Big Guys Sausage Stand, Oak Park

It can be hard to tell the sausages charbroiling on Big Guy's Sausage's grill apart. But while similar in shape, the 10 different styles contain vastly different flavors. Chefs grill up everything from classic Vienna Beef hot dogs and foot-long Maxwell Street polish sausages to more unique options featuring a range of meats and spices. Chefs incorporate spicy smoked crawfish and pork andouille into the crawfish sausage, and top spicy hot links with their signature pineapple cole slaw. Each sausage comes with a side of crisp, salty specialty fries, which chefs can upgrade with cheese sauce and a heaping scoop of house chili.

In true Chicago-style, Big Guy's Sausage doesn't just offer hot dogs and drinks with ice cubes shaped like Nelson Algren. They also layer together juicy Italian beef sandwiches topped with a choice of sweet and hot peppers, and build hearty sandwiches of the day, which might include prime rib and shoestring onions or barbecue brisket.