Rejoice, lovers of Chicago's most famous hot dog joint: The city's second Portillo's location is opening on Tuesday, May 31 at 520 West Taylor Street. The new space boasts the chain's standard layout—two levels, a massive drive thru lane, a faux Model T car propped up in the dining area—but the South Loop spot also sports a second-floor outdoor patio, so you'll be able to chow down on an Italian beef or hot dog while basking in the sun and looking up at the skyline (er, well, some of it—mostly just the neighboring shopping center).
Outside, there's also a replica of Dick Portillo's original hot dog stand that he launched in Villa Park in 1963. It advertises 35-cent hot dogs and fries, 15-cent tamales and 10-cent cokes with the disclaimer that they're not the real prices, but reflect the prices at the original stand when it opened.
For years, Chicagoans who want to get their Portillo's fix have had to travel to the always-busy River North location or make the trek out to one of the restaurant's various suburban locations. And let's be honest, for a lot of Chicagoans a trip to River North or the suburbs sounds about as appealing as a hot dog with ketchup on it.
Come Tuesday, all of that will change—may our tastebuds rejoice and our arteries grimace.
Photographs: Jaclyn Rivas