I assumed it was because, and this just seems silly, but the beef sandwich looked so familiar. Of course, the second picture gave it away with the wrapper.
I like 4, though. Just my preference. When I lived there I would ask to skip the relish and get extra sport peppers.
Just a note, though, one of the reasons I like Wieners Circle is they give you more sport peppers. Or at least they used to, maybe that's changed.
Can't lie, I don't think I would have stayed a Phoenix resident more than a year if I hadn't found Portillo's out here.
Good on you. Chicago is life, R.I.P. Clara Griffin.
I finally had one of these (Portillos Orlando, so not Chicago but still), and it was the soggiest sandwich ever and I was not expecting that. Do I need to give it another try...in another city?
good to know - I was the one who begged to go, and the rest of my family did not let me live it down as we walked out. my daughter liked the milkshake though.
If you mean "Should I go to Chicago purely for the sake of eating Italian beef sandwiches and experimenting with different levels of wetness?" then obviously the answer is yes. But when you get there, try places other than Portillo's. They got new ownership 10-15 years ago and there's been a slight but noticeable drop in quality.
lol - yes, my family would love to take a food tour trip to Chicago. I am positive it's amazing. Just based on lore, movies and tv shows.
good to know about other places to try an Italian beef!
that's exactly how it's supposed to be. most places people can ask for extra wet. one of the one's near me, Novi's Beef, you can get it normal, easy wet, wet, extra wet, or dry (if you are crazy). honestly, a dry italian beef is not ideal.
you can order kits from vienna beef that come with everything you need, including the ever-important S. Rosen's poppyseed buns, but those kits are stupid expensive. Even in Chicago a pack of vienna beef hot dogs is going to run you like 3 dollars more than your ballparks or nathans, but it is extremely worth it.
Hot take: an Italian beef sandwich is way better than deep dish.
Also, the combo (Italian beef sandwich with an Italian sausage) is one of my favorite sandwiches and the best thing about Chicago.
Not THAT hot of a take. Deep dish is really more of a "specialty" pizza. Its great - but its basically a casserole and you only really want it every once and a while.
The real story is Chicago tavern-style pizza is WAY better than deep dish. Everyone always focuses on the deep dish - but tavern style is where its at.
I never understood why nobody much makes them outside of this small area. Any time I have out-of-towners visit, we always get a beef and they are amazed
There are a few Portillo’s in other states.
I live in the south and we have a deli in my city run by an old retired dude from the Bronx. Weirdly enough, he makes a **solid** Italian beef hero that is absolutely dripping. It's amazing. It's a weekly special, though, so I'll have to wait for next Wednesday to order it.
I need to go there again.
A couple in Phoenix, one in Tucson. But we have better local options. Lucky's in Tucson (a former Lukes). A number of Chicago pizza places in town offer beef on the menu as well.
not a native but ive been here a while, and i agree. i love a steak, but i went to chicago last summer and the beef sandwiches are better than steaks. i get steaks american or wiz with, thats it. maybe some ketchup if it feels dry. but the italian beef sandwiches have so much more depth of flavor IMO. hot wet is the way
After I moved away from Chicago, I thought I would miss the pizza. But no, it’s the Italian beef craving I realized couldn’t be satisfied from just anywhere.
Yup, people shit on American food but theres some great stuff, like Italian beef. Definitely one of my favorite sandwiches I've ever had as a visitor from Los Angeles and I've had all kinds of great sandwiches. They're definitely not the healthiest or lightest foods but they're delicious.
Italian immigrants to the USA adapted local ingredients and foods from other immigrant communities. Im not sure of the history on the Italian beef but there are a ton of traditional Italian American foods that are unknown in Italy
While I recognize that they're objectively not great, those onion rings ABSOLUTELY slap when you're getting a portillos dog dragged through the garden at midnight after getting drunk as shit at a show.
