Top Chicago restaurants dish out sizzling hot sauces

If you’re looking for hot pizza in a bottle, we’ve found your answer. Commemorating the annual Chicago Pizza Summit that invites all styles of pizza, Soothsayer almost perfectly brings together anything you could want in a slice of pizza with a little extra for good measure. Red peppers and roma tomatoes are the first wave of flavor as a surge of ghost pepper springs onto your palate. The sauce is closed out with hints of a classic Old Style Beer cooked into the sauce.

Get it at: soothsayerhotsauce.com and Hexe Coffee

This unmarked, labelless bottle may seem questionable at first, but just chalk it up to being the homestyle quality of a family made recipe. Jibaritos y Mas’ garlic-forward hot sauce is one of the most unique combinations of garlic and heat, perfect for adding brand new flavor dimensions for anything from a classic Jibarito to a thin crust slice of pizza. It comes across a bit runny in consistency and you’ll probably need to shake the bottle before every hot sauce application, but a quality hot sauce nonetheless.

Get it at: Jibaritos Y Mas locations.  

A solid competitor, classic and can’t go wrong. You may not expect a pie shop to carry hot sauce, but it’s a great addition to the restaurant’s savory pies (think chicken pot or quiche). The simple ingredients of fermented peppers, vinegar, garlic and salt shine through in the reliability of this sauce. The only thing keeping you from eating it by the spoonful is the heat, but a great entry point for spice-curious diners.

Get it at: bangbangpie.com or in-store.

Although it’s named after the Huy Fong Sriracha, it’s pretty far from the original in flavor profile. As an ode to the Chicago hot dog, yellow salad style mustard and onion powder are center stage in this pepper-based production. Made with all natural ingredients and bottled fresh in Edgewater, it’s a great local option to add to your pantry or hot sauce collection.

Get it at: coopsauce.com or Neighborly shops.

Even though Captain Curt is famous for his BBQ sauce, this hot variation is nothing to sleep on. You won’t really realize the kick of the boss sauce until you’re a couple bites in and your nose is already running. Definitely on the sweeter side, but definitely a great addition to ribes, chicken wings or anything else you might throw on the grill.

Masters of sweet and tangy, K-Fire’s homemade, original recipe goes great on anything from vegetables to meats. Boasting a signature “korean kick,” the refreshing notes of ginger and apple make it another memorable addition to the lineup.

“United under one lid,” reads the Chicago Fire Sauce label. If they were talking about all the ingredients of one Chicago hot dog, they would be right.  Undeniably relish-y, the heartiness of this sauce is not something to underestimate. The sprinkled nibbles of peppers and onions give a satisfying crunch to the sauce and heightened the texture as a pleasant surprise. A “drag it through the garden” pureé, but in the best way possible.