Spectacular gimme 14 of them! Als is a classic Chicago staple that has stayed consistent. They churn out sandwiches and fries quickly. This is mostly a to go spot, with limited seating inside and some picnic tables outside when weather permits. Delicious Italian beef that satisfies when the craving hits. read more

There's not much a to say about Als Beef. I've been here several times and don't know why I haven't gotten around to review it. Everyone should know about them by now, but I'd you haven't I highly recommend you try their beef. This is the original location, and unlike the other franchise locations, this place is still cash only. A lot of people care complaining about their prices and that they're really high, but I disagree. Their prices are fair roughly about the same price as plenty of other Italian beef joints around the city. Now on to the beef itself...beef.hot.dipped. That's the best way to order it. The beef is well seasoned, although this time around it tasted a little too salty for me. The hot peppers are also very tasty. One of my hot peppers in the city and then the bun was perfect. It was soggy with all those juices, but it held the beef until the very end. We also ordered a Chicago dog with fries, and another order of fries. The fries were soggy and greasy. Unhealthy I know...but they were still tasty. I didn't care for the hot dog much. The service is great and they have plenty of parking as well. Don't forget to bring cash. read more

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I've always wanted to try Italian beef sandwich. It was on my bucket list of things to try. I finally got the chance. And I have to say the Italian beef sandwich is worth the hype. Maybe in a way it is fortunate that California does not have any Italian beef sandwich places or else I might end up in the hospital for ODIng on this delicious sandwich. The meat is plentiful plus the jous that they use for bread and the entire sandwich is just ... Chefs kiss. Excellent but seriously california needs a Big Al.. please come lol read more

Good joint to grab a classic Italian Beef. It was packed inside so we caught a bench in the parking lot, as it's located in a nice spot. Sandwich was flavorful but the actually beef could've been a bit more tender. Definitely recommend getting it dipped. read more

I was impressed by the Italian beef. Such good flavor! Gotta get that stance down before coming. Def try it out you won't be mad. I didn't enjoy the fries as much so I'd pass on those next time. read more

Al's Beef - This is how you eat an Italian beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best of the Italian Beef sandwich. Generous portions, perfectly seasoned and served with that Chicago flair! There is nothing not to like! I'm not a bread person but I think I could eat this even without the Beef, soft tender and fresh roll! read more

Visited Al's Beef on Friday afternoon. Came in with an open-mind, but left convinced an Italian Beef is not something I am ever looking for. Sadly the rest of my order did not come out much better. Quality: While Al's Beef may be the best Italian Beef in the City, the sandwich is just not for me. I don't think it has much to do with Al's, but more so what the signature item is. Soggy meat on soggy bread with some slightly spicy peppers thrown on top. No texture, just slop. I ordered their Hot Dog With Fries along with the Regular Beef. A Chicago Dog, but my least favorite of my recent trip. Very heavy on relish and fairly light on onions. The bun was also a bit stale. The fries that came with it were very soggy, which seemed to be the theme. Quantity: Massive portions for all their items. Value: $10.20 for a Regular Beef. $6 for Hot Dog With Fries. Ambiance: Al's Beef has a few locations, I visited the one in University Village. The shop sits in a beautiful little street and seems out of place. The location has three picnic tables outside under an awning as well as a few that could be set up with umbrellas in the parking lot. Most of the seating is inside. They have you order at the counter then you can choose a high-top or wall bar seating. Traditional pop music played inside and out. Crowd: Two other couples enjoying lunch. Service: Friendly guys behind the counter. Parking: Private parking lot with additional street parking. read more

Al's Beef - Regular Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Can someone tell me WHY, they add cinnamon to their beef's gravy, as I was told by a cook they do there. Like others of which I'm reading here apparently notice, something is definitely different in the taste of their decades old once delicious natural gravy. read more

What can I say about Al's that hasn't been said 1000 times? The Italian beef here is top 5 in the City, IMO, and that says lots. The original Taylor Street location has a "feel" that isn't matched inane places. Simple order for me; beef, dipped with hot. Fresh cut fries? Yes, please! If I'm near Al's, I'm stopping in. They're that good. read more

Al's Beef - Beef and fries. Tops in Chicago? Perhaps. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been getting my Italian Beef sandwiches at Al's since my college days at UIC. Always great and the best way to get it is wet with the beef juices sweet bell peppers! The jardinere is not for me! read more

I ate a lot of Al's Beef on Taylor Street back in my college days when I attended UIC. Not sure if it is still quite as good as in the old days, but I still dig an Al's Italian beef sandwich every now and then. Al's has its own free parking lot, and some outdoor seating. Try to go during the summer so that you can also visit Mario's Italian Lemonade across the street. read more

