Jim’s Original

About Jim’s Original

Welcome – Jim’s Original

The legend of “Jim’s Original” started over 80 years ago, when a young, bright-eyed European immigrant named “Jimmy” arrived
in America. Once in Chicago, Jimmy began working at a small hot dog stand on the bustling corners of Maxwell and Halsted
Streets. Jimmy worked hard, bought the stand from his aunt, and then made it literally “World Famous.” He piled succulent
polish sausages high on the grill and created the first Maxwell Street Polish Sausage sandwich, with sweet grilled onions
and a smear of mustard. Perhaps there has never been a pleasure as great and as simple as taking a bite into one of Jimmy’s
original sandwiches. Due to UIC expansion and City pressures, that little stand, Jim’s Original, was relocated first in
2001 and then in 2005 a block North and a block East to the Southwest Corner of Union Avenue & James Rochford Street. Today
we continue to serve the Original Maxwell Street Polish Sausage Sandwich as Jimmy did when he first
“invented” it in 1943, along with several other sandwiches including the pork chop sandwich “with the bone on a bun”.