Portillo’s is known for the Italian beef sandwich — thin-sliced roast beef served in its own gravy on a roll, with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera. Alongside it: Chicago-style hot dogs, cheese fries, and a chocolate cake shake that is exactly what it sounds like.
It started in 1963 as “The Dog House”, a 12-foot trailer in Villa Park run by Dick Portillo, and was renamed Portillo’s in 1967. It is counter service, it is fast, and it is cheap — which makes it the right answer on a day when the schedule is tight or the children have run out of patience.
Quick answers
- Known for: Italian beef, Chicago-style hot dogs, cheese fries, chocolate cake shake
- Service: counter — order, collect, sit. Minutes, not the 45 a deep dish takes.
- Downtown flagship: 100 W Ontario Street
- With kids: the easiest meal in Chicago, as long as you order the beef the right way
Where to stay in Chicago with kids — our quick picks
We haven’t stayed at these three — they’re what I’d shortlist based on where they sit and who they’re built for. Our three real Chicago stays are further down. Some links are affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission at no cost to you.
How to order, so you don’t freeze at the counter
This is the part nobody writes for visitors, and it’s where families who have never ordered either of these before get caught out. The staff will ask you questions and expect fast answers.
Ordering an Italian beef
You’ll be asked two things.
1. How wet?
- Dry — the beef is lifted out, minimal gravy
- Wet — extra gravy spooned over
- Dipped — the whole sandwich is briefly submerged in gravy
Dipped is the authentic version and it is genuinely messy — two hands, lean forward, expect to need napkins. With smaller children, order dry.
2. Sweet or hot?
- Sweet — roasted sweet peppers
- Hot — giardiniera, a pickled vegetable relish of peppers, celery and carrots in oil, with real chilli heat
Order sweet for children. Giardiniera is spicier than it looks, and it is the single most common way a child ends up not eating their lunch.
Ordering a Chicago hot dog
A Chicago-style dog comes on a poppy seed bun with mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt.
There is no ketchup. This isn’t a stocking oversight, it’s a rule, and asking for it is a local joke at your expense. If your child wants a plain hot dog with ketchup, order it plain and add ketchup from the counter — everyone does it, nobody minds, and you’ve avoided the conversation entirely.
What we ordered
The Italian beef, a Chicago-style hot dog, cheese fries and a chocolate cake shake — which is a milkshake with chocolate cake blended into it, and the thing the boys talked about afterwards.
Why it works with children
Three reasons, and they all come down to time:
- The food arrives in minutes. After a morning of walking, the gap between ordering and eating matters more than the menu.
- Nobody has to sit still first. You queue, you order, you collect. There is no waiting at a table for a kitchen.
- It’s cheap compared with a sit-down meal downtown, which leaves room in the budget for the meals that need it.
It is a different Chicago experience from deep dish, not a lesser one. If you only have one food day, do Giordano’s; if you have two, this is the second.
Where to find it
The downtown flagship is at 100 W Ontario Street, walkable from the Magnificent Mile and from 360 Chicago. There are branches across the Chicago area and beyond.
Is Portillo’s worth it?
Yes, and not as a fallback. Italian beef is as specific to Chicago as deep dish, and rather less advertised to visitors — most people arrive knowing about the pizza and leave having discovered the beef.
Plan the rest of the day
- Where to eat in Chicago with kids — everywhere we went
- Giordano’s deep dish — the other Chicago meal
- Our 3 days in Chicago with kids
- What our Chicago trip cost — and how the food budget worked
- Chicago with kids: our complete guide
Portillo’s Chicago: FAQs
What is Portillo’s known for?
The Italian beef sandwich, which is thin sliced roast beef served in its own gravy on a roll, usually with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera. Portillo’s is also known for Chicago style hot dogs, cheese fries and the chocolate cake shake, a milkshake with chocolate cake blended into it. It began in 1963 as The Dog House, a twelve foot trailer in Villa Park, and was renamed Portillo’s in 1967.
How do you order an Italian beef at Portillo’s?
You will be asked two questions. First how wet you want it: dry means minimal gravy, wet means extra gravy spooned over, and dipped means the whole sandwich is briefly submerged. Second, sweet or hot: sweet means roasted sweet peppers and hot means giardiniera. Order dry and sweet for children, because dipped is very messy and giardiniera is spicier than it looks.
What is giardiniera?
A pickled vegetable relish of peppers, celery and carrots in oil, with real chilli heat. It is what you get if you order an Italian beef hot rather than sweet. It is spicier than most visitors expect, so order sweet peppers instead when you are ordering for children.
Is Portillo’s good with kids?
Very. It is counter service so the food arrives in minutes rather than the thirty to forty five minutes a deep dish pizza takes, it is cheaper than a sit down meal downtown, and the chocolate cake shake is the part children remember. It is the right choice on a day when the schedule is tight or everyone has already walked for hours.
Why is there no ketchup on a Chicago hot dog?
A Chicago style hot dog comes on a poppy seed bun with mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt, and ketchup is traditionally never included. If your child wants ketchup, order the hot dog plain and add it from the counter rather than asking for it on a Chicago dog.
Where is the Portillo’s in downtown Chicago?
The downtown flagship is at 100 W Ontario Street, walkable from the Magnificent Mile and from 360 Chicago at the John Hancock Center. There are branches throughout the Chicago area, and the chain has expanded well beyond Illinois.
