May 27, 2025

Right after checking into the Chicago Cambria Hotel at 8pm, we drove to Jim’s Original Polish Sausage Stand. The famous stand has been in business for 85 years and is open 24 hours. A security guard stood under a tree, guarding the stand, which made me feel uneasy. Grant parked our brand new, shiny rental Nissan Pathfinder (with only 280 miles on it!) on a side street away from the rest of the cars in front of Jim’s. I told him I would feel more comfortable if we were parked on the same street as the rest of the customers so he circled the block and got rock star parking when another customer pulled out.

We got out and scanned the simple menu: original Polish sausage, chicken Polish sausage, pork chop w/bone sandwich, hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, hot dog, chicken sandwich, and fish sandwich. All sandwiches (except the fish) come with fries. My chicken Polish with fries was only $8.50.

I went up to the counter and asked for the chicken Polish. The guy at the register asked brusquely, “A Polish with all the works?” He seemed annoyed. I repeated I wanted a chicken Polish, not a regular Polish, please, with all the works. That seemed to upset him more. I didn’t know if he was giving me attitude because I was being polite, asking for a chicken Polish, or if he could sense I was not from Chicago. I wanted to point to the sign on the window that advertised, “We serve chicken Polish sausage, which will soon be the world famous chicken Polish sausage!” and suggest he should take down that sign if he didn’t want people ordering the chicken Polish. I had enough wisdom to not cause a scene at a place with a security guard.

After both Grant and Sean placed their orders and got the same curt treatment, Sean said the food must be really good if the service came with so much attitude. A stream of customers before and after us confirmed Jim’s Original was doing something right. Customer service was obviously not their forte but efficiency was. Our food was placed in three individual brown paper bags in less than three minutes. Talk about fast! There was a standing counter on the side which gave us the option to have our backs to the security guard. We opted for our Nissan instead.

My chicken Polish sausage had tangy yellow mustard, a pile of warm grilled onions on top, and a long jalapeno almost the length of the sausage. All of it rested on a smushed and soft white bun. According to Jim’s sign this was “Maxwell Street Style” or “the works.” When I bit into it, gooey mustard and grilled onions dripped down my chin, all over the white parchment wrapper. The savory sausage had a snappy crunch and was juicy and smoky. It did not disappoint. The next bite I tried with the jalapeno. It threw me into a coughing fit! I frantically gulped half the water in my water bottle. I can usually handle heat but one bite of that pepper was enough.

I realized the ketchup in my brown bag must be for there for the fries. The fries were thick, crispy, and warm. They were decent but I didn’t want to waste my calories so I gave most of them to Grant and Sean. I finished my hot dog in no time and found myself wanting more food. Grant asked if we should split a pork chop sandwich after he wolfed down his Polish, his own fries, and some of my fries. I didn’t want another sandwich but I said I could go for Chicago deep dish pizza. Grant was game. One hot dog and a bunch of fries did not fill him up. Sean said he wasn’t hungry but he would do it too, just out of curiosity. Pequod’s Pizza was open until 2am and we headed over.

Unlike Jim’s, Pequod’s is a sit down restaurant. The red brick interior, cheerful people gathered around the long bar, and dining tables made the place feel welcoming and comforting. It’s everything you imagine a pizza place with a bar would be.

Even after 9pm on a Tuesday night, Pequod’s was packed. I felt like I’ve seen this place before in a sitcom. It’s a place young singles in their 20’s come after work with their friends to hang out. Sean said it looked like the bar from How I Met Your Mother.

The waitress recommended a deep dish with house-made pork sausage, basil, and garlic. She told us it was her favorite combination so we ordered a medium. About forty minutes later another waitress carried our hot pan of caramelized pie with mozzarella cheese oozing out from underneath the deep red tomato sauce. The edges of the crust were black but did not taste burnt.

Grant said he could taste the char but both Sean and I did not detect it on our slices. I thought the caramelized cheese crust was the best part of the pizza. The cheesy filling was satisfying but I found myself wishing there were more garlic and tomatoes just like the deep dish at Zachary’s Pizza back home. To be fair, the locals on Yelp did inform us that Pequod’s was technically “Detroit style” not “Chicago deep dish style”. Back home, Zachary’s pride and joy is their deep dish spinach and mushroom. In our hearts, Zachary’s is still the best deep dish. Sorry Chicagoans.

Sean commented that if he lived in Chicago, he would probably eat at Jim’s once a week for the price and quality. But for deep dish pizza we wanted to try another place in Chicago before our trip ended because Pequod’s did not wow us, especially after considering all the praise for Chicago style pizza.