Michaels Dawg House

Ok. Did it’s job. Not exactly inviting and comfortably clean but, well, it did its job. May or may not be back.

First off I tried make conversation with the guy taking the money and it was like I was bothering him. Wrong guy to be in that position. #2 the gyro was over cooked and burnt and the onions are suppose to be paper thin on a gyro not ½″ thick chunks, fries were sitting for awhile and greasy, the hotdog was terrible, the bun wasn’t steamed but warmed and dried out. I will not be coming back.

Yum. Brought my daughters and we loved it. Highly recommend a visit. Great service, too!

Fresh-​cut fries were excellent and had that full, baked potato center that you look for in hearty, skin-​on fries. The Merkt’s cheddar was awesome as usual and was especially great as the cheese on their cheddar charburger. The burger reminded me of something between the first Whopper I ever had and the burgers we used to be able to get at Hot Dog Richie’s– thick flame grilled burger patty with plenty of tomato, onion, and mayo to round it out. I wasn’t a huge fan of the bun as it didn’t quite hold together to the last bite, but it was close enough.
My buddy said the gyro was solid as well and liked the crispy edges they were able to cook into the edges but there could have been a bit more onion and tomato added to the platter– I’m sure I just had to ask and they would have given more.
Price was as expected but the fry and gyro platter portions seemed a bit smaller than you’d expect. All in all, it was a pleasant first trip with good, quick, cooked to order food and friendly staff. I’ll definitely be back again for another Merkt’s fix soon!

Let me start off by saying I am vegan. so…you ask, why would a vegan go to a hot dog joint? If I had my way, the world would be vegan! Every restaurant would be vegan. No meat anywhere! Alas, my utopia simply does not exist. I live in the real world where friends and others want to eat at places of their choosing so that is how I ended up at Michael’s Dawg House. No need to panic people, Vegans be quite crafty and make do! At least this one does! I have now been to Michael’s THREE times, and here is why…
Walked up to the counter, Mike himself was there taking orders. I immediately told him of my dietary needs and he was not quite sure what to offer. But being a «professional» vegan I knew what to ask for. I told him I wanted a hot dog bun with everything on it but the hot dog. What? No odd looks? No comments about me not knowing what I am missing? Ahhh, I loved this place already. Mike was a true gem, instructed his staff to make what I asked for and was not offended when I asked if the FRESH CUT french fries were fried in lard or vegetable oil. He truly was concerned about my needs and made sure that even a vegan would leave satisfied at a hot dog place! The Unhot dog was just as I liked, delicious. But the star of the food basket was my fresh cut french fries. YUMMMMMMM!!!
Fast forward a few weeks, I was back in the area and I walked in and there was Mike at the register taking orders again. Without hesitation he said, «hey its the vegan». Now that is what I call customer service.
Go to Michael’s Dawg House is you want good food. Go if you want good service. Go if you want to support a local small business. Whatever the reason, just GO!

My first time here. This place has potential. Not related to Michael’s in Highland Park. Ordered a hot dog meal. The hot dig was traditional Chicago style — which I like of course. However the casing on the hot dog was a bit tough. My wife noticed the same thing. I’m going to give them another try to see if I just happened to catch a bad batch. French fries were the sliced potato type — not McDonalds type. I liked them. Soda machine is the traditional type. They haven’t upgraded to the new «make your own drink» machines that you’re starting to see in more places. You should give this place a try. Let us know if our issue with the hot dog casing is a regular thing or a one time incident.

Are you in Palatine? Are you NEAR Palatine? Are you within, oh, say, 45 minutes of Palatine? You should go here. Now. Right now — put down what you’re doing, and go here! You will NOT be disappointed!
Tried Michael’s for the first time today– went with my husband. He got two dogs and a large fry, I got the Char Polish with mustard and onions. Husband, who is notoriously picky, loved the dogs and the fries, I refused to stay OUT of his fries they were that good, and I can’t think of one restaurant other than this one where I’ve ordered a Polish, and actually FINISHED it! Normally, I’ve had about enough after ½ a sandwich or so from other restaurants, but not here. Perfect char, perfect onion and mustard ratio — bun was perfect — best lunch we’ve had in ages!
It’s a cryin’ shame that they are located so close to my house and that I’m lucky enough to work from home — before long, they’re going to be SO SICK of seeing us all the time! I hope they’re here FOREVER or as close to it as possible!
Thanks again, Michael’s — we LOVED it!
And see you next week! :D

This very small storefront is hard to see from the street, and serves the properly dressed Chicago dog — electric green relish, pickle spear, seeded bun et al, but it’s just another Vienna dog overall. Fries look good, but seemed a bit soggy. The gyros on the single spit appeared too «crispy» to me. Prices similar to others in the area. Minimal seating, just 5 tables, 3 of them for 2. Staff seems ok, and customers seemed like regulars.

NEVER AGAIN! Beef sandwich was the same weight and size of the hot dogs, never seen that before! Taste like the frozen beef you buy in the frozen food section at the grocery store. Also forgot the sweet peppers. Missing one order of fries. Gentleman taking order very nice felt bad when older man behind counter spoke down to him instead of training him in a respectful manner. Maybe he should perfect his own performance of filling orders correctly and learn how to speak to his employees. Hamburger was so so. Real waste of money.

We finally had to get over to this new hot dog place in Palatine right behind our house. My wife and I both ordered the hotdogs and fries (I ordered the Layered Fries). The dogs were very good (Vienna) and the fries too. Love those home cut fries! Great taste to the fries and they were not over done and dried out. The Layered Fries had PLENTY of Sour Cream, Bacon and Cheese on them too. Great lunch … in fact I went back again for 2 more hot dogs last night. Next time have to try some of Michael’s other menu offerings!

