Guide to Milwaukee Wiener House

The best hot dogs in Siouxland come from a historic, family-owned diner named after another Midwest city: Milwaukee Wiener House. For more than a century, Milwaukee Wiener House has been serving up delicious hot dogs in downtown Sioux City. I'm a huge fan of this local treasure and included it in my book 100 Things to do in Sioux City & Siouxland Before You Die because it truly is a must-visit. Whether you're a local or a visitor to Siouxland, stop by Milwaukee Wiener House sometime for vintage charm and great food. Here's my full guide to Milwaukee Wiener House:

Where is Milwaukee Wiener House?

Milwaukee Wiener House is located at 301 Douglas Street in downtown Sioux City. There is free parking in their lot, which is connected to the Hard Rock Casino parking lots, and there is additional street parking nearby and throughout downtown, including metered street parking and a limited amount of free parking at the Sioux City Art Center.

Once you're there, Milwaukee Wiener House has seating inside the restaurant, or you can get your order for carryout, ordering from either the inside counter, or from their outdoor ordering window. There is a small row of parking spots right in front of the window which is awesome. 

History of Milwaukee Wiener House

Milwaukee Wiener House first opened in 1918, and it was previously located at 408 4th Street near the Milwaukee Railroad line, which is how it got its name. It first appeared in the Sioux City Journal as early as 1922, in the "help wanted section": 

Sioux City Journal May 19, 1922, accessed via the Sioux City Public Library website

And it's been an integral part of Sioux City ever since!

Milwaukee Wiener House is currently owned by the Eliades brothers, whose dad and a business partner owned it for most of the latter half of the 20th century (1963 to 1990) before handing it over to his sons. And under the management of the brothers, John and Mike Eliades, the restaurant has continued to thrive.

In 1974, the Milwaukee Wiener House building on Pearl Street was built, which served Siouxland until Milwaukee Wiener House moved to its present location in 2013 when the new Sioux City Hard Rock was built. The new location includes many homages to the former location, including their iconic green booths!

Just inside the restaurant is a display case full of memorabilia, and there's other historic items throughout the restaurant. I love that they have so many artifacts from the restaurant's history on display for guests who love that aspect of visiting and looking at the interesting things in the case really makes the wait fly by if you happen to visit during a rush!

Hot Dogs and other food at Milwaukee Wiener House

Milwaukee Wiener House is best known for its Coney-Island style hot dogs, topped with their delicious chili and some fresh chopped onions. But you can also get your dogs plain, with cheese or opt for a hamburger or a cheese sandwich instead. My fave is to get a dog with everything, but some of my kids prefer the cheeseburgers. One of my kids let me try a bite of their burger last time we visited, and I can confirm that they're delicious too!

On the side, grab a bag of chips. When I've visited, they usually have a variety of chips including many flavors from Von Dutch and Frito-Lay.

For dessert try their delicious pie on its own or a la mode! I've tried cherry and apple so far and both were excellent. The crusts were light and flaky and the filling was sweet and not mushy. And I think it's really fun that I learned in the historical research I did that they've been serving pie here since at least the 1920s (and probably since they opened.) I'll definitely order pie from Milwaukee Wiener House again in the future.

Drinks at Milwaukee Wiener House

Milwaukee Wiener House is known for its root beer floats and milkshakes, and also has a variety of fountain drinks and bottled drinks to choose from. There are fun sodas (my dad had a delicious Buddy's retro grape soda last time we visited, and I'm pretty partial to Sioux City Sarsaparilla myself) from brands including Sioux City, Millstream, and Buddy's. There are also alcoholic beverages for the 21+ crowd. 

Learn more about Milwaukee Wiener House

To learn more about Milwaukee Wiener House, follow Milwaukee Wiener House on Facebook.

Or check out some of the great sources I used in my research including the historical display inside Milwaukee Wiener House, a helpful post from Radio Iowa and the archives of the Sioux City Journal (accessed via the Sioux City Public Library website.)