Skip to Content

This article contains affiliate links. We may receive compensation if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Finding The Best Italian Beef Sandwich In Chicago

It’s not difficult to find a great Italian Beef Sandwich in Chicago. But why settle for just one? Discover three Chicago Italian Beef sandwiches that you simply cannot miss.

Italian Beef Sandwich Up Close at Als Italian Beef in Chicago
Image: ©2foodtrippers

Chicago’s Italian Beef Sandwich is hot – both literally and figuratively. If you’ve watched The Bear, then you know why this classic Chicago food has recently achieved zeitgeist status.

Set in an Italian Beef Sandwich shop, the groundbreaking show’s fictional depiction of life in a professional kitchen cast a large shadow over our most recent Chicago trip. This wasn’t our first trip to Chicago but somehow we had missed eating the iconic sandwich during our previous swings through the windy city.

Discover more iconic sandwiches in America and around the world.

Were we previously too focused on eating Chi-dogs? Perhaps. But that’s no excuse – every Italian Beef shop seems to sell excellent versions of Chicago’s famous loaded hot dog so there’s no need to choose one over the other.

Either way, eating a Chicago Beef Sandwich was a top food goal during our most recent visit to the mid-western megacity. After biting into just one Chicago Italian Beef sandwich, we realized that these meaty monsters hit our culinary sweet spot. We then proceeded to eat several more just to be sure.

What Is An Italian Beef Sandwich?

Italian Beef Sandwich at Portillos in Chicago
This Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwich was our first. Topped with hot peppers and giardiniera, it wasn’t our last. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Despite its name, the Italian Beef Sandwich is an all-American sandwich with deep Chicago roots.

For the uninitiated, it’s basically a long roll that’s filled with thinly sliced roast beef. Chicago cooks follow local tradition by cooking seasoned roast beef in water and keeping it warm in its own juices on a steam table. The meat’s jus becomes part of the sandwich, adding a juiciness that’s not so different from the jus in a French Dip.

This jus makes ketchup and mustard obsolete. Locals skip those condiments and instead pile on sweet peppers and/or spicy, pickled giardiniera, both of which provide additional color and flavor.

Chicago Italian Beef vs. Philly Cheesesteak
It would easy to confuse an Italian Beef Sandwich with a Philly Cheesesteak until you taste the two. That’s when you’ll realize that the two meat sandwiches are their own beautiful things. The meats are different. (Italian Beef contains more top round compared to a Philly cheesesteak’s thin sliced ribeye.) The cooking method is different. (The meat in an Italian Beef is wet roasted while cheesesteaks are fried on a flat top.) The rolls are different. The cheese is different. Even the toppings are different.

Brief History Of The Italian Beef Sandwich In Chicago

Vintage Photos at Mr. Beef in Chicago
The photo gallery at Mr. Beef provides a glimpse into the history of both the Italian Beef Sandwich and 20th century Chicago. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Once we decided to dive deep into Italian Beef territory, it only made sense to dig into the history of the iconic Chicago sandwich too. Sadly, our history research was less successful than our eating research. We simply couldn’t find a definitive answer to who exactly invented the sandwich icon.

Our favorite Italian Beef origin story involves Al Ferreri, Al’s #1 Italian Beef’s original owner, repurposing leftover meat from a wedding in 1938. However, while we can verify that Ferreri’s original shop was located on Taylor Street, that story appears to be more legend than fact.

The Italian Beef Sandwich is just one reason why Chicago is a great food city. Discover more great American food cities.

Either way, it’s clear that Chicago’s Italian Beef was invented in the 1930s around the same time that Philly’s Cheesesteak and New Orleans’ Po Boy made their debuts. Not only do all three sandwiches have similar origin stories involving urban entrepreneurs and hungry workers, but they’re all more popular now than almost a century ago.

Unlike the Po Boy and Cheesesteak, the Italian Beef Sandwich lived under the radar beyond its Chicagoland borders for decades. Although displaced natives like the late John Belushi and former late night host Jay Leno sang its praises, it took the TV show The Bear to raise the sandwich to national attention.

