It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, No, it’s Superdawg – A Review of Superdawg drive in

By Jesse | August 9, 2010

If you’ve ever visited the Chicago area, you know that the one thing Chicago does well is the hot dog. Mish-mashed fast food stands litter the city, often specializing in dogs and Italian beefs. Many also serve “char” burgers, basically a thin, well-done burger charred on a grill. The history of many of these stands dates back to post-World War II, when many G.I.’s returned home and went back to school. One great way to make money during the summer was to run your own hot dog stands.

Probably the best example of this type of fast food stop is Superdawg® drive in, located on the far northwest side of Chicago. I’ve you’ve ever driven down Milwaukee Avenue into the city, there’s no doubt you’ve seen this historic landmark with it’s 12-foot hot dog sculptures on the roof. Superdawg was created as a labor of love by two high school sweethearts looking to make some money during their summer vacations. Luckily, they’ve posted the full history on their website.

Superdawg is a great stop on a hot summer afternoon. It still retains it’s 1950′s drive-in style, you can drive up and order through speakers and they’ll bring your food out to you. Or you can make your way to a hot little walk-up counter. You order through little sliding windows where you can watch the wonders happening in the kitchen.

The menu is the standard hot dog and burger offerings, but menu items have clever names like the Whoopsiedawg (A Chicago style Polish Sausage), the Supercheesie (a cheeseburger) and even the Whoopercheesie (A double cheeseburger).

On this particular visit I ordered a Whoopercheesie (I couldn’t resist the name) with fries, and a chocolate malt, my favorite summer treat. I know, I know, I’m at SuperDawg and I ordered a burger.

After a long hot wait, complete with crying toddlers and picture-snapping tourists, I was handed my box of food.

One of the best parts about SuperDawg is the packaging. The box has a very distinctive look. It matches the full SuperDawg motif, complete with the dancing hot dogs from the roof and a restatement of the menu items.

The opened box sectioned between the burger and fries. It comes with a pickle and a small pickled green tomato. Even the inside of the box is well designed with a list of menu items. Overall some of the best presentation I’ve seen from a fast food restaurant.

Their fries are of the crinkle variety but well done to a golden brown. This is a nice touch, especially considering that crinkle fries are often soft and mushy.

The Whoopercheesie was a well-crafted fast food burger. The meat is nothing exceptional and cooked like a “char” burger, well done through the middle.

The chocolate shake was not exceptional, but still tasty and the perfect desert on a hot summer Saturday.

SuperDawg is, in my opinion, the best classic hot dog/fast food stop in Chicago. Good food, great presentation, a unique experience and rich history make SuperDawg a must visit.

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