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Food & Drink

NBC Chicago

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One of Chicago's most beloved spots for burgers, hot dogs opens in southwest suburb

One of Chicago's most beloved spots to snag a burger or hot dog opened a new location in a southwest suburb this week. Redhot Ranch opened at 60 Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove on Tuesday, bringing a new late-night food option to the area. Open daily from 10:30 a.m. until...

Chicago, IL · 3d
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The Independent

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Popular Chicago chain known for its hot dogs set to close locations

The Chicago-based fast-casual chain, known for its hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, has 109 locations nationwide Getty/iStock To be frank, fans of a popular Chicago -style hot dog chain may not relish this news. Portillo’s plans to close a “mid-to-high single-digit number” of underperforming restaurants outside the Chicago area, mostly by the end of the year, CEO Brett Patterson announced Thursday. The Chicago-based fast-casual chain, known for its hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, has 109 locations nationwide. It said it looked at each restaurant’s sales, operating costs and expected future performance before deciding which ones to close. The company has not yet announced the affected locations. “This will improve portfolio quality, strengthen returns on invested capital and reflect our commitment to disciplined growth,” Patterson said. The move comes as Portillo’s looks to get back on track after struggling to find the same success in markets outside Chicago. The move comes as Portillo’s looks to get back on track after struggling to find the same success in markets outside Chicago (Getty/iStock) Portillo’s plans to put more focus on its existing restaurants and take a more careful approach to opening new locations, particularly in unfamiliar markets. Patterson said the chain

Chicago, IL · 1d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Illinois Buffet Serves Crab Legs, Crawfish, And Sushi All You Can Eat

Crab legs, crawfish, and sushi share the same buffet lines at one suburban spot. Add a made-to-order hibachi grill, and the plate math gets complicated fast. This Illinois buffet keeps things refreshingly simple. Lunch costs less than dinner, a drink comes included, and you can build your own stir-fry while a cook fires it up in front of you.

Downers Grove, IL · 3d
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everafterinthewoods.com

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This Old-School Illinois Butcher Shop Still Cuts From Hanging Cattle And Makes Over 80 Sausages

A carved wooden pig head hands out your number at the door. That’s how your visit starts at one of the most beloved butcher counters in Illinois. The kitchen behind the counter turns out more than 80 kinds of sausages and brats. A smokehouse adds more than 10 kinds of homemade bacon to the lineup.

Chicago, IL · 1d
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takingthekids.com

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We Ranked The Best Italian Beef In Illinois And These 7 Spots Made The Cut

A sandwich stand on a busy Chicago street became the filming spot for a hit TV show, and its business reportedly more than doubled. That is the kind of pull an Italian beef sandwich has in Illinois. The idea goes back about a century. Thin-sliced roast beef gets soaked in...

Illinois · 3d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Illinois Farmers Market Moves Indoors For Winter, So Your Sunday Produce Run Never Stops

Snow on the boulevard doesn’t cancel this Sunday market. When winter hits, the whole thing simply heads indoors and keeps going. I love that idea. Your weekly bread, eggs, and cheese haul doesn’t have to pause just because Illinois decided to freeze solid for a few months. In...

Chicago, IL · 2d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Illinois Restaurant Transforms Into A Magical Christmas Wonderland For The Holiday Season

Ornaments cover one Illinois dining room so completely each December that it feels like eating inside a snow globe. Add wreaths, snowflakes, glowing lights, and a whole crowd of Christmas trees, and the place turns into pure holiday magic. The building has served as a public house since the 1890s....

Chicago, IL · 3d

unearththevoyage.com

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Smell The Sweetness Before You Open The Door At Swedish Girl Bakery In Willowbrook

Some of the best bakeries in Illinois hide in plain sight, tucked between ordinary storefronts where you would never think to look. I walked in expecting a quick cookie and walked out with a box so full I had to hold it with both hands. The surprise was not just...

Willowbrook, IL · 20h

fastfoodclub.com

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Since 1938, Russell’s Barbecue In Elmwood Park Has Served Beef Sandwiches From The Same Pit

Some families pass down recipes, and some pass down a favorite booth. Just west of Chicago, there is a barbecue counter where grandparents, parents, and kids have all ordered the same beef sandwich across many decades. The place opened in 1938, long before drive-thrus and self-serve soda machines were common,...

Elmwood Park, IL · 4d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Illinois Donut Shop Still Fries Its Huge Apple Fritters Fresh In The Window, Just Like Always

An apple fritter roughly the size of your face comes out of a fryer in a shop window, and the man flipping it opened the place in 1972. He was 85 in 2024. He still works six days a week. The fritters get stuffed with apple chunks and cinnamon. Then...

