A couple of years ago, being an immigrant who had just made it to Chicago, I found a fast-food restaurant that soon became my favorite in the city: Portillo's. One could probably say that burgers, hot-dogs and pizzas are not the healthier food in the world, but nobody can deny that they are really tasty, and that's what Portillo's has been doing for the last years: offering some of the best fast food you can find in the city. The restaurant in Ontario and Clark is furnished with vintage pieces, recreating the first decades of the 20th century in Chicago; if you pay attention, you'll be able to see since an old Ford T until Al Capone's death certificate.

But not only pizzas are part of the repertoire of Italian food. Pasta, salads, ribs, and wonderful sandwiches make even harder to choose something to eat. One of my fondest memories of the place is having a bowl of hot "menestrone" (an Italian soup) during the cold Chicago's winter. Italian food in Portillo's is like the real one should be: delicious, not too fancy, and with fast service, for it always seems that the employees are doing their best to make your dining enjoyable. After dining at Portillo's, you will think twice before saying "junk food" again.