The Clark Street Dog — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Befitting the surroundings of an urban hot dog stand open past midnight, the onion rings come counter-served, plunked in a white paper bag, jostling for space with the rest of my order, including a plastic cup of ranch. As I settle in on the patio, I realize I’ve actually been here before, but only in passing while killing time waiting for a Gloryhammer/Alestorm concert to start at the nearby Vic Theatre.

Unwrapping the bag, I’m almost knocked over by the tantalizing power of the onion aroma, curiously strong given the relatively small size of the onion rings. More than a few of them are cracked, a common hazard for paper bag packaging, but there’s an appealing and consistent color in the batter, albeit a bit on the darker side.

Though I strive to be objective in my analysis of onion rings, I still have my preferences, however informed they may be. Larger onion rings are one of them, as is a belief in the superiority of batter versus breading. Though these rings are small, and thus unable to muster a critical mass of onion, they manage to balance the thin slices of flavor with the salty batter.

I’m also biased against dryness in onion rings, a scourge I mostly associate with them being frozen or overcooked. The onion rings from Clark Street Dog are quite dry, but the way the batter lightly clings to it makes the overall bite not just palatable, but tasty, and dangerously easy to thoughtlessly devour in the August sun. The watery ranch wasn’t anything special, but it brought just the right level of moisture to the onion rings, and a slight creaminess.

These remind me a little bit of the artisanal and overpriced potato chips you would find at a middling brewpub: crunchy, but with a bit of give and a decent chew. Perhaps it’s more like popcorn, something light, crunchy, and easy to eat.

In any case, the batter, and its ambivalent hold over the onions, is the dominating textural sensation. The onions, again, are on the small size, but they hold their shape surprisingly well. In essence, they’re exactly the right mouthfeel for the place, time, and situation in which I’m consuming them, a definite plus.

Though the portion is large and the quality is above average, these onion rings are a little pricey at $6.95. Moreover, the price is incongruent with the general vibes of Clark Street Dog, though this may just be an unfortunate artifact of inflation and the general cost of living in Chicagoland.

They were a fitting re-introduction to the city’s culinary scene, as I had mostly been relying on decade-old memories of a place called “Eggsperience” and that one time I went to Ed Debevic’s in high school. I suspect all three have this in common: more expensive than I would have liked, but still...

Absolute worst customer service possible. I stopped in here after a doctor’s appointment looking to grab just two items to get my sugar back up. Cheese fries and Mozz sticks. The menu already is trash. Barely any good food items to pick from. Super tiny menu. It was so unorganized with the ordering. No clear line and they were taking whoever they wanted to service instead of paying attention to who was there waiting. After waiting for 10 mins and being ignored by everyone on the line, a white couple that walked in 1-2 mins prior starts to be serviced by them. I bought it to the staff’s attention that I was there first and had been waiting for a long time! No apology. Given extreme attitude instead and he started making excuses for them. From that point I knew I’d rather walk right out and eat elsewhere than spend ANY of my money with this establishment! It looked dirty anyway. Wouldn’t want their negative energy on my food. I went up the block to Bounmy Grill where I received quicker, better service and fresher food for better price. Do not spend your money where you are unappreciated or unvalued. There are way better options in the neighborhood like Big & Little’s, etc. Don’t settle for this.

Edit:: Wow, this company goes further to show their horrid customer service, via their response to my situation. They even went as far as to LIE on me. The staff was never paying attention to me, so when did you see the couple ask me if I had ordered? If that were truly the case - which they did not - then I would have responded by going up to the window. Once again, I WAS FAINT FROM GIVING BLOOD. It is the BUSINESS’ RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE CUSTOMERS AND ENVIRONMENT. How DARE you blame the customer? SHAME ON YOU “CLARK...

I got the full Chicago experience 😂

I moved here 6 years ago in the middle of a snowy winter with 4 bags. It's such a cultural shock coming from Hong Kong, where everyone is Midwestern nice 🙂

And people eat hotdogs without ketchup 😂 or drink Malort or eat pickles/ drink the juice

Jk. Whenever I go to any city whether to travel or live, I always make sure to try local food and explore local culture.

I guess this was one of them! This was a real treat, with such a homey and fun neighborhood spot that the value of:

✔️ differing Chicago neighborhoods ✔️ a Chicago hotdog ✔️ Drinking anytime between 11am-2am 😂 ✔️ supporting local businesses & farms ✔️ Pickleback shot 🥒🥃 ✔️ Many types of mules $12 ✔️ local Chicago beers on draft $5 ✔️ the only spot with the Angus beef  Chicago burger 🍔

My boyfriend is actually from Philly and has high standards for cheese steak . He said the Philly Cheese steak was actually really good besides too many mushrooms

What we got : 🍹Kentucky mule $12 🍻@gooseisland 312 beer $5 🌭Chicago Hotdog $4.69 (real beef, natural casing + good crunch) 🐮Philly Cheese Steak $11.99 (real skirt steak) 🍔 Chicago Burger $11.99 - Italian beef (won't find it anywhere else) 🧅 Onion rings $6.59 🍟 French fries with cheese dip $3.49 🍩 Chocolate deep fried dough bite $7.99 📍 Clark Street Dog 3040 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60657 Open 11am to 2am

More on...