Belmont Heights restaurant Franksville is your typical Northwest Side fast food joint: a no frills hot dog/Italian beef stand run by regular Joes with the intention to appeal to regular Joes. There's a lot of older, graying men behind the counter, a tap for Miller Lite and Old Style, and hot dogs served in those little paper trays. Sophisticated, overpriced entrees have no place in the land known as Franksville.

The hot dogs here are simple, plump and decent – all the fixin's (including huge pickles) with fries and a drink comes out to $4.25. Speaking of fries, Franksville's are big and warm, with plenty of spud goodness underneath its skin. Other beef options abound: kraut or "olive dogs" offer a little variety for a few cents more, while the Italian beef could pass for one of the Northwest Side's best.

Really hungry? Footlong dogs are the way to go, unless you're excruciatingly hungry, in which case the half-pound "supercheeseburger" can satisfy your cravings. And hey, what goes better with this kind of grub than cheap beer – Miller Lite and Old Style are on draft for some pretty dirt cheap prices, $1.81 for a mug and $5.88 for a pitcher.

Like a lot of hot dog joints, Franksville looks like it has not been renovated since 1989 (with the exception of a couple of snazzy flat screen TVs). A cutesy model train set and soccer trophies lend the dining room some innocence and, inevitably, some nostalgia for those who come back year after year. And while the food doesn't really knock you out, it's solid enough that if you live in the area, repeat visits seem inevitable.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert