Al's #1 Italian Beef

Al’s #1 Italian Beef is a true Chicago classic and absolutely lives up to its legendary reputation. From the moment you walk in, you can smell the rich aroma of slow-cooked beef and fresh Italian spices that sets the tone for the whole experience. The star of the show is, of course, the Italian beef sandwich. The meat is incredibly tender, thinly sliced, and packed with flavor. Whether you go sweet peppers, hot giardiniera, or fully dipped, every bite delivers that perfect balance of savory, juicy, and spicy that Chicagoans swear by. The bread holds up surprisingly well despite the juicy goodness, and the portion size is more than satisfying. Service is quick and efficient, exactly what you want from a classic counter-style spot. The staff keeps things moving even during busy times, and the energy of the place adds to the charm. If you’re visiting Chicago or even if you’ve lived here your whole life, Al’s is one of those must-have food experiences. It’s messy, it’s flavorful, and it’s unmistakably Chicago. Highly recommend stopping in for an authentic taste of the city.

We had to go as it's iconic chicago but the place is dirty and grimy. Food was overrated. We tried the original beef and the polish sausage. Fries tasted like they haven't changed the oil in months. Staff was curt and unfriendly. EDIT: the owner wonders why I left a review if I've never been there. I was there LAST NIGHT. Will add a photo to show what I had

It is one of the best places in Chicago to get an Italian beef sandwich and a Chicago hot dog. The service was very quick and the staff was very nice and friendly. It's a small place, so seating is limited, but there was a counter area and a small patio area to sit as well. I personally think the small restaurants are the best places to go, they always have the best food. I will be back next time I am in town.

A bit slow, but the incredible Italian chopped beef sandwich was worth the wait. It was game day for the Cubs, so the wait was understandable. I liked both the sweet and spicy peppers in it to cut through the beef. I didn’t get it dipped this time, but have had it before and personally prefer it dipped, but my gf prefers otherwise cos it gets messy.

I was excited to go but then there was a piece of plastic (sharp) in my food. I bit into the sandwich and pulled it out of my mouth. It was in the meat. Manager said it was from a kitchen tool they used to cut the meat and said he took care of it after I showed it to him. It probably would have cut me up. They gave me a replacement sandwich. Sad sad sad and disappointed.

Went with a few friends, it's a little pricy (don't remember the exact price) but so worth it! I got this regular jumbo (wet) with sweet peppers, the seating is pretty packed usually but when you find a spot its a vibe for a quick snack and less so on a date or group hang!

These Sammy’s are 🔥!! Really good meat that’s well seasoned but not over the top. You’ve gotta go wild style with both hot and sweet peppers and don’t forget the cheese. Delicious!

read some mixed reviews but still had to try Al’s Beef while visiting Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised. The portions were big, the beef was juicy and full of flavor, and the fries were the real star of the meal. Hot, crispy, and perfect. Definitely a must try for anyone visiting the city.

GOT BEEF? If you have beef wth this restaurant, it's a good thing! Sandwiches stuffed with heaps of meat and other fixings piled into a French-type bread roll. The meat is slighty greasy, in a good way, keeping the moisture in the meat. The bread is thick and a little chewy to give it a nice bite. I got my sandwich not "dipped". Dipped consists of the whole sandwich being dunked in the au jus. The sandwich is doused with flavor but the b read also becomes very soggy. I didn't opt for soggy bread, I'm not practicing for the Nathan's Hot Dog-eating contest. In other regions of the country, this form of sandwiches are call Subs, submarine sandwich, hoagie, hero, grinder, spuckie, po' boy. No matter where you are from, you can call it good eats!

Another incomplete order, don't bother adding cheese to your sandwich, they'll charge you for it, but won't put it on your sandwich. Plenty of other beef joints that are honest with their customers.

I just moved back and took a friend here after 8 years away. This place is a disaster now. The quality is gone. No giardiniera, just some weird fake version. The beef was dry, the bread was mush, and it tasted like nobody cared. The most upsetting thing was that they kicked us out because it was "after hours" so we ate in the rain with a soggy mess. I hate it. A key part of the Chicago experience is eating it standing at a counter. Don't bother.

