Al’s Beef

I come here a lot for two main things:
1. Big Beef: Get this dipped. No other way. If you’re afraid of it being messy, use a fork. Also make sure you add the Giardiniera on it. Their Giardiniera is amazing. Celery, spices, and left to ferment a little adds another layer of flavor to the dipped sandwich. Adds a little kick to it, but not overwhelming.
2. The Fries: amazing. If this is your first time, get just the fries without anything else on it. The fries are dropped in the fryer only AFTER the order is placed, and have amazing flavor. They will always be very hot (temperature). Feel free to get a side of cheese for dipping. They also have all kinds of variations like loaded fries, blue cheese fries, buffalo fries, and chili cheese fries. All just as good. Be aware that if you do carry out, those extra toppings will make the fries a little soggy. Not their fault, it is just the nature of dumping all that stuff onto freshly made crispy fries.
I’ll also throw a +1 for their hotdogs (always get Chicago Style). Each hotdogs will come with fries wrapped inside the wrapper. It always hits the spot when you are looking for a quick meal.

Experience with female Cashier started off the experience on a bad foot. She got my order wrong, felt very rushed even though I was the only one in line. Ordered chipotle chicken, hot Italian beef, hot dog, cheddar fries and blue cheese fries.
Was disappointed in the beef which they are known for. Fairly bland the meat was very shredded almost bottom of the pan type meat. Hot isn’t your regular hot gardineria — it was more like hot pepper flakes.
Everything else was really great.

They claim to be the number 1beef so I tried their number 1 Italian beef special with hot peppers of course and it was definitely NOT number 1. First off, they do not give you much beef as other places do (like Portillos) and it is sopping in grease here! The fries however were good but certainly I would go elsewhere for Italian beef!

Have been here many times. Great food. Love Nancy’s pizza and the beef.
Somebody should take the time to dust those display pizza boxes on the front counter. They are covered in dusty grease.

I had very high expectations for Al’s. I’ve been wanting to eat here for years. I’ve seen all the TV shows saying how great it is and all the hype. It was OK not really anything extraordinary. The Nancy’s Pizza is what saved the meal. Thin crust crispy crust but with a butt load of cheese. This was pizza extreme if you go to try a sandwich get a slice just because.

You always hear about how good Al’s Beef is. This location can’t prove it. We all had beef sandwiches and all of us thought they were subpar. Saving the meal was a really good Nancy’s Pizza which is available here. With the great Italian Beef options around I would avoid Al’s. At least here. However. Very Good Nancy’s Pizza.

Al’s Beef got with Nancy’s Pizza… No, this is not the beginning of a dirty joke
===================================
So today has been a whirlwind day. On my way to Chicago for work, and while at LAX we were delayed for almost two hours. First, the flight coming in from BOS was delayed. Then, we had to sit on the tarmac because the tug pulling the plane was stuck and would not release. Next, we learned that they needed to recalculate the route and get extra fuel. The reason? BIG freaking tornado blocking flight paths to O’Hare. Hundreds of flights delayed, even more cancelled, and fortunately for us, it only cost us a 200 mile detour around the tornado. Some people missed their connecting flights, but better safe than sorry.
Anyway, as soon as I landed, I looked up the nearest Al’s — which was this place. Sorta. It still took a good 40 minutes to drive here via local streets because of the residual thunderstorms.
I was a bit confused when I entered. All of the menu items seemed to belong in a pizza joint. Then I saw the merged sign (sorta like Taco Bell/​Pizza Hut combo stores out in California — I guess the franchisee wanted to maximize the chance of making a sale in this particular location).
I ordered a little Al with hot peppers, an 8 piece boneless buffalo wings with Carolina gold BBQ sauce (whatever that is), and a diet pepsi.
It took a while for them to get the order to me, presumably because the wings went into the oven (my alternative theory is that the kitchen was manned by a frazzled teenager). When I got it, I took one bite and realized — there were NO peppers. No biggie, I got a cup of peppers, but mind you, the store was empty because of the thunderstorm. Aside from that, the sandwich was pretty good. Soaked in all the beefy juices. The giardiniera wasn’t too hot, but I did pick up on the coriander seeds which gave it a nice lemony zest.
As for the boneless buffalo wings (aka chicken nuggets drenched in sauce) — nothing to rave about. They accidentally gave me 10 pieces instead of 8. Poor kid. Perhaps his first day on the job?
Nothing necessarily bad about the whole experience. Just a bit «sterile» compared with an older, company-​owned location. Sadly, they do not sell branded merchandise at this location.

Not bad but I was hoping for better. I had a medium Italian beef (somewhat overpriced) and fries. The hand cut fries were better than the beef. The latter was rather dry and a little tough. Buona Beef has nothing to worry about, though unfortunately they don’t have a location in this vicinity.

