Portillo's the Colony

I have been wanting to try this place but stayed away when it first opened because of the crowds. It was worth the wait. I ordered the Italian beef with hot peppers and it was delicious. The beef had great flavor and the sandwich was juicy. The got prepped had a nice flavor and it was a perfect size. It wasn't very busy on a Sunday evening which was nice. You order from a kiosk at the entrance and they call your number when it is ready. My order was ready very quickly less than 5 minutes. Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. I will definitely be back to try the Chicago-style hot dogs next.

Food disappeared quickly, yum!! Lived in Chicago many years ago, so very glad to have Portillo’s here now. Love the Italian Beef with sweet peppers & gravy (juice) on the side. Hubby loves the hot dogs with everything on them. Tried the burger this time & it was good. Fries are great. Service is always good— we do not use the kiosks, we just head to the counter & order with a friendly smiling face. Then our order is correct. 😂

Had a great experience at Portillo’s in The Colony, Texas! I ordered Famous Meal #2—two classic Chicago-style hot dogs with everything on them and crispy golden fries. The flavors were spot on and brought back memories of the original joint up north. My wife had Famous Meal #3—a char-grilled American cheeseburger with fries—and she absolutely loved it. That smoky grill flavor made all the difference. Only downside? No tamales on the menu like the original Dog House back in the day—but everything else was solid. Fast service, clean space, and a fun, nostalgic vibe. We’ll definitely be back for Italian beef and maybe a chocolate cake shake next time!

First time to try this place. Ordered the steak and sausage sandwich. The meat had ZERO flavor - it was bland as a boiled dish rag. The only part of the sandwich that had a hint of flavor was the Italian sausage. Definitely not worth the $16 I paid for a sandwich, fries, and drink. I have no idea why this place is so popular.

We finally made it to Portillo’s in The Colony last week and unlocked a core memory of one of our favorite Chicago trips in the past. We’re so happy that Portillo’s made its way to the DFW Metroplex! The food is really good and really affordable. It’s been a while since this place opened and it’s still always busy. We’re not surprised as everyone must be thinking the same thing. The food here is amazing! Be sure to join their free loyalty program. They send out promotions and offers regularly and who doesn’t like deals?

Always wanted to try Portillo’s and it’s safe to say we were impressed! Ordering at the kiosk was easy, food took a bit to come out but that’s to be expected on a Saturday. Happy to see they have a plant-based hot dog and it was delish! Also ordered the cup of chili, chili dog, double bacon burger, and fries. The hot dogs were a little bit smaller than expected but is actually the perfect portion size.

Portillo's has a great setup. You can order at the counter or through a kiosk. Pickup is on the other side and there's a screen that shows where you order is in the cue. Fountain drinks are self-serve. I had a late lunch on a Friday and it was fairly empty. Ordered at the counter and my order was ready very quickly. Establishment was clean and I enjoyed the well-decorated and spacious atmosphere. Plenty of indoor and covered outdoor seating. I ordered outside of the "Famous Five" menu, which I now regret. I'll return to try a hot dog. I recommend staying away from the broiled chicken sandwich - it was pretty terrible. The fries were standard for crinkle cut. I did appreciate the amount of fries that came in the small size. The slice of chocolate cake was tasty (nice and spongy, not dry, good frosting).

Whenever I try a new place, I always order the number one because if it isn’t any good, why would they call the number one. And it was good and an amazing Italian beef was mine. My coworker ordered a chili dog that looked pretty good hotdog. Dogs aren’t my thing but oh boy was that Italian beef delicious

Chi-towns best!!!! Let's goooooooooooio!!!! Try the dog, try the beef, try the chocolate cake!!!

We stopped in for lunch for my first visit to Portillo's and to be honest, I was quite taken aback by the interior! Very elaborate and retro, the decor is both fun and intriguing, and there are plenty of visually exciting photo spots. As for the food, I must be honest and say that the price points are reasonable, but for "fast food," it came out rather slow. I believe we waited around twenty minutes on our meal, consisting of an italian sausage sandwich, a beef sandwich and a salad. The salad was interesting - I think their choices in flavor were definitely unique and fun, but not for the faint of heart. The ranch was sweet, while the jalepenos and macaroni salad were sour, and the chicken was spicy. Personally, I was not put off by it, and quite enjoyed it! The five dollar milkshake was a generous portion as well. We will be back!

