Went for Dinner Food - 5/5. Italian beef sandwich had stacks of thinly sliced beef, which created a layered density that had a delicate yet firm bite. The thinness also helped it soak up the broth, which gave it a savory flavor. It actually reminded me of hot pot, with how the meat was thinly sliced and flavored by broth. The bread soaked up the broth as well, but maintained its structure leading to a nice chew. Peppers gave a vibrant freshness to what would otherwise be stacks of the same flavor. Service - 4/5. Quick and friendly service. Value - 5/5. The regular beef sandwich was loaded with beef and of good size for a price tag of $9. It was delicious and showcased the Italian beef specialty of Chicago. Peppers were only an extra $0.75, which is very reasonable. Excellent spot to experience classic Italian beef. Parking - Street (Metered) read more

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

My number one favorite Italian beef in Chicago. The meat is well seasoned & served very hot. The bread was very soft and fresh. The fries were excellent, they may not look like it, but they were super good. This Italian beef was so flavorful and juicy. I did get a side of the gravy on the side. Perfect to dip my sandwich and fries in. My sister got an Italian beef with cheese on it and she said it was really really good. Anything you order on this menu that has to do with the Italian beef will definitely be worth your while. The service was very excellent. The restaurant is very clean. The ambience was very nice. Very good. pick me up place. It gets busy in there, but they move the line right along. read more

Newly obsessed with an Italian beef after being in town for a couple days, this spot was a no brainer. Just like any other place, walk up to the counter and order your food, and get it less than 3 minutes later. All of these places are very fast. Nice amount of seating, very clean restrooms. We just shared a "big beef" dipped, with sweet and hot peppers like we ate every one, and fries. We also got a cookie which was very very delicious. Obviously when the sandwich is dipped it becomes more messy and bread more soggy, but very good nonetheless. Loaded with Italian beef, loaded with peppers and pepper flakes it seemed...this sandwich was incredible! I can say it would've been better with a little less peppers and flakes, but the flavour was still amazing. You can't beat the shredded meat on these sandwiches, and the flavour of the gravy it's soaked in and the peppers is just icing on the cake. The fries were really good also. Again under $30, it's hard to beat these meals personally. My girl and I share a sandwich and fries and we're both happy and not overstuffed. This wasn't the best one I've eaten around the city, but all of them are very closely ranked in my opinion. They can get a little messy, but not too bad which I appreciate. read more

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Come hungry!! I'm not even joking, you want to work up an appetite to truly enjoy this spot. Bomb.com. The dipped beef was delicious. The broth added a new layer of flavor to the bread and sandwich. Polish dog flavor was unreal. The greasy dog, tangy relish, and seeded bun. Service was quick, despite a line. Fast service is an A+ in my book. Ambiance is rustic and casual. BONUS: all the guys in my group eat a lot and loved this place. A couple shared with their girls friends and ended up ordering another sandwich. Size up if you're sharing hehe read more

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This was our fist time here and I have to oh my god!! This sandwich was on fire . It was so freaking delicious. I highly recommend the Chicago style it's a dipped sandwich with peppers. Man I wish they had this in Dallas , TX. I will definitely be back here and the staff was great. Thanks for the recommendation. read more

Al's Beef - Jumbo beef Chicago style - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I traveled from San Diego, CA to Chicago, IL with one thing on my mind: I had to try Al's #1 Beef. Featured on an episode of Andrew Zimmern's Delicious Destinations - Chicago (Season 2 Episode 10), I had to try the sandwich that comes with it's own distinct "stance" needed for eating. The guys at Al's did not disappoint. I was dubious about a broth soaked sandwich, but oh Lord - it works. I traveled 2,100 miles to try this sandwich, and I will happily do it again. Stance and all. (I hunched too much, I'll do better next time Al.) read more