Al's Beef - Al's Beef - I like the Italian beef with sweet peppers - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This really is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. Normally when these restaurants reach legend status they eventually forget what got them there and try to get by on reputation alone (see Portillo's) Not Al's. I ordered a big beef, hot, dipped and fries. I've never had a roll that wet that still had chew and the strength to contain the bevy of beef that was packed in. The giard is also way better than any other Italian place. They concentrated on what makes the condiment classic, the celery, spices and peppers. If I'm eating a beef I don't want cauliflower and carrot chunks in that soppy sweet mess of succulent beef. The fries were good. Nothing super special. Lol. I mean they match the sandwich perfectly, the only thing they need is some malt vinegar, yeah, boo, hiss that's an English thing and Al's is true Ameritalian but who cares?! With beefs this good you could give me carrots and hummus as a side and I'd still smash one or two of these things every time I'm in Chicago. read more

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Very good, I love the dipped Italian beef sandwich. I wish we had these in California! read more

The beef is so greasy, the giardiniera is TOO HOT. The service is horrible guys could careless that you're there. It's an old building nothing special inside. So with that said everyone has there favorite Beef Spot and this is not mine. Ewww read more

First time I had Al's and it was great! Beef was seasoned well and got the bread just wet enough. We got it with sweet and hot peppers, definitely a must! A fantastic sandwich. We also tried the Chicago dog, that was great as well! Love all the toppings and just mustard is the only way to eat a hotdog! Don't sleep on the fries either! Crispy and soft inside, great fries! They're cash only but don't let that stop you. Just great all around! Must try! read more

Al's Beef - Al's Big Beef Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Quick service. Husband loved his beef with both kinds of peppers. I got the polish with fries. Sat outside to eat.

I heard others rave about this place so I had to give it a try. To preface, I normally am not the biggest fan of messy foods, which held true for this. The beef was good, but nothing out of the world. More so, I didn't like how soggy the bread got and how greasy the wrapping was. The beef is definitely slightly seasoned, but overall I thought it was a bit bland. I also got a side of fries (not pictures), which I definitely wouldn't recommend--they were undercooked and bland. read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I aleya sops at Al,s on Taylor street after I visit my eye doctor an Ui Chicago The food is always good and the service is fast and efficient except last time I was there I ordered and all beef sandwiche with provolone cheese to go and when I got home there was no cheese in the sandwich read more

BEST BEEF IN LITTLE ITALY! Get the beef+cheedar sandwich u won't be disappointed. The vibe is unique!

We were visiting Chicago and read in several city guides about this place. Either our expectations were wrong or this place is very average. It's like a fast food place, not the most clean place either. Seating outside smells horrible, not great if you are trying to eat! The staff treat us horribly, didn't explain the menu, was very rude and frustrated answering our questions. Not planning to come back when we r back in Chicago. I mean the food was ok but not worth the hype. read more

Quick service, phenomenal food with consistent quality. You're not at Al's for the ambiance. At least not in the winter. You come to get a drippy beefy cheesy peppery incredible unique sandwich. Gotta love Al's. read more

Wow. First time Italian beef eater here. I don't know if you can give a rating of F'n good, but it is. Know I know what people are talking about a good sandwich. It's a must try if in Chicago. read more

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Don't go here! I ordered takeout and they stole $100 from me. They charged me $15 and then after I left they charged me $100. I paid $115 for a sand and fries. Thieves! read more

For some beef lovers it's a must try destination. The flavor vibes just completely not for me. Whatever cinnamon or clove ingredient is extremely over powering just overtakes everything else. Sweet peppers were rubbery. Both the sweet and hot giardiniera were weak serving considering the extra cost. Cheese fries come smothered on takeaway, Aka soggy on arrival so request cheese on the side. Eat here for the bucket list if you are down with the described flavors otherwise it's pass. read more

My mouth waters every time I think about the spicy Italian beef sandwich in Chicago's Little Italy. I would fly from New York to Chicago just to come to Al's. It's a perfect masterpiece of a sandwich with thinly shaved roast beef piled high on fresh baked french bread, soaked in gravy (jus) and topped with their signature spicy vegetable giardiniera. Every bite is packed with flavor, it's got a kick but not too spicy and the bread from the jus absolutely melts in your mouth. This was hands down one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. If you find yourself in Chicago, Al's is a MUST TRY. A fun fact is that the recipe hasn't changed for almost 80 years and it's so iconic, they don't ever need to! Follow me for more food reviews on Instagram & TikTok @marcosworldnyc read more