I am leaving a 4/5 star review on account of Portillo's prices. The food is wonderful, and the portion sizes are good... but the food seems a bit pricey for a place that's technically a fast food restaurant. The place is not really "fast" in that regard, however. I knew this when I visited though. I personally recommend the crinkle cut fries, the Chicago Dog, the Chili Dog, or the chocolate cake. It's surprisingly moist! I do not recommend the chicken dishes. The past few times I have ordered them, they were dry, bland, or underwhelming. I still come to this location from time to time. They have great service, and the restaurant itself has a very unique interior design choice. Most of the food is good. I would recommend Portillo's to friends and family for sure!

Cheese fries. That's all you need to know about Portillo's and honestly the reason why we will always return Needless to say our family was happy when Portillo's decided to open in DFW, that it opened not too far from our house. When I brought my daughter to Chicago a couple years ago, this was one of her favorite spots to eat. Our favorite items to order are the Chicago dog (for me), plain hot dogs for my kid, the beef sandwiches for the hubby and the kids will never stop raving about their desserts (strawberry cake and chocolate cake). We like that the menu is extensive enough that there is something on the menu that everyone can order. We have dined in and also ordered drive through (did this more so when they first opened). A great place to bring for a family outing, colleagues or after the kid's team soccer game. There is extensive seating indoors and a covered outdoor patio to enjoy your meal.

Was in the mood for a hotdog and wanted to try this place. So I went through the drive thru. Short wait for service. I didn't think I would like tomatoes on the hot dog. It was actually good! I enjoyed the chili.onions and cheese on my hotdog. I would have liked the hot dogs to have been a tad warmer as well as the French fries. I get the feeling this may have been left over from the dinner rush. I think I will come back to try other items on the menu. The staff was efficient and helpful.

Well....... the restaurant is decorated well with a little Texas flair! Cute and plenty of seating. The food.... yikes not so great. The beef sandwich tasted so bland. There is nothing on the sandwich except meat and peppers. We did not order cheese or gravy .. maybe that is what would give it some flavor. My husband ate 2 bites and that was it. My Portillo dog was good but served w a soggy bun. They have two sizes regular and JUMBO. I ordered the regular. There are no plates so just eat off your wax paper wrapper. There was no one at the bar to pour a beer and the PA system screeched out every order so loud that guests were grimacing every time a number was called.

We're still enjoying good ole Chicago-style food from Portillo's. I receive their emails and saw that they were offering their chocolate cake in the shape of a heart for Valentine's Day. I tried to place an order on-line but couldn't find how, so I placed a call and ordered 2 Valentine cakes over the phone. You order through the catering department and pay up front and give an approximate pickup day/time. The guy taking my cake order was a hoot and I was able to place my order about three weeks ago. Today, hubby picked up the cakes with no problem. The packaging was so cute! The chocolate cake is delicious and maybe even tastes better in the shape of a heart! What really touched me was the "Love, Portillo's" hand written on my receipt. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Simple and good!!! wasn't the best, but still very very good. The chili cheese dogs and the Chicago dogs are bomb.

1st and won't be the last time I'll be here. We got a feast for the family lunch. Got to the drive thru at 11:20am with no wait. Customer service was super friendly and helpful. We got Beef, Italian beef and sausage, Maxwell, Portillos, fries, and chocolate cake to finish. I hear you can customize some menu times too. Like a hidden menu. Need to try that next time.

Oh my, that was the best dog I've had in a very long time. Having waited for all the excitement to die down a bit, they were still a bit crowded. Even so, service was pretty quick. The only knock on the place is that the noise level makes it nearly impossible to hear your number called out. Now to the important parts. I have a personal theory regarding burgers and hot dogs. The better they are, the more napkins you need. I needed five for my jumbo dog. The poor thing started falling to pieces almost immediately! I loved every bite. The crinkle fries were perfect, and being a civilized human being, I used ketchup for them and them only. I made sure the ketchup got no closer than 6 inches to the dog. I know they're known better for their Italian beef sandwiches but in all honesty, I'll probably never get that far.

