Luke’s Italian Beef

Loved my pastrami on rye! The pastrami was very flavorful and the rye was toasted nicely… portion was okay. The Italian beef was disappointing. It literally had no flavor :0(The portion was nice, it just lacked any flavor.
I would return for another round in hopes of having a better Italian beef.

Don’t let the hole in the wall look fool you. Best Italian beef sandwich in the western US. Crinkle fries are top notch as well. Anytime I’m in Arizona there is 0% chance I’m not coming to get the meal stated above. Absolutely fantastic!

Really enjoy eating at Luke’s all over town. Was close to the ft. lowel location so figured I’d give it a try. Food is still great but the service was really bad. The cashier gave my family attitude and all we were asking was for a clarification on what he had said. Other than that Luke’s is great, the service is questionable though…

Okay. I’ve only had their cheese fries (10 times) and gyro (twice) as take-​out. These fries are freaking smothered in cheese, and the gyro meat mixture is perfect, and served with plenty of tzatziki. The folks that work there can talk and do good work at the same time too! Absolutely 5 stars for no frills simplicity and perfection.

Their gyro sandwich is better than the halal stands in NY. I will definitly come back for the other stuff.

This was my first time at this location. In the past I’ve always gone to the 22^nd and Alvernon location. This one didn’t disappoint. I was in town for the holidays and met up with a friend for lunch and this one was in between us.
I got the the Italian Beef dry with hot peppers (dry beef hot). When you ask for dry they don’t dip it in the au jus, but it is still a sloppy mess, just less so.
The atmosphere is of course divey, but it is clean. The service at the counter was really good.
The prices are reasonable given the portions. The best deal is probably the Chicage dog with fries. I think that is around $ 4.25. The dry beef hot is around $ 8.50.

The homemade italian beef is pretty good the only thing i didnt like about it was the bread it barely hold together and it gets soggy really quick but even with that the sandwich is still good especially for the price

Very authentic and tasty Chicago Italian beef sandwich. A nice taste of home. I withhold a 5^th star due to one question: Who’s wife told you to put broccoli in your giardinarra? Not a good addition.

I used to hang with a friend who grew up with «Luke» as a step dad so you can guess we ate there alot, especially when he grew up n got his own Lukes location. Well my friend no longer works there and most of the «Lukes» are indepentantly owned I still return whenever I visit Tuctown. I brought my ma n her new husband to this locale and it looks like its an abandoned old quicky mart. We didnt even know if it was open for sure or not from the car lot.
The food was just as I remembered Double beef sandwich. O yeah I can feel it hardening my arteries as I write this. What away to go if it kills me,
doesnt this time I’ll try again next visit!
Although next time I’ll visit the only actual store «Luke» still owns and operates, he has the best cop stories around.

Best fries in Tucson. Great everything else too. Really like the Italian beef, Chicago dogs, and pizza puffs. Classic Chicago. Great atmosphere too.

I love the looks on Fort Lowell. The hotdogs are awesome. The meatball sandwich is a delicious mess and their Italian beef is to die for. Oh, and don’t forget the fries. Thanks Greg for great tasting sandwiches.

Perfect flame-​broiled burgers and crisp fries to order.
Quick and friendly service — Thank You!

I’m going to go out on a limb here… perhaps my most favorite french fries in town. Crinkle cut, always crisp and well cooked. I would say hands down my most favorite… but in my heart I have to give that award to Serial Grillers.
I’m an easy customer. Hot Italian sausage sub, brimming with onions amd hot peppers, dripping cheese. …count me in!
Décor is less than fancy, sometimes the tables are not pristine, but all that disappears once the food hits my mouth.

My mother in-​law is from Chicago and loves the Italian beefs. We all personally like the combos nice and juicy. I wasn’t at first but the flavor has grown on me. If you aren’t fond of Italian beef, the gyros are quite good there too.
The cashier is super nice and always pleasant. I had to bring home a combo for my sick husband the last time I went there and the cashier very patiently waited for me to make my phone call and figure things out.

