Street Cart · Chicago Original

Chicago-Style Hot Dog

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Ask for ketchup on a real Chicago dog and don't be surprised if the vendor refuses — it's considered such a mismatch that plenty of stands simply won't put it on.

An all-beef frank sits in a steamed poppy-seed bun and gets 'dragged through the garden' — yellow mustard, chopped white onion, bright green relish, a pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt, all without ketchup. Cart and stand vendors across Chicago build it the same exacting way.

Why it's made this way: The all-the-way topping list dates to Depression-era vendors who packed in enough vegetables to make a nickel hot dog feel like a full meal, and the no-ketchup rule stuck as a point of local pride.