Decent food with not the best service. I've been up to Chicago a few times and love an Italian beef and sausage. I was looking forward to this place and waited a while for the hype to die down. Sadly the wait didn't pay off. We went on a calm Wednesday night a couple of hours before close. The person taking our order made it feel like we were wasting his time. Got annoyed when we asked questions and when we used the wrong words when ordering. They had a lot of staff and it was not busy, we surprisingly waited 15 minutes for our food. A Italian beef and an Italian beef and sausage combo. Nothing that wasn't already premade and ready to slap slap on some bread. The sausage was amazing, but sadly our beef was somehow dry and lacking flavor. Our sandwiches were wrapped and inside a plastic bag inside a paper bag, but our bag bottom was still soaked and the sandwiches almost fell out. I will say the inside and decor is really nice. Feels welcoming and spaced nicely. We most likely won't be back and just aim for local Chicago style food in the future.

Hubby and I were finally able to visit Portillo's without a long 1.5 hour wait line. Boy we were so underwhelmed. From the crazy waiting crowds, we thought we would experience something more than just a hot dog. The printed menu showed a two Chicago Hot Dog combo, but when we ordered it was actually single items that we needed to order and charged for... two hot dogs, one fries, and drink. After ordering, we waited at the other end of the counter to pick up the order. The pick up area was chaotic, and if not for the tv screen, it would be difficult to figure out the status of your order. Self service condiments station was just ketchup, no extra mustard. There was a lot of seats inside, and plenty of seating on the patio. We liked the whole pick spear and sliced tomatoes in the hot dog. The bun was soft and hot dog was snappy... but it was still just a hot dog. The large fries container was not fully filled and was very salty. Portillo's may be worth a quick fast food bite, if there was no wait, but it is definitely NOT worth waiting for almost an hour for meh hot dogs.

Every time I'm in the Colony, I always get Portillo's. Food: The hot dogs and burgers are great. The fries and onion rings plus cheese is good as well, but they're not anything special. Dessert: The chocolate cake is overhyped, doesn't taste fresh as if it was store bought. The strawberry shortcake is great and smooth, but very soggy. Shakes: Good! The cake shake is good, but the seasonal peppermint shake is my favorite!

Amazing Everything! Texas has lots of variety for beef, but none like a Chicago shaved beef sandwich from Portillo's. My go to is a big beef with spicy peppers, mozzarella, and extra gravy. Can't go wrong with a side of cheese fries. The shakes are so good too HOWEVER, they should be embarrassed by the pitiful straw they give you. The shakes are made with real ice cream so they're extra thick. For some reason, they give you the same straw as a soda straw, so it collapses on itself and ruins the milkshake experience. Give me a hefty straw so I can be fat in peace. Thank you for listening Portillo's

We have been looking forward to trying this place since they announced they were opening in Texas. Waited until the lines and wait times weren't outrageous. My order (beef hotdog minus onions) was incorrect Ordered the larger version, received the smaller one and it had onions. Pickle was not on the dog as depicted in the pics. Wife ordered the sausage combo. Did not receive the frys. We fortunately were only charged for what we received - person who took the order did not listen to what we wanted. Food was rather bland - Sams Club has a tastier it dog. Place seemed pretty clean, though one soap dispenser in restroom was broken. We ate & left to get more food elsewhere. This place is overpriced for what we received and not worth another try

Being from Chicago, I was excited to see that Portillos opened a restaurant here in North Texas. My wife and I took the trip north from Richardson to the Colony to get an Italian beef and boy was it worth it as you can't beat a beef and or sausage from Portillo's. Don't bother with anything else, just the beef or sausage. The line to get in was out the door at 2:30pm but worth the wait. This was their soft launch and it was packed. Be prepared to wait an hour to get in and seated. I think I'll give it a month and go back.

Been to them in Chicago and the lines are way shorter. I am still wondering why people are lining up for this. The cake shakes are special.

So many options, flavors, and great prices. Lots of great seating and good atmosphere. Great place to hang with friends. Service was great and quick even when busy.

