Portillo's Downers Grove — Restaurant in Downers Grove

I was highly Satisfied with my visit to this here Portillos on this north western hemisphere of the planet we call earth. I had come here with my dear sister and loving mother to enjoy a shake. My sister was very very on edge due to her recent need to enjoy the facilities here. While she complained her mission my mother and I ordered out shakes. The service was one that I in my 53 years on this Earth have never experienced. The cashier was more than happy to converse on the near passing of my great aunt. He helped me in a way that my father had never. Growing up I had never experienced fatherly love and now due to my recent conversation with the staff of this establishment. I have found something that I have been longing for my entire life. I want to thank everyone involved in making this fine establishment to bring me the joy and fatherly love that my dry childhood never provided to me. This shake has brought me so much joy that I had to excuse myself for a moment to publicly sob in front of the staff. I had recently gone through a tough time once my landlord kicked me out and that had cause me to not be able to afford the food I needed to get by. I recently told my mother this and that is what brought us to this place. The help that this shake gave was what I needed to go forward to live a new life. I will leave this place a new person. This trip has caused me to want to go back to the ridged planes of Canada and visit my love lost lover Frànçois. My father had forced me to brake up with him after finding out I was gay. Coming out was a hard journey for me and my dad being my dad threaten to disowned me if I didn’t break up with him and be quote on quote “normal”. But this meal has given me the strength and power I needed to stand up to the man that ruined my life. He took my want to live and left me alone with all my problems. I will remember this meal for the rest of my life. Frànçois will probably thank you as well. I couldn’t thank you more for...

First of all, to everyone that complains about wait times and staffing issues…GET USED TO IT! It’s not going away soon. It’s not one single restaurant’s fault, but a problem everywhere in America right now. So to complain in reviews about it is a waste of time. Plan wait times into your visit and teach your kids to go to work!

On to the review…I love this location. I come every couple weeks when I come to Chicago. It’s amazing how busy they always are and how full the drive thru is all the time. How do they not run out of food daily? It’s a modern marvel!

The decor is awesome! Really old time Chicago feel with old time music playing. A lot of cool historical photos and things to look at. Like another reviewer said, this is a Portillo’s on steroids. I usually just sit inside and people watch while I’m eating. Plenty of dining room space.

The food is always good. Everything from burgers, polish sausage, hot Italian beef, fries, onion rings, shakes, etc are all great. The prices are decent too.

Staff is great. They are usually overwhelmingly busy and everyone just keeps grinding it out. The lobby personnel are nice and accommodating. The older lady at the register who is always working is a trip. She’s probably one of the most depressing people I’ve encountered taking my order at a restaurant, but somehow it’s not a problem. It just works. She’s not rude or anything. Just a permanent fixture at the register who seems like she’s burnt out from working 12 hours per day. You guys should give her a vacation. Lol.

Overall, I have nothing bad to say. Only one time, my cheeseburger was cold and very unappealing to eat. Other than that, everything is surprisingly decent considering the number of staff vs the huge amount of traffic that flies through this...

Awful Experience, Terrible Customer Service, Will NEVER Return!

I can't even begin to express how terrible my experience was at Portillo’s today. My kids and I were nearby and decided to use the drive-thru for some quick food. After confirming our order through a very old, barely functional speaker, we were shocked to be told at the window that they don’t accept cash. I was instructed to go inside. Fine, no problem, I parked, went inside, and paid.

Then the real nightmare began. When I received my order, they gave me the wrong food! Not only did they forget one of the three fries I ordered, but instead of giving us a simple cheese cup on the side, they poured it all over the hotdogs, making everything messy and disgusting. When I went inside to ask for the missing fries and cheese cup, I was met by Rita, who couldn’t have been more rude and unprofessional. She went to print the receipt and insisted that I only ordered 2 fries. I tried to explain that I had ordered 3 meals (for 3 people), all of which had fries, but Rita just dismissed me and insisted that if I wanted fries, I had to pay AGAIN.

I was then forced to go back to my car, pack up the incomplete order, and go back inside demanding a refund. The lack of care or professionalism from Rita and the rest of the staff is appalling. Employees were running around aimlessly, there was no organization whatsoever, and no one seemed to care about customers. Rita was rude and unhelpful when all I needed was a simple order correction. My kids were hungry, annoyed, and we wasted so much time.

I will NEVER, EVER return to this location. This experience was beyond frustrating and disappointing. I will be sharing my experience with everyone I know. Portillo’s Downers Grove has lost my...