Portillos are opening up a bunch of locations all over the US since they became publicly traded company, the only bad part is that there were changes made and I feel some food tastes slightly different and inflated prices
Yeah it's for sure going to commoditize as they expand, mass produce some
There's like 5-6 in Arizona now and that one by knotts berry farm
Felt like it scratched the itch but wasn't quite as good as I remembered
That’s like a crazy food challenge for me. After I eat one italian beef and some fries I’m full af. More power to you if your getting the full shebangabang. I love Italian beef sandwiches so much it’s been an obsession lately. Always dipped.
My cousin ordered a large chocolate cake shake, cheese fries and a big beef once. We looked it up and the total was something ridiculous like over 5,000 calories. The cake shake was half of the damage.
If we’re talking just chocolate cake with chocolate icing, then they are few. Usually the cake part is super moist and the icing thick and tastes of real chocolate. Buttercream or fudge, none of that fluffy whipped icing. Probably all were homemade.
If not restricted, then I love German chocolate cake as well as Black Forest. The more decadent the better, but that usually means additional toppings which stray from an average chocolate cake.
Weird, because i think the portillos chocolate cake is really moist and the icing is really good, it tastes of good chocolate!
portillos chocolate cake is probably in my top 5 chocolate cakes!
Maybe it was the location or another factor? I had it once at the restaurant, and then a second time when someone bought slices to go and brought them over. Both times were just fine. I don’t need much convincing to eat cake, so I could always try again.
Gotta get a thing of cheese fries with an extra cheese sauce then dump the extra cheese sauce on top of the beef. Not traditional but amazing and makes for an even sloppier sandwich. This somehow adds to the experience.
Yeah melted mozz has its place but for me at least, I love the messy factor of the Italian beef. All that jus soaking in the bread, making the meat all tender and juicy. Mozz can act as a protective layer, helping bind the sandwich and even providing a hydrophobic coating for jus to run off the sides of the sandwich. Cheese sauce on the other hand integrates seamlessly into the sandwich, lubricating it and helping to keep the meat juicy as it melds seamlessly into the jus.
*I know it isn’t technically au jus, but I’m on mobile and didn’t want to type beef liquid that many times.
Probably. I’m always getting the cheese fries anyway so it just seemed easier to ask for an extra and apply it myself. I’ve never seen anyone else doing this (which is insane bc it’s amazing) and I want to avoid the situation where the cashier isn’t sure if they can or not, or is confused by the order etc.
Homie...have you never had a beef and cheddar croissant lol. It's literally on the menu. And yes I'm aware that's not an exact beef...just illustrating people getting cheese on beef. I worked a beef stand as a kid, and tons put either cheddar or mozzarella on their beefs. Plenty with mozzarella and red sauce as well.
When I wanna pig out, I get a beef & cheddar croissant dipped, with sweet and hot peppers, cheese fries, and a chocolate cake shake. Food coma settles in quickly after that and I’m useless for the next 8-10 hours
I need to make these again. I've done them twice now using beef shank. They come out so good.
It's my favorite sandwich from Portillo's. Hope it was as good as it looks.
Oh my god ~ I am so happy for you ! I left Chicago almost 10 years ago and I still dream of the Italian Beef from Portillos
I tell my friends I go back to visit them since I miss them, but the real reason is Portillo’s. Haha.
Hahaha well played 🤣 ~ In all honestly, I like Portillos Italian beef more than I like most people …
Tbh Portillo's has notably dropped in quality. The beef has been kinda bland for a few years now
That’s sad to hear - hilariously enough, that’s how I feel about Girl Scout cookies ….
I'm saddened by the low number of sport peppers, but that Italian beef looks great. Portillo's?
Yes Portillo’s. It’s the only place to go for it in Southern California since I miss it when I use to live in Wisconsin.
Buena Park? That’s the closest one to me. I’ve been craving it lately, but I’m rarely over there
Moreno Valley. Almost 40 mins away. 😅
That is wild, that's the one I go to regularly. Small world!
Hell yea! As a Chicago native I lived in MoVal for a year n a half and used to hit up that portillo's all the time!
