Al’s Beef

On a cool Chicago day, it’s hard to beat a big beef sandwich with some proper hot peppers on it. I only had a couple days in the city and research indicated this was a great place to get a sandwich — it sure was!
I had the regular beef, dipped, with hot peppers. The beef was tender, the gravy was flavorful, and the peppers were properly spicy. I don’t have any frame of comparison, but I can absolutely understand how the Italian Beef became Chicago food royalty. Delicious.

My last choice for beef. I don’t like the au ju and I don’t like their fries. Only good thing is they’re open late. I go there as a last resort and usually just opt out.

Good for what it is. Nothing earth shattering. I can’t compare it to others since this is the first time trying a beef or Chicago dog. I do regret not getting cheese and peppers on the beef though

My Lyft driver recommended us this place, and I’m so glad we went to try it! The sandwiches were amazing, but I wish the sandwich was not so soggy. The workers were so nice. I asked to to buy some jalapeños & they gave me a couple for free. Must try :)

I came here at 3pm on a Saturday and ordered a number 5 (two hot dogs, drink, and fries).
The fries were decent quality, can’t complain much there. On the other hand, the hot dogs were not well made at all. The bun actually had a pretty hard texture and I had to peel off some of it. Maybe they leave the old buns out for Saturdays? The dogs tasted okay, but not worth the money.
If I’m going to go out and eat in Chicago, I at least expect to have an average meal. This place is disappointing, and in my opinion, shouldn’t be considered a place to eat at if what I experienced was the norm. Go to Chipotle or something. Their tortilla’s are actually pretty soft.

holy smokes, this is good late night eats. get the italian beef, get it wet (they pour some beef juice on that bad boy). and get it with side of fries. we were very drunk, but this was amazing. the only downside was there was a naked guy in the bathroom, but i doubt he’s still there.

Very simple, but very yummy! I shared this puppy because it’s massive! It was very spicy which made it more delicious! The meat was so soft and not chewy. Very well cooked. Only con is that the bread got soggy very fast, but another must try while in Chicago.

The Italian beef with hot peppers and cheese is the way to go. Don’t forget to get it dipped!

Im from La, this is the best freaking sandwich i had!!! Mos def coming back! Dip your sandwiches with peppers and everything! Amazing!

The food is good, but they do not let paying customers use the bathroom. Not acceptable for a $ 12 meal.
They definitely have one– they just don’t let guests use it.

Food was good. First time I tried and Italian beef. It’s good but not great. Not sure if it was the ingredients or just the combination but I wasn’t that impressed. Fries and hot dogs are good but not very difficult to get that right. Will eat here again since they been in business since 1938

We are going to need to find a new late night place for food. We come here to end our nights out and I was extremely unhappy with our beef sandwich. The beef had tons of fat which was indelible and there were many particles of beef. When I say particles it wasn’t sliced beef but bits of beef. It was like they scraped the bottom of the beef barrel to make our sandwich. Yeah I know it’s 9pm on a Monday night but Al have some integrity and serve a good beef sandwich.
It’s so sad because Al’s was an institution and it is like they don’t care any more. Adam Richman once selected this place as the best sandwich but if he had our sandwich he would have thrown it out. Al’s needs to find what made them great and they need to make a sandwich they care about. Everything was wrong with this sandwich including the stale bread. I’m really upset that I wasted good money on bad food. Please Al find your way back to greatness and stop serving a bad version of a Chicago beef sandwich. You really let us down tonight and that should make you sad because it made us sad.

I was at the soundbar clubbing at midnight and after a while, I was dehydrated and was craving for food. What do you get at clubs? Nothing except alcohol which I hate. So, I left the club at 2:00 AM in the midnight and there it is with all colorful lights «Al’s Beef» right on the other side of the road. There was also a drive through which was fully queued with cars and on the other hand people were waiting inside the restaurant in a line to order. I joined the queue and finally I got to order a hotdog. I took a Maxwell Polish without sport peppers. They took around 10 minutes for my simple order and yes I understood that because of the orders from drive thru as well as the regular queue.
I didn’t like their hotdog. It wasn’t so great. Half of it was burned and I wasn’t satisfied. The french fries which I got with the order were not fresh, they weren’t crispy. They were stale and bland. They literally sucked.
I left unsatisfied, disappointed and I don’t think I will go here again unless this is the only restaurant opened and serves hotdogs in entire Chicago.
According to the other reviews, I heard their pulled pork and beef are good, maybe I will try them sometime if I am in that location and update my review.
Who knows, I might be really amazed and give 5 stars for those dishes: P

