Portillo's Buena Park — Restaurant in Buena Park

Portillo's is a Chicago icon. It has existed for a century in one form of another. It's fast food, but it's "old style" fast food, which by today's standards would totally be categorized as "gourmet" fast food. Portillo's has several locations across the US, though most are in the US. There are two in California, and one happens to be in Orange Co., more precisely in Buena Park, within the Downtown Buena Park area (i.e. across the Buena Park Mall, right where Walmart is.

The building and the interior match the historical restaurant in Chi-town. A very attractive mix of 1940's and 1950's Americana. There's a large dining room and a very spacious outdoor patio.

Portillo's iconic dish is the Italian Beef Sandwich. You can have it dry, with some gravy with a lot of gravy or gravy on a side (I strongly recommend the latter: you decide how much you want...) Also, you can have the "hybrid" sandwich with Italian and Polish sandwich. Or you can have the beef in a croissant with cheddar cheese, something that vaguely resembles a Philly Cheesesteak. Of course the fundamental difference is that the ribeye steak on a Philly Cheesesteak is grilled, while Portillo's famous beef (it's still ribeye steak) is actually slow-cooked (4-5 hours, I was told). And that makes the meat a lot more tender than that of any ribeye steak cooked with any other method. Portillo's Italian Beef is extraordinary. Incidentally, it's also available in a bowl, for those who are trying to cut on carbs.

Portillo's also serves a variety of other classic dishes: hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, sausages etc. It's all good, but really, in my opinion, the Italian Beef and the sausages steal the show. Fries and onion rings are very good, comparable with what gourmet burger restaurants offer. The difference is that Portillo's has prices more in line with regular fast food chains, but the quality of the food is clearly higher. In other words, great value!

A good selection of desserts, shakes and malts are also available. All good, but by far my favorite is the strawberry/lemon shake. Very delicious and quite unconventional. It's basically a strawberry shake with chunks of lemon cake inside. You're...

Portillo's delivered a satisfying Chicago-style fast food experience. The Italian beef was rich and flavorful, and the hot dog had a satisfying snap. While a few minor details could be improved, the iconic flavors and quick service make it a worthwhile stop.

Service:

Introduction/Welcome: N/A (Fast food style) Offerings/Menu: Classic Chicago-style options - 8/10 Etiquette/Professionalism: N/A (Fast food style) Extra Mile: N/A (Fast food style) Attentiveness/Efficiency: Quick and efficient - 9/10 Payment/Close: - 8/10

Ambiance:

Background Music: 8/10 Guest Noise: 8/10 - was a little quiet Lighting: 10/10 Location/View: 10/10 Overall Atmosphere: Casual fast food - 9/10 Design/Decor: - 10/10

Food:

Italian Beef Sandwich (with sweet peppers): 8/10

Description: Rich umami flavor from the beef, toasted bun, slightly wet at the bottom where the gravy soaked in. Sweet and spicy peppers.

Comments: Enjoyed the rich flavor and the toasted bun. The sogginess at the bottom was a minor drawback. Appreciated the generous portion of peppers.

Chicago-Style Hot Dog: 7/10

Description: Classic beef hot dog with a nice snap, juicy, poppy seed bun, mustard, tomatoes, and spicy peppers.

Comments: The snap was great. Enjoyed the classic Chicago dog combination of toppings.

French Fries: 8/10

Description: Crinkle-cut, lightly salted, hot and warm in the middle.

Comments: Well-prepared fries, a good accompaniment to the sandwiches.

Overall, Portillo's is a solid choice for a quick and tasty Chicago-style meal. The Italian beef and the hot dog delivered on their classic flavors, and the fries were a nice addition. While the slightly soggy bottom of the beef sandwich were minor issues, the overall experience was positive.

There are charming elements like the pickup window saying rhymes for each number “don’t be late for 108”. Overall experience was a 9/10. Changing to 5 stars specifically bc the restaurant reached out to ask...

Yes, occasionally they mess up a thing or two on my order but would fix it momentarily. The Italian beef is my absolute favorite. My kids like the ribs, so hoping those will be back on the menu. Will stay away from the chocolate cake shake, unless you don't care for your health. That thing should be illegal to sell

5/29/25 Update On 5/28 picked up food and two what was supposed to be unsweet iced teas. Came home to find out the tea is sweet - one sip and it was sugary and disgusting. As it was my son's bday I didn't go back to the restaurant the same day. Went today and got the rudest manager by the name of Marwan Khalaf, who said "I cannot do a refund, m'am as this transaction is from yesterday" and walked away. Please note: there was no apology, no figuring out a way to fix it. The iced tea dispensers were both with plastic bags covering the spouts as they were out of iced tea. This is not a matter of $5, but the inconvenience of me driving back and asking you to fix something and getting treated like the manager cannot be bothered. The way you manage your restaurant and your people shows. I then spoke to a guy by the name of Darius, who refused to provide the name for Portillo's corporate or a way to reach customer service and also ran away.

Portillo's Management, If you are seeing this, please reach out and let me give you at the minimum 5 people, who know how to treat customers and will make sure your business grows because with this attitude from Mr. Khalaf today I guarantee you will lose money. I would make sure I post on the Cypress and Buena Park Community Page recommending people take their business elsewhere. For as long as Mr. Khalaf is employed at Portillo's neither my family or friends would visit this location....