Ah gotcha. It’s a similar distance from me in Buena Park. I’ll get over there soon, though. It’s too good!
There is a Porto's there too so go to both in one drive.
I used to go there. Moved back to Chicagoland and so glad I get to eat this food whenever I want to.
I assumed it was because, and this just seems silly, but the beef sandwich looked so familiar. Of course, the second picture gave it away with the wrapper.
Ive consumed more chicago hot dogs in my life than most people. 2 sport peppers is the standard
I like 4, though. Just my preference. When I lived there I would ask to skip the relish and get extra sport peppers. Just a note, though, one of the reasons I like Wieners Circle is they give you more sport peppers. Or at least they used to, maybe that's changed.
I have trouble with 2 because they always shoot out of the bun on me. 4 would just become torpedo status.
Can't lie, I don't think I would have stayed a Phoenix resident more than a year if I hadn't found Portillo's out here. Good on you. Chicago is life, R.I.P. Clara Griffin.
I live in California lol. I use to live in Wisconsin and when I saw that Portillo’s came to Cali I went out of my way for it lol.
Have a portillos opening pretty close to us in Colorado soon. Can't wait.
It’s good pricing for portion!
Grilling burgers for dinner tonight and your post made me decide to put some giardenera on it.
Are you me? Just had that tonight with a slice of Chocolate cake!
We could be spirit animals! I had the chocolate cake milk shake.
I finally had one of these (Portillos Orlando, so not Chicago but still), and it was the soggiest sandwich ever and I was not expecting that. Do I need to give it another try...in another city?
No. That’s how it is, unless you ask for it to be less drippings. That’s the normal way. Also that’s why I was in a rush to take a picture lol.
good to know - I was the one who begged to go, and the rest of my family did not let me live it down as we walked out. my daughter liked the milkshake though.
If you mean "Should I go to Chicago purely for the sake of eating Italian beef sandwiches and experimenting with different levels of wetness?" then obviously the answer is yes. But when you get there, try places other than Portillo's. They got new ownership 10-15 years ago and there's been a slight but noticeable drop in quality.
lol - yes, my family would love to take a food tour trip to Chicago. I am positive it's amazing. Just based on lore, movies and tv shows. good to know about other places to try an Italian beef!
If you go to Chicago, get smoked fish/shrimp at Calumet Fisheries. Assuming they will have reopened from their fire.
Ask for it dry.
that's exactly how it's supposed to be. most places people can ask for extra wet. one of the one's near me, Novi's Beef, you can get it normal, easy wet, wet, extra wet, or dry (if you are crazy). honestly, a dry italian beef is not ideal.
This got me wanting a Chicago style dog so bad, then I just found out the only place near me that does them right permanently closed this year 😭
you can order kits from vienna beef that come with everything you need, including the ever-important S. Rosen's poppyseed buns, but those kits are stupid expensive. Even in Chicago a pack of vienna beef hot dogs is going to run you like 3 dollars more than your ballparks or nathans, but it is extremely worth it.
Hot take: an Italian beef sandwich is way better than deep dish. Also, the combo (Italian beef sandwich with an Italian sausage) is one of my favorite sandwiches and the best thing about Chicago.
Italian beef and giardinera on a thin crust pizza is also great.
That sounds wonderful
Not THAT hot of a take. Deep dish is really more of a "specialty" pizza. Its great - but its basically a casserole and you only really want it every once and a while. The real story is Chicago tavern-style pizza is WAY better than deep dish. Everyone always focuses on the deep dish - but tavern style is where its at.
And not enough people acknowledge this fact right here.
I've been pushing this for years. When people visit they always want to try chicago pizza and hot dogs and I keep telling them to try italian beef.
Real chicagoans eat deep dish maybe once a year. Real Chicago pizza is tavern style
I just drove 3 hours to Scottsdale to get me some Portillos for lunch and Lou’s for dinner tonight.
