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Portillo's Algonquin

2.2 (88 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 11:30 pm

Portillo's Algonquin Photos

PORTILLO'S ALGONQUIN ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - Portillo's Algonquin

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Italian Beef sandwich, dipped.
Peter T.

It's OK. One of the newer locations in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, they have a system in place and don't vary from it. They were currently offering a BOGO Beef sandwich deal for the entire month, if you were a "perks" member, which is different than just downloading and using their app. They have four kiosks for ordering, there was a line and one was out of order. So I sauntered up to the counter and tried to place my order with (what I suspect) is a recent hire, and an immigrant (fine with that). She took my order but it couldn't be inputted, so a colleague showed her where she went wrong (the BOGO is only good for the small sandwich, but that is not stated clearly). In any case, my original $34 order was whacked dow to $14, so no complaints there. I'm not a regular customer, so i don't have any history to compare the experience or food with. Others say the sandwiches are smaller. Or the meat is rubbery. (Latter claim is doubtful, since their only supplier is the legendary local Vienna Beef). In addition to the non-working kiosk, the ice tea and lemonade dispensers were empty and I couldn't get an employee to address that. I do know the food is expensive compared to their competitors, especially the legendary beef joints around town. The founder sold the chain to an investment company a couple years ago, who are bent on expanding nationally, and they are showing signs of doing that. I suspect the new owners have had to find ways to cut costs to pay back their debt/investors because, according to the numbers reported for the sale, they overpaid by a huge amount. I found nothing objectionable about the food, and will return from time to time. Their menu offers other items I am eager to try.

John M.

Stopped in for a late lunch since we were in the area. This location looks fairly new from the design. Since my wife is Gluten Free and Portillos doesn't offer many gluten free items,she just had a tamale which was good. I went with my regular .. Chicago dog and fries. Our order came out very fast and there was plenty of seating. My only complaint is they need more trash cans located thruout the seating area. Plenty of parking which is good since I can see this location getting really busy at lunch/dinner time. As usual, Portillos is consistent and still a good value.

Chili Cheese Dog
Ann C.

I would like to give this Portillo's more stars, but it's so up and down at this location. We have eaten inside several times and everything has been great. Good food, hot when it needs to be hot and cold when it needs to be cold, correct orders and a clean restaurant. However, the drive-thru is a different story. I think, out of the 10 or so times we have been through the drive-thru, we have only had one correct order. We usually find the missing item or incorrect order before we drive away, but there have been occasions where we didn't find the mistake until we arrived home. I wish the drive-thru was as consistent as the dine in area.

Chocolate Cake Shake
Quin B.

I had never heard of the chocolate cake shake until the comedian Gabriel Iglesias raved about it in one of his stand up specials. So here I am at the Portillo's in Algonquin to try one purely out of curiosity and this review will only be based on that. Service through the drive thru went smoothly. I saw my shake being prepared from their machine in a fairly good sized cup. I drove around and parked to sit in the sun while I sipped on my shake. This shake was just as one would expect. It had the texture of tiny specs of chocolate cake perfectly blended throughout it. I absolutely didn't like it for these two reasons: 1. I like my shakes 100% smooth and creamy and this is not that type of shake. 2. The shake did not come out the machine well frozen, it could have been colder. This was my 1st and last time trying this type of shake. They are just not for me.

Cold french fries
Jason R.

by far the worst! Service is so slow and so rude. The food was cold. This was The Best and now McDonalds is better. We keep trying but disappointed every time.

Combo bowl
Doug M.

Your typical Portillo's location - which usually means pretty busy. We stopped here for lunch today. Fast service and good, consistent food. It's bright and airy in the dining area, which is nice. Some locations are a little dated now but this one has that "shiny new car" feel to it. I knocked off one star for charging .75 cents for a very small portion of giardinara. Food is still good and solid. I had the combo bowl today. All the great flavor without the carbs.

Beef and Cheddar Croissant, dry with hot peppers, small fries.
Brian F.

There's a review conspiracy going on here. There is no way that this Portillo's has 1.5 stars. Look at my pictures below. You don't have a packed room like this if you're a 1.5-star place. It's always interesting when the 1-star reviews are from random people who have no other reviews. if you have an issue you should attempt to resolve it with a manager and give them an opportunity to rectify the situation before leaving a 1-star rating. I digress. The food was as good as always... specifically, my Beef and Cheddar Croissant was exactly how I ordered it (see photo), dry and with hot peppers. I think they're even using bigger croissants now, with more beef. My kids had the burgers and ate them up. The fries were crispy and salted just right. My parents had the Italian beef and loved it. They also get the cheese sauce for the fries, which is a guilty pleasure of mine. The service was great. We had a patient cashier (we had 7 orders, and they all came out correct) who wasn't smiley, but was still attentive. The expeditor was busting out orders left and right. We waited a bit longer than I would've liked, but we did have 7 orders. The dining room was loud and energetic. Lots of smiles and laughter all around. It could be a little loud for those with sensory issues. There's also outdoor dining for when it gets warmer. So I have no complaints. I'm halfway between the Portillo's in Crystal Lake and this location, so I'll be splitting my time between the two. I know that there may have been a few opening hiccups, but from my experience last Sunday, they've got everything worked out. Great job, team! BTW, $25 is too much for a Portillo's t-shirt. I want to represent, so bring them down to $10. Thank you!

