Portillo’s made history — launching its first-ever breakfast menu after 62 years of serving only lunch and dinner. The “Rise & Dine” pilot brought Chicago-style morning flavors to 10 Chicagoland locations, featuring egg sandwiches with Giardiniera sauce, a Stan’s Donuts collaboration, Metropolis Coffee, and the iconic Meal Deal at just $7.99. This complete guide covers every item, every price, every calorie — plus the full story of what happened and what’s next.
Complete Portillo’s Breakfast Menu With Prices
| Menu Item | Price | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥪 Breakfast Sandwiches | |||
| Polish Sausage, Egg & CheeseMost Chicago | $5.29 | ~620 Cal | Char-grilled Polish, eggs, American cheese, Giardiniera on French bread |
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese CroissantFan Fave | $5.29 | ~540 Cal | Crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, American cheese on buttery croissant |
| Maple Sausage & Egg Croissant | $5.29 | ~530 Cal | Pork sausage drizzled with maple syrup on a flaky croissant |
| Pepper, Egg & CheeseVegetarian | $4.99 | ~420 Cal | Sweet peppers, scrambled eggs, American cheese, Giardiniera on French bread |
| Italian Beef SandwichChicago Icon | $8.49 | ~693 Cal | The legendary Italian Beef — yes, it counts as breakfast |
| 🍩 Portillo’s × Stan’s Donuts | |||
| Chocolate Cake Donut (Single)Collab Item | $2.79 | ~380 Cal | Chocolate old-fashioned dipped in glaze + Portillo’s cake frosting drizzle |
| Chocolate Cake Donuts (6-pack) | $12.99 | ~2,280 Cal | 6-donut box — perfect for office mornings |
| 🍳 Sides & Bites | |||
| Loaded Breakfast ScrambleReviewer Pick | $3.99 | ~480 Cal | Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheesy cheese sauce in a cup |
| Hash Brown Bites | ~$2.49 | ~230 Cal | Crispy golden bites — included in the Meal Deal |
| Bacon (Side) | ~$1.99 | ~120 Cal | Three slices of crispy bacon |
| Fresh Fruit CupLowest Cal | ~$2.49 | ~60 Cal | Cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple mix |
| ☕ Coffee & Drinks (Metropolis Coffee) | |||
| Classic Coffee (Hot or Iced) | ~$2.99 | 0–80 Cal | Metropolis Skyway blend — fair trade, organic |
| Chocolate Cake Iced Coffee | $3.08 | ~200 Cal | Chocolate cake flavor + cream — inspired by Portillo’s famous cake |
| Vanilla Iced Coffee | ~$3.49 | ~150 Cal | Sweet or sugar-free vanilla — your choice |
| 💰 Meal Deal | |||
| Breakfast Meal DealBest Value | $7.99 | ~770 Cal | Any breakfast sandwich + small classic coffee + hash brown bites |
🌅 The Portillo’s Breakfast Meal Deal
$7.99Everything you need to start your Chicago morning — one price, no compromises
Your choice of 4 options
Metropolis Skyway blend
Crispy golden bites
⚡ Available dine-in, drive-thru & takeout during breakfast hours (6:30–10:30 AM) at participating locations
🥪 Portillo’s Breakfast Sandwiches — Every Build Reviewed
Built on toasted French bread, this sandwich stacks char-grilled Polish sausage with scrambled eggs, melted American cheese, and Portillo’s signature Giardiniera sauce. The smoky sausage paired with the spicy, briny Giardiniera is genuinely unlike any other fast-food breakfast sandwich in America — because it’s rooted in an authentic Chicago breakfast tradition.
Axios Chicago reviewer Monica Eng called it a sandwich that beautifully pairs Polish sausage with velvety egg and cheese — describing it as stellar and genuinely worthwhile, despite being on the saltier side. Portillo’s own VP of Culinary dubbed it “the most Chicago sandwich” on the menu.
The classic American breakfast sandwich executed with Portillo’s quality standards. Crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and melted American cheese layered inside a buttery, flaky croissant. It’s the safe, reliable, crowd-pleasing choice — and it earns that reputation honestly.
Customer feedback consistently cited this as the most approachable option for non-adventurous morning diners. The croissant is noticeably better quality than a standard fast-food bun — soft, richly buttered, and sturdy enough to hold the contents without falling apart. If you know someone who isn’t into giardiniera, this is the one to order.
Added to the menu after the initial launch, the Maple Sausage & Egg Croissant brings sweet-savory balance to the breakfast lineup. Pork breakfast sausage is drizzled with maple syrup and paired with scrambled eggs on the same flaky croissant bun used for the Bacon, Egg & Cheese.
