Tommy’s Red Hots

Recommend this place even dough propale Say its to much For a meal but it’s worth I like this food

Still holding strong at 3 stars. Gyros, fries and pizza puffs are still good. The customer service here is excellent and the overall speed in placing your order and getting out the door is decent.

The Fine Print: Okay to decent food — QUITE PRICEY ON SOME ITEMS.
Went here for carry-​out lunch on July 7, 2015. This place has been here for probably well over 20 years, and back in the day some friends and I would come here before (or after) visiting the Glendale Heights «summer fest» which is literally walking distance right behind this strip mall. The fest is held usually the 2^nd week of July each summer.
I got a hot-​dog and fries, and a Beef plain and spent a total of 12.45. Looking at the receipt now, it seems I was overcharged by about a dollar — perhaps for a drink I never ordered nor never got.
— Hot dog and fries: Fries were very good, hotdog was «decent-​to-​good». $ 3.50 — which isn’t bad, but 2 miles away at Doggie Diner — a hot dog and fries is $ 2.99, and it is just as good if not slightly better.
— Beef: Just OKAY. $ 7.00, which is way overpriced, I knew that ahead of time but wanted to try it. Beef was kinda dry (not that I want it dripping either) and just had average taste. Nothing to write home about. Pops, Portillos, even Scooby’s have far better beefs for cheaper. I would not get this again if I came here as the actual beef value was probably no more than $ 3.00
Staff: Fairly friendly.
Overall — the place is just okay based on the few food items I had today. I spent 12.45 and a part of me feels I paid $ 5 too much for what I got. Hot dog $ 3.50 + Beef $ 7.00 — 10.50. With tax this should be just over $ 11.00, not $ 12.45 — but oh well.
If I am ever in the area again or at the summer-​fest, I may stop in here for a simple hotdog and fries, but I can’t see me going out of my way to come here. It’s just OKAY, and a little expensive.
* Place does take credit cards. Reading other reviews below, some have said it was cash-​only. I am guessing they must have changed this policy recently.

Tommy’s has always been our go to place especially since we live a few blocks away but the past year they are slipping and it is for that reason they are only getting 2 stars from me. My favorite was the pizza puff it was always deep fried to perfection but the past few months you can actually taste that the grease is old and needs changing. I know this because I used to own my own hot dog stand. Maybe they have started straining the grease and reusing it to make it last because that is how it tastes.
So I have stopped ordering the pizza puffs unless they tell me the grease is fresh changed.
On to the hot dogs. I love them a certain way and they make them however you want but also the last few times I had to come home to add mustard and onions. It is sad that this place used to be so great is cheaping out on putting the tiniest of condiments on a hot dog.
The Italian sausage is still great and the gyro was always a good deal. I had asked them once to sell me an extra pita & divide the meat for one gyro between the two pita’s so I could split it with my daughter and they charged me for a 3^rd gyro so I have stopped ordering them from there.
Some good things some bad things as with any fast food place but that gyro experience was a final straw for me when we have been going there so many years.

The 2 hot dog special runs $ 6 for 2 ok tasting dogs, fries and a medium drink. The fries were the frozen kind you buy at the store but even so were actually pretty good. The hot dogs weren’t anything to write home about but for the price you really can’t beat that.
We’ve also had a gyro from here and that was really tasty. This place offers different specials for each day of the week too.

Great dogs and Frys. Good specials. Only take cash.

its an OK dog. fries are good. grilled chicken sandwich is real good. my complaint is the are way to expensive for fast food hotdogs. don’t plan on sitting in unless you like rubbing on people, the place is 5 feet wide. also no customer bathroom. and now the want to charge you .25 for a pack of ketchup.

don’t know why Unilocal filtered my last review of Tommys but I originally gave them 5 stars but because of the increase of costs and more screw ups on my orders lately I have dropped their rating by a star. Still they have some of the best burgers around. And for the person complaining about not getting their pizza order from Tommys, this Tommys has never sold pizza.

Great food with good prices. Servings are so generous. I’ve enjoyed everything I have had from here. Who knew a hot dog joint would have good ribs?

I tried the two hot dog special. On the plus side the fries were excellent, on the downside the bun wasn’t soft and the hot dog itself seemed a little overcooked to where a lot of the juices had been lost. The condiment application was a little too heavy on mustard and onions. The fries were the redeemer earning Tommy’s two rather than one star.

Love the pizza puffs and the popcorn chicken with fries and a drink for $ 5 it’s an amazing deal!

Tommy’s has a decent hot dog with solid ingredients, although the bun was certainly lacking — half of it was hard and cracked. It was a Monday at dinnertime, not like 11pm, so I’ll have to fault them for slacking on the freshness. The fries are awesome though — very very crispy and not particularly greasy.
Tommy’s seems like a decent spot for things other than hot dogs, such as gyros, but I would stick with Portillo’s down the street if you’re in the area and want a consistently awesome hot dog.

As a vegetarian there really isn’t too much here for me to choose from, but I made due with a veggie sub. However, my husband had a gyro and said it was amazing. We will probably go back, good greasy food.

You cannot beat Tommy for portion size, quality and price.
They put Portillios to shame !!!

This place feeds half of Glendale Heights when people don’t feel like cooking their own food. Reasonable price, good taste, quick service and they often run sales and specials.

Decided to check this place out after reading the positive reviews. I like it! The hot dog was average, but my husband really liked the polish. I really liked the Italian beef, which is the best compliment I can pay this place since I’ve always felt that Portillo’s beef cannot be topped. I’d say in this case they are neck in neck. The fries are great here too. I’ll be back to try more menu items.

I have been going to Tommy’s for 20 years. From their legendary 2 Hot Dog special to all their other daily specials, Tommy’s knows how to do it and has been THE burger/​beef/​dog joint in Glendale Heights for a long time.
The only one negative about it is CASH ONLY. Not a huge deal as long as you know that going in.
But otherwise Tommy’s is the best!!!

love the italian sausage sand, beefs, fries are good, gyros too
took a star off because it is not a real comfortable place to sit in, i always take mine to go

I love Tommy’s! I grew up going here since I was 3 years old. I still love the food and the service, even if it does cost more than twice as much now. I am glad to see all their locations are still going strong. I still get the same order too… The 2 hotdog special with cheese fries! I bring everyone here when I visit my parents.

About as cut and dry as a hot dog shop can get. The place where customers are allowed to stand is about 4 feet wide and maybe 30 feet deep (aka its pretty cramped at lunch time).
There are about 12 bar stools in the back that you can sit at if you dont mind getting cozy with a construction worker or cop (I just paid all my parking tickets).
I’m a sucker for the hot dog special (2 hot dogs and fries). The lettuce is crisp if you like it on your hot dogs (mmmmm, sorry its an inside joke from when I was a hotdog virgin new to IL).
Great cheap spot to get a tasty hog dog and nice crisp tasty fries.