Introduction to the Windy City Hot Dog Fest
The Windy City Hot Dog Fest is in full swing, and attendees are in for a treat. With a variety of vendors offering traditional and unique takes on hot dogs, live music, entertainment for kids, and a hot dog-eating competition, there’s something for everyone. The festival, running through Sunday at 4000 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Portage Park, features 11 participating eateries, each vying for the coveted title of having the best hot dog.
The Competition
By the end of the weekend, one of the 11 participating eateries — Chicago’s Dog House, Baked Cheese Haus, Bust Outs, Byron’s Hot Dogs, J’s Bacon Hot Dogs, Lola’s Coney Island, Sausage Fest Food Truck, Frannie’s Cafe, Leona’s Restaurant, Lee’s Concessions, and Tandoor Char House — will be awarded the top honor, and diners will decide by scanning a QR code to vote for their favorite. Logan Square resident Trey Perillo and four of his friends heard about the festival on TikTok and arrived with a plan to try all 11 competing hot dogs and determine for themselves which is the best.
Unique Hot Dog Offerings
Bust Outs, a newer vendor to the fest, focuses on hamburgers and hot dogs with the menu themed around the Chicago Transit Authority train lines. This is the eatery’s second year at the fest, and restaurant partner Angelo Palivos said the preparation for the weekend takes about six months. Among the preparations is creating a new hot dog concept to debut at the festival. Palivos is confident about this year’s creation, the Fire Dog. It is a jumbo frank stuffed with jalapeño cheese, wrapped in cherry rosewood bacon and topped with grilled onions and mustard.
<img class="Image" alt="Angelo Palivos, partner at Buts Outs, watches over the hotdogs that are being grilled during the Windy City Hot Dog Fest in Portage Park, Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c9de789/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008×4672+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5d%2Fec%2Fa4d81f5b431c902d2396d0390530%2Fhotdogs-060125-8.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88a2d7d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008×4672+0+0/resize/1680×1120!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5d%2Fec%2Fa4d81f5b431c902d2396d0390530%2Fhotdogs-060125-8.jpg 2x" width="840" height="560" src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c9de789/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008×4672+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5d%2Fec%2Fa4d81f5b431c902d2396d0390530%2Fhotdogs-060125-8.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" bad-src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvM
