Portillo's Is Releasing an All-New Plant-Based Garden Dog

The Chicago restaurant chain partnered with Field Roast for this veggie release.

Courtesy of Portillo's
Courtesy of Portillo's

For those of you out there that are trying to cut back on your meat consumption or who don't include meat in your diet, you no longer have to worry about missing out on delicious Chicago-style hot dogs. Portillo's teamed up with plant-based brand Field roast to release its new Garden Dog nationwide on May 17.

The Garden Dog is made with Field Roast's Signature Stadium Dog, customized for Portillo's. The dog is topped with mustard, relish, chopped onions, tomatoes, celery salt, pickle spear, and sport peppers, all loaded onto a steamed poppy seed bun. It's the classic Chicago dog, and it is plant-based.

Courtesy of Portillo's

"When we first started thinking about bringing a plant-based hot dog to our menus, we tasted dozens of different versions. It became clear that Field Roast produces the best product on the market," said Michael Osanloo, Portillo’s CEO and president, in a statement shared with Thrillist. "When Field Roast customized its Signature Stadium Dog just for us, we knew we had a winner. We can't wait for our guests—both new and old—to be able to enjoy the Garden Dog, our delicious take on this iconic American classic."

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans consume more than 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That's a whole lot of hot dogs. About 818 hot dogs every second. If you're looking to lower your meat consumption, this Portillo Garden Dog seems like a good alternative. The Field Roast Signature Stadium Dog is made with pea protein and crafted to taste like a premium kosher-style beef hot dog. It even has similar protein content compared to traditional hot dogs.

Find one of the 70 Portillo locations near you at Portillos.com.

Courtesy of Portillo's

And to celebrate the new Garden Dog, Portillo's created two limited-edition pieces of merchandise that will be sold in honor of the Garden Dog's launch. They are a Garden Dog Tote, which sells for $8, and Hot Dog Bucket Hat, which sells for $17. Both will be available on May 17, and you'll want to get them before they're gone. 

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.