Portillo’s Hot Dogs

The Italian beef sandwich was loaded with moist beef, sweet and hot peppers drench in au jous dripping. It was a hot delicious mess. Aint a dry stale meal for this Texas gal. They also have polish dogs and other items as well. I would go back for another one and ask for au jous on the side!

Salads are flavorful. My son loved the Breaded Chicken Bacon Sandwich… wow… LOTS OF BACON!

We came here with a party of 5. We walked up to the counter staff to put in our orders, and waited at a booth table for our orders to be called out. There were an unusual number of «No Loitering» signs loitering the seating area.
Ordered the 2 classics:
1) Italian beef with giardinera on the side
2) Hot dog with Chicago-​style toppings
We asked for the giardinera on the side because I was not sure if I can handle their spiciness. But it was not too spicy and I ended up liking the Italian beef more than the Chicago hot dog, but did not like how easy it was for the Italian beef to get stuck in between my teeth. You can also ask for jus (french dip) if you feel the sandwich is not drenched in enough oil. It’s best to eat this within an hour as it becomes next to impossible to hold together the longer you wait.
It’s taboo to put ketchup on any Chicago hot dog, which I am actually used to doing for my regular hot dogs. This Chicago dog was not bad and I would order again.
Both were filling and the bill only came out to be less than $ 10.
There isn’t waiter service, but there was this one staff lady who was walking around the seating area collecting any garbage for us. Bathrooms are clean too.
We’ve heard good things about their chopped salad and would love to try that on our next visit.

Can you say au jus? The Italian beef sandwich here is just heavenly. Chopped up beef moistened with a delicious au jus, with French bread wrapped around this meaty delight is just absolutely delicious. Now I had never had an Italian beef sandwich before, but given all the praise my fellow Unilocalers had for this menu item, I knew I had to give it a try. And i have absolutely no regrets. I spiced mine up with some hot peppers and thought it gave my sandwich a nice crunch and some additional kick.
In addition to the Italian beef, we got the chili cheese dog with onions and a side of onion rings. The chili cheese dog was good, but a bit on the smaller size and the onion rings were too crispy for my taste. The batter on the onion rings was crunchy rather than golden flakey, which is the type of onion ring that I prefer. However, the main highlight of my meal was the Italian beef — you just can’t go wrong.
The lines are long, but there are plenty of staff working behind the counter to make sure your order is taken care of efficiently. Don’t let the caravan of cars through the drive thru nor the bustling crowd inside scare you either, it took about 10 minutes for our food to come out on a busy Friday night.

Everything tastes amazing. My food of choice is usually a big beef or bacon cheeseburger with fries, a side of cheese and a chocolate shake. I live about 2k miles away but always make a point to visit anytime I’m remotely close to Chicago.

This review is for the catering side. I have been here many times on the regular side and everything is a well oiled machine. The food is fresh and yummy.
I placed an order for catering for our family for New Years Eve. The actual ordering process was very friendly and smooth. I ordered the Best of Both package which included Italian beef, mostaccoli, and salad. The food itself was very good.
Our pick up experience was to be desired. It was very slow. The person at the Pick up counter for catering was obviously overwhelmed and detail oriented to a fault. We waited around 15 minutes to be served with two parties in front of us. She was concerned about having no small hot peppers, for example. There were people who were still waiting for their orders and were wAiting longer than us. It took her manager to step in and giving us the big bottle of hot peppers to keep the line moving. There must have been at least 10 people behind us.
Hopefully, they can be more prepared next NYE.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Portillo’s! I haven’t been in a while since I moved away from Chicago, but I have very fond memories of coming here after my shifts at Abercrombie — and I always left busting out of my Blake skinny jeans!
A few suggestions for beginners:
1. Chicago dogs: Scrumptious!
2. Italian Beef: Mama Mia, pass the jus!
3. Chocolate Cake Shake: I like to take them home and make a Mountain Dew Code Red float! It’s like the cherry on top… But on the bottom!
I’m literally famished just thinking about this. brb, Portillo’s time!

I cannot say enough good things about their Italian Chopped Salad. I am literally obsessed. I moved out of Chicago about two years ago, and my biggest regret?
Not being able to order chicago style hot dogs and chocolate cake shakes on the regular.
And that is just plain sad. This is a must-​have anytime I return to visit Chicago. Which isn’t nearly often enough to satisfy my Portillo’s cravings.

can you just say YUM! I’ve been coming to this Portillo’s for years! Can you say Good Beef, solid beef? Every time I come here, I go with the Big Beef, easy dipped with Mozzarella cheese on it. wow, the bread is great but the beef is just out of this world. the key to a good beef is having delicious shaved beef, not thick lunch meat style beef or rubbery beef’s that other places use. Portillos’ uses the best beef.
The restaurant is huge, so getting a seat is never really a problem. Once I am done with my beef, I always go up for a «Cake Shake» to go, and a slice of chocolate cake for later on that night with my coffees.
you want a good beef and fries… get to Portillos! AMEN!!!

Wish there was one in Vegas!
Always a favorite stop when I’m home in Chicago.
I usually get the polish, chicken sandwich, ribs and fries when I eat here. Plus a strawberry shortcake and maybe a milkshake.
The fries, those magical crinkle cut perfectly salted fries .I always get 2 orders. Lol
Eat here, prices are decent and they make it pretty darn quickly.

