@Shorty's by a mile:
The classic dog at Po Dog is $4.75. That is the same as the price you're quoting for street carts. And the rest of the dogs are no more than $2 over that price.
I'm not sure why people complain about Po Dog's prices. It's about as cheap as you're going to find at a restaurant on the Hill, and you get something that's much better quality than your average hot dog stand. Sure, I can get a cheap, crappy dog on a cheap, crappy bun somewhere else, but at Po Dog I can get a Field Roast veggie sausage on a Macrina Bakery bun with BBQ sauce, Tillamook cheddar, and onion straws. Or I can get my dog fried in an egg roll wrapper and served with wasabi aioli.
If I wanted a mediocre hot dog on a worthless bun I'd make my own. If I want a hot dog that actually blows me away, paying $6-7 at a restaurant where someone else is making my food and providing me with excellent service sounds like a pretty good deal.

The owner and her staff are unequaled in friendliness and service. Love the decor. We have been there three times trying the dog with Tillamook cheese, Texas Barbecue, Morning Glory and fries. Yummy! The dogs are flavorful and the toppings a perfect complement. We found the quality and quantity a good value. This is a great addition to the Capitol Hill dining scene and we plan to be frequent customers...so much more to experience.

im not sure about the bland comment, this place has more flavorful weiners than r place on saturday night. the cheese, veggie dogs, creativity and buns will keep me coming back. my mom makes great food as well, but im too old to eat my moms meals every night. the happy hour prices are great, but its called happy hour, not happy night. po dog, i am a fan and will continue to be. keep the flavor of the month coming.

@5 you are correct! I love these hot dogs and to the people who bitch about the price: go pound sand! I've been twice, had the morning glory both times and couldn't have been happier (the egg is always cooked perfectly) and they're never stingy with the bacon. But here's Po Dog's little secret...their beer happy hour prices are RIDICULOUSLY cheap. When I was there they had $1.50 specials of Rainier in a bottle. Even you blowhard transplants from whothefuckcares can't complain about those prices.

I'd agree the brioche-bun is tasty on its own, but it's too sweet for a savory hot dog, IMHO, so they taste a bit weird. Also, the crappy quality of the condiments (the tomato, onion, grn pepper specifically -- all low quality), and the messiness of the meal doesn't rate a $7 lunch to me. Been there twice, won't bother again.

I think the prices at the Po are perfect, especially if you go during happy hour. Try the Chicago dog -- totally spicy and awesome. The danger dog has got to be experienced, I think... totally over the top and amazing. I haven't worked my way through the whole menu, but there are some great ideas up there. Totally agree on the buns, too.

did stranger really send a vegetarian to review a hot dog joint?

If they want a great hot dog, they need to import Vienna Beef from Chicago. Of course.

http://www.viennabeef.com/

And if you're coming to Chicago, the originator of the high end hot dog (or "encased meats") fad is of course Hot Doug's

http://www.hotdougs.com/

loved the service, the owner was so sweet and accommodating, but the hot dog which should have been the star of the show was my least favorite part of the whole meal. You gotta do your dog right if you're a hot dog place. I like a nice skinny/medium sized dog, not their oversized, under cooked Costco dogs.

I hate to burst your bubble, Stranger, but "Auto Battery" is a bar-to-be. That sign wasn't there a few months ago. Come on, do a bit of research.

Plus, who would 1) establish a store that big that only sells auto batteries, and 2) use that boring sign for it?

And the winner for Best Metaphor in A Restaurant Review Comment Thread is:

"this place has more flavorful weiners than r place on saturday night."

@17:

Sorry to burst YOUR bubble, but Auto Battery, an actual store that just sold car, truck, RV & motorcycle batteries, was in that location for at least 20 years to my knowledge. It was there when I previously lived on the Hill in the late 1980's, and had probably been around for decades before that.

As to why anyone would "establish a store that big that only sells auto batteries", well, Once Upon A Time, going back to the early part of the last century, Pike-Pine was Seattle's "auto row" and there was a thriving auto dealer and repair/service industry centered along the corridor. That's why so many of the older buildings in the area have those huge garage doors and extra-wide entryways, to accommodate moving vehicles into and out of the ground-level showrooms (the building where my theatre is located, on 11th & E. Pike has a long-defunct freight elevator that's easily large enough to have conveyed two cars between floors), AND why there's a Mercedes, Mazerati/Ferrari, and until just recently a BMW dealership in the neighborhood, not to mention the numerous service and repair garages that still dot the area.

So, the idea that there would have been a retail store specializing in automobile batteries in the immediate vicinity of all these potential customers really isn't far-fetched at all, if you actually know a little something about the history of the neighborhood.

As for the "boring" sign (which is probably at least 50 years old), well, it was a battery store, not a night club, so why in the world do you think they would have NEEDED a gussied-up sign in the first place?

just came back from a po dog lunch. DELICIOUS.

@14 Yeah totally, why is a vegetarian reviewing a hot dog joint? Wha up wit dat Stranger?

@Hoiser, I was wondering the same thing. Although this place seem fun, and I will try it. But sounds like Po Dog just buy hotdogs and dress them up and serve them. While Schultzys make their own sausages in house.

Po Dog is not worth the price by any stretch of the imagination. I went twice to be fair before making my judgment. The actual hot dogs are so flavorless that it destroys the integrity of the whole.

Sure the buns are good, the toppings are crazy, and maybe the veggie dog is good (I have not had it), but to be a good hot dog place, you really need to deliver on the hot dogs.

I live close by, so I was excited to hear about the opening. And, if their hot dogs were any good at all, I would be their biggest supporter, but they're not. Shame.

Is there anything stranger than sending a vegetarian to review a hot dog stand?

Over the holidays, we treated a couple dozen folks to the Po Dog experience and they are still smiling and asking for more weeks later. We have ordered everything on their crazy and bizarre menu and have yet to regret a single choice.

Since when did soggy, crumbly, sweet brioche become a good idea for a hot dog bun? Love the decor and the concept but the buns really ruined things... Until the buns change I'm sticking with sketchy dogs on the street corner...

Fuck Chicago and anything Chicago style.

Same goes for New York/Texas/Southern...

After reading this I wish I could go back to Chicago and eat a hot dog there...

The auto battery sign is the original sign from when that space was, in fact, and auto battery shop, but they are also converting it into a bar. They're keeping the name and the sign.

Also Po dog is amazing. The hot dog ideas are creative and delicious and their vegetarian accommodations are superb compared to other half assed attempts on the hill.
and really people, if it's not too expensive for a bunch of broke ass college kids, like me and my friends, then it's not too expensive. so quit whining.