Gluten-Free at Portillo's
Fast Food Restaurant
I don’t know why this place is listed as gf. They don’t have gf hot dogs.
They used to carry tuna that you could get without a bun, but they decided to carry breaded whitefish instead. Almost nothing on the menu is gluten free, other than maybe grilled chicken without a bun. Which you can get everywhere.
It was ok—ordered burger with no bun and fries
There is no dedicated fryer here despite website. Burgers can be done in a lettuce wrap.
The person taking my order at the drive thru had no idea what a food allergy was and seemed to have no interest in helping me navigate the menu. Luckily I didn’t have any ill effects from the classic combo bowl. Their fries were great. Also regarding the other review, the allergen guide on their site lists the Italian bowl as containing gluten.
We stopped here to get a bite to eat. We got the Italian combo bowl which is gluten free. You’ll get some choices of cheese and peppers. We also got the chili cheese fries and they told us it was gluten free . Great food and wonderful service.
They currently offer Italian beef bowls that you can add toppings and even add Italian sausage.
Dedicated frier for fries so they’re gf, but if you don’t eat meat or have any questions at all you’re screwed. I was able to see online that the frier is for fries only making it gf, but staff was NOT knowledgeable (at one of their biggest and newest locations in Chicago…), and acted super annoyed by safety questions. Plant based hot dog is vegan but NOT gf and i had to ask 5 people to confirm if the hot dog itself had gluten (it does). Every answer was “well the bun has gluten”….obviously… but shouldn’t staff be knowledgeable about the other 10 ingredients? Wouldn’t risk it!
Ordered a nudie hotdog with the manager who was able to ensure it remained gluten free. Their fries are cooked in a dedicated fryer, however the oil goes through a filtration system at night that commingles it with the oil from the chicken tenders - thus they are technically not celiac safe. As a celiac myself however, I do risk these fries on occasion and have never had an issue even though I tend to be quite sensitive to cross contamination.
The worker here told me the frys are fried in a separate fryer only for fries! He double checked with the kitchen as well and they gave the all clear other than the fact they have gluten in the kitchen so they can not guarantee. I decide to try about a handful and had no symptoms at all! I also ate a burger no bun which was good!
Lol don’t come here. They said they can’t help cross contamination and the bowls look so gross. The dogs without a bun is a waste. If you’re with a group you can come but I would never choose to. Expensive too
Online there are gluten free options. Just spoke to the employee taking orders who says nothing there is gluten free. Hard pass for me.
My daughter and I went for dinner. They have a dedicated fryer for fries. The cheese sauce for the fries was also gf. She ordered a Maxwell street polish without the bun. We told them she had celiacs and they made sure there was no cross contamination. It was a great experience
I carefully looked at the menu. I got the Greek chicken salad with ranch as recommended. I ended up sick for 24 hours. I think there is just too much cross contamination.
Have sandwiches in bowels so no bread! Fries were GF not sure if they were in a different fryer. It was really good, definitely a regular place. Ps if u don't want the bowel you can bring your own bread.
Their website stated that they are numerous options. When I went up to order, they had absolutely no idea. I requested to speak to a manager and the manager didn’t know much and they could not find the allergen list. She did know that the beef and the gravy had no extra flour or anything in it, so I went with meat in a bowl with some vegetables.
Hey I am vegetarian and have celiac, and when I mentioned those two things they rudely dismissed my needs and asked what I would like they seemed frustrated when I asked questions about there fries and did not seem to care. Agin I am vegetarian so I got a salad without croutons and without dressing so definitely not many options for me or GL people.
I ordered a chopped salad with no noodles and no bread. As I was eating my salad, a noticed a noodle was inside of it. I can’t believe they can’t even keep their salads gluten free. It’s really disappointing.
One thing I have had with no problem, is the cup of beef. It’s Italian beef in the gravy and could be ordered with peppers and cheese if you want.
Their cheese sauce is gluten free, so I’ll order the cheese sauce and make my own fries at home.
Overall, I wish such a big fast food chain could be more careful and conscious of gluten free. It’s not too hard to keep noodles separate and far away from salad items.
