Byron's versus Wolfy's - a split decision

Yesterday was a business trip to Chicago's north side, timed to coincide with lunch.

My son and I first stopped at Byron's, previously recommended by cowdery on another thread. Byron's has its own parking lot which is handy in this congested area.

The cramped interior was classic Chicago hot dog stand. There was a wonderful aroma coming from the interesting looking sausages on the grill, but as it was our first visit we stuck to dogs & fries.

The hot dog was flavorful and meaty, and I liked it a lot. My son thought it was OK, but nothing special. The fries were well-executed McDonald's-style; crisp and salty.

The only negative was a lack of eating space inside, not even room for a standup counter along the wall, so we ate at the tables outside next to the parking lot. In better weather it would be fine, but it was hot & humid, and the pigeons parading about seemed to be eyeing everyone's food.

Then it was on to Wolfy's -- a known data point. We made a variation from plan, skipping fries as we'd had them before, and I had a char-Polish instead of a dog (stevez's recommendation). I traded a bite of my Polish for a bite of my son's hot dog.

I thought the hot dog though good was a notch behind Byron's, while my son definitely like Wolfy's better.

The Char Polish was excellent, the crisp casing making a wonderful counterpoint to the juicy interior.

My thanks to both cowdery and stevez for the recs.

So there you have it -- another venture into Chow Science (to use Gwiv's phrase). Nothing conclusive other than both Byron's and Wolfy's are worthy members of the Chicago Hot Dog community. And we had a good time.

Byron's Hot Dog Haus
1017 West Irving Park Road
Chicago
773-281-7474

Wolfy's
2734 W. Peterson Avenue
Chicago
773-743-0207
M-Sa: 10-10; Su: 10-8

Byron's uses casingless dogs, a definite down point in my book. I'm also not a fan of the cucumber and lettuce topping.

LAZ wrote:

I'm also not a fan of the cucumber and lettuce topping

The cucumber and lettuce are options (along with mustard, relish, pickles, green peppers, etc.)

I had the cucumbers, but not the lettuce, along with mustard, tomatoes, pickles, relish & celery salt; my son preferred to have his hot dog plain. I like that Byron's has so many options for those who want them.

So what am I missing? I see a review of Byrons and of Wolfys. But the thread title says Byrons and Flukys. Has my reading comprehension really gotten that bad?

Midas wrote:

So what am I missing? I see a review of Byrons and of Wolfys. But the thread title says Byrons and Flukys. Has my reading comprehension really gotten that bad?

Whoops, my bad! Don't know what I was thinking. I have corrected the title. Thanks for catching this one.

LTH,

Had a quick lunch at Wolfy's today. After previous visits for the solid Polish and regular dogs and then again for the OK Philly once I think and even a burger, I finally hit the mother-load with the JUMBO Char Dog meal deal:

Jumbo Char Dog
Medium Fry
Medium Drink

For $5.89 with tax, it'd be hard to find a better lunch deal in the City.

Wonderful crunch, texture and "char" taste throughout the dog. Good size, nice basic bun, good fillings as I had mine with everything sans hot peppers. Everything meant, tomatoes (surprisingly fresh and very tasty, chopped onion, mustard, celery salt, pickle slice, relish and ketchup (Just Kidding ). Just a symphony of flavor. What a really good dog. The best thing I can say is this lunch really hit the spot.

What a great deal for under $6. The regular dog and Polish are good, sometimes very good, but the Jumbo Char Dog is excellent.

What a great lunch!

Bster

I had a Wolfy's polish last night. One of the best around, to be sure.

wolfys all the way!

I've eaten at both - and judge Wolfy's a poor runner-up to Byron's. Wolfy's problem, IMO, is the lack of a trained staff and poor management - resulting in an inferior product (hot dogs). UDawgU (or whatever the old Fluky's location at Western and Pratt is called now) beats both Byron's and Wolfy's, for me.

Bill wrote:I've eaten at both - and judge Wolfy's a poor runner-up to Byron's.

Bill,

Byron's uses a skinless dog, an automatic discount of 75% on a 100 point scale far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

Bill wrote:I've eaten at both - and judge Wolfy's a poor runner-up to Byron's.

Bill,

Byron's uses a skinless dog, an automatic discount of 75% on a 100 point scale far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy,
Gary

At least!

Skinless, or not - I find the finished product served to customers at Wolfy's inferior to some other hot dog places I've eaten at. Quibble about skin vs. no skin - that's a valid point - and I prefer skin. In the end, overall taste and satisfaction is what's important to me - and Wolfy's hasn't "had it" for a long time now.

Bill wrote: Quibble about skin vs. no skin - that's a valid point - and I prefer skin.

Hot dog stands are a matter of preference, but skinless vs natural casing is a deal breaker, not a quibble.

My current favorites are Herm's (Dempster), Jimmy's (Grand/Pulaski), Hot Doug's, Poochie's (Dempster), Gene and Jude's.

I actually haven't had a dog at Wolfy's in years, usually going for a Polish (which they do very well). I'll have to try one next time.

kuhdo wrote:I actually haven't had a dog at Wolfy's in years, usually going for a Polish (which they do very well). I'll have to try one next time.

I almost never order a hot dog at Wolfy's. The polish is where they really shine, though I have not tried the jumbo char dog talked about upthread. I may give one of those a whirl next time I go.

anyone ever try the dog at hotdog island???

I had a minimalist dog (if truth be told, TWO minimalist dogs) at Wolfy's a few months back. Just about indistinguishable from the much-vaunted Gene's and Jude's. The dogs at Wolfy's are just fine, thank you.

Mike G wrote:I had a minimalist dog (if truth be told, TWO minimalist dogs) at Wolfy's a few months back. Just about indistinguishable from the much-vaunted Gene's and Jude's. The dogs at Wolfy's are just fine, thank you.

In all fairness, the fries at Wolfy's can't hold a candle to those at Gene & Judes, although I'll agree about the dogs.

True, especially given the miracle that happens when the fries are wrapped in the paper next to the mustard and onion at Gene's and Jude's. But dog for dog, Wolfy's is first rate.

I gotta admit I prefer Wolfy's over Byron's. Skinless aren't serious contenders IMO. But I may have a mental block against them due to the lettuce thing. That's a blasphemy on the same level as ketchup, AFAIAC.