2720 N. River RoadOne of my co-workers grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago near O’Hare. We travel together occasionally for big jobs and whenever we fly through Chicago, he always says we should have just drove to O’Hare and caught our flight there instead of flying out of Grand Rapids.
It would be a lot more inconvenient, but he raves about a hot dog place not too far from O’Hare. One he grew up going to and one that he tells anyone and everyone about when he finds out people are going to Chicago.
I don’t really like hot dogs, but I told him I was going to be in that area so I would give it a shot just to see what all of the hype is about.
Gene & Jude’s is on North River Road just north of Grand Avenue in River Grove, IL. The very small counter service, carry out hot dog stand has been on this spot since the mid-1950’s after moving from the Polk and Western in the City. Whenever lists are compiled of the best hot dog stands in the city….and the country, Gene & Jude’s is always near the top of the list.
I took a late night trip to River Grove after J and L went to bed. We had been at the Glenview Community Ice Center pretty much all day for the National Solo Dance Finals. Once skating was done for the day, a lot of our club gathered in the parking lot and had a little tailgating celebrating the success of the skaters that weekend. One of the parents had ordered Qdoba catering and had it delivered. It was a great idea, but I knew I was going to go for hot dogs later so I just kind of hung out and waited until it was time to head back to the hotel. My hot dog restaurant was open well past midnight so I knew I had some time.
I got to Gene & Jude’s around 11:00 on a Friday night. The parking lot was packed and there were people hanging out by their cars eating hot dogs.
I headed inside the small space to find the line wrapped around the interior of the building. There are no tables..just some counter along the wall to stand and eat but that would have been difficult with as many people as there were in the building.
Ordering is done at the counter and in true Chicago sandwich shop fashion, they pretty much just ask your order as you wait in line then hand it down the cashier to ring you up.
The menu is small….like, really small. The only options are hot dog w/fries, a double dog w/fries, an order of fries, or a corn tamale. That’s it. There are more pop options listed on the menu than there are food. Gene & Jude’s basically does one thing and does it well enough that there is a huge line wanting hot dogs at 11:00 at night.
When it got to be my turn, a guy turned around from the fryer and pointed at me. I told him I wanted a double dog with fries. His only question, “What on the dog?” I just said everything and he went to work. He grabbed a bun and two red hots. Put them on the same bun, brushed on some mustard, then topped with onion, relish, and sport peppers. He put the dog down on a piece of paper then dumped fries on top of it before wrapping the whole the thing up and handing it to the cashier. The cost was just under $7. I paid with cash then headed outside to eat.
There is a little ledge on the outside of the building to stand an eat. It’s not much but there’s enough room to put your dog and a drink down. Standing and eating is such a Chicago thing. The handhelds are so messy you’re expected to “hunch” over the counter and eat so you don’t get anything on your shirt.
I started in on the fries first. These fries are the epitome of Chicago fries. They’re fresh cut and fried with a little bit of a crunch on the outside but still soft in the middle. They’re a little greasy as they’re only fried once. When I think of Chicago hot dog or beef joints, this is exactly the kind of fries that I want. Because they’re wrapped with the hot dog, there is quite a bit of mustard that transfer from the dog to the fries. There are no extra condiments given with the fries. You eat them as is…and they’re delicious enough on their own you don’t need anything to dip them in….and you won’t get ketchup if you ask, so don’t ask.
So, I said earlier I don’t really like hot dogs…and I really don’t. It’s not that I can’t eat a hot dog. They don’t make me gag or anything..I just don’t really enjoy them. There are exceptions. I like Detroit Coney’s, but that’s mostly because of the sauce. I like corn dogs with a lot of mustard on them….but that’s mostly the breading. Hot dogs to me are just…meh.
Gene & Jude’s hot dog is the quintessential Chicago dog. It’s served on a soft, simple steamed white bread bun topped with mustard, relish, onions, and sport peppers. Some Chicago dogs will add tomato and pickles, this one does not. Some will also use a poppy seed bun. This one does not.
While I say I don’t enjoy hot dogs, I really don’t like onions, but I decided to leave them on to give this a true Gene & Jude’s feel. I took a bite and that was enough. I scraped the rest of the onions off. The hot dog was actually pretty good but the onions were too much for me. Once I rectified that situation, I devoured this hot dog. Going for the double dog was a good choice otherwise I would have finished this thing in two bites. I actually surprised myself how much I liked this hot dog. My co-worker was right. This is a hot dog you crave and drive out of the way for.
Gene & Jude’s was definitely worth the wait. I had a small list of places I wanted to eat at while we were on the northside of Chicago and this was at the top of the list. I waited until late night because I knew they were open late. Midnight meals are one of my favorite things about Chicago’s food scene. This place was packed on a Friday. It’s an atmosphere and I’m so bummed the rest of the country doesn’t have. These little hot dog joints are all over Chicago but Gene & Jude’s really stands out as everything that’s great about the Chicago hot dog culture.