Famous Chicago Restaurants Downtown Italian Beef
What's the big deal? Information technology'southward just a beef sandwich, correct?
Wrong.
Chicago's own Italian beef sandwich is and so much more than merely meat and staff of life; it's a reflection of the indelible Italian-American influence on the metropolis, a retentivity of the Marriage Stockyards that transformed Chicago into the earth'southward butcher store, and a reminder of the broad-shouldered men and women who work with their hands and, when the tiffin bong rings, grab a hearty sandwich with both of them.
Drizzled or fully drenched in clear, garlicky, oregano-flecked gravy and served on French-type bread, the meat in an Italian beef sandwich is cutting very thin. Usually, the sandwich is strewn with sweet peppers, likewise as hot peppers and other vegetables mixed into a giardiniera, the pop olive-oil based condiment, another Chicago original.
Co-ordinate to "The Chicago Nutrient Encyclopedia," the Italian beef sandwich was born in the kitchens of immigrants who wanted to stretch their meat portions as far as they could. The sandwich was popular at weddings considering a relatively small-scale amount of sliced beefiness, gravy, and staff of life could feed a multitude.
To lodge your Italian beef sandwich like an addict, confidently tell the man or woman at the counter you want it "Sweet and hot, wet." You'll get a mixture of sweet and hot peppers on your beef, and the whole thing will be dipped in the gravy before it'due south wrapped in white paper and handed to y'all.
To swallow your Italian beef like a pro, grab your sandwich and belly up to the counter to assume "the Italian opinion," with elbows on the countertop, anxiety apart, leaning over at virtually 45 degrees to minimize drips on your shoes … or jogging adjust. Eat it quickly and with gusto before it disintegrates in your hands. To keep the sandwich together while you swallow, you might fold the white paper down around the sandwich and so grip information technology tight as y'all swallow, progressively folding down the paper as y'all munch.
The post-obit 7 places are alphabetized but un-ranked, because each has a major following and information technology'south rare for Chicagoans to agree on which place is best. Each of these places is a major source for Italian beef, a Chicago original that you can find pretty much but in Chicago. Sometimes, as we note below, you tin can fifty-fifty find other Chicago original foods on the card at Italian beefiness vendors.
Al'south Beef
On Taylor Street, the primary drag of Chicago's "Piddling Italia," Al'south Beef, as well chosen Al's #1, claims to be the originator of the Italian beef sandwich. Al's has been making their hugely popular beefiness sandwiches since 1938, and the tender beef and sauce, with a good smack of oregano and garlic, is at the summit of many "all-time of" lists. Featured on the History Channel and "Good Morning America," and with locations as far north as Evanston and as far due south as Tinley Park, Al'south is a classic Chicago institution that seems likely to be effectually for your grandchildren to enjoy.
Pro tip: When times got tough, as they near certainly did during the Neat Depression, people ate a stripped-down variant of the Italian beef sandwich: called "gravy staff of life" or a "soaker," it was just breadstuff and gravy (meat non included). Al's still offers a soaker for $1.95. It's a Chicago original food, but not one you'll notice many Chicagoans bragging about.
Buona Beef
With about two dozen locations all over the Chicagoland area, Buona has get a major name in Chicago'due south Italian beef market. Their site proclaims, "The Original Italian Beef," and though "original" tin can be a glace concept, Buona certainly makes a very good version of this classic. The Buona folks are so committed to the iconic sandwich that they instituted National Italian Beefiness Twenty-four hour period in 2018. Buona provides have-away meals for big groups, and they too offering a large menu, enough to please those who prefer to consume something other than an Italian beefiness (if such people exist).
Pro tip: If, indeed, you do have someone in the group who is non a fan of Italian beef, propose to them that they get a pepper and egg sandwich, just scrambled eggs with sweet peppers in a roll. The pepper and egg sandwich is also believed to take originated in Chicago during the 19th century, and it was — and remains! — especially pop during Lent and on Fridays.
Jay's Beefiness
Less well-known, maybe, than many of the other Italian beefiness joints on this listing, Jay'south Beef is a skillful example of the unpretentious, and largely unheralded, beef stands that have sprouted upwards all around Chicago. Individual beef stands frequently put their own spin on the sandwich, and at the several locations of Jay's Beef, you lot can have them add cheese, either provolone or liquid cheddar, which probably offends old line Chicagoans only slightly less than ketchup on a hot dog.
Pro tip: If one beef sandwich doesn't do information technology for you, consider filling up whatever remaining belly real estate with a corn roll tamale, another Chicago original food. Jay's sources their tamales from Supreme, and their corn roll tamale comes wrapped in a plastic envelope and filled with something like meat (or is it but magenta-tinted corn meal?).
