7 Portillo’s Orders Illinoisans Defend Like Family
Everybody has a go-to order, and everybody thinks theirs is the right one.
At Portillo’s, Illinoisans can get downright protective about what they order at the counter.
Here are the picks that tend to start the debate.
1. Chocolate Cake Shake
A 2017 DNAinfo Chicago guide describes Portillo’s Chocolate Cake Shake as a whole slice of chocolate cake thrown into a milkshake.
In 2015, Time Out Chicago reported that Foursquare’s Vices Challenge data named the shake the top-rated vice among Illinois residents.
Portillo’s names its chocolate cake among the items it’s known for in a second-quarter 2026 earnings release.
The Chocolate Cake Shake comes in a regular size.
If you order a plain chocolate shake instead, many regulars would call it a different drink.
2. Dipped Italian Beef
Portillo’s offers five gravy settings for its Italian beef, and dipped comes first on its list.
The list also includes dry.
If you order dry, Portillo’s wrings as much gravy as possible from the beef.
It’s your call.
3. Beef and Sausage Combo
What does a combo add to a Portillo’s Italian beef?
Portillo’s pairs a char-grilled Italian pork sausage with homemade Italian beef in its combo, according to its menu page.
The sandwich comes topped with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera peppers, your choice.
DNAinfo Chicago describes it as a whole Italian sausage stuffed into a traditional beef sandwich.
Two meats, one sandwich.
4. Hot Giardiniera and Oil
When you order your Italian beef hot, Portillo’s tops it with hot giardiniera peppers, according to its ordering guide.
Order it sweet instead, and you get Portillo’s homemade red and green sweet peppers.
Portillo’s will also give you a cup of giardiniera oil on the side, which it calls perfect for dipping or pouring right on the sandwich.
You can also double the peppers by asking for extra hot peppers or extra sweet peppers.
5. Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Portillo’s uses the phrase “dragged through the garden” for the full Chicago-style hot dog experience on its hot dog kit page.
A 2021 Fox 35 Orlando report describes the hot dog on a steamed poppy seed bun with an all-beef hot dog.
For Chicago-style hot dogs in general, a Vienna Beef sales director told Forbes in 2021 that ketchup is sweet and the relish already provides the sweet.
If you ask for ketchup, you’ll find many regulars with something to say about it.
Seven Toppings on a Portillo’s Hot Dog
The Chicago-style hot dog comes with seven toppings.
They’re mustard, relish, fresh-cut onions, red ripe tomatoes, celery salt, a pickle and sport peppers.
The company’s at-home kit includes five of them.
Those are mustard, relish, celery salt, kosher pickles and sport peppers.
Onion and tomato aren’t included.
6. Maxwell Street Polish
If you want to make Portillo’s Maxwell Street Polish at home, its instructions call for a grilled sausage, mustard and sauteed onions on a poppy seed bun.
A Maxwell Street Polish Sandwich also appears in Portillo’s July 2026 nutrition guide.
The Takeout’s October 2025 ranking placed the char-grilled sausage sixth among 12 Portillo’s menu items.
The reviewer described a substantial sausage with grill marks, sticking out of a poppy seed bun.
The sandwich’s name points to Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, where Chicago public radio station WBEZ reported in 2019 that the Polish sausage stand Jim’s Original thrived for decades.
7. Cheese Fries for Dunking
The Takeout describes Portillo’s cheese fries as regular fries ordered with a side of dippable cheese.
You can also ask for an Italian beef topped with the cheese sauce Portillo’s uses for its cheese fries.
That’s one sauce, two jobs.
The cheese fries ranked fifth of 12, and the reviewer called the salty fries-and-cheese pairing a win.
Many regulars won’t eat Portillo’s french fries without a dunk.
From Hot Dog Trailer to Chain
Portillo’s says it has grown from a small hot dog trailer to more than 100 restaurants across 11 states.
Chicagoland is the company’s home.
Dick Portillo started the business in 1963.
A March 3, 2026 Portillo’s release introduced a limited-edition Birthday Cake and Cake Shake.
Both were available through April 6.
If you’re looking for either now, that date has passed.
Psst! How much do you know about ordering like a Chicagoan? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Order Like a Chicagoan
Answer nine questions on Chicago-style ordering, from gravy settings to Maxwell Street. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
At Portillo’s, an Italian beef ordered “easy dipped” goes into the gravy for how long?
Skeptic's View
Your favorite Portillo's order can land lower on someone else's list.
The Takeout's October 2025 ranking of 12 Portillo's menu items put the Italian beef first.
The Chocolate Cake Shake landed tenth, after the reviewer found the cake turned mushy.
The Chicago-style hot dog landed ninth, with the reviewer citing too few onions.
The pickle was small and dried up.
The celery salt was nowhere to be seen.
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