Location: 744 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60616
A Quick Word:
I recently read that there was a hot dog joint on the south side that offered hot dogs from "all over America." After a little bit of a hunt, I found Zebra's tucked away in Bridgeport at a location different than what was posted online. Anyway, I had to stick with the Chicago classic dog and also one of their famous hot sandwiches. Overall, the hot dog wasn't as classic as I thought it would be. It wasn't even served on the correct bread. But they do offer one amazing menu item... the Corn Fritter. I would probably come back to this average hot dog joint, but not primarily for their hot dogs.
What I Ate:
Sticking with the classic Chicago style hot dog, I was hoping to get a better understanding of this "gourmet" hot dog joint. It comes with the typical ingredients--the 100% beef jumbo hot dog, mustard, relish (disappointingly not neon green), chopped tomato, chopped onions, sports peppers, dill pickles, and celery salt. The pickle was cut in half which didn't give the crisp factor I was hoping for. The rest of the veggies were ok. The most disappointing part though was the bun... or lack thereof. The hot dog and toppings were all stuffed inside a french roll rather than the classic steamed bun. The bread did not do it justice. Tweaking too many parts of a "classic" Chicago style hot dog was a bad decision on their part.
I've read several places online about how incredible their Ham & Swiss Sandwich is. So I ordered this and upgraded my order to include their corn fritters. (Typically, they come with fries). Anyway, the description says "thin slice of hot hame off the bone"... I didn't really find the ham to be sliced, but rather pulled. It was different than the deli style ham, so it was a nice change. Overall, I didn't find the ham to be that tender, but it did have nice flavor. And, with the swiss cheese, there was plenty of flavor without any added ingredients. This was served inside a french roll (similar to the hot dogs). It was a significant sized sandwich, definitely big enough for lunch. I would recommend this over the hot dogs for sure.
Another one of the main reasons I wanted to come to this restaurant was for the corn fritters. These huge, fried dough cornmeal balls are crispy on the outside with a soft and moist inside. There are whole corn kernels mixed into the dough, which gave it that nice corn flavor. They do dust the fritters lightly with powdered sugar which gives it a sweeter taste. I am unsure if they mean to make these a dessert or a savory side, but it doesn't really matter, because they are amazing!
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- Just a warning... their location online is incorrect and the address on my post is the right location. I had to call to make sure because their sign is still up at their old location (which is just around the corner).
- Make sure to pay the meter. When I was picking up my food, I luckily spent the 25 cents and the car in front of me and car behind me both got tickets.
- Definitely upgrade to corn fritters!
DON'T:
- Check your orders... I was disappointed because all hot dogs "come with fries" but I for sure didn't get any in my pick up order. Don't trust that everything is in there.
How far would I walk for this food?
A Quick Word:I recently read that there was a hot dog joint on the south side that offered hot dogs from "all over America." After a little bit of a hunt, I found Zebra's tucked away in Bridgeport at a location different than what was posted online. Anyway, I had to stick with the Chicago classic dog and also one of their famous hot sandwiches. Overall, the hot dog wasn't as classic as I thought it would be. It wasn't even served on the correct bread. But they do offer one amazing menu item... the Corn Fritter. I would probably come back to this average hot dog joint, but not primarily for their hot dogs.
What I Ate:
Chicago Classic Hot Dog
Sticking with the classic Chicago style hot dog, I was hoping to get a better understanding of this "gourmet" hot dog joint. It comes with the typical ingredients--the 100% beef jumbo hot dog, mustard, relish (disappointingly not neon green), chopped tomato, chopped onions, sports peppers, dill pickles, and celery salt. The pickle was cut in half which didn't give the crisp factor I was hoping for. The rest of the veggies were ok. The most disappointing part though was the bun... or lack thereof. The hot dog and toppings were all stuffed inside a french roll rather than the classic steamed bun. The bread did not do it justice. Tweaking too many parts of a "classic" Chicago style hot dog was a bad decision on their part.
Ham & Swiss Sandwich
I've read several places online about how incredible their Ham & Swiss Sandwich is. So I ordered this and upgraded my order to include their corn fritters. (Typically, they come with fries). Anyway, the description says "thin slice of hot hame off the bone"... I didn't really find the ham to be sliced, but rather pulled. It was different than the deli style ham, so it was a nice change. Overall, I didn't find the ham to be that tender, but it did have nice flavor. And, with the swiss cheese, there was plenty of flavor without any added ingredients. This was served inside a french roll (similar to the hot dogs). It was a significant sized sandwich, definitely big enough for lunch. I would recommend this over the hot dogs for sure.
Corn Fritters
Another one of the main reasons I wanted to come to this restaurant was for the corn fritters. These huge, fried dough cornmeal balls are crispy on the outside with a soft and moist inside. There are whole corn kernels mixed into the dough, which gave it that nice corn flavor. They do dust the fritters lightly with powdered sugar which gives it a sweeter taste. I am unsure if they mean to make these a dessert or a savory side, but it doesn't really matter, because they are amazing!
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- Just a warning... their location online is incorrect and the address on my post is the right location. I had to call to make sure because their sign is still up at their old location (which is just around the corner).
- Make sure to pay the meter. When I was picking up my food, I luckily spent the 25 cents and the car in front of me and car behind me both got tickets.
- Definitely upgrade to corn fritters!
Here is their new menu...
DON'T:
- Check your orders... I was disappointed because all hot dogs "come with fries" but I for sure didn't get any in my pick up order. Don't trust that everything is in there.
How far would I walk for this food?
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