It is one of the best places in Chicago to get an Italian beef sandwich and a Chicago hot dog. The service was very quick and the staff was very nice and friendly. It's a small place, so seating is limited, but there was a counter area and a small patio area to sit as well. I personally think the small restaurants are the best places to go, they always have the best food. I will be back next time I am in town.

I ordered a regular Italian beef sandwich not dipped with hot peppers and provolone. The sandwich was soft and easy to eat. The meat was thinly sliced and had a unique taste. This was my first time trying this style of sandwich and I am happy that I stopped at this place. If you are in the area I recommend stopping here .

I came here after a full day of moving and unloading boxes, and this place did not disappoint. The service was really fast, and the sandwich was amazing. I'll definitely be coming back when I need a large but fast meal.

Favorite Italian beef in the city. I love how they make there giardineria peppers and of course it's fast. The fries are fresh cut but greasy. They're OK, but a little nacho cheese makes them better. You're welcome.

Loved it. Wanted an Italian beef and a Chicago dog and the Italian beef was top notch! Pretty busy after the game but they had it down to a science. Service was super friendly for how busy it was. This was can't miss.

Great spot to stop in for some authentic Chicago food on the go. I got the Beef and Sausage sandwich Dipped, hit the spot for sure. Would go again for sure, good vibes in the shop too.

Stopped in literally 40 min before a 1:20pm Cubs game. First time here, been wanting to try it. Old school looking building. A few patio tables outside. A few tables inside. There's a pad to place tour order, l imagine when it gets busty. Today, they took our order at the register. Self serve pop and ketchup station. Also had cafeteria style trays and ketchup dispenser. It was a nice day so we ate outside. Our order came up faster than we thought-BONUS! I ordered the #1- Hot Italian beef, pop and fries. (I'm from MI so it is pop!) Hubby ordered the same, but Sweet, i.e., mild. The giardinara was perfect! Hot in flavor, but not burning your nose hairs. It was wet (dipped in the beef juices) so be careful what you wear! The beef was perfectly cooked and chopped up nicely so l did not have long pieces hanging out of my mouth. Fries looked wimpy, but were hot, salty and not as wimpy as they looked, really good. Get a lot of napkins, those WERE wimpy! Highly recommend!

The food was great The customer service was good I would definitely eat the food again

it was for chicago Italian beef it was ok. a good solid average middle ground. The bread was soft and the beef juicy. the service here was good. The street parking was plentiful.

really yummy beef and super yummy fries definitely recommend, good price too will be back !!

The Italian beef was incredible. Great flavor, great bread and tender meat. I'd gain 50 lbs if I lived anywhere near that place.

I'm not sure about the hype with Al's Beef or maybe it's just this location?! It's an old hole in the wall place where the beef and bread are soft but oddly tasting and definitely nothing I can rave about. I would actually be embarrassed to share this place for Italian beef's as I think anyone who knows me would think I went mad. The service was okay but it felt like they were doing me a favor in allowing me to order. Let's just agree to disagree if you like this Italian beef as I will pass.

Iconic spot in Wrigleyville. I got the hot peppers with provolone on the combo with a side of gravy. Super rich and salty but tasty. Wish they put more hot peppers on there but overall it was good. I got Grubhub pick up and pick up was very fast.

Excellent beef! Love the soft bread and portion size! Homemade and delicious! When in Chicago a beef sandwich is a must! Don't miss Al's

came here with many friends at their recommendation. I got the #1 (Italian beef, wet) with small fries and a drink and I updated my sandwich to have peppers per the cashier's recommendation as that is how he eats it. Definitely recommend the peppers!! Italian beef sandwich 4.5/5; I've never tried an Italian beef sandwich before but the meat was very juicy and seasoned well and the peppers added a nice spicy kick to it There is limited indoor and outdoor seating but there were about 9 of us in a group and we managed to snag an outdoor spot on a Saturday night !

Traveling through Chicago and decided to try Al's and it was amazing. Staff was very friendly and food was ready within minutes.

As a big fan of Philly cheese steaks, and Portillos... this was fantastic. I got mine dipped with onions and it was delicious. The giardiniera Al's uses is great with the beef & fries. The people are very chill and the service is very fast. I like how they are open late, until 3am most nights. This could easily serve as a meal for dinner or a snack after the bar. Super close walk from Wrigleyville, and the shop has a lot of history memorabilia in the back. It feels pretty vintage in here, almost like you're in a movie. A the regular beef is perfect by itself, but I will totally order the fries with cheese next time. Definitely recommend!