Awesome Portillos location and I’ve been to about 5 others. The food and ambiance just makes you want to eat and my favorites are, in no particular order — chocolate cake, Italian beef, cheeseburger, fries and onion rings, hotdogs, wow — I’m getting hungry just writing about this.
A few things to note, the parking is tough here and you have silly people using the drive thru like a zombie apocalypse is about to ensue. So don’t get frustrated, just keep your eyes on the prize… or fries. Huh, I’m feeling witty and I haven’t even had a glass of Merlot yet.

Portillo’s is a staple in Chicagoland chain resto diets. It is a go-​to spot for Italian beef, sausage and weirdly topped Midwestern hot dogs. Everything on the menu is good and is a lot fresher than cheaper chain Restos. One thing I am not a huge fan of is the fries– I don’t think they are crispy enough or well seasoned. But I guess that is why they provide salt and pepper at the tables.
This location is yuuuuge and there is ample seating. Parking can be tight at lunch or dinner rush because it shares a lot with some other fast casual chains.
Interior has a lot of fun historical pictures and decorations. Your mind certainly doesn’t get bored. Kid friendly and this type of location is okay to bring your children.
There is also a drive thru but I think that would frustrate me because everything is cooked to order. So wait time would probably be longish.
Good food, good value, would return if hanger struck.

I’m sure if I lived in the Chicago area, I would be able to start rating the different Portillo’s locations more accurately but I found them all to be 5-​stars! Love them!
I’m a real sucker for a good hot dog or beef sandwich. Since we don’t have great beef sandwiches in LA, I was eating them like they were my last meal. I had to eat a hot dog every once in a while to break up the pattern. The beef here is very tender and free from all that mysterious chewy stuff that makes you think «should I just swallow it and get it over, or do I need to spit it up in my napkin and embarrass the hell out of myself?» Not at Portillo’s!
I like to order my sandwiches with a side of melted cheese and side of spicy peppers. I think add the peppers and pour the melted cheese over the top. You could do that with the sweet peppers but I didn’t try that. They also have great salads and chocolate cake!!!

Although it’s not THE BEST Chicago dog, or THE BEST Polish sausage, or THE BEST Italian beef sandwich in Chicago, you really can’t beat the convenience of a one-​stop shop. They’re all pretty tasty as well, and the crinkle fries are bomb. I wish they put more hot peppers on the Italian beef (I had to add my own giardiniera from home), and they didn’t bother to throw in any ketchup for the fries in my to-​go bag. The salads on the menu look good, but I can’t bring myself to ever order one whenever I come to Portillo’s.
The drive-​thru line during the lunch rush hour was long, but service was very swift since there were employees walking to each car and taking orders. All in all, a solid Chicago institution!

Did we really just go out of our way to get HOT DOGS? I typically don’t eat hot dogs even if they’re free…
Apparently Portillo’s is a Chicago staple so I had to try. The building and interior are huge and it has that cafeteria feel to it mixed with some cabin vibes. You order at different stations and wait for your number to be called. I feel for the poor employee who has to be a rhyme with every number :(…
I got to try the (regular?) hot dog with sweet peppers. The flavors balanced very well and the buns were surprisingly warm and soft! Too bad they’re not very filling, so being full from a meal can end up costing quite a bit.
We also had this French dip sandwich thing that didn’t have French dip but it doesn’t matter because the meat was juicy and soft and delicious.
The fries were nice and crispy as well. My friend had a birthday cake shake and it was the epitome of Amurrica… I got sympathy diabetes and clogged arteries just from watching him.
I would drop by for a quick bite but definitely not go out of my way for this place.

Another Portillos restaurant which is very consistent in look, flavors, and vibe to other Portillos restaurants. Consistently well prepared and tasty fast food that’s served fast and hot at good prices. Definitely check out the Italian beef, burgers, fries, and chocolate cake when you visit.

I am in love with Italian beef. To my knowledge there is no place to get even a decent one except in Chicago. I haven’t been to the top three places that sites list as «the best» in Chicagoland– but I have had them from Portillos– again and again and again. It’s that good! An Italian beef sandwich dipped in au jus with their fresh cut French fries and a vanilla shake– you can’t ask for anything more.

I know people do not come here for their salads, but I kept hearing that they are amazing, so I tried out the southwest bbq chicken salad. I have to admit, that I was impressed! The corn, bacon bits, beans, chips — all worked great in terms of taste and texture with the lettuce. Don’t get me wrong… I still got an order of fries and onion rings, but I would recommend the salads at Portillo’s!
P. S. Am I the only one that wonders if what they speak into their microphone (after you put in an order) is recorded or ever listened to by the cooking staff? I asked the girl taking my order and she looked at me all crazy.

Classic Chicago hot dog/​Italian beef franchise restaurant. I got the Italian beef w/​hot peppers & it was delicious! Perfect amount of beef/​toppings & bread.
We went a lunch hour so it was kind of busy but their system is very much streamlined & we got our food in a timely manner.

We recently visited; food and service here is awesome despite how packed this place usually is when we visit! We ordered the chocolate cake shake, full slab of fall-​off-​the-​bone baby back ribs, caesar salad with chicken breast (moist and tender chicken) and Italian beef with hot peppers!