Absolutely clueless and didn’t know what gluten was! Tried 2 different times to get information about their food preparation protocols. Waste of TIME
I used to love Portillos before my Celiac diagnosis so this was a hard restaurant for me to permanently cut out. I have tried the fries a few times and didn’t feel well; now I know why (via the other rating). Last night, I ordered a hotdog nudie and a side of cheese sauce, using my own bun from home. I got fries from Chick fil A and they were just as good. I felt great afterwards! Portillos has an online allergen menu with all the allergens present. However, inside the restaurant, they are very uneducated on allergy management/cross contamination processes. But- there are ways to go around that. Hope this helps!
I was told the fries were in a separate fryer so I ordered them and a milkshake. I was throwing up 2 hours later and had the worst glutening of my life. Later found out the oil uses a shared filter with their gluten food. So not gluten free. Will never go back
Ordered nudie hot dog and there was bun residue on it! Lazy
Their fries have their own fryer. We bought our own gluten free buns and just ordered burgers/hot dogs bunless and brought them home and put on the buns we got. Neither of us got sick but i wouldn’t say they are gluten friendly just if your careful you can still enjoy. I would still call however if you have questions.
As far as i know it’s just the fries. But if you add the cheese it’s also safe from cross/contamination. But not the cheese on the burgers.
I have never encountered a restaurant manager who cared less than the one I encountered here about suggesting anything I could eat. I was expecting to be able to have a salad with modifications at least, but when I asked the manager if he had anything gluten free, he just said "No."
Food is really good, however it would be way better if they had buns. If they had buns, I feel cross contamination could be a nightmare as well. I did not get sick, but it was not fun eating hot dogs and Italian beef without bread. if you want a hot dog I recommend Frank's on first in Hinsdale.
The manager worked closely and very well with us and handled our order personally.
They didn't have a clue about gluten free options. Online menu had breaded chicken and wraps listed with no gluten allergy, but at least had the wheat allergy ticked. They were so busy at supper there was bread all over the place in the preparation areas. Skip it if your serious.
For such a large, well managed and successful chain, you'd think they'd be remotely gluten free friendly. Not so despite great shakes and malts. The staff has zero training.
Update: their quality control is almost non existent at this point. No matter how many times you say no bun and they confirm it you'll still probably get a bun. Very unfortunate.
Original: I always order the cheeseburger minus the bun. I love that I can eat their French fries!
Order nudie hot dog or burger without bun. Cup of beef is delicious too.
I ask about gluten-free options they did not have a clue. Ask for the manager she did not have a clue. I wouldn't risk it.
Nice online allergen list. Chili is GF and yummy. Cashier said it wasn't, need more education to staff but overall good experience.
I ate at this location today, I was told there was nothing at all on the menu that was gluten free. They even checked with a person "in charge"!
Check out this link to view allergens in their menu! Very helpful
http://shop.portillos.com/nutrition/portillos/nutracalc.asp
Eat here regularly and love the french fries, hot dog, cheesburger and Italian beef. No buns though but bring my own.
Fries are in a dedicated fryer! They were great about giving us the Italian beef in a cup. Great experience!
I just got off the phone with the corporate office and they confirmed that the hot dogs (no bun) are gluten free. The tamales & beef/gravy are also gluten free.
Portillo's is a great option for gluten free fast food! They don't have an official gluten free menu (although I hear that one is in the works) but the hot dog nudie, hamburger nudie, or cup of beef are great options. You can't do a chicken nudie because it's marinated with soy sauce (weird, I know). I've never ever gotten sick from the hot dog nudie (with cheese sauce for dipping!) because they use tongs for the hot dogs and their hands for the buns. Workers hands never come in contact with the hot dog because of paper the hot dog is wrapped in – and you can watch it all through their window to make sure. There's some minor cross contamination risk to the cup of beef just in watching that the bread sometimes goes over the top of the pot of beef. However, I've never gotten sick here and I'm an extremely sensitive Celiac. The salads can be made in a fresh bowl, and the famous chop salad is GF without the chicken or pasta.
Also, the fries are made in a dedicated fryer! The onion rings have their own fryer with separate oil.
Still learning what they have..
Categories
- Fast Food
- Kid Friendly
