South Side Eats: Hot Dogs and Bacon Get Together at Delicias Mexicanas

[Photographs: Titus Ruscitti]

I'm excited to report that the wonderful Little Village staple, Delicias Mexicanas, has opened a second location at 27th and Trumbell, which is not far from the original on 26th St. For those who have never been, the specialty of the house is hot dog con tocino, or a hot dog wrapped in bacon. Owner Blanca Diaz started peddling these on the streets a handful of years ago, but in a petty display by the city, she was locked up in Cook County for illegal food vending. Eventually, she made enough to open her own place. Friend in the food game, David Hammond, did a nice write up in the Chicago Reader about this little gem back in 2009.

Cheap wieners are wrapped in bacon and stewed in their own grease with onions and jalapeños. They get topped with those same onions and jalapeños, as well as mayo, tomato, mustard, and... ketchup?!?! Yep and it's a rule worth breaking when you try one. The sum of everything together, from the cheap wiener infused with bacon fat to the ketchup and mayo mixed with everything else, makes for a surprisingly sensational snack—maybe the best non-Chicago style hot dog in the city, if you ask me.

This is just the latest heart warming chapter for Blanca, who dared to offer hot dogs that weren't Chicago-style within the city limits. Usually when that happens the place goes bye-bye in relatively short time. However selling Mexican hot dogs in Little Village isn't the same as selling coney's near Wrigley. Ever since being introduced to these "Danger Dogs" through LTHForum, I've been a happy customer and I'm certainly not the only one.

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