Chicago style hot dog 10/10 Chocolate shake 10/10 Polish street dog 6/10 Onion rings 8/10 Italian beef sandwich 5/10 I've been to this location 4 times now. Back to back yesterday and today. The Chicago style dogs are to die for! That and a chocolate shake. Freaking amazing. I will say the chocolate shake is the best shake o have ever had. Very rich flavor, almost creamy. The polish street dog was pretty good, except the grill onions had a old fryer oil taste to them. I had to scrap them off. The onions rings were perfect! Panko breaded just the way I love them. The Italian beef sandwich wasn't too bad. Not my favorite. The French bread gave the sandwich another level of taste. The Italian beef itself didn't have much flavor and I got the sandwich dipped but it didn't make a difference. The place is always packed but the food always comes out quickly.

I didn't even get a chance to eat because they said the only thing they can make is hot dogs.......... They didn't have any polish, fries, fish, nothing. Apparently this location has been open for a while. I wouldn't be irritated if I didn't wait in a long line! They should've put a sign on the door saying what they didn't have. It's giving unprofessional and inconsiderate. I can say the staff was very sweet and apologetic but I'll pass. The vibe was cool though. I liked the decor I wish I would've got photos of that but it was very busy on the inside. Be prepared to wait in a line and it is card only as well. Great place for families as I saw people there with children in big groups.

My husband and I were very excited when we found out a Portillo's was being built 10 mins from our home. My husband is from the Chicago area and the only time I've had Portillo's was when we visited Chicago for work, but what I remember was the food being amazing! Being in Dallas, though, I didn't expect the same flavor as Chicago so I would recommend setting realistic expectations off the bat. We went on Labor Day and checked Google to see if the wait was long (you can go to Google and they will give you a live update of how busy the restaurant is. Isn't Technology amazing?!?!). Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised that the wait wasn't that long and we were in line for about 15 mins from the time outside to the time we ordered. I will say, once we got inside the restaurant the line seemed to move pretty quickly. The person who took our order was very nice, pleasant and patient with us. We decided to order the Italian Beef and Spicy Chicken meal (both with fries), sweet tea, Chicago-style hot dog w/everything, a Char Grilled Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, their new Rodeo Burger (no cheese) and the Strawberry Lemon cake shake everyone keeps raving about. No judgement please and, no, we didn't eat it all in one sitting!!! Long story short, the food was great and did not disappoint but, again, I was not expecting this to taste like it does in Chicago. I warned my husband about the reviews I read about the Italian Beef being soggy so he was prepared when he ordered and enjoyed every bite of it. The chicken sandwich was perfectly spicy (without my having to order extra sauce - which I almost always do when I go somewhere) and we both thought the fries were great. My favorite of everything was definitely the Char Grilled Polish Sausage, but I'm also a sucker for grilled onions and these did not disappoint. I was impressively surprised about the shake. I thought it was going to be super sweet, but it was perfectly balanced and even my husband, who said he thought the sweet tea would put him in a diabetic coma, loved the taste of the shake. Oh, so why the 4 stars. They forgot the peppers my husband ordered on the sandwich (I'm glad we ate inside instead of taking the food to go). I don't like their order system where you have to listen for your number. They have a screen, but when I was standing at the counter I noticed it's not always updated timely. Lastly, we had to clean our own table because we couldn't find someone to do it. I don't think that's enough to bring the rating to a 3, and since I can't do a 3.5 (I've mentioned this before Yelp) I decided to give a 4 rating. You won't catch me in line waiting for an hour, but for a 15 minute wait I would definitely say this place is worth it!

It was a hit with the kids! Insanely busy on a random Thursday, but it was ok as long as the kids were happy. I don't eat meat and had the vegan dog... would definitely do it again! Really tasty! My son who is not a vegetarian got vegan dog and really loved it too! Took 1 star off bc the pickup window is hectic, the wait was long for the food, the monitor that shows your ticket number wasn't working and the staff on the pickup window could use a little customer service 101.

Disgusting and really will not recommend at all to anyone. Really horribly disappointed.