Chopped Salad
Jennifer M.

Not sure why all the bad reviews unless management has changed hands since then? I've eaten at multiple Portillo's in Illinois and Florida and this was one of the best experiences I've had! Beautiful restaurant and the food was awesome! I ordered my usual Italian Beef sandwich, fries and a drink and my colleague ordered a chopped salad and strawberry shortcake dessert. YUM!

.This is what I got--a tepid, Dry, naked burger--NOTHING ON IT
Christel Y.

Portillos is always a fun place with a great menu. Many of us were thrilled when I learned one was coming to our area. I've eaten in the restaurant twice and just now ordered through the drive thru for the second and most probably the last time. The staff is always kind and helpful. Long story short, each time I ordered through this particular Portillos drive thru, I learned after I was home that something was wrong or missing. Annoying . When I'd call they were polite and offered to make it right "next time I came in". That just seemed like more problem than it was worth. Today I ordered a cheeseburger with "everything " even asking for extra. Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, tomatoes and onion.--the pic attached is what I got--a dry tepid burger with NOTHING on it.

Beef and cheddar croissant

I want to start off with I never feel the need to bash a company by writing a negative review although this is just unacceptable. I ordered Portillo's and got a beef and cheddar croissant for the first time. I thought I'd try something new.. I added sweet peppers for an extra dollar and only received ONE singular pepper in my sandwich... not to mention the "cheddar" advertised looks nothing like what you're getting. It's literally unmelted shredded cheese. This place is not worth the price you pay. unfortunately I won't be back to this location.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Took 20 minutes at drive through window and they still missed my fries and hot peppers. Get your act together!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

foods good it's -12° outside and inside the restaurant is colder than a mothafuka. other than that people are nice nice ambiance

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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Page 3 of 3

Ask the Community - Portillo's Algonquin

River Street Tavern - The Bar

River Street Tavern

4.4(305 reviews)
4.5 mi
•$$

This was not our first visit and it definitely will not be our last! The industrial look is…read morecharming for the American food fare theme and sets the tone for a fun hang with friends. In the past we have tried burgers and the crab cake sliders which are favorites, but today we took it easy with a couple of cocktails and some candied bacon. He ordered the Stag Sour which is similar to a blackberry sour but with fresh blackberry puree which elevates the drink and mellows the whisky taste. I ordered the Bloody Mary with the RST skewer- amazing! Pro tip: you can order the skewer for $1.50 which would be a nice addition to any beer too! The candied bacon is peppery thick cut bacon slices with a sticky sweet glaze that is a perfect snack. And you can't beat the price at $7 for four of these big slices! Service was quick, the atmosphere seems busy but is quite chill, and we loved that they had sport on the tv to go with our drinks. This place is reliably great and so conveniently located so you are still in the Dundee atmosphere without feeling like you are in the middle of the "party zone". They have daily specials and we are looking forward to coming in on Wednesday for a $5 wine bottle with two entree purchase soon!

During our trip to Illinois, we drove out to East Dundee and had dinner at the River Street Tavern…read more Tv screens everywhere and a huge tv in the main dining room. We were seated right away and given great recommendations and time to talk and figure out the menu. We had a good dinner, birthday dessert and over all very enjoyable time.

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River Street Tavern - Corned Beef & Swiss

Corned Beef & Swiss

River Street Tavern - Ok

Ok

River Street Tavern - Southwest salad

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Southwest salad

Tap House Grill Algonquin - Cheese curds appetizer are delicious!

Tap House Grill Algonquin

3.0(58 reviews)
0.3 mi
•$$

I reviewed Tap House Grill last year but I felt the need to update my review after a fantastic…read morelunch here earlier this month. Met my friend here for her birthday lunch (same friend from my last review!). It was a beautiful day so we sat outside on the patio. It was soooo nice. I ordered a flat bread pizza thingy (Chicago Prime)... it was delicious! My friend ordered a salad; she raved about it. The reason for this review isn't the great table or the delicious food... it's the service. Josh waited on us and he was AMAZING. I think he was working the bar, the patio and the entire restaurant. He checked on us throughout our meal, kept our drinks filled and was an all around wonderful person to talk to. One hundred stars for Josh! Thanks for making our afternoon!

Service was amazing, very nice looking place. Love the seating…read more We ended up here after trying to dine into Twin Peaks. Never heard of this place. So why not try it? The bloody mary had zero flavor but I did enjoy the pepperoni & cheese it came with. The other drinks were tasty. My BLT, no tomato claimed it was supposed to be 1lb of bacon. Barely any bacon BUT the bacon was delicious. No mayo or anything on the sandwich, it was ok. Tots were yummy. The kobe steak bowl had over cooked rice. Not much flavor. LOVED the cheese curds though. Overall. I don't think I would come back.

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Tap House Grill Algonquin - Cheese Curds

Cheese Curds

Tap House Grill Algonquin - Garlic Prime Rib Dip. So good!

Garlic Prime Rib Dip. So good!

Tap House Grill Algonquin - Shrimp Tacos

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Shrimp Tacos

Portillo's Algonquin - hotdog - Updated October 2026

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