clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A person’s hand reaches out with a hot dog in a bun.
The Hot Dog Box debuts in Portage Park.
Daija Guy/Eater Chicago

Filed under:

Explore the Hot Dog Box, Portage Park’s Long-Awaited Palace of Sausage

The Bronzeville-based stand begins a new chapter with its first stand-alone restaurant

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

The Hot Dog Box, the ambitious business that’s made a noteworthy splash in Chicago’s competitive gourmet hot dog scene, has at last opened its first stand-alone location. Helmed by charismatic self-proclaimed “sausage king” Bobby Morelli, it’s grown from a Bronzeville shipping container to a full-fledged restaurant at 4020 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Portage Park.

A smiling Black man poses with his arms crossed. He is wearing a red crown.
The Hot Dog Box founder Bobby Morelli.

At about 2,000 square feet, the restaurant seats 30 in a space meant to evoke a festive year-round picnic — a riff on a scene from 1993 drama Poetic Justice — with ketchup red and mustard yellow furniture, an enormous wall mural of the Chicago skyline, and a replica of the original fire engine-colored stand in the Boxville marketplace where Morelli’s company began in August 2020. An oversize game of Connect Four (a staple at the Bronzeville location) also appears in the new restaurant. “I really want the space to feel like a sunny afternoon backyard gathering, like a big family group with cousins from all over,” Morelli told Eater in early January.

The Hot Dog Box has earned a loyal following with a menu of filet mignon hot dogs, smoked salmon dogs, and vegan dogs, all piled high with creative topping combinations. Hits have included Morelli’s signature Bronzeville bourbon dog (bacon crumbles, bourbon barbecue sauce, sport peppers). In tribute to the restaurant’s new neighborhood, the team has added a Portage House dog: a sausage tucked inside a pretzel bun and topped with root beer steak sauce, sautéed onions, and mushrooms.

A painted wall mural of an anthropomorphized hot dog wearing a crown beside the Chicago skyline.
A person drizzles brown sauce on to a hot dog in a bun.
A replica of a red shipping container with an ordering window inside a restaurant space.

Clockwise from upper left: The restaurant is proud of its hometown, but still allows ketchup on hot dogs; the Bronzeville bourbon dog; the new restaurant brings the brand’s playful style indoors.

A recording artist who joined the hospitality industry during the pandemic, Morelli has also courted fans on social media — often flanked by 10-year-old daughter and sometime assistant Brooklyn. Their family-friendly videos and posts, combined with a flurry of media coverage of the Black-owned business, have charmed fans, who form long lines outside the South Side stand. Over the summer, staff on occasion had to close early because demand was so high that they sold out entirely.

Morelli hopes to channel that momentum into the Hot Dog Box’s new home — and eventually, even beyond the Chicago market, he tells the Tribune. In the meantime, he’s ironing out operations in Portage Park and concocting plans for a neighborhood party in the summer, when the city’s hot dog season kicks off in earnest.

Those balmy days are still far off, but for now, explore the new restaurant in the photographs below.

The Hot Dog Box, 4020 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Red and yellow stools and tables sit in front of a wall mural of faces that reads “#ShareTheLove.”
Positive, upbeat messaging plays a key role in Morelli’s brand.
A hot dog covered with toppings in a paper boat.
The Cajun Bell dog (smoked salmon dog, pretzel bun, buttermilk remoulade, lettuce, bell pepper).
A hand sprinkles toppings onto a hot dog in a to-go container.
Bronzeville bourbon dog (filet mignon hot dog, bacon crumbles, bourbon barbecue sauce, sport peppers).
Packaged brownies with red heart stickers.
Morelli’s youngest daughter gets a shoutout with Bailey’s Brownies.
A replica of a red shipping container with an ordering counter beside a rack of t-shirts and other merchandise.
Mega-fans can snag merch along with their meal.
Red and yellow stools and tables on green astroturf inside a restaurant.
Morelli even appears as an anthropomorphized hot dog.

The Hot Dog Box Portage Park

4020 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60641 Visit Website
Chicago Restaurant Openings

Five Things to Know About Čálli, Soho House’s Latest Mexican Restaurant

Chefs

Michelin-Starred Mari Katsumura Takes Over Downtown Darling Chicago Athletic Association

Chicago Restaurant Closings

Cooper’s Hawk Will Vacate Esquire Theater Space and Close Its Sole Chicago Location

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Eater Chicago newsletter

The freshest news from the local food world