- I ordered the same meal at Freddy's and Portillo's to see which one was best.
- I was pleasantly surprised by the toasted bread Freddy's used for its chili cheese dog.
- Portillo's vanilla milkshake tasted like a thicker version of soft serve ice cream.
As a Chicago native, I'm very familiar with Portillo's. The fast casual restaurant chain serves a variety of my city's hallmark foods, including Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, and my usual go-to order, a Maxwell Street Polish sausage.
I wasn't as familiar with Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, another popular fast-food chain with locations across the US, but when I heard great things about their food, I decided to give it a try to see how it compared to Portillo's.
I ordered the same meal — a chili cheese dog, chicken tenders, and a vanilla milkshake — at both. Here's how the restaurants compared.
Prices may vary by location.
I visited Freddy's first.
Freddy's was founded in 2002 and has since grown to have more than 500 locations across the US.
My partner and I were the only customers when we arrived on a Sunday at 11 a.m. We were greeted by bright pops of red and a 1950s diner aesthetic that still felt modern.
I paid $7.30 for my chili cheese dog, $8.30 for a large order of chicken tenders, and $5.20 for a regular vanilla milkshake, bringing my total to about $22 including tax.
Then, I went to Portillo's.
Portillo's was founded by Dick Portillo in 1963 as a hot dog stand called "The Dog House," and has since grown to have more than 70 locations in the US.
Walking into Portillo's was familiar territory. The location I visited had an interior theme that drew from the 1920s and the Great Depression.
I placed my order at a self-service screen and waited to hear my number called.
I paid $5.50 for my chili cheese dog, $6.20 for four chicken tenders, and $5.30 for a large vanilla milkshake, bringing my total to about $19 including tax.
Portillo's chili cheese dog tasted good, but the chicken tenders were disappointing.
I was underwhelmed after opening my chili dog. The chili was more saucy, with little meat or beans, and there wasn't much of it. There was, however, a decent layer of nacho cheese underneath.
Portillo's uses poppy seed buns for their chili cheese dogs, and although this is a delicious option, I don't think it provides the support this dish needs. Although the bread didn't break, things got messy and it became more of a hassle to eat than Freddy's option.
Still, the best part of the chili cheese dog was the hot dog itself. Portillo's uses Vienna Beef products, the signature sausage for a Chicago-style hot dog. Together, the Vienna Beef hot dog and poppy seed bun made the chili dog worth the extra mess.
The chicken tenders tasted good, too, but overall, I was disappointed by them. The breading was thick and had a nice crunch in some spots, but left little to no chicken in other bites.
Since the tenders were fried fresh, I ripped them in half to allow each to cool faster, but in doing so, the breading started to slide off, leaving me with naked pieces of white meat.
Finally, I ordered a large milkshake because Portillo's didn't have a medium option. My shake came in a huge cup and was $0.10 less than the medium I received at Freddy's. It tasted like I was drinking a thicker version of soft serve vanilla ice cream.
Now, I understand the hype around Freddy's.
I now fully understand the hype around Freddy's. The quality of the food is fresh and tasty, and I think you get a better experience here for about the same price as other fast-food restaurants.
However, this review doesn't eliminate Portillo's from my rotation. Some of the items I typically order can only be found at Portillo's and other local Chicago spots, so although Freddy's won this competition, there are other ways it just can't compare.
