Portillo’s named nation’s No. 1 fast casual restaurant in TripAdvisor rankings – Chicago Tribune

Awards are many, word of mouth may be better — either way, Portillo’s has put Chicago on the top of another travel award list.

The latest list is that of TripAdvisor.com’s Travelers’ Choice awards for Restaurants. This year, the awards recognize 75 of the nation’s restaurants across categories of fine dining, everyday dining (eateries that provide great meals for any occasion) and fast casual (high-quality meals at a great value to diners on the go).

TripAdvisor says the winning restaurants are considered the “best-in-class,” determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.

Chicago placed with three other restaurants. In the everyday dining category, The Purple Pig came in at No. 15 on a list of 25; in fine dining, Alinea placed 19th out of 25; and Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf rounded out that category in 25th place.

But when it came to fast casual, Portillo’s reigned supreme. Touted as a “Chicago institution” by travelers, this food destination — the brainchild of Dick Portillo — was born in 1963 out of a 6-foot-by-12-foot trailer in the parking lot of a Villa Park discount store and now touts 57 restaurants in seven states across the country.

No word on whether it was the chain’s famous cakes or cake shake or hot dogs that put the franchise over the top for travelers. Regardless, we can bet where you’re going to go grab lunch or dinner today.

drockett@chicagotribune.com

As temperatures drop, our craving for comforting, hearty dishes heats up. Appropriately, Food & Dining is spending October hunting down Chicago’s best noodle dishes, from Italian pastas to Japanese ramen and everything in between. Follow along as we unveil our picks. We’ll add a new noodle each day of the month. 

(Chicago Tribune staff)