return to try other items on the menu!

They make the thickest Chicago dogs in the portage park area. The ingredients just taste so fresh. The salads are surprisingly good too. However the staff is not very neighborly. But the Chi dogs are so good you look past it.

I go there for one thing only, the gyros! Hot dogs and all the rest are ok but this is by far the best item on the menu, and will feed you for days.

I live down the street from this spot. Potato skin on fries my favorite. My kids love going for the Ice cream shakes. Staff is Ok. Food is Good, out door seating is a plus. Good neighborhood place.

Rosa J. loves neighborhood joints. Often time those places may not have «the best» food in the entire world, but they are solid, affordable, and convenient.
The Hot a Dog Express is located off Cullom on Milwaukee Ave. in Portage Park. The CTA 56 southbound bus dropped us right in front of it.
The entire venue is tiny, but there are several high stools along the walls facing the street for dine-​in patrons. They welcome your credit cards and phone orders, if you don’t feel like waiting onsite.
However, the waiting wasn’t long at all for us; it was approximately five (5) minutes and all food items came at once. We ordered the Italian beef combo, shrimp basket combo, and breaded mushrooms. Each combo came with a small drink and a plenty of fries.
As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Italian beef sandwiches. In average in consumed two (2) to three (3) Italian beef sandwiches in a week. Although I wasn’t extremely impressed the flavor of their Italian beef, it was tender and smooth. If using sing styles as the metaphor to describe how I thought about the Italian beef here, it was a classical singer who has good techniques, but he or she doesn’t possess a signature «trademark» to be remembered. In other words, it was rather forgettable.
The sweet peppers that I asked for had a slightly bitter taste. The saturation of «dipping» was adequate. Overall, they earned a passing grade.
The breaded mushrooms were quite delicious. The portions were large as well. In addition, the sour cream dipping sauce accompanied the breaded mushrooms fairly well. Hence, I would ordered this item again.
Hubby’s shrimp basket combo comes from one of the Lent specials. For $ 4.99, the Lent combo special is very reasonably-​priced. They didn’t skimp on the size and portions of the shrimp basket. We would definitely give this dish a go next time when we come back.
This place is certainly a neighborhood staple, and I bet the locals can’t live without it! I don’t live in Portage Park, yet I never know where I will end up with when it comes to food! I was glad that my stomach was satiated after a slow day of work.

I recommend the gyro! So good and the portions are insane (in a good way). My husband and I can easily share an order of fries with some left over! This is a great neighborhood spot.
I had the beef with peppers on my last visit and was not impressed — I’ll stick to the gyro and fries!

The fries are delicious! I like their gyros too but the fries are the best, in my opinion. I ordered a hot dog combo on my way to school and they had my food ready before the bus got there, so about six minutes according to the bus tracker. I thought that was amazing. I go here often and will to do so.

Tried my first Chicago style dog and wasn’t disappointed. Crisp pickle and green chiles and fresh tomatoes.

I had not been here in a couple of months. I went recently and things were not the same. The Gyros was so tasteless I had to pour garlic salt all over it. Ownership change?

They no longer have funnel cakes, but they still have great food. A hole in the wall type of place but do not underestimate their food and friendly service.

I usually order a burger + fresh cut fries and I’m satisfied 100%. I get full just eating that.
Plus the shakes here… I love! And it doesn’t hurt that this location isn’t too far from my house.

I’ve been going to HDE now for a few years. The guys working the counter/​grill are nice and have quick turnaround from when you order to the food getting to you. It’s my go to joint for a hot dog and their prices are great.
My wife gets the hamburger and every once in awhile I’ll get the Italian Beef. Both are good quality, the beef is flavorful and I like their hot peppers.
The best part about HDE is probably the fresh cut fries. It’s hard to beat fresh cut fries and they always give you enough so you’re full with a sandwich and fry meal.
Just to note, I’m giving HDE a 5 star rating not that it is on the level of a fancy restaurant, but rating it in the grouping of fast food/​hot dog joint.