This Historic Chicago Sausage Stand Made the Maxwell Street Polish a Local Icon | Eater Chicago

"A Chicago street food staple since 1939, Jim’s Original was founded by Yugoslavian-born Jimmy Stefanovic and is credited with creating the now-famous Maxwell Street Polish, a flat-grilled smoked pork-and-beef Polish sausage with a slightly crunchy casing piled with caramelized sweet onions, a few spicy sport peppers, and yellow mustard in a hot dog bun — a sweet-hot-garlicky-meaty combination that many feel has become synonymous with the city. The stand emphasizes adherence to tradition (onions are served on every sandwich and any change to their preparation would be immediately noticed), and for decades operated 24 hours until the University of Illinois at Chicago required it to close between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in 2021, a change that cost almost 20 percent of gross revenue and eroded its late-night clientele. Polish sausage is the best-selling item — a proprietary recipe developed over 80 years ago — and the owners try to keep prices low despite recent ingredient cost increases of roughly 10 to 30 percent, raising prices only once a year in July to maintain their “street food” status. I see Jim’s as one of the last authentic remnants of Maxwell Street culture, with a second location now open at 2775 N. Elston Avenue." - Naomi Waxman