Discover five great Po Boys you must eat in New Orleans.

How To Order An Italian Beef Sandwich In Chicago

Little Mr. Beef in Chicago
Christopher Zucchero AKA “Little Mr. Beef” didn’t just take our order and make our Italian Beef Sandwich at Mr. Beef on Orleans. He also gave us an opinionated education about food in Chicago. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Ordering an Italian Beef Sandwich in Chicago can be daunting unless you know the sandwich’s not-so-secret language. We got lucky when Christopher Zucchero explained it to us in words we could understand. Now it’s our turn to do the same for you.

First, you need to decide if you want your sandwich to be dry, wet or dipped. In other words, you’re deciding whether you want your sandwich to be totally messy (i.e. dipped in jus), kind of messy (i.e. wet with some jus) or dry (i.e. dry as a doorknob). This decision comes down to whether you care more about keeping your clothes clean or eating a delicious sandwich.

Pro Tip
Don’t be confused if the word ‘gravy’ comes up when you’re ordering a Italian Beef Sandwich. In Chicago, gravy is just another word for jus.

Italian Beef Sandwich in Hands at Mr. Beef in Chicago
After chatting with Christopher Zucchero, we added both sweet and hot peppers to this Italian Beef Sandwich. It was a good move. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Next, you need to decide if you want your sandwich topped with sweet peppers or hot peppers. Sweet peppers are basically sautéed bell peppers while the hot peppers option, also called giardiniera, is a flavorful melange of pickled vegetables that’s oddly reminiscent of Amish chow chow.

You could go even further down the Italian Beef rabbit hole by adding cheese (typically provolone or mozzarella) and/or Italian sausage (which technically turns the sandwich into a combo). If you do, let us know how that goes.

We like to order our Italian Beef Sandwiches dipped and topped with hot peppers. Sometimes we go crazy and add sweet peppers too. Needless to say, we care more about our taste buds than we do about our laundry.

Pro Tip
Don’t use the phrase “dragged through the garden” when you order an Italian Beef Sandwich in Chicago. As we learned the hard way, that phrase is specific to ordering a Chi-Dog with all the fixings and doesn’t apply to ordering Chicago beef sandwiches.

Where To Eat Awesome Italian Beef Sandwiches In Chicago

Portillos at Night in Chicago
Since the River North Portillo’s location stays open until midnight every night of the week, it’s rarely too late to eat an Italian Beef Sandwich in downtown Chicago. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Our quest to find the best Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich commenced mere hours after we landed at Midway. That late-night stop was the first of a week-long food crawl that also included Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs and donuts. But, without exaggerating, eating multiple meat-filled sandwiches was our number one priority.

This culinary journey took us deep into the Chicago cheap eats food scene and introduced us to both passionate cooks and hungry locals. While it was impossible for us to eat every contender for the best sandwich in town, we ate enough to know the good ones when we tasted them.

These are our favorite Italian Beef Sandwiches in Chicago and the ones you shouldn’t miss:

1. Mr. Beef On Orleans

Mr. Beef Sign in Chicago
No hidden gem, Mr. Beef is located in Chicago’s central River North neighborhood. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Mr. Beef soared to the top of our Italian Beef Sandwich radar after we watched the The Bear. Though it has a starring role on the hit Hulu show, we’re pleased to report that the local institution remains close to its roots.

To be clear, Mr. Beef is the real deal despite its recent brush with fame. The down-and-dirty sandwich shop feels like it’s been a fixture on Orleans Street forever or at least before 1978 when Joseph Zucchero opened the barebones River North sandwich shop with his brother Dominic.

We spotted Joseph during our visit but it his was his son Christopher’s colorful commentary that brought Mr. Beef to life. As the younger “Little Mr. Beef” explained to us, this is a place where you could be sitting next to a sanitation worker or Keith Richards depending on the day. We didn’t sit by either but who’s to say we would have noticed if we had. Our attention was fully focused on our lunch.

