Bozos Hot Dogs

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  I cherish the memory of going to this place when I was a little kid. Though I moved away from Thornton a long time ago, I went there a few years ago again to confirm whether it was as neat as I remembered, and it was. Love their hot dogs and their shakes. Great nostalgic slice of Thornton for me.

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  Posted on 01.24.13 Jeff B.

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  Not bad. Had mozzarella sticks which ended up sticking together once I brought them home. The burgers are pretty yummy, and homemade! It's a very small, simple, and inexpensive hot dog place if you're in need of a quick meal.

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  Posted on 04.28.12 Alexa E.

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  So I am on a little road trip from Los Angeles to Boston, just me and the open road. So many times and so many places that I go for hot dogs in L.A., I always hear that I need to go to Chicago and get me a real hot dog. Well here is my chance to see what all the Hype is about and to really try what all the people are always showing on TV. Driving down the road I see the sign "Bozos Hot Dogs" and I instantly get hungry. I plug the name of the place into my GPS and away I go. If your not paying attention, you might drive right past this place, like I did a few times. Its right offf the street, but not sitting right on the road. When I walked in the door, the man behind the counter was "Hell-Uva" cool and real friendly. I told him I was on a roadtrip and was hungry. He asked what would I like. I told him about how much I had heard about the Chicago style hotdogs and wanted the experience. I asked him what would he recomend. He said the "Polish". I said hook it up and slide me one of those Chilli Cheese dogs while your at it. Watching him make those hot dogs, had me dance'n. He finished the Polish off with a dash of some kind of secret seasoning. Wow... I grab my Dogs and a soda and head towards the eating area, to enjoy my road feast. I take a few pics of my chow and say grace. The first bite of my polish dog was as good as the last bite. That secret seasoning brought out the taste of the tomatoes, cucumbers and pepers, that he put on the dog. Looking at the chilli cheese dog only made me not want to eat it, but just put it in the car with me and just show it off to all my friends. But I did not drive cross country to be hungry with a hot chilli cheese dog with in arms reach. So I took a bite and sat back in my chair and enjoyed the goodness. After I finished my two hot dogs, I went back to the counter and shook everyones hand and said thank you for making my hot dog experience AWSOME.. I will not say that these were the best tasting hot dogs in the world, because I am still on the Hot Dog lookout. But I will say these were the best tasting hot dogs I have tasted to date. If you are ever in this part of the country and you really enjoy a good hot dog, you need to stop by and get your eat on at this place. I will be doing more road trips in the future, and if any of them bring me in this area ever again. I will stop and eat at this place again. TWO THUMBS up... Thanks for the mid-west kindness...

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  Posted on 07.26.10 Shad W.

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  Holy crap I think they are still there!  After all these years!
  This is hands down the best hot dog I ever had.
  
  And another trip down memory lane has been triggered, bear with me:
  
  OK I was 22, newly married.  Hubby & I did everything together, we even worked together, in the old Thornton brewery.  It was on Margaret Street, down the road from the huge stone quarries, a fantabulously fascinating area!  
  Thornton, IL has history up the wazoo.
  The former brewery had been turned into factory space, and that's where hubby and I worked.  I ran part of the office, and he ran the manufacturing operation.  The company produced the papers that go between hamburger patties!  haha and it was big business, who knew?!
  Anyways.....the old brewery was a magnificent stone building that perched on Thornton Creek, among the big trees.  At one time, many moons before, Al Capone had set up shop here, and had floated (smuggled) cases of booze down the creek!  Or so the legend went.
  
  We suspected there were secret rooms within that old building, 'cause when we tapped on the walls, we could detect open spaces.  Capone was known to store guns in walls, and then cement them in.  One day, with the company owner/boss at our side, we tapped on all the walls & floors, and dammit we considered sawing through the cement to find out what lay hidden......but we didn't.  (Flashes of Geraldo Rivera, haha?)
  
  Last I heard, decades later, the old brewery is no longer factory space, but was being utilized for quaint cafes and shops, as it probably should be.
  
  What does all this have to do with hot dogs, you ask?
  Well, Bozos was right up the street from Thornton brewery, walking distance.  There was nothing else in the area bordering the quarries, just this tiny hot dog stand alongside the dusty road that was used primarily for trucks that hauled the stone.
  We ate at Bozos almost every day.
  We got big juicy dogs on steamed buns, topped with mustard, celery salt, cucumber, tomato, pickle relish, and onion.  I want one so bad at this moment I am ready to get on a plane.
  I went though a vegetarian phase, where I ate my dogs with everything, hold the dog. Haha my co-workers thought I was nuts.  My wise former hubby humored me, bless his heart.
  
  My mother still lives in a town very close to Thornton, and when I visit her next, I will stop by Bozos.  There were other Bozo locations, but I can't find them online now.....like the stand in Harvey.  
  On the other side of the quarry was Ma's Kitchen, sweet little dive bar on the corner that was owned by my friend Mouse.......but wait...that's another story.....coming soon.....
  
  Update:  Oops, I think I found the existing listings & the name has been changed to Boz's....in Thornton and Harvey.....gotta check this out.

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  Posted on 03.29.08 Joan S.

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