Portillo’s opened their first location in Tampa this past Tuesday, September 27th, 2016 at 2102 East Fowler Avenue. I couldn’t resist stopping by to check out what was happening and grabbed a hot dog with some fries. I ran into Mark Sharpe from the Tampa Innovation Alliance during my visit. Look for some information about that shortly on CarlosEats.com.
The location has the same exact design as the one over in Brandon, leaning towards a ’30s Prohibition-style and definitely is going to bring some new people to the neighborhood surrounding USF. The employees were just as friendly as the other location and the same attention to quality was obvious. Online ordering and a drive-thru are a plus, especially in the busy area around USF.
The food was great – as expected. The Portillo’s hot dog includes mustard, relish, celery salt, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers piled onto a perfectly steamed poppy seed bun. Portillo’s offers plenty of options at an affordable price and I know I will be a frequent customer at this location. Recently I’ve been hearing about ribs at this location and that I need to try it – and that is the next thing on my list!
Overall, I’m super excited for Portillo’s to be in the neighborhood and looking forward to them being a big part of the growing community around here. Welcome to Tampa Portillo’s!
Restaurant Name: Portillo’s
Address: 2102 E Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33612
Phone Number: (813) 540-9001
Website: http://www.portillos.com/locations/tampa/
Menu: http://bit.ly/2dl4Hma
Carlos Eats 
One response to “Portillo’s Tampa NOW OPEN”
I ate at Portillos in Chicago many times before moving to Tampa over 30 years ago. So delighted that they have a restaurant here now. I’ll be in Tampa next week on business and definitely plan to get my “taste of Chicago” at Portillos for lunch!