Pro Tip
Mr. Beef on Orleans is no longer a late night Friday and Saturday hangout as it was prior to the pandemic. The joint currently closes at 4pm every day except for Sunday when it’s closed.

Italian Beef Sandwich on Wrapper at Mr. Beef in Chicago
The Italian Beef Sandwich we ate at Mr. Beef was both juicy, messy and delicious. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Color us surprised when we realized that Mr. Beef was just a 10-minute walk from our hotel.

The short queue of locals moved quickly during our late morning visit. Before we had time to check out all of the celebrity photos displayed in the ultra-casual ‘elegant’ dining room, we were eating our dipped sandwich topped with hot and sweet peppers and washing it down with ice cold root beer.

We can’t call the beef sandwich at Mr. Beef the prettiest we ate though it certainly was the messiest with slabs of roasted green peppers and chunks of spicy celery toppings over layers of sliced beef. However, when it comes to this type of sandwich, messy means juicy and juicy means delicious.

Mr. Beef on Orleans is located at 666 N Orleans Street, Chicago, IL 60654, United States.

2. Al’s #1 Italian Beef

Als Italian Beef Sign in Chicago
Al’s #1 Italian Beef has been part of the Chicago fabric since 1938. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Famous for being one of the original Italian Beef Sandwich stands, if not the original, Al’s #1 Italian Beef hasn’t change much since its beginning. It still makes its sandwiches with a savory meat mixture cooked with a secret blend of spices and serves them to hungry crowds.

Visiting the original Al’s in Little Italy is a trip down memory lane for many while others are happy to chow down at one of its other Chicagoland locations. We fit into the second category when we ate at an Al’s stand near Wrigley Field.

Pro Tip
Order Beef in a Cup if you have a wheat intolerance or simply don’t want to eat bread.

Italian Beef Sandwich at Als Italian Beef in Chicago
Our sandwich at Al’s #1 Italian Beef tasted just as good as it looked. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Beyond providing Wet and Dipped options, Al’s also provides instructions on how to properly eat its meaty sandwich. Called The Italian Stance, this recommended technique involves standing at the counter and stuffing one’s face directly into the sandwich.

While we appreciate the recommended technique’s goal of minimizing drippage, we chose to sit at a table instead. And guess what? Our sandwich tasted just fine. In fact, our baguette stuffed with thinly sliced meat and a pile of crunchy giardiniera tasted great.

Al’s #1 Italian Beef has multiple locations. We ate at the Al’s #1 Italian Beef located at 3420 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657, United States.

3. Portillo’s Hot Dogs

Inside Portillos in Chicago
Navigating Portillo’s is easy to do. Its River North location is both spacious and user friendly. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Although Portillo’s was literally the first stop on our Chicago food crawl, we didn’t expect to love the place. Filled with kitsch, its ginormous River North eatery feels like a theme park – rarely a good sign when it comes to food.

Adding fuel to our doubt, Portillo’s is no longer local since Dick Portillo sold his self-named Chicago restaurant to Berkshire Partners in 2014. Plus, it has the words Hot Dogs and not Italian Beef in its name. But it was open late and we were hungry. How bad could it be?

As we quickly realized, Portillo’s isn’t bad at all. In fact, its Italian Beef Sandwiches are great.

Pro Tip
Head to Villa Park if you want to visit the original Portillo’s Hot Dog stand that opened in 1963.

Italian Beef Sandwich in Hands at Portillos in Chicago
We ate our first Italian Beef at Portillo’s. It was an excellent introduction to the classic Chicago sandwich. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Entering the cavernous Portillo’s on Ontario Street can be overwhelming for first time Italian Beef Sandwich eaters. However, the fast-casual restaurant is easy to navigate since its menu spells out three ways to order – Dry, Extra Gravy and Dipped. Sweet and hot peppers are available but involve a surcharge. Order the peppers anyway.