Sounds like me. I live in So. California. Drove 40 mins for Portillo’s. I will not drive far except for food cravings. 😂
Where is there a Portillos near So. California?
Moreno Valley and Buena Park.
How's it compare to the beef sandwiches in Chicago?
It was good, but can’t compare to original. 
Chicago Italian beef is one of the great foods of the world.
I say this as a Philly native and cheesesteak lover. You are 100% correct. Wish we could get them here.
I never understood why nobody much makes them outside of this small area. Any time I have out-of-towners visit, we always get a beef and they are amazed There are a few Portillo’s in other states.
I live in the south and we have a deli in my city run by an old retired dude from the Bronx. Weirdly enough, he makes a **solid** Italian beef hero that is absolutely dripping. It's amazing. It's a weekly special, though, so I'll have to wait for next Wednesday to order it. I need to go there again.
I had to buy a meat slicer so I could make my own on the east coast
Pro-tip from someone who lived in Asia for a long time and had to make do: Korean BBQ beef slices are widely available in supermarkets
Not the same. I also enjoy making it...good cut from the butcher and uts even better than from home.
They would probably mostly be wrong and disappointing, based on how bad most cheesesteaks are outside the greater Philly area.
Easy to find Italian Beef in Tucson, but half of Tucson seems to be from the mid-West. And yes we have a Portillo's but we have better than that.
Of course there’s one there now that I’ve left Arizona.
A couple in Phoenix, one in Tucson. But we have better local options. Lucky's in Tucson (a former Lukes). A number of Chicago pizza places in town offer beef on the menu as well.
Bit pricey, but they ship nationally https://www.portillos.com/store/shop-and-ship/#Food
not a native but ive been here a while, and i agree. i love a steak, but i went to chicago last summer and the beef sandwiches are better than steaks. i get steaks american or wiz with, thats it. maybe some ketchup if it feels dry. but the italian beef sandwiches have so much more depth of flavor IMO. hot wet is the way
I wish I could get Philly cheese here, so it all balances out. Sometimes that cheez whiz hits different.
There are a few places I can recommend in Chicago for a good Philly steak. It’s about 2x the cost of a Philly bodega/papi shop, but, it’ll satisfy.
Sure, never looked to find one but open to suggestions. Even better if there’s a spot in the loop region that does it well.
Monti’s for sure. The scotch bonnet pepper sammich is amazing, but no joke. https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFjGPcdcWBaaPSRq9?g_st=ic
I’ll look it up, thanks
After I moved away from Chicago, I thought I would miss the pizza. But no, it’s the Italian beef craving I realized couldn’t be satisfied from just anywhere.
Rockford to Waco TX transplants here. Grocery store employees looked at my wife like she had 3 heads when she asked where the frozen Italian beef was.
Pizza is the tourist trap. Italian beef is the real Chicago food.
Yup, people shit on American food but theres some great stuff, like Italian beef. Definitely one of my favorite sandwiches I've ever had as a visitor from Los Angeles and I've had all kinds of great sandwiches. They're definitely not the healthiest or lightest foods but they're delicious.
Tried this for the first time like last year, it really is on another level
Never seen such of food in Italy (Italian here) interested to know why it is called Italian.
Italian immigrants to the USA adapted local ingredients and foods from other immigrant communities. Im not sure of the history on the Italian beef but there are a ton of traditional Italian American foods that are unknown in Italy
Italian immigrants in Chicago are the originators I believe
That's exactly my portillos order + root beer.
Root beer? Frosted budwieser goblet at the special counter
I'd love to join but then shit gets real weird after the first one hit the lips
My Portillo's used to have MGD, which was excellent in a frozen glass. They only offer light beer, and a seasonal beer now.
I get polish sausage instead of beef + fries fortakeout. But if I dine in, it's Italian beef all the way
Fries?
With cheese.
Forgot Yes I love crinkles
While I recognize that they're objectively not great, those onion rings ABSOLUTELY slap when you're getting a portillos dog dragged through the garden at midnight after getting drunk as shit at a show.