Chicago, IL · 7d

Q985

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Illinois Joint Lands On Global List Of 50 Best Burgers On Earth

One Illinois joint made a list of the 50 best burgers on Earth, rubbing elbows with Tokyo and Dublin.

Illinois · 2d

unearththevoyage.com

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Craving Real Paczki? These 8 Illinois Polish Bakeries Fill Them Fresh Every Morning

You might walk past a plain little storefront a hundred times before the smell of warm, sugared dough finally pulls you inside. Then you bite into a pillowy paczki stuffed with jam or cream, and suddenly that ordinary corner feels like a secret you need to protect. Illinois has a...

Illinois · 2d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Old-Fashioned Illinois Candy Shop Still Makes Its Own Fudge And Caramel Apples In A Nostalgic Little Shop

Caramel apples come with a choice of fruit at one little Illinois candy counter: tart Granny Smith or sweet Honeycrisp. That decision alone could stall a family for ten minutes. Then you spot the bear claws, the cheese popcorn, and the chocolate-dipped apricots. The fudge is made in house, the...

Chicago, IL · 4d

unearththevoyage.com

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Three Generations Have Lined Up For The Same Grilled-Onion Polish At This Tiny Illinois Street-Corner Stand

Some of the best meals in Illinois come from places you would drive right past without a second look. A plain little counter, a short menu, and a line of hungry people can turn out to be a memory you carry for decades. I went looking for a quick lunch...

Chicago, IL · 9d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Family-Run Illinois Seafood Counter Has Guarded Its Secret Red Batter Since 1951

A secret red batter coats the fried scallops at one Illinois seafood counter, and the family still won’t share the recipe. That alone made me curious. The same family has run this place since 1951. Their roots in the fish business go back even further, to Great Lakes commercial fishing in the 1930s.

Des Plaines, IL · 7d

familydestinationsguide.com

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Satisfy Your Inner Chocoholic At These 7 Legendary Chocolate Shops Hiding Throughout Illinois

Craving chocolate shops in Illinois that will satisfy your inner chocoholic and leave you grinning ear to ear?. These 7 legendary chocolate shops are hiding throughout Illinois with incredible handcrafted treats and unforgettable flavors!. 1. Graham’s Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream (Geneva) Geneva has a lot going for it...

Illinois · 6d

allamericanatlas.com

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5 Best Restaurants in Schaumburg, Illinois You Need to Try Before Everyone Else Finds Them

Schaumburg, Illinois — a place where the prairie wind still whispers through the maples, where glass towers rise beside old farmhouses, and where every block hums with the stories of families who’ve called this place home for generations and newcomers drawn by the promise of something better. Here, the laughter of children echoes from sprawling parks, the scent of barbecue and biryani drifts through neighborhoods, and the city’s heart beats in the rhythm of festivals, shopping sprees, and the quiet pride of those who built something from nothing.

Schaumburg, IL · 5d

unearththevoyage.com

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This Low-Key Illinois Supper Club Still Grills Steaks The Old-Fashioned Way For Loyal Regulars

Some of the best meals in Illinois happen in rooms that look like they have not changed in decades, and that is exactly the point. You walk in expecting a simple steak dinner and walk out talking about the piano, the white jackets, and a slice of cake the size of a hatbox.

Chicago, IL · 7d

takingthekids.com

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Massive Apple Fritters Share The Counter With Real Strawberry Donuts At This Illinois Shop

A donut big enough to stand in for a wedding cake is a real thing in Illinois. At least one couple served giant ones at their reception instead of a tiered cake, and that tells you plenty about the size here. The shop behind them fries up apple fritters with...

Chicago, IL · 9d

islands.com

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16 Best Iconic Roadside Restaurants Along Route 66 That Are Worth A Stop

Burgers, breakfast, and fried goodies often spring to mind when we think of iconic, retro American restaurants. Diners, barbecue joints, drive-ins, ice cream parlors, they're all here on U.S. Route 66, America's most iconic highway for a roadtrip. Known fondly as "The Mother Road," which celebrates its centennial in 2026, the highway currently stretches 2,238 miles between Chicago and Santa Monica, although many realignments throughout the 20th century accommodated new interstates and other changes, shortening the route from its original 2,448 miles. Today, some stretches double as interstate highways, while older parts of Historic Route 66 continue to pass through small towns. Along the way, eateries continue to cater to hungry tourists and truckers.

Chicago, IL · 8d