Al’s Beef

Great food, best Polish dog I’ve ever had. But their employees attitude is pretty nasty. Not impressed by them at all.

Best italian beef on the planet. Meat is melt in your mouth tender and I love getting it with giardiniera and with the bread dipped in the flavorful gravy. I would eat this italian beef every single day and wouldn’t get sick of it. One of my favorite foods ever.

I was expecting more. Not that it was bad, but it just left me yearning for more. I had the biggest beef sandwich they offer, and I wasn’t all that impressed with the meat that was on it. It wasn’t even that much meat.
I’m not complaining, it was excellent to have had dinner there. Lots of history, and I am happy to have been there. It’s an institution, and it was ok. Just wasn’t what I thought the hype made it to be.
The fries I had was very small, broken fries that I could barely dip in the side of cheese I got to dip them in without dipping my fingers in it too. I’m not sure I will be back when I am in the area.

Absolutely horrible. Almost $ 15 for a dinky soggy sandwich and horrible service.
Thanks but I’ll take my money elsewhere.

Beef had serious potential, if it wasn’t bland. Tasted old, so a fresh batch probably would have helped. Hot peppers added a bit to the taste to make up for it.
Service with a snarl definitely wasn’t happy we were there. Cashier cut me off in the middle of my unfinished order to tell me my total, and the receipt tells you that if you don’t finish eating in 15 minutes, you’re getting towed. Holy cow!

Al’s was the originator of the Italian beef sandwich back in the days of the Great Depression. They say the recipe hasn’t changed since they first started. And the truth is you can taste it. The hot peppers aren’t quite hot enough and the beef sauce doesn’t have the strong salty taste you come to expect from a Italian beef sandwich today. This is not to say the sandwich isn’t good. But for the amount you pay, you expect a premium product. Instead, you get novelty that has seen its better days behind itself.
If the Italian beef sandwich had a museum, Al’s would be the place. For a one time museum lunch/​dinner meal, I don’t mind paying about $ 13 for an Italian beef, fries, and a Pepsi. I’m paying to be a part of Italian beef history! But it’s not my first choice for Italian beef.

Cash only??? Seriously? This is not customer friendly. When we live in a day and age when we can pay with a watch, business have to come around and no longer ONLY accept cash. The staff here looked exhausted and just to go the through the motions. Cashier barely said hello, also these prices are high compared to others and especially Portillos. Can’t wait for the S. Loop one to open, that’s where I’ll be getting my It. Beefs.

I’ve been coming here for over two decades and it seems quality has gone done in recent years. I was there two days ago and their sandwich seemed a lot smaller, but prices have gotten bigger. Also, the fries were kind of bland. Maybe they forgot to apply salt? Before, I never used ketchup on their fries since they were so tasty on their own, but that’s not the case any more. Overall, the beef sandwich is still good, but not worth what they charge.
Tip: always order a Chicago beef sandwich dipped. It’s the only way to go!

Still good. The gravy makes the beef. The beef is not sliced anymore. More like CRUSHED into bits.

Saw this on one of the food network shows (adam richman?) and husband decided it was non-​negotiable on our trip to chitown.
He said it was one of the best things he’s ever had. They dip the whole sandwich in the jardinière! That’s not really my thing — but the cheese fries were awesome and the hot dog was good too. I liked the divey atmosphere. Being from Pittsburgh, I kinda feel like Al’s is the equivalent of primanti brothers for us. Good times!

Recently moved in this area and decided to give them another try. Better than what I remembered from before. Service was quick and welcome on a bitter cold winter’s day. I detected some seasonings I don’t remember, but with hot and sweet peppers and dipped, it was great. I’m sure I’ll be back now that I live closer. Fries were good too!

My wife and I stopped in here after visiting UIC. We each got a regular Italian beef with fries, and I got a soda. I forget the exact price but it was in the neighborhood of $ 26. Way more than it should have been, especially given the quality. Glad we tried this Chicago institution, likely won’t be doing so again.
Pros:
Peppers were good
Lots of fries (enough for at least 2, we should have stuck to 1 order)
Cons:
Expensive!
Even not getting it dipped the grease ran everywhere
Beef was OK
Not enough peppers
No refills on soda

..
I would say ManVsFood over-​rated it!
Pros:
The beef was nice,
the peppers were good,
Fries were GREAT,
BUT …
Cons:
— the soaked break wasn’t as good as it looked like
— No Service at all
— no seating
— expensive (in comparison)
Worth the visit?
YES, but a 1 time thing.
Maybe the next time I’ll try it DRY!