You’ll probably want to order a hot dog and fries too. At least that’s what we did during our late night visit. It was all good but it was the dipped Italian Beef sandwich that we loved most. Loaded with meat and garnished with colorful giardiniera, that juicy sandwich became a base standard to which we compared all others.

Portillo’s Hot Dogs has multiple locations. We ate at the River North location at 100 W Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60654, United States.

Additional Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich Shops

Italian Beef Sandwich Close Up at Mr. Beef in Chicago
The only way to find your favorite Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich is to eat them all. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Our Italian Beef Sandwich journey will continue every time we visit Chicago and yours can too. Consider the following local favorites when you plan your next trip:

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the best Italian Beef Sandwich in Chicago?

Everybody has a different answer to this question. Our answer is Mr. Beef on Orleans.

What cut of meat is on a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich?

Chuck Roast is the traditional cut of choice. Other cut options include Top Round and Rump Roast.

What toppings go on a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich?

There are just two classic toppings – sweet peppers and hot peppers. Other potential toppings include cheese and sausage.

What sides go with Italian Beef Sandwiches?

It’s almost wrong to not order a side of fries to go with an Italian Beef Sandwich. No other sides are necessary.

Chicago Planning Checklist

Hungry For More In Chicago?

Iconic Chicago Desserts - Social IMG
Desserts
Ice Cream Cone inside Elis Ark in Chicago
Food Favorites
Chicago Pizza Styles - Social IMG
Pizza
About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We self-funded our trip to Chicago and purchased the sandwiches featured in this article.

Original Publication Date: September 18, 2022

Michael Derewicz

Sunday 24th of March 2024

How could you possibly even include Portillo's on this list? Their gravy has zero substance and their beef is all chips! Al's is way too expensive for what they give you. It's also very sloppily put together. Their restaurant is dirty and old with lousy, to say the least, service. I thoroughly believe that you did not research this properly. I f you did, you would not even had Portillo's on this list and BUONA would have been in the first thee(3) choices!!! Shameful!!!!

Afactorm

Sunday 25th of September 2022

Portillo's has 2 locations in Califonia. One in Moreno Valley and another in Buena Park. We live in the Las Vegas area and we make it a point to make a stop to these restaurants when we are close to them. My favorite is their combo (with sauage) dipped. We are still looking for something similar in Las Vegas. Any thoughts.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Friday 7th of October 2022

Italian beef is such an 'it' sandwich right now that we don't doubt that it will eventually appear on or off the strip in Vegas. Unfortunately we don't know of any place doing it currently. We'll keep our ears open in case we hear anything.

john

Sunday 25th of September 2022

Why would you choose Portillo’s which is a franchise chain as great place to eat a beef sandwich? There's got to be a local mom and pop restaurant you could have chosen. I can eat the same sandwich in Tampa.

The Mrs

Saturday 25th of March 2023

@john, this is so silly. Just because it’s a chain doesn’t mean it isn’t great food. It’s a chicago metro brand and is really really great. Much better than many mom and pop places. Just because a place is small, doesn’t mean it’s good.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Wednesday 19th of October 2022

Because it was near our hotel, was open late and tasted delicious!!

Mira

Saturday 24th of September 2022

Mr. Beef is a great choice! So is Johnnie's! The other one's on your lists, not so much. To get original homemade, in-house Chicago Italian beef you have to try Serrelli's. Seems you only went to three different restaurants in a very small radius of the city. Portillo's doesn't make their Italian beef on sight, it's trucked in, reheated, and served. Al's isn't a Chicago recipe. They use to much 7/11 tomato sauce which makes the gravy red and completely changes the taste. I can't believe that Serrelli's wasn't even on your other places list. Serrelli's offers shipping anywhere across the country, you don't have to travel back to Chicago to have it. Once you do it will be your number one and only choice! I am a Chicago native, born and raised on Italian beef. I wasn't introduced to Serrelli's until way into my 30's and it changed my choice. I will not have beef anywhere else now. I moved out of Illinois but still get my beef delivered. Everything else is under par compared to Serrelli's!

Get our free guide to eating like a local when you travel.