Tried Portillo's finally...I'm not really sure what all the hype is about. The burger was tasty and cooked well but nothing really special. The onion rings were very crispy and delicious. We did love those!! We ordered chocolate and strawberry cake. The chocolate was ok, but I'm not sure I would order it again. The strawberry cake was more like strawberry shortcake. It was kind of soggy and had no flavor. Don't think I would eat here again.

Good, not great. Definitely would not wait in line to go back but I would go back. Luckily there was no line when arrived; we went on a Tuesday evening and there were about 3ppl in front of us. The Chicago style dog was the best thing we tried but again, nothing to write home about. The fries were cooked well. The onion rings were not made in house (frozen) but still decent. I would go with the fries over the rings but that's a personal choice. The Char-grilled Maxwell Street Polish Sausage was smothered in onions which was good but something was missing. Similar experience with the beef sandwiches...they were missing something. I almost wanted to reach for some Fred's Philly sauce (iykyk) or some Mayo to help these sandwiches out. However the peppers are a nice touch so I would definitely get those on any sandwich you're ordering. There's plenty of seating and the staff was friendly. They have a nice patio area when the weather permits outdoor eating. The overall experience was just OK.

THIS IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF A TEXAN WHO HAD NEVER BEEN TO CHICAGO. We got here about ten minutes before opening and were one of the first few people in line. Was interesting because we were standing outside at first then realized the door was unlocked and walked in but they kicked us out (nicely) after they had supposed been robbed a couple days before. Anyways got the hot dog and boyfriend got the Italian sandwich. I personally was surprised at how small the hot dogs were (and expensive). Was yummy but nothing I would EVER stand in line for more than 15 mins for. I'm also not a hot dog girl; I love costco. BUT we were chatting with people in line who all came from chicago so this was an exciting time for them. But for a texas gal? I'll be at costco

Yelp 100 Challenge 2023 #38 Portillos is a Chicago style hot dog, Italian beef sandwich, chopped salad, burgers, and fries eatery. I visited this location several times before actually eating here. On several occasions the lines were to long and I refused to wait over an hour for a beef sandwich and burger. Best Time to Visit I suggest if the weekend are busy, to visit during a week night. My husband and I were able to park, order and eat without a large crowd. This location is still new so long lines are expected during peak hours. Order One Italian Beef sandwich with extra gravy - (My sandwich was very plain and wet, and I was a bit disappointed ) Two Char-Grilled Double Cheese Burgers Two Fries The food was hot a fresh but as I mentioned above the Italian Beef sandwich was not good to me. I went back and order a double Char-Grilled Burger and was happier with the burger than the beef sandwich.

Delicious! Was skeptical at first, because I've had Portillo's in Chicago... and it was really good! The drive-through line was quick and easy! We ordered 2 hotdogs (Chicago dogs), 2 chili dogs, and an order of fries (which were hot) and onion rings! Delicious! Definitely recommend!

Arrived at 11:40 and there were already 40 people in line and it stayed that way the whole time. Atmosphere was very cool with old signage. I ordered #1 Italian Beef combo with sweet and hot peppers, extra gravy, strawberry and lemon cake shake ($5.50 unmentioned service up-charge), and a hot dog. Number was called at 12:20. Unwrapped the sandwich with no peppers that cost an extra $1.50, meat was a lot dryer than expected, yet the bottom of the bread was soggy. The onion medley that is put on top was at one end and not enough for the full sandwich. Taste was ok. Fries were mushy and luke warm. Pictured with fries is mustard but there is no mustard at the condiment station. Ate 3 fries and trash got the rest. Hot dog was decent, not amazing. Strawberry and lemon cake shake was good. Very distinguishing taste of both the strawberry and lemon cakes. I didn't care for it as much as I had thought. Won't be back.

So we took a drive to The Colony to visit one of our favorite Midwest joints. This place is huge and the line backs up quickly but they move you along in a reasonable time, the ordering was fairly easy and food was just as we expected, we had few hot dogs and some Italian beef dipped,we were able to get a table but it took a moment to get 3 to seat us all yes we slid them together to enjoy as 1. The staff was great glad we got there a tad early as when we left the parking lot had filled up. A good experience and worth the trip surely makes me appreciate the family run Chicago style close to home though.