Had to try the original Al’s and it was worth the trek. Beef was superb you must get it dipped and with peppers. You can stand at the counter area to eat or take it to go but it’s much better fresh. A must try when in the area!

I love Chicago’s Italian beef, and I had high hopes for Al’s as I had heard this place was legendary. The service was rude, the order taker literally asked me «What do you want?» with a bad attitude. Definitely no hospitality here, and it seems like the workers are proud of it.
The beef sandwich was okay, definitely nothing special, and was very heavy on the cinnamon. Peppers were scant and not very spicy. Truthfully, I prefer Fat Dan’s back in Indy over this place. I won’t be back, and I don’t recommend you go here.

Huge fan of Philly cheesesteaks and not so much a fan of French dips so wasn’t sure what to expect at Als.
But the big beef sandwich was amazing– meat was full of spices, and not overly chewy. The best part was the gravy and hot peppers.
Place is a dive but that’s part of the allure. Service is rude but what else would you expect.

The Italian beef is still one of the best, though they’ve suddenly gotten very pricy:
Me: Gimme a large combo, hot peppers, fries & a Coke.
Al’s order guy: That’ll be $ 18.00
Me: (silence) Are you serious?
Order guy: Yep
Me: (frantically rifling through my wallet) Do you take credit cards?
Order guy: Nope.
Me: (defeated) OK, skip the fries, make it a small beef & Coke.
Order guy: $ 10.50
Me: Arrrrrrrrgh.

I used to love Al’s a couple years back, especially this location. I was excited to take my boyfriend because he never had it, but now I regret taking him. Note that this place is CASH ONLY.
Al’s beef is very overpriced for okay food. The Italian beef sandwich I expected to be dripping with juice was very dry — even when dipped. They used to really pile the meat up, but this time I had to open it up to take a picture so you could see what was actually inside. The reason I came was for those famous greasy fries! I remember Al’s fries being greasy, soggy, and fresh. I WAS HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. When they came out, the fries were way overcooked to the point of crisping and they weren’t even warm — suggesting that they weren’t fresh. I had noticed prices had gone up since the last time I came as well. My unsatisfying meal cost me $ 16.
The line wasn’t too long, but the small restaurant was still a little crowded because of the people standing and eating. Ordering our food was fast and the wait wasn’t long either. The man taking our order was neither friendly nor rude, he was simply doing his job. The place was small and kind of shabby — not somewhere I really wanted to be eating inside.
If you’re going to Al’s Beef, you’re betting off getting take-​out than dining there. Seats are extremely limited. There’s a counter where you can stand and eat inside but those are usually taken. There’s seating outside you have to rush to, but there are only three tables. There was no place to sit so we ended up walking down the road and asking the burger place if we could sit in their outdoor seating area.
Maybe I’ll give Al’s fries another chance, but everything else was just okay. With prices being so darn expensive for a subpar meal, you probably won’t see me coming back.

Move over Philly– I think I just found a new dipped sandwich that tops even those cheese steak monsters.
Out for lunch and into Taylor, my friend and I decided to try out Al’s. Neither of us had eaten it before, so we decided it was time to knock off another one of the «must-​eats» in town. Who would’ve thought that the original Al’s Beef sipped sandwiches would be right here next to UIC? (well yes, there IS Little Italy)
We each ordered an Al’s Big Beef sandwich; mine came with sweet peppers, and each of ours was dipped. OMG… the sandwich was messy beyond reason, but damn it was good! The beef inside was cut thinly and resembles what you’d find in gyudon (totally making a Japanese comparison here). The bread was beyond tasty given it’s wet texture. Then there are the BIG portions… wow, I was only able to eat half of mine before throwing in the towel.
Limited seating is available. You can stand inside or sit outside on a nice day. Pair this up with a visit to Mario’s across the street and you’ve got yourself a fantastic meal.
CASH ONLY so make sure you have some greens on you. I don’t think dancing can be used as a form of payment if all you got is the plastic.

Honest review: ok better then portillos the problem is sometimes the foods not fresh or that hot. Then sometimes it doesnt taste good. Its expensive and i dont think its kinda worth the price. Eating here is a pain because theres never any seats and its dirty i wish they would update this place food wise and ambiance if u come make sure u get an italian beef with sauce and gardinera
If anybody knows a better Italian beef place tell me!

Eh, not really a fan. 12 bucks for this sandwich and fries. Next time I will pass. Not that the sandwich was bad, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Not sure why. I love roast beef, like french dips. For some reason the seasoning just wasn’t my fav. Compared to my favorite sandwich of all time in South Florida this doesn’t come close.
Give it a try you might like it. Just wasn’t for me.