Very fun retro atmosphere, east to order and love the format!
I'll lead with the positives. Pretty good onion rings, very crispy though thin onions. Great chocolate cake shake, though the large is truly TOO large.
The main course, however, was not at all great. I was told the beef and cheddar croissant was fantastic. Bread is dry and barely worthy of being called croissant. The meat is thin, flavorless, and feels almost like mush. That, along with unmelted shredded cheddar cheese also feeling like mush, along with the bread being soft - makes the entire sandwich just one mush texture (and we are it fresh in the restaurant). So no, not a huge fan.
I blame Mythical Kitchen Josh for endorsing it with Sean from Hot Wings, lol
UPDATE - I was lured back to give them one more try and have raised my rating from 3* to 4*. The Italian Beef BIG BEEF dipped with caramelized onions was pretty good. The meat still had that mush effect but the dipped bread and onions added a nice textural variety and I quite enjoyed it!
Ashley Miller
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July 07, 2024
We had friends who had never been before. When they ordered their Italian beef sandwiches, they weren't asked how they wanted them, dry / dipped / extra gravy. So it came out dry. We just asked for a side of gravy. We somehow got an extra chicken finger order and a cheese sauce we didn't order, but not complaining about free food. Lol. Food tasted great. Bathrooms were clean. Fun decor inside and music.
Charlotte E
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July 21, 2024
I have never eaten here so I asked the person taking my order which one of their sausages is not pork. He wasn’t sure so he checked with the manager. He was very short with his answer. I had looked over the online menu to have an idea. So I asked was that the one cut up and he got real sarcastic with me but I continued to order because I always wanted to try their food.
Jim Ferris
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July 25, 2024
Portillo's is the kind of place I'd frequent if it were closer to home (Louisville), but it's not so I have to wait for our every-few-monthly visits to Fort Wayne to get Portillo's awesomeness.
I 100% love the throwback/legacy vibe of Portillo's. It's like a 50s diner with lots of red and chrome, with signage and memorabilia dating back (in most cases) to a time before I was born. I absolutely love the malt shop interior and the music that harkens back to a more innocent, less responsible time.
Revolving door? A definite plus!
Ordering is a breeze, with a live person standing there to take your order. No impersonal order kiosks here! (if you're wondering if that's a slam towards other national fast food eateries that prefer you order from a touch pad instead of a person, the answer to that is a resounding YES!). Any questions you may have about the food, that person has your answer. (Order kiosks do not.)
On this particular visit I was Jonesing for a Chicago style hot dog. Luckily they have a combo for that! Two.... (yes, TWO) Chicago Style dogs, fries and a drink. Seeing that made Jim happy.
And it's here where we come to my only issue with Portillo's.
"What kind of drink would you like with your meal?"
"Dr. Pepper®, please"
"I'm sorry, we don't have Dr. Pepper®."
(audible gasp)
"Do you have Pibb®?"
"No, we don't have that either."
(audible sigh)
"Ok, then, how about Coke®?"
"YES, we have Coke®!"
After ordering (and getting your non-Dr. Pepper®), you sit at the table and wait for your order number to be called.
Looking around is like taking a step back in time, with LPs and 45s dotting the walls, vintage signage and movie posters all over the place.
When they call your order number they do a little rhyme-y thing with it. I don't recall with they said (something like "Order 84 - Out the Door!"), but it fun and clever.
Food delivery never takes along, and it's delivered in a paper bag on a heavy plastic tray. And it was deliver fast and hot. The fries were seriously too-hot at first. Now THAT is fresh food!
The Chicago dogs were Spot-Freakin'-On! Seriously, the only thing that could have been better about them would be to have actually been IN Chicago.
Go to Portillo's. It's fun. It's retro. You'll have a good time.
Deen Tuggle
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June 24, 2024
Great food, great service. Stopped by after an afternoon at the zoo for a delicious meal as always. Staff were all polite, restaurant was clean, and food was good as always.
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Very fun retro atmosphere, east to order and love the format! I'll lead with the positives. Pretty good onion rings, very crispy though thin onions. Great chocolate cake shake, though the large is truly TOO large. The main course, however, was not at all great. I was told the beef and cheddar croissant was fantastic. Bread is dry and barely worthy of being called croissant. The meat is thin, flavorless, and feels almost like mush. That, along with unmelted shredded cheddar cheese also feeling like mush, along with the bread being soft - makes the entire sandwich just one mush texture (and we are it fresh in the restaurant). So no, not a huge fan. I blame Mythical Kitchen Josh for endorsing it with Sean from Hot Wings, lol UPDATE - I was lured back to give them one more try and have raised my rating from 3* to 4*. The Italian Beef BIG BEEF dipped with caramelized onions was pretty good. The meat still had that mush effect but the dipped bread and onions added a nice textural variety and I quite enjoyed it!
We had friends who had never been before. When they ordered their Italian beef sandwiches, they weren't asked how they wanted them, dry / dipped / extra gravy. So it came out dry. We just asked for a side of gravy. We somehow got an extra chicken finger order and a cheese sauce we didn't order, but not complaining about free food. Lol. Food tasted great. Bathrooms were clean. Fun decor inside and music.
I have never eaten here so I asked the person taking my order which one of their sausages is not pork. He wasn’t sure so he checked with the manager. He was very short with his answer. I had looked over the online menu to have an idea. So I asked was that the one cut up and he got real sarcastic with me but I continued to order because I always wanted to try their food.
Portillo's is the kind of place I'd frequent if it were closer to home (Louisville), but it's not so I have to wait for our every-few-monthly visits to Fort Wayne to get Portillo's awesomeness. I 100% love the throwback/legacy vibe of Portillo's. It's like a 50s diner with lots of red and chrome, with signage and memorabilia dating back (in most cases) to a time before I was born. I absolutely love the malt shop interior and the music that harkens back to a more innocent, less responsible time. Revolving door? A definite plus! Ordering is a breeze, with a live person standing there to take your order. No impersonal order kiosks here! (if you're wondering if that's a slam towards other national fast food eateries that prefer you order from a touch pad instead of a person, the answer to that is a resounding YES!). Any questions you may have about the food, that person has your answer. (Order kiosks do not.) On this particular visit I was Jonesing for a Chicago style hot dog. Luckily they have a combo for that! Two.... (yes, TWO) Chicago Style dogs, fries and a drink. Seeing that made Jim happy. And it's here where we come to my only issue with Portillo's. "What kind of drink would you like with your meal?" "Dr. Pepper®, please" "I'm sorry, we don't have Dr. Pepper®." (audible gasp) "Do you have Pibb®?" "No, we don't have that either." (audible sigh) "Ok, then, how about Coke®?" "YES, we have Coke®!" After ordering (and getting your non-Dr. Pepper®), you sit at the table and wait for your order number to be called. Looking around is like taking a step back in time, with LPs and 45s dotting the walls, vintage signage and movie posters all over the place. When they call your order number they do a little rhyme-y thing with it. I don't recall with they said (something like "Order 84 - Out the Door!"), but it fun and clever. Food delivery never takes along, and it's delivered in a paper bag on a heavy plastic tray. And it was deliver fast and hot. The fries were seriously too-hot at first. Now THAT is fresh food! The Chicago dogs were Spot-Freakin'-On! Seriously, the only thing that could have been better about them would be to have actually been IN Chicago. Go to Portillo's. It's fun. It's retro. You'll have a good time.
Great food, great service. Stopped by after an afternoon at the zoo for a delicious meal as always. Staff were all polite, restaurant was clean, and food was good as always.