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

We came here on a Saturday. It was not as busy as we have seen on others pages. But as we ordered it started to get busier. The staff are so nice and friendly. The staff was moping the floors before the big crowd came. They have a menu on the wall bu the cashier and they also have a iPad with the menu. Al's beef offers sausages. So you can opt to have the beef and post sausage together. Or just a hot dog. They also have fries and you can also add topping if you choose. We tried the regular size beef sub with a side of dipping sauce.the roll is so soft and fresh. The dining sauce was a bit salty. But it's like a consome. Similar to dipping a birria taco. The beef slices were so thin, moist and delicious. The regular size is like a 6 in subway roll. If you want to add cheese it's an extra cost. Adding peppers is also extra cost. The sauce was the cheapest at .25 cents. Once we finished we looked to the right side and there was another Al's Italian beef. I would like to come back one day to try the fries or hotdog. read more

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

Amazing authentic Chicago food. Went on Sunday evening no wait asked to order what they order and they delivered read more

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

First time at Al's Beef... I'll tell you what, it didn't disappoint! Regular Beef ( dipped, hot giardiniera, and provolone) was the perfect combination for every single bite. Just a warning, dipped means the bread is soaking with gravy, but that's what makes every bite so special. The hot giardiniera added just the right amount of heat to take this to the next level. The service is on point and fast! A good amount of seating and kept clean. read more

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

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Was only visiting for the weekend and needed an Italian beef sandwich and this really hit the spot. I ordered it wet with both hot and sweet peppers. It was pretty messy but really good. The restaurant is big and clean with plenty of tables. I would definitely come back read more

Al's Beef - Italian beef wet with hot and sweet peppers - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hubby and I were visiting chicago and one of his friends recommended this place. It was great and food was delicious! would definitely go back here again but with gloves bc it can get really really messy! or maybe it'd be even better if they can provide plastic gloves and or untensils for their customers. read more

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Not sure why people say to come here. The beef sandwiches aren't that great. Maybe we just had a bad one. The chicago dog was ok. The cheese burger wasn't good. The only thing good was the loaded fries. Definitely wasn't worth eating. read more

Al's Beef - Beef sandwich and loaded fries - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Being the woman of the people, I had to try what that particular city is known for. I ordered the Chicago dog which is a Vienna Beef hot dog topped with mustard, relish, onion, sport peppers, tomato, pickle spear, celery salt on poppy seed bun & served with fries. It was different but good. The Vienna hot dog was on the skimp side. Nothing too spectacular but it was good. read more

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

I liked this fast food style Italian beef. food came out quick and the kitchen and front was very clean event with the high turnover of locals and tourists dining here. read more

Al's Beef - big beef dipped, Chicago polish, and a tamale - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was excited to try their Italian beef sandwich which looked amazing, but was slightly disappointed. I got the Big Beef sandwich and the bread and beef were quite dry despite ordering it wet. It may also be that I should've ordered it dipped to get a better experience, but the default option seemed to be wet so I went with it. I guess I could advise others to order it dipped for a tastier experience. The sandwich is loaded with thin slices of beef and only beef and I definitely needed more juice in it. I also tried their Chicago Polish dog and that was delicious! It comes on a bed of fries which are decent when paired with the hotdog. Overall a solid spot, but was underwhelmed by the flavor of the sandwich and I would recommend to order it dipped if you don't want a slightly dry sandwich. Service was quick and it can get busy during the lunch hour, but it's worth a try. read more

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

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Easy ordering, quick service and juicy, mouthwatering beef sandwiches! Now they just need to add beer to the menu! read more

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

I am not a fan. Happy I tried it. I wanted the all the way sandwich. I should have gotten the sweet peppers instead of the hot peppers. For those of you who love hot, this is for you. Service was prompt, friendly, and fast. Max said the fries were very good. Make sure that if you take an Uber, you mention this location. There is another on the other corner and that one doesn't exist. read more

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Never had an Italian beef... only had these ones because they seemed to be absolutely prefect. We were on a road trip from CO and these were recommended by everyone. We obliged and we were blown away. The best sandwich ive ever had. Cheesy dogs were good too!! Great place!! Staff was awesome and very helpful! 10 stars!! read more

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I mean I suppose I had low expectations from a late night grub hub delivery to my hotel. I had planned on just a bite or two just to get the Chicago Italian beef in my system. I orderrd heavy on the side with a side of hot giardiniera to balance the delivery. I devoured the whole thing while texting all of my friends about it. I can't place the flavor. Garlicky with roasted sausage and vegetables vibe? Anyway. Just do it! read more