We stumbled in here before heading to Sound-​Bar nearby. It was about the only spot open at 10:30pm on a Saturday night that isn’t McDonalds or similar garbage.
I’ve had Al’s before, there used to be one by my house in the suburbs. I don’t quite remember what it was like then, though.
I got a regular beef with sweet and hot peppers and even paid an upcharge for cheese. I was a little disappointed with this because the cheese was a slice of provolone, which I like, but don’t typically expect on an Italian beef. Most of the beef stands out by me use mozzarella. Either way, the sandwich was just alright. I’d consider myself fairly experienced in the realm of beef sandwiches, and in my opinion it doesn’t quite stack up against Buona, Portillo’s, or Mr. Beef. My sandwich was dripping and swimming in au jus, which I know is often the preferred texture, but I personally don’t like au jus running down my elbow. The sandwich was fairly spicy, and I knew this going in, but this appeared to be a little too spicy, especially for an Italian beef. Perhaps the cook was a little heavy-​handed with the peppers?
I did steal some fries from a friend who wasn’t guarding them well enough. I must say that Al’s fries are definitely above average, nicely crisp and even a bit flakey.
My sandwich came out to over $ 8 after adding the cheese and peppers. It wasn’t bad, but I’d rather pay less for a sandwich I like better.

Eh… this place is pretty okay. If you’re looking for a cheap option, definitely go here. That’s basically the only redeeming quality. I got mine wet and boy was it. It was basically soggy and would have been better off eating with a knife and a fork. Good enough flavor but honestly, I would have rather had a Philly sandwich from Philly’s in Seattle.

I am an avid watcher of the Travel Channel, more specifically — the shows that deal with food (since I’m a fatass). Usually, when I see something on their shows, I try to bookmark it on Unilocal so that if I were to ever visit that city one day, I would already have a list of places to eat at. So that’s exactly what I did when I saw Al’s Beef on Man vs. Food and I made it one of my stops for my Chicago trip.
Unfortunately, it looked a lot better on TV than it actually tasted. The jardinière wasn’t bad, I’ll give them that. But it wasn’t enough to make the sandwich good. It was very underwhelming, overall. Also, it turned out to be a fast food chain, which I had no idea that it was.
Tip — if you’re going to come to this location, might not be a good idea to come after dark. Doesn’t look like that safest of neighborhoods — just looks like a shady area. I’m not sure if they have this at every establishment in Chicago, but if you need a ‘no guns allowed’ sign, that doesn’t seem like a good sign.

The Italian beef is orgasmic. Next time I go i will
Get a large with extra beef haha
I wish I asked my sandwich to be dipped in the sauce but it was still good. The staff seemed very friendly and even helped me with directions to go to another place
There is no public bathroom from what we can tell. It’s a small location

Great sandwich. I had the #1 with cheese & sweet & hot peppers dipped. Good flavor combination. Small restaurant, but flows pretty well. Worth stopping by if you’re in the area