My favorite Italian beef! I really don't care for beef sandwiches but this one!!! Definitely the best!

I don't have an als the area I live in Tony's Italian beef is great but when I am on Taylor Street Al's it's definitely a stop no doubt about it with the fries and the gardener an extra juicy and a small cup of gravy to go great beef

I wish 3.5 stars was a possibility. This was my first experience with Al's Beef, my family and I were in town, and were looking for someplace to eat. When we walked in, we were hit with the most delicious smell of food cooking, and we thought for sure that we were in for a treat. I decided on the regular beef, wet, with sweet peppers and a side of hot giardiniera. We also ordered fries and a drink. Our family ordered the beef sandwiches with cheese and fries as well. I was disappointed in the sandwich, the flavors were flat, I'm so glad we ordered sweet peppers, since there wasn't much going on there. Our family got theirs with cheese, and they seemed to like it more. The hot giardiniera seemed like it was mostly celery and not very good. We thoroughly enjoyed the fries, though. The service was good and the food was made quickly. That's why I wish I could leave 3.5 stars, since the fries and service were good, but the Italian beef was just boring. I've had Italian beef sandwiches before (at Portillo's and at Wrigleyfield, and they were both better than this one).

Decided to try some beef after a Cubs win. Split the jumbo between three of us. Got it dry with hot giardiniera. Beef was already wet enough but had good taste. Bread stayed in tact with the sheer amount of meat which was nice. While this was good, I don't ever see myself craving one just based on my preferences, however, I do see why people rave about Italian beef sandwiches.

This place is open late, there's no seating in the late hours so you can only take your items to go. The fries were so delicious it didn't make it home. The Italian beef was good, I probably should have gotten the bigger size.

$15 for a 6 inch beef really isn't worth the 5 bites. The quality and quantity is not worth the price.

A staple lunch spot. Had to get my Italian beef fix, and they serve it up just the way you like it. I always recommend getting both types of peppers added, I mean why choose. What really surprised me was their hot dog. Grilled perfectly. I don't think I've ever ordered a hot dog from Al's. A big mistake on my part that I won't make again.

Al's Beef was briefly featured on Somebody Feed Phil, Season 3 Chicago, and it looked good! And it almost lived up to expectations, almost! Just know there is no atmosphere here and very little seating we were stuck standing and eating at the window counter. Guys working there were Chicago-Friendly enough. Bad news first...the $7 Chicago Dog was good but way overpriced. The dog itself was rather small. Portillo's $4.30 Chicago Dog was the same quality, but bigger and cheaper. My buddy got the Polish Chicago which was much bigger, and he loved it. $8 Italian Beef sandwich, regular sized...now this lived up to expectations! Despite being the smallest sized, this sandwich was packed beef and drenched in the au jus, with hot and sweet peppers. So meaty, juicy, and delicious! $3 fries...best fries in Chicago? Super crispy, but still soft on inside. Do they double deep fry these like the Belgian Frites? So awesome!

Had to get at least one Chicago dog on this trip and the one here is pretty much what you expect. It's nice that it automatically comes with fries.

Just like any other Al's Beef. Great place to get a beef or a hot dog before heading out to Wrigley. Customer service is good. They greet you, charge you, make your food and call out your number. Very simple and the food is fairly priced. Although a little higher than most. My son ordered their hot dog. It comes with all the traditional fixings, tomato, pickle, mustard, sport peppers, onions and celery salt. The dog had a nice snap. Can never go wrong with a hot dog. I ordered an Italian beef sandwich, dipped with hot peppers. Al's makes one of the best tasting beers in the city. I like when you say wet, and they give you this soggy ass bread full of the best juices. The beef has so much flavor and I love their hot peppers. Al's is definitely on my Italian beef rotation.

Delicious chili and Chicago dog, highly recommend. Fries are well seasoned and staff was super nice.

Business hours say open until 3am Stoped by after Cubs game at 10pm, chairs on top of tables, bathrooms closed & got kicked out of eating in door way. Business hours should read take our only after 10pm. Will not return.