This place is a must if you’re in the Palatine area. Why? The owner actually works the counter and ensures great service & Quality ! The hand cut fries were amazing and the hot dogs were very fresh !!! Thanks Michaels for coming to Palatine I will be back !! Great Job !!

Awesome food! Fresh cut fries and Merk’s Cheddar too good to pass up. Beef sandwich was a little dry but the flavor was great. I would definitely recommend carrying out from here! We were very happy!!!

Horrible hot dog. My daughter and I both took 1 bite each and had to toss it. Fries are good. Also place is brand new and already very dirty.

Great place. Great menu and good food. My brother was surprised on how good the Giros Plater was and I had a wonderful Maxwell Street Polish. The fried onions were just perfect.
There where high school students here on their lunch hour and they got I and out in a timely bases.
If your a fan of hot dogs and supporting food, you can’t go wrong.
Next week they are having a 99 cent special. Stop by and try them out.

The fresh cut fries were very good.

I tried Michael’s Dawg House after passing it many times and receiving coupons in the mail. I ordered a gyro with fries and a drink. The gyro was very good and the fries were crispy and tasty. The gyro was a little messy but that didn’t bother me much. The fries were a little salty and greasy but enjoyable. I will definitely be returning to try other menu items. I’m happy this place is so close to me and worth going to. I’ve been waiting for a hot dog joint to open up. Can’t wait to try them!

I finally got out to Michael’s Dawg House and I am going to say this, even though I gave this a 3… try this place, I will give them another chance…
Restaurant:
The place is small and parking is not clear, but there is plenty of places to park and I was getting carry out so it wasn’t a big deal. When I went in there was one table with people at it and no line no waiting at the counter.
The restaurant itself is quaint and inviting, the décor reminds you of a Hot Dog place and you can smell the beef hot dogs that have been or are being cooked (This is a good thing, I love that smell).
The Menu is really high up and too close to the counter so as a 6’00″ guy, I have to arch my neck and stand against the back wall to read the menu. There are a couple of items that I was unsure what they were but the staff was friendly and eager to assist.
Staff:
The guy who ran the register was a high school kid who was fast, friendly, and personable. He efficiently took my order and passed it along and then correctly gave me change (which considering the register didn’t just tell him how much to give back was good to see). as my food cooked he made small talk until another customer came in.
Michael himself was making my food which was nice to see an owner taking interest. He too was very personable and made small talk while things cooked.
The Third cook, didn’t look like he knew the menu or how to make items which may have caused issues with product consistency. There were a lot of questions being asked, which seemed odd considering they have been open a few weeks.
Food:
We ordered a Gyro Sandwich, an Italian Beef with Cheese/​side Jus, Three Layer Fries, and a Pizza Puff. This is where the most improvement needed to come.
My Wife had the Gyro and she said that it tasted like what she expected but nothing over the top. The sandwich was sloppily put together and over dressed.
The Pizza Puff, is one puff and is basically a Deep Fried Hot Pocket. it came out really greasy but crisp. I wasn’t a fan, but if you like deep friend hot pockets Im sure you will like this.
The Italian beef was tasty, it was juicy and a nice sized portion. It did have a couple of spots that had concentrated seasoning which made them very spicy bites but overall the sandwich was ok.
The three layer fries we not a good choice for traveling. The sour cream was not portioned correctly which made for soggy spots, the cheese tasted very gritty, and the fries themselves were very soggy. (My wife said under seasoned, but I thought they were plenty salty). The bacon was very good. Next time I go, i will pass on this.
Value:
We paid about $ 20 for all of that food. So not terrible, but not super cheap either.
Overall:
The one thing this place has going for it is a good location for me. it is pretty close. But it is in some crazy competition in the immediate area that it will need to overcome to be successful. Photo’s Hotdogs, Brandt’s Burgers, Kosta’s Gyros, Tore and Luke’s Beef Sandwiches… they are all really close and not that far off in price.
I really hope this place succeeds because it is super close, and the people are very friendly. I like this business, but the food quality has to go up and the prices might need to come down a smidge.

We’ve been waiting for Michaels to open with great anticipation! It seems as though there are plenty of jitters and kinks to be worked out. Visited on a Saturday at 1pm and the place was packed, not a seat to be had– which is fantastic! The wait for orders, not so good. People who ordered after me received their order before my measly char dog and 2 kids meals. Upon entering the Dawg House, you can immediately smell the grill, and see the smoke from the grill… not to thrilled I left there smelling like a backyard barbecue. I even waited outside for my order to be completed because I didn’t want to smell like the Dawg House for the rest of the day. Clearly, the exhaust was with on low or not functioning properly. This alone would be reason enough for me not to visit again… I hope they get that worked out.
On to the food: Char-​Dog with no Char. What? The toppings were fresh and the dog was good… but I was really looking forward to that Char.
Grilled Cheese: Skip it, your kid won’t eat it. Mine didn’t.
Fries: WAY OVER SALTED and Under cooked. Disappointing because they are fresh cut fries and are typically delicious.
Lastly, please teach whomever is bagging the order how to properly load a bag. Heavy bags of fries placed on top of a Dog with all the fixings that was placed in the bag upside down was smushed by fries.
Hope Michael reads this review so he understand what kins to be worked out, we want this business to succeed!
In all seriousness ***The EXHAUST SYSTEM needs to be looked into.***

Hotdogs and fries are great. Fresh ingredients. You can definitely tell the fries are homemade.

Received coupons and advertisement in mail a few weeks ago. Stopped in yesterday to try out this new establishment. There was a sign on the door that they weren’t open for business yet.
That was fun.