Restaurant Review by Pamela Holz
Note: This review was written in 2014 and has been revived in honor of National Hot Dog Day. Chi-Town is still located at 1057 S. Riverside Drive, but some menu items may have changed.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – It was a busy Saturday, and we had just finished up with my daughter’s soccer game. We were looking for a quick and easy lunch, but wanted something besides the typical fast food fare. “How about Chi-Town?” suggested my brilliant husband. Calling ahead to make sure they were open—“Yep, ‘til 4!”—we headed down to Riverside.
If you haven’t been, Chi-Town is a little tricky to find. It is located in a little building just past Big Lots on Riverside, tucked behind the 
Dairy Queen. They offer drive thru or walk up service, and there are several tables outside at which you can enjoy your purchase. Please note that they accept cash only, but their prices are pretty reasonable… We were able to pool together enough spare change added to the couple of bucks my husband had in his wallet, and come up with enough to feed four.
There are actually quite a few choices for such a little place: there is the traditional Chi-Town hot dog ($2.50), the Chili Dog ($3.50), the Portly Dog ($3.00), Polish Sausage ($3.75), or Bratwurst ($3.50). All of these can be topped with “The Works:” mustard, onions, relish, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot sport peppers. There are also extra toppings available for a small fee: cheese, sour cream, coleslaw, sauerkraut, mayo, or BBQ sauce. They also offer Italian Beef ($7.25), Italian Sausage ($5.25), or the Italian Combo—both the beef and the sausage on one bun ($8.50). In addition to all of these options, a chili tamale ($4.50) also makes an appearance on the menu.
We ordered a Chi-Town hot dog, a Chili Dog, a Portly Dog, all with “The Works”– and a Chili Tamale. The order was written on the brown paper bag that the meal came in, and in no time, we had our simple lunch. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to take our lunch down to Liberty Park, and have an impromptu picnic.
We appreciated the extra napkins that were included with our meal, as the dogs are a bit messy, but there was not a word of complaint, as all I heard were the sounds of munching and “Mmmm, these are really good!” “The Works” add that crunch of cucumber, pickles and relish, the juicy tomatoes and onions, and the tangy mustard on a meaty hot dog tucked into a poppy seed encrusted bun… It makes for a quick and yummy lunch with the taste of Chicago, right here in Clarksville.
Chi-Town Hot Dogs
1057 S. Riverside Drive
Clarksville, TN
931-920-5100
CASH ONLY!
Mon.-Fri. 10:30 am-7:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am-4:00 pm
Closed Sundays
http://www.chi-townhotdogs.com/