WATCH YOUR RECEIPT!! Scummy addons to price. They hope you won't notice the extra charges. Literally fraud because the menu says something and they charge extra for it. "Sandwich" is small to.....Any place that's tried to commit fraud and charge you more than advertised is 1 star. It's a shame because the food wasn't bad but so small and ripoff. Ruining it for themselves

I just love this place! The meat is so flavorful, portions are HUGE, price is great especially for Chicago. Everytime we go to a Cubs game we stop there, grab a few sandwiches, bring them in the stadium and enjoy them for a fraction of the price of what is offered inside the park, and sooooo much better. Service is great! I could eat those Italian Beefs everyday!

If you've never had an Italian beef sandwich, I highly recommend getting one from here. Just ignore any place that isn't Aman Al's. After trying one the other day (from the restaurant that will not be mentioned in this review), this one is 10 times better. The other restaurant sandwich was a dry flavorless mistake - here it was a hot, juicy, delicious meal. See the photo of my Italian beef spicy wet sandwich. This small shop was really clean, everyone was friendly and the owner/Mgr stopped by and chatted for a bit.

Food is average. Terrible service, their security guard was the rudest person ever. Would never go back, eat a hot dog anywhere else

Al's Beef is the quintessential Chicago hot dog/beef stand combined with a mini chain vibe. There's several locations around the city and they all offer the same delicious food with a location twist. This one happens to be in Wrigleyville which is both convenient after the game as well as can result in long waits. This time I was in and out within a few minutes. The sandwich was good and portioned decently. The price point is a bit high compared to some of the smaller places but that comes with the "Al's Beef name". The staff is a bit short handed and understandably brisk but overall efficient. Yet another good experience at Al's!

Basic Italian beef, it's not moving above the competition anytime soon. Simply a regular beef

Classic beef sandwich. The fries are good also! Nothing more to say. Just go, eat, and enjoy!

This is my second time here and I was served a seriously understuffed Hot Beef sandwich. My advice: go to Portillos or the Chicago Dogs shop just down the road. This was NOT worth the money.

Al's Beef gives me nostalgia of the old days of Maxwell Street. Surprisingly I have ever been to Al's Beef before even though I've walked past this location for years. I'm not a huge Italian beef fan so I assumed that's what they main do, which they are known for their Italian beefs but they also offer a few more items. Anytime I can get a classic Maxwell Street polish I jump at it enthusiastically. During my visit I ordered the classic polish meal and it came out to under $10 which isn't surprising for the area. After ordering the food it didn't take too long for the food to come out, 10 minutes or less. When I first got my meal the polish was disappointingly small. I know times are hard but I really thought they were reducing the size of the polish. But I discovered after opening the wrapper that it was a hotdog instead of a polish. That was a relief while also slightly annoying when you are at prime hunger stage. I brought the hotdog to the employee at the pickup area and he quickly took the hotdog and got to work on my correct order. He was apologetic and friendly. My corrected order came out quicker than the original meal which was a plus. Unsurprisingly the sausage was delicious! I loved the freshness of the polish and the grilled onions were oh so good. The fries that came with the meal were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Those are my favorite type of fries. They are currently offering indoor dining so I was able to take advantage of getting out of the cold. They offer roughly six mini tables but they are paired off close together so it roughly three places to sit. When I visited it wasn't too busy so I felt comfortable but as I was wrapping up it got busy. The mask usage or properly wearing of masks wasn't as high as I normally would feel comfortable with for customers and employees.

This Al's holds up strong. First of all, if you are coming here for any sort of ambiance, you are sorely mistaken. This is a food first establishment. There are plenty of other places to get pictures in the area for your socials. On to the food. There are no misses on the menu. The sausage and the beef are great. Frequenter tip: get your Beef with hot and sweet peppers, provolone, and have it dipped. Or, if you prefer, gravy on the side and dip yourself. Also, a huge pointer - the burgers here are lights out. This burger should be showing up on several best of Chicago lists, but since it's a Beef place, I believe this is why they are sorely overlooked. The brioche they use suits the burgers perfectly. My only complaint here is regarding the hot dogs. $8+ is ballpark prices, and while they are of course much better and the real deal, I'm not so sure that dollar amount is attachable. Which is a shame too, because if I was a tourist, I would decry and not recommend to any potential friend visitors. Like I said, it's legit - and very good, but a bit of a shame since it's a Chicago must try. However, beef, burgers, sausage, tamales, fries - all at the very top tier and earns the 5 stars easily.