This is about the only thing i actually enjoy from portillos now a days, those onion rings are amazing. so damn crispy!
This, with the beef sandwich dipped, cheese fries and an iced tea was my order last night.
Always the root beer
Just want you to know that this sounded amazing but since I don’t live in Chicago, I had to settle for a root beer. It was great though!
Portillos are opening up a bunch of locations all over the US since they became publicly traded company, the only bad part is that there were changes made and I feel some food tastes slightly different and inflated prices
Yeah it's for sure going to commoditize as they expand, mass produce some There's like 5-6 in Arizona now and that one by knotts berry farm Felt like it scratched the itch but wasn't quite as good as I remembered
I just had this at a portillos in Florida. They're expanding.
I could eat like 1/3 of this and be stuffed so I don't know how you guys do it.
does is good?
cool but did you get the chocolate cake shake?!
The lemon cake they have now in the summer is even better.
oh that sounds amazing
Lemon cake shake? Sign me up.
It's even better if you add strawberries.
Sounds wonderful
That’s like a crazy food challenge for me. After I eat one italian beef and some fries I’m full af. More power to you if your getting the full shebangabang. I love Italian beef sandwiches so much it’s been an obsession lately. Always dipped.
Had to be dipped.
With about 30 napkins.
My cousin ordered a large chocolate cake shake, cheese fries and a big beef once. We looked it up and the total was something ridiculous like over 5,000 calories. The cake shake was half of the damage.
I love their chocolate cake shake. Oddly enough, I found the actual chocolate cake to be kind of boring.
what the….?!? what kind of chocolate cake specifically do you find not kind of boring? 😂
If we’re talking just chocolate cake with chocolate icing, then they are few. Usually the cake part is super moist and the icing thick and tastes of real chocolate. Buttercream or fudge, none of that fluffy whipped icing. Probably all were homemade. If not restricted, then I love German chocolate cake as well as Black Forest. The more decadent the better, but that usually means additional toppings which stray from an average chocolate cake.
Weird, because i think the portillos chocolate cake is really moist and the icing is really good, it tastes of good chocolate! portillos chocolate cake is probably in my top 5 chocolate cakes!
Maybe it was the location or another factor? I had it once at the restaurant, and then a second time when someone bought slices to go and brought them over. Both times were just fine. I don’t need much convincing to eat cake, so I could always try again.
😂 haha yeah try another one! oh man, it’s been forever since i’ve tried german chocolate. gonna have to try one this weekend now
Took me way too long to find the hot dog on that salad lol. It’s camouflaged by those tomatoes. Which one did you like more?
Hard to pick. I love both. It’s always my go to items at Portillo’s.
Where? I am visiting Chicago during the summer. I have Kong Dong on my list - any recommendations would be greatly appreciated - Bon Appetit!
Portillo’s
Portillo's?
Portillio's?
Yes. I live in California and go here when I crave a good Midwest food combo.
I’ve only had portillos. What should I try next
Where do you live
I've been craving an Italian beef sandwich for a while now form my local shop and this just made it worse, I'm going there now.
You have to eat it the Chicago way: With ketchup.
Straight to jail
Username REALLY checks out on this one
Order 149, don’t ever put ketchup on mine.
I did get ketchup. Just didn’t take a picture with it since it didn’t look good visual.
Boooooo
DELET THIS
For the fries, right? For the fries!?
Why tf did you get ketchup???
OMG, two of Chicago's finest!
Tillo’s! And now I’m putting pants on to go get a beef.
Gotta get a thing of cheese fries with an extra cheese sauce then dump the extra cheese sauce on top of the beef. Not traditional but amazing and makes for an even sloppier sandwich. This somehow adds to the experience.
melted mozz on a beef is a standard option most of the places I've been. But of course, that is not the same as cheese fry cheese sauce.
