In A Town Full Of Chicken Places, Be A Hot Dog Restaurant

I am stunned, delighted, and full. My visit to Portillo’s was amazing, and I hope this restaurant sticks around in Lubbock for a long, long time.

Seriously, why are you even in line at the chicken place again? Haven’t you done that time and time again? Mix your menu up and head over to 5031 Milwaukee Avenue in Lubbock. The place is huge, and you absolutely can’t miss it.

On my way through the doors, I also noticed they have two giant drive-up lanes. It’s obvious from the layout that they do a ton of to-go business, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The “basic” item is the Chicago-style hot dog. Let’s start with the fact that I thought I was reading the menu wrong when it said $3.99.

After all, the place is huge, well-appointed, and really cool, so shouldn’t that hot dog be at least $5.99? Nope, it was just $3.99.

The dog comes dressed with mustard, relish, celery salt, chopped onions, tomato slices, a huge pickle spear, and sport peppers. It’s the whole Chicago experience, and I threw down two when one probably would have done the trick.

Okay, who am I kidding? I regret nothing.

Now let’s talk about the fries.

They have crinkle-cut fries. No big whoop, right?

Wrong.

Both the wife and I noticed they were as crispy as could be and didn’t taste greasy at all. Sometimes the simple things are the hardest to get right, and they absolutely nailed these.

We finished things up with a slice of simply amazing chocolate cake, which is another one of those things that makes you wonder why you haven’t been stopping here already.

Now, I said “hot dog place,” but that’s just the centerpiece. I also have people who swear by their amazing charbroiled burgers, Italian beef sandwiches, and get this — heroic chopped salads.

Yes, apparently you can go to a place famous for hot dogs and still make responsible adult decisions. I have not personally tried this strategy, but I’m told it’s possible.

I also want to mention how comfortable it is indoors. After shopping in that area, it’s probably the best place to cool down (and maybe grab a shake while you’re at it).

They have the air conditioning absolutely dialed in, and the ceiling fans were moving so much air they kept trying to take our napkins off the table. On a hot Lubbock day, it was amazing.

So why am I raving about this place?

Well, it’s in the (for now) totally over-restauranted Milwaukee area, and I want them to be around for a long, long time. They deserve it.

Read More: Another Knockout In Lubbock’s Chicken Fight

Drop your chicken habit for a minute and go try something that is both new and instantly familiar.

I am 100% onboard with Portillo’s.