Finally got to try this today and I was so excited! I got the bacon cheese burger. The edges were burnt to where I had to pick them off. The burger had good flavor but the bacon also had a plastic taste to it. (Like the already cooked cheap you buy from the store). Probably won't get it again unless I go inside. The fries and cheese sauce were delicious. My husband devoured his hot dog. I would definitely try it again so I can try the famous shake.

First time trying out portillo's. I did an online order of two plant based dogs! They taste really fresh and good! The pickup area is right near the bar on the side of the door. Overall, this place is always super packed!

I had my first Chicaco-style hot dog at a Portillo's in Chicago in 2007. I didn't think I'd like it because it had so much weird looking stuff on it but I ordered one just because it was the thing to do in Chicago. To my surprise, all the ingredients worked well together and I enjoyed it. Since then, the only time I had a really good Chicago-style hot dog was when I went to the trouble of sourcing all the proper ingredients from a local food distributor and made them myself. That is, until Portillo's finally opened up in the DFW area. I'm happy to report The Colony location isn't nearly as crazy busy as it was when it first opened, especially now that there are locations in Allen and Arlington. Everything I've had at Portillo's has been good so far. I've had the beef hot dog, the garden dog, the Italian beef, the chocolate cake shake, and the strawberry shortcake. If you've never had Portillo's before, I highly recommend getting a beef hot dog with everything on it. (If you prefer a plant-based alternative, the garden dog tastes just as good.) I also recommend the Italian beef but make sure you order it Dipped with both the Sweet and Hot Peppers for the full experience. (Look up the Fifty Shades of Gravy article on the Portillo's website for an explanation of all your options.) Pro Tip: You probably don't want to be wearing your favorite clothes when you eat food from here. It's messy but oh so worth it!

The food was amazing! I highly recommend leaving room for dessert.. the chocolate cake 10/10.

Long lines, okay service, and okay food. I've had Portillos Hot Dogs in Chicago, and I feel like it tasted better there... For my DFW experience: The inside of the place is huge and has plenty of seating, big positive. We waited in a line for about 20 minutes, then had to wait an additional 20 minutes or so for the food. Would I go here again? Probably not... I would rather go to a nice restaurant for the timing I spent there and high priced food (spent about $30 for one meal and a sandwich). While you're waiting you can get a beer from the bar.

Chicago transplant to Houston here. Was in the Dallas area and just had to. The line was unbelievably long for dine in but we were in a group and wanted to eat there over drive thru. I can't comment on the service as I stayed in the car while my party ordered. I had the extra large italian beef and maxwell st. polish. I liked the option of ordering a larger beef, I don't remember that being a thing so that was a pleasant surprise. The sandwich was absolutely perfect. The beef was tender and the sandwich was very juicy. The polish was charred to perfection and the onions were the perfect mix between firm and too soft. The parking lot was hard to assess with traffic coming in and out consistently. I wish there was a stop sign to allow pedestrians to cross coming to or from the restaurant.

Came here on a weekend and omg it was crazy busy even at 2pm. The line was out the door and wrapped around a few times and looked insane so I went to the drive through instead which was a lot faster (but still a 30min ish wait). I got the two hot dogs meal and two veggie dogs meal which each come with 2 hot dogs, fries, and a drink; I upgraded the drinks to a shake and got an additional cheese sauce for the fries. I thought it was great to try Chicago style hot dogs! Love how they focus on the fresh ingredients like pickle, tomatoes, relish. I absolutely would not wait in the long lines for this. So I'd say try to go on a weekday if you can or go early before the crowds.

Just another restaurant from California that has moved to Texas that I absolutely adore. This location is fairly new very clean. Lots of employees again, lots of customers and close to everything and food is definitely on point.

This place is always packed with a drive thru line that still wraps around. We waited about two months after opening and it was still nuts. We wanted to eat inside but it was seat yourself and it was impossible to get a table so we just took our food to go. The Chicago dog was good but there are definitely better places out there to get this. The Italian beef is the star of this place. But get the gravy on the side instead of poured on the bread My boyfriend's favorite is the Maxwell St Polish which was juicy with a kick of spice. It is a little overpriced for what you get tho. I'm glad I tried it but it wasn't that amazing that I would come back.

