Restaurants in Franklin Park

The country's signature sausages gather together at the quick-service frankfurter mecca, America's Dog. Fresh ingredients pile up on all-natural Vienna Beef dogs from such cities as Santa Fe, New Orleans, and Baltimore and whisk diners away to various metropolises more easily than hard-to-find magic carpets. Along with wienerwursts, the menu also hosts the breaded trappings of juicy Black Angus burgers and hearty spoonfuls of homemade soups.

On a sweeping patio, The Boundary's massive neon sign clicks on as the light from the sun fades, and scents drift from the eatery's grill, hinting at a menu of sizzling burgers. Like reckless use of a time machine, designing a burger from the multitude of toppings leads to an incalculable number of unpredictable outcomes and cheese-covered fingers. Beneath exposed-brick walls lined with framed posters and TVs broadcasting Blackhawks games, glasses slosh more than 100 different beers from brewers including Unibroue, Victory, and Great Lakes to fuel revelry and happy chatter.

Butch Maguire’s namesake founder entrusted his son Bobby with upholding the 50-year-old tavern’s reputation for pairing its menu of classic pub grub and craft beers with the convivial milieu of an Irish saloon. Dangling lamps glint off burnished wood furnishings and vintage glasswork, as radiant wall sconces spill their glow over plates laden with Guinness-braised bratwurst and custom-cut Reubens. Suds from Smithwick's and Harp nod to Butch’s Irish roots alongside pitch-black pints of Guinness ideal for pairing with the tavern’s late-night menu or fount of leprechaun tears.

Vibrant yellow walls wrap around the intimate-café interior of Vee Vee’s African Restaurant as chefs churn out traditional West African cuisines focused on Nigerian delicacies. The casual BYOB atmosphere stimulates conversation as patrons nosh on starters of egusi soup and fried plantains sporting delectable caramelized edges, before introducing taste buds to more meat-centric entrees, such as jerk chicken partnered with much friendlier sides of rice and red beans. Highlighted by Centerstage Chicago, Vee Vee’s eatery makes an impression on locals and tourists afar hosting Black History Month dinners, pounding the pavement at college cultural festivals, and as a "staple at neighborhood festivals throughout the city including the Taste of Chicago."

The bun-filling staff at Huey's Hot Dogs in Andersonville delights diners with traditional hot dogs, embellished franks, and other casual American fare including old-fashioned milk shakes. Customers can dive into classic Chicago dogs, sink teeth into blue-cheese burgers, or sate sausages' wanderlust by pushing their bun boats over bowls of hearty chili.

For more than 30 years, King Crab Tavern and Seafood Grill has served fresh crustaceans and cooked-to-order fish in a lively, nautically themed bar that was recently featured on Check Please!. Chefs well-versed in the finer points of crab cuisine heap plates with the menu's juicy Alaskan king–, dungeness-, and snow-crab legs alongside wedges of lemon and dipping sauces, and fishier catches can be broiled, grilled, blackened, fried, or banished from the bar at the diner's whim. Bartenders pour foam-crested brews and flaunt their mixological craft on aperitifs against the backdrop of the full bar's sports-tuned televisions. The barrage of flat-screens makes it easy to keep up on NBA, NHL, and NFL games without flagging down every passerby holding a smart phone.