Al's Beef - combo - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The original cannot be beaten. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to try Al's but I'm glad I did. I've tried many Italian beef sandwiches in the city so if I was to try Al's, I should try it at the original Taylor street location. And this did not disappoint. This location is in the Near West Side / Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. It's an unassuming building with a big parking lot. Parking was available and not an issue at all. Food choices range from $ to low $$. All reasonable prices for workingmen and students from the nearby college. The cashier was a bit rude but I assumed that was more out of no-BS Chicago attitude than maliciousness. And the BEEF. Many places can make a good, even great, Italian beef sandwich. Usually, I'm wary of overhyped places, but Al's is worth the hype. The flavors and spices were soaked into the beef in a way that is euphoric to the senses. No other place I tried did it the way this place did. The dipped sandwich is a bit of a hassle to eat without making a mess but that seems to be more by design than anything. Worth the hype and a choice you won't regret. 5/5. PS: Not sure about the comment that said this place is cash only. They took my card with no issues. read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So my family and I are new to the Chicago area and we wanted to find a nice place to eat. The website and the menu for this place looked good, but the photos made me curious about if they had seating or not. So I called in just to clarify if they had seating for 6 only to have the guy on the phone respond with an incredulous and rude tone that they don't have seating (it seemed that they sometimes had outside tables). I get my question may have seemed dumb to him but, all I wanted was clarification since I am new here. I've worked in the service industry for over 15 years and I have the utmost respect for those who work in the same industry, but this was definitely out of line. I can't believe I actually made a yelp account just for this. read more

It was the gracious combo I've ever had. It was so greasy when I wiped my mouth The napkin turned orange from the amount of grease. Felt the staff was unfriendly we'll never go back again read more

This dirty place has the BEST Italian beefs in the world! Soak it in that beefarooni sauce! Yum! Also sit outside to enjoy the show. One time I saw a business man in a suit sitting with a nice looking lady. They were talking about some normal everyday stuff, then he suddently gets up and starts kicking the $hit out of the pigeons by him though they weren't directly by his feet or anything. Stressed out capitalist swine, I pity the fool! read more

Went to Al's beef on Taylor, what a mistake. Confusion at where the line started and the line ended, we had a crazy old woman yelling at everybody telling them where the line is, rushing people to put their order in, if I wanted to be yelled at I'd eat at home. We ordered our food and we ordered a tamale boat like they have at the Wells store and we were told they don't have tamales. They did have tamales, they just didn't have tamale boats, and they did not have chili. The crabby old lady could have just said we don't have the tamale boats but we do have tamales. I guess I was disappointed because it was not like any other Al's I've walked into. It seems like everybody in their store was a little crabby because there was another lady who walked away from us after we asked for a large soda, she walked away saying we only have one size. They're a little petty complaints but it seems like they didn't want to help us moment we walked in, maybe it was the police uniforms I'm not sure. We said no thanks on the sodas they packed our sandwiches, four of them, with fries, cheese, and a tamale in the same bag, "picture" needless to say everything was crushed. Either way they can have their Italian beef and shove it with a sun don't shine I won't be back. If you read my reviews this place really pissed me off. read more

Al's Beef - Bag that everything was put in. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Messy isn't bad. Greasy isn't bad. But when the grease feels heavy and dirty, when the sandwich is a chore to eat, when the balance of ingredients is just bland... I don't know, there's nothing redeeming about it. My girlfriend and I were really looking forward to try this famous OG spot for our first taste of an Chicago Italian Beef sandwich. It was so disappointing. The smell was sickening, the sandwich didn't taste good, and the dip was just... grease. There was nothing flavorful about this. Even worse, this made us both feel so ill that we almost had to cancel our plans for the night. I'm assuming we got them on an off day or we were getting some of the end of a batch or something, because I have no idea how anyone could eat this sandwich and think it's even mediocre. Never coming back here. read more

I've been to Al's right here on Taylor for years. Hands down the best Italian beef sandwich anywhere. Amazing one-two combo with Mariano's across the street. Family owned. Authentic, mouth-watering Italian dipped beef with hot giardinera. Nothing can beat it. So why the one star? Their night time manager... Don't know his name because he didn't want to tell me. My best friend came from out of town and I told him he HAD to try Al's. Took a train down from Roger's Park because this was my spot since high school days at Ignatius. We realized we didn't have masks so my friend stayed out while I used my sweater to cover my nose and mouth, never once letting it down. The young girl working immediately yelled "we cannot serve you without a mask." I apologized for not having one but covering my face was the best I could do. She wouldn't budge but offered to call the manager over. I said okay. I normally expect managers to de-escalate situations... to be the staff's example of customer service. Unfortunately, I was berated in a full restaurant. This man yelled that I needed an actual mask, covering my face doesn't cut it. Again, I apologized and but pointed out that anything that covers your mouth and nose does the job. The manager told me he "refuses to serve me" and told me to leave. Some people apologized about the way I was treated, and one lady even offered to buy my meal for me. I thanked her and decided to just leave. Being humiliated and denied by a shop that's always been close to my heart was honestly demoralizing and upsetting. I post this one star hoping management sees it and makes the change. He might have been around for years, but he only detracts from the place I love. And this was one of many such interactions with him. read more