Al’s Beef is another must try spot in Chicago like Lou Malnati’s. It’s a small little shop on the corner of Ontario and Wells. Al’s Beef is one of the few times I’ve been to the same spot twice in the same trip. I never do that cause I don’t want to waste calories intake on the same restaurant. However, I will try the same dish at different restaurants like how I ate pizza at 3 different pizza parlors in Chicago and 5 different ones in New York. Carbivore.
Anyway, the restaurant seemed to be always packed cause both times I went there was only one table open. It totally has a mom and pop shop feel to it. The workers were all cool and they had loads of suggestions like telling me to «F off and don’t come back». I was kind of stunned cause I expected excellent service like that in New York not Chicago. I’m kidding.
Now, the food.
1) Nacho Fries — The jalapenos and melted cheddar cheese on top of freshly cut potatoes. The potatoes definitely tasted fresh. It wasn’t as crunchy as McDonald’s fries then again McDonald’s fries aren’t fresh. My love for starch made me consume a good portion of the fries and I left with a feeling of disgust. I felt disgusted with myself cause I didn’t finish the whole serving.
2) Al’s Beef Italian Sandwich — We pretty much ordered it the way it’s supposed to be ordered, which was «I’ll take a Beef, Dipped wit Hot and Sweet» asap. The sandwich came wrapped and dripping wet with the Au Jus aka Al’s Gravy. However, it’s not your turkey gravy. It’s Al’s Gravy which is nothing more than the beef juices from the prep. The sandwich definitely was savory and came with a lot of comforting flavors. The beef was tender and juicy. The bread was soft and soaking in the Au Jus. The major issue I faced with the sandwich was consistency. The first it was a damn good sandwich and the second time it wasn’t the same. It’s kind of like the «chance» stage in the dating game. Once you get what you want, you’re kind of just over it.
Overall, Al’s Beef is definitely a must try when in Chicago. There are multiple locations around the US but it’s not the same as having it in Chicago. It’s the same reason why pizza is only good in New York, why tacos and LA dirty dogs are only go in California and why Chicago hot dogs are only good in Chicago. Now, F off and don’t comeback!

Al’s or Portillos? Al’s or Portillos? Really they both have their high marks. For Al’s, I was a HUGE fan of their giardiniera and the overall dip of the sandwich (nice and wet). The meat was solid as well.
Where it’s lacking compared to Portillos is the bread and the fries. The bread’s just better at Portillos. As for the fries, I know they really shouldn’t count but I am a bigger fan of the crinkle cuts at Portillos.
Definitely try Al’s though at least once. You can’t go wrong with a dipped and hot italian beef.

/TL;DR
Tried both Portillo’s and Al’s Beef for an Italian beef sandwich. This was the ish.
/​ATMOSPHERE
Atmosphere? What? If your idea of ambience is sitting next to a dumpster, this is ideal. Basically, it’s super small inside. The counters run right near the front door so you’re pushing and shoving your way to get anywhere. I think this is by design so that you don’t want to ask for a refill on your drink.
Don’t expect a restroom to wash your hands — which you will need after trying to eat the Italian beef sandwich.
/​FOOD
I got the Italian beef dipped with peppers, made spicy. I am starving just THINKING about it. Wow. One of the most satisfying meals I’ve ever had. Can’t quite describe why it was so good. I think the profile of beef, highly processed bread, and greasiness hit every spot.
/​SERVICE
Short and to the point. If you don’t mind ridicule, you can get a fork. My friend asked for one. I believe the response was something like … «a fork?! Use your hands.» When he wouldn’t take no for an answer, it was «someone get this cheater a fork!» :o)
HOW TO READ MY REVIEWS:
1 Star — Does not approach edible. Enter at your own risk.
2 Stars — If I’m in the area, I’d pick something else.
3 Stars — I would stop by if I happen to be in the area.
4 Stars — I would pick this place out of other places nearby.
5 Stars — I would go out of my way to dine here.

Slow roasted beef with drippings and peppers? Yes, please!!!
The epitome of cheap Chicago «fast food». These sandwiches are great day or (late) night. Drenched in flavors and served with a mountain of crispy fries and a Pepsi… ahhh.
What more really needs to be said?

Nowhere near as good as Portillo’s.
The Beef Sandwich comes with a cold slice of cheddar cheese and their giardiniera tastes pretty funky.

When visiting Chicago, it’s a must to come here for italian beef. I mean, Portillo’s makes a mean sandwich, but this is the ultimate OG italian beef!!! It’s definitely on the heavy side, so make sure that you’re in the mood for some meaty, juicy, greasy, dipped in beef broth finger lickin good italian beef sandwich from here.
I’ve also had the pleasure of trying the chili cheese fries here recently. Ok. Why did it take me so long to try this!!! I’ve been living in Chicago for two years now!!! Make sure to order this folks!!! It is exactly what you are looking for: perfectly fried fries, crack cheese sauce, and meaty savory chili poured all over. Oh my. I’m making myself hungry just describing it now and also reminiscing about it. It’s the ultimate comfort fatty guilty pleasure.