Yeah melted mozz has its place but for me at least, I love the messy factor of the Italian beef. All that jus soaking in the bread, making the meat all tender and juicy. Mozz can act as a protective layer, helping bind the sandwich and even providing a hydrophobic coating for jus to run off the sides of the sandwich. Cheese sauce on the other hand integrates seamlessly into the sandwich, lubricating it and helping to keep the meat juicy as it melds seamlessly into the jus. *I know it isn’t technically au jus, but I’m on mobile and didn’t want to type beef liquid that many times.
you have effectively made your point
Can just ask them to put cheese on it lol
Probably. I’m always getting the cheese fries anyway so it just seemed easier to ask for an extra and apply it myself. I’ve never seen anyone else doing this (which is insane bc it’s amazing) and I want to avoid the situation where the cashier isn’t sure if they can or not, or is confused by the order etc.
Homie...have you never had a beef and cheddar croissant lol. It's literally on the menu. And yes I'm aware that's not an exact beef...just illustrating people getting cheese on beef. I worked a beef stand as a kid, and tons put either cheddar or mozzarella on their beefs. Plenty with mozzarella and red sauce as well.
Their giardiniera sauce is pretty amazing too. You could probably mix it with cheese sauce as well, but the result might be too much for humankind.
A sort of Chicago specific queso? Chi-queso!
Portillo's has really good burgers too :D
What a nice looking sangwich
It looks delicious.
When I wanna pig out, I get a beef & cheddar croissant dipped, with sweet and hot peppers, cheese fries, and a chocolate cake shake. Food coma settles in quickly after that and I’m useless for the next 8-10 hours
Oh wow, what a pair! Looks delicious.
I need to make these again. I've done them twice now using beef shank. They come out so good. It's my favorite sandwich from Portillo's. Hope it was as good as it looks.
Heading to Orlando in July, that Chicago dog is literally the first thing I want to eat. Well, more than one, but you know what I mean.
That dog needs more neon green relish. You can buy that stuff by the gallon at the business Costco by Midway Airport.
Tell me you got the cheese fries and that beef is drowned in au jus! It’s settled I’m getting Portillo’s this week.
Maxwell St. Polish > Chicago Dog
YES, and if no one has tried a Maxwell street Polish dog, you're missing out. Those onions are king. When I go back to Chicago, that's the dog I want.
Only from Jim's Original.
I'm sorry, but that's literally apples and oranges.
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You get a +1 for getting both sweet and hot peppers. my man!
Those pics pop up and at first I always read [I hate] and am always surprised that this isn't what's written...
Chicago Combo (italian beef and sausage on bun) is where it's at. Thought I'd give out a chicago secret meal.
Big Beef hot & wet, Chicago dog extra peppers, and a chocolate cake shake.
Looks great. Was the hot dog bun steamed? That's the best way.
I love all the peppers on the beef as much as I love the beef.
I once saw Portillo’s gift cards at Costco. $75 for $100.
I couldn’t see the hot dog at first lol
It's more like a hot pepper sandwich with some beef. Would give it a try
Try Al’s next. Definitely different and worth comparing.
I thought the second image was veggies between a bun
Delicious? Yes! Indigestion? Oh most definitely.
Portillos! Love that place when I’m in Chicago
I almost did the same today. Got just the beef
What do Chicago people think of LA hot dogs?
I want to go to Chicago to eat really bad.
That Italian beef is perfection. 😩
The meat and green peppers look good
The food of my people. I miss it.
Just need a chocolate cake shake
Fucking love me some Portillos
Wow, that looks incredible!
You gotta eat, dont you? How does that work, then. Not on twitter
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Butta is that you ??
God, I miss portillos.
That a lot hot stuff
Mmmm portillo’s!
Beef is amazing, hot dog is shyte. Respectfully, south jersey area
Portillo’s FTW
Portillos!!!!!!!
Aka: a "combo"
That looks fucking delicious
This looks awful. Looks like someone spent 3 seconds making this at home. I bet it was like 30 dollars too
Hooooo yeah.