Al's Beef - Manager - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best I've had, I'm so glad my family and I stopped by to try this place besides the low "star" rating. I always look at reviews and pictures. The pictures shared are what brought us in. read more

Al's Beef - Original dipped and original plus polish sausage with side of the sauce. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Also my 1st Chicago Italian beef sandwich. So many choices to choose from. I would direct your attention to the Chicago Tribune article titled "20 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches in Chicago". The writer tried more than 50 beef sandwiches and came up with a #1. This reference was good enough for me! I don't have any other beef sandwiches to compare. We took the L and walked to the Taylor St #1. The place is iconic to Chicago, see the many videos. They even have a street named after them. On to the sandwich. The beef is shave very thin and melts in your mouth. We ordered the large sandwich and split it, dipped, No cheese. I must say it have great flavors to the beef and the juices the meat cooks in and dipped the whole thing in it!.. eat it right away or you will have a soggy mess on you hands. The dipped sandwich makes it really easy to eat w/o a heavy or bloated feeling I would rec adding the sweet and spicy peppers too. I'm a huge fan of this sandwich now. Al's will be the gold standard for all beef sandwiches from here on out! read more

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The Italian Beef with Sweet Peppers SUPER JUICY was sooo yummy!!! And the fries!! Stop it! The sand which was light and to die for! And the spot is super cute and it has a new vibe for a quick bite! Thanks y'all!! read more

Al's Beef - Reg Italian Beef Sandwich JUICY!!! With provolone cheese - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So I order a combination beef and sausage dipped with cheese and easy hot peppers. I get all the way home and realize that they gave me a reg beef sandwich no sausage, I call them up and they say, hey yeah sorry about that when the guy realized he didn't put the sausage on there, he went outside and didn't see you. Well put your name on the list and you can get another sandwich when you come back and he'll throw in a drink. I come to get my sandwich today a few days later and all they offer me is the sausage and do I want to add a beef. $9.25 What!! So were you going to just wrap up a sausage in wax paper and give it to me? Experience ruined, the beef was mid and the service even more unappealing. I won't be back and check your orders before leaving this establishment. read more

I've rarely felt like a valued customer when being served at this location. I only returned because of my UIC discount. Well, today, my discount was refused because, as a graduate student, my ID says "Graduate" instead of "Student." Anyone familiar with UIC IDs understands that concept. They didn't care. It was difficult to feel that this was not a racially-motivated action. I will not return! read more

Al's Beef - Proprietary Information Blacked out - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best Italian Beef. I made it a point to go there on my layover at ORD. I ate one and bought three more for the trip.

I'm not sure if this is the original location, but it sure beats the California location of Al's Beef that was there years ago and is now closed. I ordered Al's Big Beef sandwich ($9.31) with sweet peppers ($0.60 up-charge). They didn't tell me the peppers were extra until I saw the receipt when I paid, so heads up that sweet peppers and jalapeño peppers cost extra. It's a welcome addition, but I wished they let you know upfront. I also got the sausage sandwich combo with drink and fries for $9.35. I added sweet peppers to the sausage sandwich as well (another $0.60). Make sure you ask them to double dip the sandwich for maximum flavor. After eating both, I'd pick Big Beef over Sausage, if I had to choose. It wasn't too busy on a weekday at 1 pm, so we grabbed some seats at the counter with a view of the street for people watching. There are tables outside for eating too. We took the Blue Line subway from downtown to the UIC-Halsted stop and walked over so I didn't have to worry about parking. I think they have a small parking lot though. Main thing: CASH ONLY! read more

Since other location on downtown were closed, we went all the way to this location to try one of Chicago's must-eat food. There was a good sized parking space so even a lunch time we could find a parking spot easily. We ordered basic Italian beef sandwich,a bigger sized one with French fry and lemonade. Staffs are so effectively working there so we didn't wait much. We ate them in front of the store,where there were a lot of seating for customers,with shade. When I opened the package I was so surprised that the sandwich was drained by beef jus. It tasted good at first but for me it was too much jus and hard to eat without getting my hands messy. After all I prefer philly style sabdwich. By the way staffs were nice. read more

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