The maple drizzle is a smart addition — it prevents the sandwich from being purely savory and gives it a more rounded breakfast flavor profile. Think of it as Portillo’s take on a sausage McGriddle, but on a proper croissant and without the artificial sweetness. Available individually for $5.29 or as part of the $7.99 Meal Deal.
The Pepper, Egg & Cheese at $4.99 is the most affordable sandwich on the breakfast menu and the only meat-free option. It mirrors the Polish Sausage sandwich in format — toasted French bread, Giardiniera sauce — but swaps the sausage for sweet peppers and scrambled eggs with melted American cheese.
This is a nod to the beloved Chicago pepper-and-egg sandwich, a Lenten tradition in the city dating back generations. Monica Eng noted it was “a decent version” but wished the peppers were more integrated into the eggs. The Giardiniera sauce and toasted French bread do most of the heavy lifting here — it’s a respectable vegetarian choice with real Chicago identity.
🍳 Sides, Bites & The Famous Chocolate Cake Donut
Chocolate Cake Donut × Stan’s
This is the headline item of the entire breakfast pilot — and it earns the attention. Portillo’s partnered with Stan’s Donuts, Chicago’s beloved artisan donut chain, to create a chocolate old-fashioned donut dipped in chocolate glaze and finished with a drizzle of Portillo’s famous chocolate cake frosting.
The result is a pastry that genuinely captures the flavor of Portillo’s iconic chocolate layer cake in handheld, breakfast-friendly form. Moist, rich, and deeply chocolatey without being cloying. At $2.79 each or $12.99 for a six-pack, it’s also a strong value for the quality level.
Loaded Breakfast Scramble
The Loaded Breakfast Scramble packs scrambled eggs, crispy hash browns, bacon, and Portillo’s signature cheesy cheese sauce into a single cup — making it the least-messy way to enjoy a full breakfast at Portillo’s, especially in the drive-thru.
Axios reviewer Monica Eng called this her favourite item of the pilot, particularly after adding a $1 Giardiniera topping. The cheese sauce — the same used on the famous Cheese Fries — ties the whole thing together beautifully. At $3.99 it’s genuinely good value for the amount of food.
Hash Brown Bites
Portillo’s Hash Brown Bites are crispy, golden, bite-sized potato pieces designed for easy snacking and dipping. They’re included as part of the $7.99 Meal Deal alongside any breakfast sandwich and a coffee — making them essentially free if you’re already buying a combo.
They pair exceptionally well with Portillo’s cheese sauce (dip them in it), and their small size makes them drive-thru friendly. Simple, satisfying, and exactly what you want alongside an egg sandwich on a busy morning.
Fresh Fruit Cup
The Fresh Fruit Cup is the most surprising item on the Portillo’s breakfast menu — and the healthiest by a considerable margin at just 60 calories. A refreshing mix of cantaloupe, honeydew, and pineapple, it’s a clean, light counterpoint to the richer sandwiches and scrambles.
For calorie-conscious diners who still want to experience the breakfast menu, pairing the Pepper, Egg & Cheese (420 Cal) with the Fruit Cup brings the total meal under 500 calories — which is genuinely impressive for a Portillo’s visit.
☕ Portillo’s Coffee Menu — Metropolis Coffee Partnership
Portillo’s partnered with Metropolis Coffee a beloved Chicago-based specialty roaster — to supply the breakfast coffee program. The Metropolis Skyway Blend is fair-trade certified, organic, and described as having notes of toffee and chocolate. You can customize with vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, half & half, or almond milk.
Classic Hot Coffee
~$2.99 · 0–80 CalMetropolis Skyway Blend served hot. Fair-trade, organic, with natural toffee and chocolate notes. Customizable with standard add-ins.
Classic Iced Coffee
~$3.29 · 20–100 CalThe same Metropolis Skyway Blend poured over ice. Great with almond milk and vanilla. Included in the Meal Deal when ordered as a small coffee.
Chocolate Cake Iced Coffee
$3.08 · ~200 CalInspired by Portillo’s legendary chocolate cake — fair-trade Metropolis coffee blended with chocolate cake flavor and cream. Monica Eng found it very sweet; go easy on the syrup if you prefer balanced flavors.
Vanilla Iced Coffee
~$3.49 · ~150 CalSweet vanilla (or sugar-free vanilla) iced coffee using the Metropolis base. A clean, straightforward option for vanilla lovers who don’t want the chocolate intensity.