The best Italian Beef and Sausage combo in Chicagoland? That is what we expected. Well Al’s disappointed us. The sausage was over-​charred and the gravy on the beef was greasy. In fact, we did a comparison and Portillo’s was hands down much better than Al’s. We had great expectations and Al’s proved to be not up to the hype. The sandwich was good but just not great.

A very tasty beef sandwich, and pretty good loaded fries, & 2 Pepsi’s, …BUT $ 29 dollars and
a little pricey for a Beef joint. Plus I thought the sandwich was a little on the skimpy side. At least it had flavor.. it is hard to find a beef sandwich it has flavor anymore.

Used to be a great family owned business. Could always count on the quality of the beef, tamales, fries, onion rings, and an occasion pizza. Hamburgers were also good.
Lately, the beef got skimpy, and when you paid extra for sweet peppers, one would think more than two little pieces would be in order. One of the owners Harry, was a great guy, but apparently doesn’t work there anymore. His sister is now in charge, and she definitely needs to go the charm school… same people used to work there all the time, not now, as large helped wanted sign in window. That usually translates to poor food preparation, or in tis case, the sister’s attitude. Will let it be for awhile, as there other places to get a quality beef.

My boyfriend says I can only be loyal to Al’s or Portillo’s, but we’ll have to agree to disagree. This place offers things that I can’t get elsewhere. Because they share the kitchen with Nancy’s Pizza, you can ask them to make your beef on garlic bread. That’s right, garlic bread. I also love that they have several sizes of beefs here — I’m a fan of the little Al with cheddar cheese. If you like blue cheese and you like fries, then you should try their blue cheese/​gorgonzola fries. Seriously yummy. Best part? Drive thru!
To all these people complaining about the hot dogs here: if you want a hot dog at an Italian beef place, maybe stick to Portillos. The place is called Al’s Italian Beef after all.

Disappointing… Hotdog, fries and medium Pepsi, $ 6, and it only came with a half order of fries for that price. And by a half order I mean 12 fries, literally, I counted. Skimpy dog too. The Pepsi was also weak, tasted more seltzer than cola. Sad, just sad.

Big Al. Hot Peppers. Dipped. Nuff said! This Al’s has the full menu plus the Nancy’s Pizza menu, giving the option of having a slice with your beef. Love you Al.

Bought cheese fries and wow… how can you mess up cheese fries? First you put one tiny layer of fries and put dabs of cheese on it and charge 6 dollars for it. Had the beef it’s good but you don’t feel like you get your money’s worth even though your paying a arm and a leg. This location sucks I rather go to portillos cause it’s consistent.

Al’s is a staple of Chicago and all of Chicagoland. If you’re visiting for the first time, then this is a good place to get your feet wet when it comes to Chicago style beef sandwiches and hot dogs.
There are plenty of other places I put above Al’s, but to be fair, Al’s does a great job at being consistent. I started eating here in 2011 and the taste has not changed at all. Some restaurants have tried to make changes or cutbacks during the tough economy. Al’s has remained true to their formula. That means a lot to me.
What to get: Italian beef and Chicago style hotdogs.
What’s ok: their hamburgers and fries.
What I won’t order again: the chicken chipotle or their chili. (Shame on me for getting chicken chipotle at a beef joint… I should have known better, and chili… well…chili is one of those things that you either like it or you don’t)
Expect heartburn and a bit of indigestion after. That’s part of the package. Two people can expect to pay $ 20-​$ 30 for lunch.

There is no better Italian beef in all of Chicago land… I’d even go so far as to say the country

It’s the first time trying this particular franchise, although it is similar to the original Al’s on Taylor; their Italian Beef sandwiches are smaller at both places than in the past, so I don’t think it is worth their prices when compared to Ricobene’s on 26^th St.
Fresh cut fries are good but in this neck of the woods to get a good Italian Beef sandwich is very hard to come by so I gave it an average rating.
$ 1.98 for pop is a bit steep as well.

they have great food but:
Their $ 3.85 hot dogs are the size of a number 2 pencil
Their $ 6 beef have very little beef,
with all the competition in the area I’m surprised they stay in business with their prices

I have been coming to this location 2 — 3 times a month for a year since I moved nearby.
FIRST TIMERS: If you are parking or want drive-​through make sure you go to the right entrance. It’s a little hard to spot.
Being a big man, I usually order the Big Al dipped with gardinera. The beef is thin sliced and it soaks up the juice and spices well. The bread is fresh and soaks up the juices. It is best to dine in but if you carry out or drive-​through make sure you eat it within 20 minutes. The fresh cut fries are very tasty and I really enjoy them. When using the drive through I get the chili fries. They do not skimp on the chili but I wish there was some Tobasco to punch it up. The hot dogs are standard boiled Chicago style dog and nothing special but why get a hot dog at a beef joint? When dining in the free refill soft drinks are perfect for the well deserved complimentary belch.
BIG PEOPLE: The booths are stationary but the chairs are heavy duty steel framed and relatively comfortable.