I definitely had never seen or heard of Luke’s so when a friend suggested we get lunch there, I was a little skeptical. When we pulled into the parking lot, the actual restaurant looked like a hole in the wall and I realized I have actually driven by this establishment several times. Walking inside reminded me of a typical Waffle House type feel. I suspected the people already eating there while we ordered are regulars that eat there all the time, due to the fact they were arguing with the staff about the sports game on the TV. I like to see that those types of relationships still exist between owners and consumers.
Onto the food. WAY more options than I realized. I don’t eat red meat, so when I heard the group I was with talking about getting hotdogs, I was a little nervous, but there were so many things I could eat. I ended up getting the Grilled Chicken sandwich– which was great! Definitely made fresh and paired with the french fries– it was amazing! My group of friends also really enjoyed their chili dogs and hotdogs with fries and we had fun looking at all the wall décor.
All in all, this place definitely teaches you not to judge a book by its cover. I have a feeling I will be back here a lot more in the future

I really, really want to love this place. But… well…I haven’t yet found something to eat there that I love.
I’ve tried the regular Italian beef sandwich. It was good — tender and simple with unintimidating flavors, and served on an allegedly-​6″ roll which gives the lie to every ruler I’ve ever seen (it was something like 10″). Not truly great, but good.
I’ve tried the combo beef and sausage sandwich. It was good too — the sausage was super flavorful and the beef complimented it nicely. Again, the flavors were simple, though this time they were bolder. And again, not truly great, but good.
I’ve tried the combo with cheese. They use a pretty mild cheese, so it’s almost completely overpowered by the other ingredients (though it might be good with the regular beef sandwich). I’ve tried the combo with hot peppers. The hot peppers are actually a spicy giardiniera — a mixture of various vegetable chunks (including hot peppers) –, which is apparently typical of Chicago’s italian beef sandwiches. Again, the result was good, but not great. I’ve tried the combo with sweet peppers. They use little bell peppers which tasted good, but didn’t really take it to a new level. Good, but not great.
The thing is, the restaurant is just so damned charming. It’s a unique piece of Chicago culture in just about the last place I would ever expect to find it. The staff is really nice. The menu makes every effort at authenticity. So I’m on board before I even put the food in my mouth. I just want something delicious to eat, too!

Another example of someone trying to take the (Italian) beef out of Chicago, and it just isn’t quite right.
First, I want to say that the employees here have always been great and accommodating — kudos on that.
But the beef itself was fair at best and the bun in no way is close to the great bread these come on in the Windy City. For those people who have never had a real Italian Beef, I guess this is a reasonable replacement, but for those who know, Luke’s doesn’t really cut it.

I miss this place! Love getting the drippy sandwiches on waxed paper with the awesome fries. Glad to see it’s still arond, will definitely go again next time I’m in Tucson!

Tonight I traveled down memory lane and as I was on my journey, I remember my friendship with Luke’s while I was a student at U of A. Now where do I start with Luke’s? There’s not much to the look of Luke’s. It’s a small hole-​in-​the-​wall dive restaurant on the corner of Ft Lowell and Stone. You could pass by it several times and question yourself about wanting to go in. But, the second you go in and give it a try, you’ll realize what you’ve been missing.
I started going to Luke’s my sophomore year. Is the food fat-​free? Definitely not, but it is delicious! The hot dogs are large and in charge. Fries hug the hot dog or sandwich in the bag and make it one big bag of happiness.
Another key ingredient to Luke’s is the drive-​through! Yes, a drive-​through. Why I would go for other fast food when Luke’s was there is beyond me. The wait was never long and the food was always fresh.
That’s about it for now. I miss Luke’s and now I think I need to take a drive to make a visit!

I’m sort of glad there’s no picture of the incredibly good Italian beef sandwich here because now I have a compelling reason to perform an act of service (for you Unilocalers) and have another Luke’s Italian Beef sandwich!
Note for those always on the go: There is a drive-​through window at the Fort Lowell Luke’s.