Al's Beef - Regular beef with gravy and hot giardiniera on the side - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My love and I took our young family friend to Al's Beef on a busy Saturday afternoon. I've had plenty of Al's Beef back in the day, but this was my first time at this Wells Street location. Although the seats were all taken when we first arrived, eventually we were able to snag a free table so that we could dine in. We each ordered an Italian beef (I like my Italian beef "dry" and topped with sweet peppers) with various degrees of dip or no dip of the beef juices. We also had some fries. Everything was tasty, and as you can imagine the Italian beef sandwiches were messy. Fortunately there is a convenient station with napkins, water dispenser, ketchup dispenser, etc. read more

When in Chicago, I must have Al's Wet, Hot Peppers, and, Provolone Cheese Italian Beef at least once. Fast and efficient counter service. Spacious with plenty of high tops and tables at this RN location! CHEERS! read more

Al's Beef - Big Beef with hot peppers and provolone cheese - oh how I've missed this, as great as ever! (07/22/23) - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I get it but just okay. There's other beef sandwiches I prefer but I get why it's such an iconic dish. Of course we got it wet, with hot giardiniera, and immediately you get this intense beef flavor. If you just get it with the beef and nothing else, it does get boring, which is where the giardiniera comes in. That or the sweet peppers will help make it a much better sandwich. Beef itself is super soft and since the sandwich is dipped in the jus, it is a messy messy sandwich. It's filling and really for a quick casual meal, it'll do the job. We also got a Chicago dog and gotta say, we much prefer the dog here! read more

It was easy to order, and they had the option to order on a machine. Though honestly, so it was a bit awkward knowing a cashier could be watching me choose a machine instead. The place was clean and the food was good! Honestly, it was so good my husband and I had seconds of certain things! Really happy overall, just kind of seemed empty of an ambiance. read more

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The food is pretty much the same as when I was a kid, but the experience is different. It feels more like an Al's Beef themed restaurant if that makes any sense. Service is quick, but don't expect any order adjustment suggestions to maximize your value. Tasty, but there are better options. read more

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Our first meal in the Windy City was at Al's beef. We ordered our sandwiches wet, which was moist but not soggy. The beef was thinly sliced and didn't get stuck in my teeth like I was worried it might. I added provolone cheese and sweet peppers which were just a little bit of added texture to the soft beef. Hubby loved the Chicago dog which was absolutely covered in the requisite toppings. The fries were cooked with some being droopy (just like I like them) and some being super crispy. Overall, Al's is a perfect introduction to classic Chicago eats. read more

Al's Beef - Wet with sweet peps and provolone - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Burger was very under cooked as far a standard goes . Owner or Manager said thats how they cook them. Fries were food. read more

Al's Beef - Owner said they cook the burger medium rare. Burger was very under cook as far as standard does. The fires were good! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friends and I went on a weiner frenzy while were in the city and my favorite one was from this place! We all ordered something different. Our orders consisted of one polish dog with everything on top, one dipped beef hot dog, and two Italian beef sandwiches with hot peppers. We arrived around 10pm and it wasn't too busy. We quickly ordered and found a table right away. The employee taking orders was very friendly and fast. Food was made in a timely manner and we dug in. The polish dog and Italian beef sandwiches left us speechless. They were so gooooood! The beef was thinly sliced and there was more then enough on the bread. It had so much flavor and the dip it came with was the cherry on top. The polish dog was beyond delicious! Everything it came topped with went well together and it gave us a mouth watering plate. It did get busier as the time went by and a huge group of about 20 people walked in as we were walking out. Please bring a location to Arizona! read more

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

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After a day of walking all over the city, we couldn't bring ourselves to go out again for dinner, but we knew we wanted an authentic "Chicago" meal. We DoorDashed Al's Beef to the hotel and had a great experience! Our meals arrived hot, perfectly packaged, and man... the Italian beef was DELICIOUS. I enjoyed mine "wet" and the sauce with the beef was to die for. I couldn't have asked for a better casual meal after a full day of exploring the city. Next time we're in town, we'll visit the location itself! read more

