Johnniebeefs

This Saturday we drove up to Salt Lake City to visit Rachel's high school friend Jing who is in Utah for the summer doing an internship. We were both excited to see Jing, visit Salt Lake, and of course: eat hot dogs. After meeting her at the University of Utah we immediately drove 15 miles south to visit Johnniebeefs, the highly acclaimed Chicago style hot dog restaurant in Midvale, Utah. City Weekly and Deseret News both have sad Johnniebeefs has SLC's best hot dogs and I've heard more than a few people make the same claim.

After a long drive we were a little confused and slightly disappointed to see that Johnniebeefs was located inside the In and Out Market at a Texaco gas station. We got out of the car and hesitantly walked inside. Were we really at the legendary Johnniebeefs? I felt better once a man sitting down at one of the few tables greeted us with an exaggerated Chicago accent and asked "How you guys doin'?" He then got up, walked behind the counter and took our orders. I asked him about his accent and John (the owner) explained that he grew up in Wrigleyville, but that he once dated a girl from Oak Lawn. Definitely a good sign.

Choosing what to get was not easy. There were so many options and they all looked so good! In the end I ordered the "Barbecue Johnnie" a polish sausage topped with deli mustard, bacon, onions, BBQ sauce, sport peppers, celery salt, and cole slaw. It tasted every bit as good as it sounds on paper. Rachel ordered the "Slaw-dog", your classic coleslaw topped hotdog. A simple, yet delicious hot dog. Jing - our first guest ever on a hot dog outing - ordered a chili-cheese dog. I did not partake but she seemed to enjoy it.

Johnniebeefs was a good place with tasty hot dogs and an owner with an over-the-top but fun Chicago accent. They have much to choose from and they don't stop at hot dogs: they also sell Italian beef sandwiches - a Chicago staple of thinly sliced roast beef served in a french roll. So what's with the gas station? Turns out that not long ago they had they're own location which shut down last year. The move was dubbed as a temporary one, but its feeling pretty permanent.

Johnniebeefs is located inside the Texaco Station at 7360 S Union Park Ave in Midvale, UT.