Also available: Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Monster Energy, Milk (Regular or Chocolate), Iced Tea (Sweet or Unsweetened), San Pellegrino, Bottled Water, and Soft Drinks.
🕐 Breakfast Hours, Locations & Availability
During breakfast hours, breakfast menu only was served — with one notable exception: Italian Beef was always available, because at Portillo’s, Italian Beef counts as breakfast.
After 10:30 AM, locations transitioned to the full standard Portillo’s menu. No crossover ordering was available during breakfast window.
- Chicago – South Loop (Taylor St.)
- Chicago – Addison/Kimball
- Elmhurst, IL
- Tinley Park, IL
- Shorewood, IL
- Niles, IL
- Summit, IL
- Glendale Heights, IL
- Harwood Heights, IL
- Skokie, IL
Portillo’s ended its breakfast pilot in September 2025 after a 5-month test run. As of 2026, breakfast is not available at any Portillo’s location nationwide. The regular menu — hot dogs, Italian beef, burgers, chicken, salads, and sides — is served starting at approximately 10:30 AM at all locations. Follow portillos.com and the Portillo’s app for any future breakfast announcements.
📖 The Full Story: Why Portillo’s Launched Breakfast — And What Happened
For 62 years, Portillo’s served exactly two meals: lunch and dinner. Then, on April 15, 2025, the chain made history by launching its first-ever breakfast menu — a moment that surprised and delighted longtime fans who had been requesting morning service for years. The pilot, branded “Rise & Dine,” launched simultaneously at five Chicagoland locations with the intent of testing whether breakfast could work operationally without compromising the lunch-prep systems Portillo’s runs at every restaurant.
CEO Michael Osanloo was candid about the goals during a May 2025 earnings call: “We want to make sure that the food works, that the operational execution is flawless. We also want to make sure that we’re not negatively affecting lunch and the prep for lunch.” The test was directly driven by customer demand — a response to years of social media requests and location-based feedback asking why Portillo’s wasn’t open in the mornings.
What Made the Breakfast Menu Distinctly Portillo’s
The breakfast menu wasn’t generic fast-food fare — it was built with the same Chicago-first identity that defines every other Portillo’s menu category. The Polish Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich put a char-grilled Polish sausage and Giardiniera sauce into a breakfast format — a combination no other chain could authentically offer. The Pepper, Egg & Cheese nodded to Chicago’s Lenten pepper-and-egg sandwich tradition. The Chocolate Cake Donut was created through a genuine partnership with Stan’s Donuts, one of Chicago’s most respected artisan bakeries. And the coffee came from Metropolis Coffee — a Chicago-based specialty roaster, not a national commodity supplier.
Even the Italian Beef was technically “on the breakfast menu,” with Portillo’s playfully noting that at their restaurants, Italian Beef “counts as breakfast.” This decision — to keep the chain’s signature item available during morning hours — was both operationally practical and commercially smart. It gave anyone who genuinely wanted Italian Beef at 7:30 AM exactly what they came for.
Why Did the Breakfast Pilot End?
Portillo’s ended the breakfast pilot in September 2025, after a five-month run. The chain has not publicly detailed the specific reasons, but the operational concern Osanloo cited — protecting lunch prep — is the most likely factor. Portillo’s restaurants run highly coordinated prep operations for their main menu, and extending operating hours into the breakfast daypart adds significant staffing, ingredient, and logistical complexity. For a chain of 95+ locations operating in a fast-casual format, the operational lift of permanent breakfast service is substantial.
The pilot expansion from 5 to 10 locations midway through the summer suggests the concept was working — but working within a limited pilot context is different from being viable system-wide. Customer demand remains strong, and the breakfast menu was well-received by both media and regular customers. The program did not end due to poor quality or negative customer reception — it ended as part of a deliberate, phased evaluation process.
Will Portillo’s Bring Breakfast Back?
As of 2026, there is no confirmed timeline for a breakfast return. However, several factors suggest the door remains open: the pilot expanded during its run (a positive signal), customer search interest in “Portillo’s breakfast” remains high, and breakfast is one of the fastest-growing dayparts in fast-casual dining. Portillo’s publicly described the pilot as a “strategic approach to menu innovation based on longstanding customer demand” — language that doesn’t suggest the concept has been permanently abandoned.
If breakfast does return, it would likely include refinements based on the 2025 pilot data — potentially with a longer menu, expanded locations, or operational adjustments that protect the lunch prep window. For now, monitoring portillos.com, the official Portillo’s app, and the chain’s social channels is the best way to hear any announcement first.