SOUTH LOOP — Portillo's confirms it's planning a South Loop store that the restaurant chain hopes to open next year.
Nick Scarpino, director of marketing for the Oak Brook-based chain, confirmed the company's building permit application for 520 W. Taylor St., which was first reported last week by DNAinfo Chicago.
Portillo's hopes to schedule a city hearing next month and open the new restaurant in the first half of 2016, Scarpino said.
"Chicagoans have been asking us to open a restaurant south of our existing [River North] restaurant for years," he said via e-mail. "We like the area a lot: it's undergoing a lot of great development and has a terrific mix of business, residential, and university populations."
Portillo's, which started as a hot dog stand in suburban Villa Park more than 50 years ago, is known for its Chicago-style fare and milkshakes.
Italian beef sandwiches served by the chain's River North restaurant, 100 W. Ontario St., were declared the best in the neighborhood Monday.
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