Other than the prices of eating down town, my meal was excellent. Had a beef dipped with gairdiniera, fries and a soda. My samwich was oozing peppery juices with a strong beef taste. Fries were excellent and soda was well calibrated. read more

I'm from LA and am more into French dip. I really didn't like the flavor or the wetness of this sandwich. It was a travel experience. One and done. Service was very friendly. read more

I've wanted to try the quintessential Italian beef shop in the Chicago area for years and I finally got my wish. I went old school and ordered the Regular beef, dipped, with hot giardeniera. It comes with a slice of warm green pepper which I think is a super-cool touch. My dining partner felt like a Chili cheese dog and these come with fries for $6.99 which is reasonable these days in downtown Chicago. I'm not a big fan of fresh cut fries mostly but these weren't that bad. Fast polite service. Food was good. High top table seating wasn't the most comfortable seating, but I understand that they probably want to get people in and out. I'll be back. read more

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I had never had an Italian beef sandwich in Chicago, great first experience. Meat was tender. read more

Amazing! Super nice people working in extremely hot kitchen. Worth the short wait. Came in town for the Red Sox Cubs historic series and welcomed like locals. read more

Al's Beef - The communal long table. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had never eaten a Chicago style hot dog before. The tour guide on the architecture cruise mentioned Al's Beef, noting it was highly under-rated and in his opinion, "the best spot in town to get dogs". I was BLOWN AWAY!! This was the best hotdog i've ever gotten without a doubt. I ordered through Door Dash, so i can't speak to the service or ambiance, but the food was read more

The food is so good it rivals the incredible service. The best beef sandwich in the Windy City by far ! read more

Note, there's a sign on the corner of Ontario and Wells but this is a closed/older location. This is what caught my eye when I was down the street and then I realized the restaurant is actually down the block on Wells, closer to Ohio. There's not much seating inside, but I grabbed my food to go. The wait wasn't too long for it hmto had been lunch time on a week day. I ordered the big beef (dipped is the only way to go) with peppers and a chili cheese dog. I wasn't expecting the fries when I unwrapped my dig, that was a pleasant surprise. The dog was okay. The toppings were great but the actual hot dog tasted a bit rubbery. The beef though..was fantastic. I love the flavors of Al's beef, it tickles my tongue a little more than Portillo's does with the spices. I loved tge size of the big beef, I was able to munch on it throughout the day. read more

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

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You have to try Because it's Chicago !!! Got the hot dog and beef sandwhich i had no idea you can ask for dry with the sides without the sides beef on the side now I know!! it was delicious either way definitely do research on how you like it I persoanlly don't like it soaking wet especially the bread i like it more damp must try! the owners are nice yes theres a line but not crazy read more

Got an Italian beef just beef. Was good had lots of flavor, bread was soaked with the juice from the meat. Would recommend if visiting Chicago. Fast service. read more

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

Classic and must go chicago experience. This was our first stop upon arriving and it did not disappoint! We ordered the jumbo sandwich with provolone cheese and both peppers added. We also ordered cheddar cheese fries! I found the sandwich to be super messy and while lots of juices were dripping out, the meat itself didn't taste all that flavorful to me! The cheese fries were large and yummy but this wasn't cheddar cheese (seemed more like nacho cheese!) The service was quick and the workers were kind. Overall atmosphere felt like a classic fast-ish food joint but was clean and worked for us. Glad we stopped here and experienced this classic spot -- try it out for yourself! read more

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

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I went here to try the Chicago Italian beef sandwich and this place was popping on a Monday lunch. We waited 15 minutes in line and another 20 minutes for the food, though it was somewhat worthwhile. We got the big beef sandwich dipped and made it hot Italian beef by adding hot giardineira for $1.40 extra and some sweet peppers as well. The sandwich was soggy as we chose it dipped, but it had nice flavor and there was a good amount of beef in it. The sandwich was spicy but not super spicy - it was tolerable and enhanced the experience. This is one of the few iconic "Chicago" American food that I would eat, as deep dish and the Chicago hot dog are not really my cup of tea. read more

Al's Beef - Spicy Italian big beef sandwich - IG @bougiefoodieboi - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois