American diner$lincoln-parkSun-Thu 11:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-04:00
The Wieners Circle in Chicago is the Lincoln Park late-night hot dog counter on Clark Street, open since 1983, famous for the staff-and-customer banter past.
Signature: Char dog, Chocolate milkshake
Order: Char dog with everything; cheese fries on the side. A chocolate milkshake to walk home.
Tip: The shouting is the show. If you are not up for the banter, the daytime queue is exactly the same dog without the audience.
American$river-groveMon-Thu 10:30-01:00; Fri-Sat 10:30-02:00; Sun 10:30-01:00
Gene & Jude's in River Grove is the 1946 hot-dog stand on River Road, west of Chicago: no ketchup, no tomato, no cheese, no chairs, just dogs.
Signature: Hot dog with everything (no tomato, no cheese)
Order: Double dog with the works (mustard, relish, onion.
Tip: Fries are tucked into the same paper as the dog. Eat them off the dog as you go, that is the point of the design.
Taqueria$$wicker-park-bucktownMon-Thu 11:30-22:00; Fri 11:30-23:00; Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 11:00-22:00
Big Star in Chicago is the One Off Hospitality taco room at Six Corners on Damen, with an outdoor patio, a frozen margarita machine and tacos al pastor.
Signature: Al pastor taco, Frozen margarita
Order: Three al pastor tacos, a frozen margarita, chips with the smoky tomato salsa.
Tip: The patio queue is long in summer. The walk-up window pays out a perfectly good takeaway dinner in five minutes.
Mexican Taqueria$little-villageMon-Wed 11:00-21:00; Fri-Sun 11:00-20:00; Thu closed
La Chaparrita in Chicago is the Little Village taqueria off 26th Street with handmade-tortilla tacos from a small storefront counter, run by the Loera family.
Signature: Suadero taco, Tripa taco
Order: Suadero and tripa tacos, with a sip of agua de jamaica.
Tip: Cash only. The salsas at the counter are unmarked; ask which is the hottest and start there.
Belgian$$andersonvilleSun-Thu 12:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-00:00
Hopleaf in Chicago is the Andersonville Belgian beer bar on Clark since 1992, with moules frites, a 200-bottle Belgian list and the cashew-butter-and-fig.
Signature: Moules frites, Belgian beer flight, CB&J (cashew butter, fig jam)
Order: Moules frites with the Belgian-frites mayo. CB&J sandwich for the table.
Tip: The back dining room takes walk-ups only. Aim for 17:00 on Sunday to land it for dinner without waiting.
American BBQ$east-sideSun-Wed 10:00-21:45; Thu 09:00-21:30; Fri-Sat 09:00-21:45
Calumet Fisheries in Chicago is the East Side smokehouse on the 95th Street bridge since 1948, with smoked chub, fried perch and shrimp wrapped in butcher.
Signature: Smoked chub, Fried lake perch
Order: Smoked chub by the piece and a fried perch fillet plate.
Tip: Cash only, no seating. Walk to the bridge and eat the chub on the railing watching the boats; that is the meal.