Johnnie's Beef
Though it's exterior Chicago in nearby Elmwood Park, Johnnie's Beefiness is on every beef addict'due south short list; many argue that Johnnie's serves the very best Italian beef sandwich around. Lines at Johnnie'southward can be long at lunch and dinner and even late, late at night, and that's a skilful affair: high traffic means high turnover, so the meat won't exist sitting in gravy and turning to mushy threads; no 1 wants that. When Anthony Bourdain came to Chicago in 2012 for a segment of "No Reservations," he went to Elmwood Park for an Italian beefiness.
Pro tip: Beef stands rarely offer beverages other than soda, but the best pairing nosotros've found for an Italian beef sandwich is an Italian lemonade (also chosen an "ice"), a frozen slushy flavored with lemon or other fruit juice. The absurd sweet of the water ice complements the slightly spicy meat, and on a summer mean solar day, information technology's what you desire.
Mr. Beef
Located on Orleans in downtown Chicago, Mr. Beefiness has been around for years. It was popularized by Jay Leno, who ate there equally he was coming up in Chicago comedy clubs, and he even brought a bag of Mr. Beef sandwiches on stage when he made a 1989 guest advent on David Letterman's bear witness. This is ane stripped down Italian beefiness store, and the beefiness — along with hot dogs, a few subs, and sausage — is pretty much all they sell. You lot want a vegetable? Lodge fries.
Pro tip: At many places where Italian beef is sold, yous'll also detect Italian sausage; put the beef and sausage together, and you lot take a "philharmonic," one of the regular menu items at Mr. Beef, and another Chicago original.
Portillo's
With locations all over the area, Portillo's started out every bit a minor roadhouse stand in Villa Park, affectionately termed the Doghouse because that'due south what it looked like. They in one case served only hot dogs. Portillo's still does a pretty good version of the dragged-through-the-garden Chicago dog, and they also serve an Italian beef. Offering even a Beef-N-Cheddar Croissant, Portillo'due south has an immense carte, lots of indoor seating, and all the efficiency and charm of a 1950s diner, only on a much larger scale.
Pro tip: If you're in the mood for dessert, become a piece of Portillo's chocolate cake. How does it reach such rich density? The surreptitious ingredient is mayonnaise.
Serrelli's Finer Foods
Located about a mile east of Johnnie's Beef is Serrelli'due south Finer Foods, which y'all will probable non find on any "all-time of" lists. Unlike Al'due south or Johnnie'south, Serrelli'due south is a grocery store that but happens to serve beef, only their website homepage features a large pic of an Italian beef sandwich, and then you know beef is a key particular. Serrelli'southward offers some of the finest slices of beef you lot will detect from an Italian beef vendor, all very, very mildly spiced. To fix that, buy some of Serrelli'south signature giardiniera, perhaps the hottest version of this condiment nosotros've always tasted.
Pro tip: If you're buying beef to take dwelling, you lot'll want to get an extra container of sauce; the plastic tubs of beef are so full of meat there's hardly room for the all-important jus.
At that place are many, many more notable Italian beef stands in Chicagoland than the seven mentioned here, places similar Scatchell'southward and Freddy'south Pizza in Cicero, Frannie'south in Schiller Park, and Chickies in Hillside, all serving a devoted clientele who will swear "it's the best, easily down!"
But is there really any difference between an Italian beef from one vendor versus another?
Yep, in that location is, because each vendor of Italian beef seasons their gravy differently and they have different ways of making the sandwich. Some places might add a fiddling more than oregano or garlic to the gravy, others may use meliorate staff of life, or possibly fifty-fifty higher quality meat. In the 7 places mentioned in a higher place, we found radical differences in the giardiniera that was offered. Such relatively subtle variation is why and so many Italian beefiness places can survive in Chicago and surrounding suburbs: each i is slightly different, and each ane has its dice-hard fans. And like pizza and sexual practice, even when the Italian beef is not-so-nifty, it's nevertheless pretty skilful.
The Italian beef sandwich is so much more than merely meat and bread; information technology's a large bite of Chicago.
David Hammond is Dining and Drinking Editor at Newcity and contributes to the Chicago Tribune and other publications. In 2004, he co-founded LTHForum.com, the fifteen,000 member nutrient chat site; for several years he wrote weekly "Food Detective" columns in the Chicago Dominicus-Times; he writes weekly nutrient columns for Wednesday Periodical. He has written extensively nearly the culinary traditions of United mexican states and Southeast Asia and contributed several chapters to "Street Food Effectually the World."
David is a supporter of South.A.C.R.E.D., Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Pedagogy and Evolution, an organization founded by ChicagoanLou Bankand dedicated to increasing sensation of agave distillates and ensuring that the benefits of that sensation flow to the villages of Oaxaca, Mexico. Currently, S.A.C.R.Due east.D is funding the development of agave farms, a library and water preservation systems for the community of Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca.
Source: https://better.net/chicago/food-drink/best-places-italian-beef-sandwich-chicago/
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