Portillo's offers tasty fast food with an upscale presentation and excellent customer service. The Italianbeef with peppers was exceptional. Make sure to get extra gravy (that's what they call dipping sauce) on the side. Word to the wise, prepare for long lines. However, like a well known fast food chicken establishment, these folks know how to move a crowd.

Soooo happy they are here in TX! Thank you Portillo's for a delicious lunch for our family of 18! Great service, clean, good ambiance! Photos enclosed. Must get the chocolate cake and the chocolate cake shake!

Full disclosure, as a vegetarian, I can only experience a very limited portion of the menu. My one visit was around 2:30 PM when they weren't busy. Staff couldn't be bothered so my impression of their overall service was is below average. The veg dog was either really great or I ate meat for the first time in decades! I mentioned to my friend several times, "I'm not sure if this is vegetarian - I hope I got the right order" because the hot dog was way too realistic. It was tasty but deceptive (same thing happens when I order a Beyond Burger at some restaurants). I ordered it without a lot of the standard options because I don't see the appeal in piling on a bunch of messy toppings. Again, tasty but probably not worth standing in line for. Based on the overall experience I won't avoid the joint but I'm not going to race back either.

Pros: Excellent chicken sandwich & AMAZING cake/shakes. Cons: Long wait time for food and there's no refill for drinks (water, tea, soft drinks) Chicken dishes (5/5): We got the grilled chicken and spicy chicken sandwiches. Those were excellent in terms of juiciness, & flavor. The spicy chicken has a great kick as well that will probably be a favorite. Dessert (5/5): We got the lemon cake which was super moist and just heavenly with each bite. The hot dogs themselves were decent. It's as close as Chicago hot dogs as you can get from 900+ miles away.

Portillo's Hot Dogs has arrived in Texas! They've brought Chicago Dogs and the famous Italian Beef Sandwich to the Southwest. The lines are still long, but it's exactly like the Portillos in Chicago - except the Italian beef isn't as good. My Overall Rating - 3 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Return) Atmosphere - Portillo's a large, fast casual restaurant with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. There was still about a 20 minute wait in line on my Friday night visit. Inside the restaurant is huge, but what's great is they have a window into their kitchen, and you can see them assemble your meal. 1 Star. Service - The staff is super-fast and efficient. The line went out the door, but the line moved steadily up. You order, get your number, find a seat, and look up at the board listening for your number to be called. They're system is very similar to In-N-Out. 1 Star. Food - I like my Italian Beef sandwich wet (dipped in au jus) and with sweet peppers. I was very disappointed. While the bread was great, the beef lacked flavor and there were only three peppers on my sandwich. Now - it's a huge portion - that's a good thing if you have a big appetite. And the crinkle fries were hot, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But as far as the Italian Beef goes, I was very disappointed. There are a number of great sandwich shops in Dallas that make a better Italian Beef (Jimmy's and Weinberger's). No Stars. Will I Return? - Yes. I'll come back to try the Chicago Dogs. Also, they have a drive through! So maybe my to-go order will be better. 1 Star. My Yelp Rating Scale (Sum of all parts): 1 Star - Atmosphere - Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I'll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm. 1 Star - Service - You can have a great meal with bad service. But that's also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It's important to the dining experience that service is great and on point. 2 Stars - Food - I'll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it's really all about the food. 1 Star - Will I come back? - If I know for a fact I'll return, I'll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return. Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Yelp score.

So!......This place originated in Chicago and I looooove me some Italian beef with cheese fries. We were up in that area visiting some friends and it was about 30 min away and we made sure we were going. lol When we arrived there was a line out the door and a long line for the drive thru as well. We parked and waited in line to go in and order and have a seat to really enjoy this highly missed meal. They also have beer and wine at the back left area. When you get to the front of the line you place your order and pay then you go to the left to wait for your number to be called and they have a screen up there to keep track of when your order is coming up. Its a fairly big place so there is a lot of seating. We didn't have to wait for seating even with all those people there. I got the big beef combo with the cheese fries and hubby ordered the same but he added peppers. You have the option of dipping your beef or keep it dry with gravy(juice) on the side so its not soaked. they have maxwell sausages and yummy hot dogs. Everything is so good but the ones mentioned are highly favored. Every time I go up there I am making a trip to one of my fave spots back in Chicago. If you are from there or visiting the area, make the trip there and it's well worth it. They have other items and chocolate cake shake that many people love if you have that sweet tooth. Real cake put in the shake. I highly recommend!

