Portillo's Hot Dogs - Naperville, IL Review

Bottom-Line: A bit pricy, but the food is good, service reasonably fast, and locations accessible. 

There is one startling characteristic all Chicago area Portillo's Hot Dog restaurants seem to share:  the long line of cars that literally wrap around the restaurant waiting for their chance to pull up to the drive-through window and receive their fill of the eatery's eclectic fair.  And I do mean ALL Chicago area Portillo's Hot Dog restaurants; no matter where I go in the Chicagoland area, where there is a Portillo's Hot Dog restaurant there is a long line of cars, sometimes two lanes idling outside the eatery. 

And it's not as if one cannot go into the restaurant and sit down and eat; indeed the joints are pretty big affairs and the parking lots are almost always full, so folks are inside too.  Having eaten the restaurants food, I can attest that the lines are fully justified-even though my wife would not agree-the food although it be fast, is overwhelmingly delicious.      

The Restaurant

Portillo's Hot Dog restaurants are actually part of a growing chain of varying eateries cobbled together in the Portillo Restaurant Group. So far the chain include not only Portillo's Hot Dog, but Barnelli's Pasta Bowl (fast food style pasta, often co-located with Portillo's), KeyWester Fish & Pasta House (casual Seafood & Pasta), and Luigi's House (causal Italian).  The restaurant chain takes its name from it founder Dick Portillo who opened the first Portillo's in 1967 and now the restaurant has grown to some 33 stand-alone eateries including one in Buena Park, California. 

The Food

As I mentioned above Portillo's Hot Dog specializes in hot dogs of which it serves six types, including Chicago-style Beef Hot Dog ($2.09) with everything including mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers piled onto a steamed poppy seed bun.  Other hot dog choices include: Chili Dog ($2.59) w/chili, onions, and cheese; Char-Grilled Maxwell Street Style Polish Dog ($3.35) w/grilled onions and mustard; Jumbo Hot Dog ($2.35), w/mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers; Jumbo Chili Dogs (2.69) w/chili, onions, and cheese.

For the most part the food at Portillo's Hot Dog is delicious.  The burgers are freshly cook and the ingredients fresh.  And unlike burgers from other fast-food restaurants, the beef is flavorful, and juicy, the lettuce and tomatoes crisp and cool.  And while I await the day when fast-food restaurants finally offer a whole wheat bun, the Portillo's bun are always soft and yummy.  And the accompanying French Fries are crisp, hot and rival, but don't surpass those from McDonald's.

My Viewpoint

I have to admit that the perpetual long drive-through lines that are part of the landscape of most Portillo's Hot Dog restaurants keep me and mine from frequenting the chain more often (who has time to go in). That and the prices make it hard to feed a family of four for under $25.00; a little excessive for fast-food. 

That being said I sometimes swing by Portillo's on solo gigs when out and about in the evening and I am near one.  The food is good, and the atmosphere inviting.