The food was great! I decided to opt for the Regular Beef & Sausage with Small Fries and Drink Combo! So, what I didn't realize is there was an option for "Wet" or "Dipped" so I thought my sandwich. And out soggy but that's the purpose of the sandwich. I requested the Cheddar Cheese Sauce to add on the sausage and beef and it was pretty tasty...I was just a little disappointed about the bread being soggy but next time I'll request the bread to be dry. There aren't any complaints, the service was pretty good and the ambiance is a little different at this location. There wasn't any music..the vibe took on more of a neighborhood feel.

I'm finding Al's beef the best Italian/Beef Sausage Combo sandwich since Johnnie's in Elmwood Park. I do like it wet & soft. Al's will do it right. Delicious! Especially Al's Sweet Peppers. My only complaint is Grubhub. Since I'm stuck at home I've noticed Grubhub adds many crazy charges and pressures me to complete the order. Tonight I attempted to add a custom tip of $5.00 and kept getting "add a valid amount." from Grubhub. Look it was more than 20%! Meanwhile Grubhub did not give me enough time too be sure I bought extra sauce. Does anyone know of a better delivery method in Chicago?

One thing I kept hearing to try was Chicago Beef Sandwiches, so a quick Google search and this was the most reviewed spot! We had a few stops on our last food excursion so we shared a Big Beef sandwich. They asked if we wanted it "wet" which meant dipping the entire sandwich in gravy. And obviously we said yes and added cheese and hot peppers on there as well. Lemme tell you this sandwich came thru drrriiiipppinnn. Like I tried to eat it gracefully but even standing outside it got alllll over clothes. The beef was juicy and tender and the bread was soft. I just felt that the flavors were very one dimensional. Maybe it would have been better with sweet peppers or something that added more flavor. I could have used some more cheese on there too. However the staff were all very sweet in helping us figure out our order and wrapping it the best they could for take out.

Well-- I should have known! This is the second time getting Al's beef and really had pretty low expectations because I didn't enjoy the first time. But I really was craving Italian beef and didn't want to go all the way to Portillo's. That said, it couldn't be that bad, could it?! Well...the beef was good and hot but the bun wasn't cut right so all of the meat fell out and it was a huge mess. I can't explain how the Bun was ripped or cut wrong but I had to use a fork. Now the giardenara was terrible. Mostly celery pieces and red pepper flakes. Like where are the peppers and carrots?! Really not traditional but it was spicy. Now the cheese fries were pretty solid and in a pinch I would come back to eat those again. Our friend got the grilled chicken sandwich and also was disappointed having already set the bar pretty low. Service was fast and team members were kind. Handful of seat outside which also was nice. Bathroom though was lack luster, and it was odd that the hand dryer was positioned above the electrical outlet where it was plugged in. So when you dried your hands, the water blew into the socket. Made me quite nervous! If Al's is your jam, go for it, but I won't be back unless it's for cheese fries. I need a good bun and giardenara that makes the sandwich.

Soooo good!! We walked over from Wrigley Field and service was quick. We ordered the obvious, beef sandwiches with hot giardiniera and I want more!!! The fries were tasty too! I'm coming back when I'm back in Chi-town!!!!

Ordered from Al's for years. Not anymore. Along with a service fee and delivery fee that total almost $8, then a tip on top of that, this was the first time that everything was smaller. I got 2 regular Italian beefs, they were like mini's, and the bigger fry was like the small size. It takes a lot for me to complain, in fact, I opened this Yelp account tonight to leave this review. But I'm tired of being taken for granted and not appreciated as a customer by these businesses that continue to show that they don't care about their consumers. Especially in a time where everything is more expensive, but prices are going up only because everyone else is doing it. The only way this stops is if we stop allowing it.

A Chicago classic!! Did not know but if you want it wet, you have to ask for it dipped! And trust me...you want it wet!!!