We are staying in the colony for a few days and went to the Grandscapes (different restaurants & activities) Spring Break weekend so it's very packed which is completely understandable. Heard about how great Portillo's was so we really wanted to try this out. We opt to do the drive through since there was a line out of the door. Took around 30-45 mins to get to the ordering area & get our food so not that long considering.... They have a lot of parking, once all the hype goes down it'll be less chaotic. Ordered: 4 plain hot dogs, 1 with grilled onions and cheese sauce. 1/5 **Nothing special with the beef hot dogs, I could have grilled at home and they would have been better. one cheeseburger only pickles and it was good 4/5. Flavor was good and it didn't lack anything. 6 orders of fries were good and salty 5/5 (6 orders of cheese sauce on the side as well & we really liked the cheese sauce) One order of onion rings & they were not good. 0/5 Ordered two chocolate cakes (good consistency was soft and taste was good) three strawberry shortcakes (same for this dessert) and, one chocolate cake shake (the shake was melted before we got it but I liked the consistency of the cake and the taste was good) For whatever reason they were limiting people to 10 items (not sure what they meant by this) which we would have ordered more if we could, so that was frustrating since we really wanted to try this place out. They forgot a lot of our items and we spent a little over $100; outside manager had a bit of an attitude since we asked for our items. Wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend people to go here.

We are Midwesterner's so when we heard that a Portillos was coming to Texas, we said we would be there as soon as we could get this way! Visiting family and Dallas so we went out of our way to get our food first! The line was out of the door when we got there but it moved fast. It looks just like the Chicago locations. The bathroom's could use a cleaning but with all of the tables full and the place was packed, so I guess they will get to it. LOL We had to get a Chicago Dog and Maxwell Polish Sausage to eat in the car. Then got 4 Big Beef Sandwich's, dipped, with peppers on the side since we have to freeze them. Hubby got 2 Big Beef Combo's to freeze as well. Couldn't forget the chocolate Cake shake. If you like chocolate cake, it's a must. We are set until our next visit!

Not worth the hype. Chocolate cake tastes like a traditional DrPepper cake with Pullsbury canned frosting. Beef sandwiches are bland and the bread stale. Other stuff not special. I'll try a hamburger sometime and re-assess.

Get your hot dogs, beef subs, and chocolate cake! I've finally had the chance to try Portillo's and oh hot diggity dog you gotta come through and check it out. I went on a Saturday afternoon and the line was bussin out the door. Bad news! The fryer was down that day so I couldn't get my hands on some delicious cheese fries that they are known for. Maybe I'll have to order to go and pick it up another time. After waiting in the long 20 min six flags line we made it to the front! Of course I had to try everything on the menu! The inside had a very American vibe. Upon entering you are greeted with a huge hot dog hanging from the ceiling! Check out their infamous challenge where if you eat 100 hot dogs in 30 mins you get to take home the big hot dog statue in the front!

5 stars because it tastes as good as the locations in Chicago so they did pretty well with consistency. I think it might even be better because for some reason the bread they use here tastes so much better and more durable? Or less soggy and thin? However warning to everyone who wants to try this place out but never tried portilos you may be disappointed because it might not be worth the long line and wait. Your expectations can be higher then what you get. I say this because my husband was born and raised in Chicago and this was one of the "fast foods" he grew up with. So a lot of this is happy nostalgia and to him it is so worth the wait. When I first tried it in Chicago I thought it was good but just tasted similar to a French dip sandwhich with some hot peppers. Not that it was bad but I think it was over hyped to me and I didn't think it was that special. If I were a first timer trying this place out, I would wait for the hype to die down. It's good don't think I'm saying its not. Especially after waiting about 1 hour and starving it was extra good. Just not sure it's worth the wait. It's meant to be a fast food type restaurant so it's definitely pretty good for a fast food chain.