Was told to use a kiosk to order by an employee at the register...all downhill from there. Sandwich wasn't dipped and didn't include peppers. Can't get a water cup, must pay for bottles. Quality was poor, and it became obvious why the place was empty on a Saturday evening. You're much better off waiting longer at Portillos. read more

Arrived on a late-night flight into Chicago later than expected and was happy to see that Al's Beef on N. Well Street was open until midnight. Walk over 3.5 blocks from my hotel and, with the help of the patient young lady behind the counter, ordered a Regular Beef (Dry with the Gravy on the side) with giardiniera. Snarfed the entire sandwich despite the late hour - it was THAT good! Came back just before my outbound flight and picked up a few more sandwiches to share with my family at home. The sides of gravy were under the 3-ounce TSA rule and by zipping them up in a sandwich bag, we all got the full Italian beef experience when I got home! Staff at this location incredibly patient and friendly, wrapping things up securely for my trip. read more

My buddy wanted some beef, so he found this place called Al's Chicago Beef on N Weels st. The place is like a factory with so many people coming in. They have to produce alot of sandwiches for the amount of people on line. When we walked in, there were no tables. We spotted the window order place. Zee was taking orders from the overflow of customers. She was extremely nice and very patient. We changed our order a couple times and she did not even flinch in hesitation nor agitation. She precisely explained what we are getting and this place also allows for customization of your order. We both got the beef and sausage sandwiches with fries, and a Chicago hot dog, with everything on it. The flavor is really good. The beef is really good quality as well. Zee is a busy bee. You can tell she works hard as is constantly cleaning, helping with the orders and she is focused. She really stands out for her activities. Definitely a good place for lunch ir late snacks. read more

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Ordered the Chicago Beef and Regular Combo (beef and sausage). Both ordered wet. Fabulous sandwiches. The French fries are outstanding. read more

Al's Beef - Late night menu - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

An iconic Chicago sandwich, sand Al's beef does it right, add some fries and you are good to go.

Amazing beef sandwich. I had to walk a little bit from downtown area but it was worth it and I was able to have the fries, which were the best I've ever had in Chicago. I don't eat meat often so this is a splurge that is a very special treat. read more

Al's Beef - Beef sandwich with fries - so so so good!!!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you come to Chicago to try the classic Chicago fare, check off hot dog and deep dish from your list and get to Al's for Italian Beef. This place is Chicago's #1 beef since 1938. You can't go wrong here. The best part is how customizable the sandwhich can be to your taste. You can choose the size: regular, large, jumbo. And you can choose how juicy, or "wet" you want your sandwhich. And finally, you get 5 different cheese choice to melt on top, and you can add sweet or spicy peppers to seal the deal. They also offer plenty of specialty fries as sides. We got the loaded fries and Buffalo and blue cheese fries. This is one of the best places you can get your fix of Italian Beef in Chi-town! read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fuck. Pardon my French. Big Al's big beef sandwich with the peppers & gravy on the side is delicious. Staff are amazing & friendly. And the food comes out pretty quickly. read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I hate writing this review, seeing I don't have many 2 star reviews in the histogram of reviews I've written. I've only eaten at, and reviewed, Al's Beef that was on Wabash in the Loop and is now closed. I had given it 3 stars. So, here I was, on a 4 hour layover on low-cost Southwest, with a connection at Midway Airport. It was a 30 minute train ride into town. The Ventra day pass was on special for $ 5 instead of $ 10. Plus, since this location, marked as their #1 (was it the first?), is in River North, I'd get to see the "Corn Cobs" at night, thus all lit up. I boarded the Orange Line CTA train and left MDW for the city center. This Al's Beef location is in a nice area, as was the one on Wabash. Correspondingly, the location itself lent itself to staying inside and eating because it was also a nice, clean store. Then, the employees were very helpful. Hence, it troubles me to give this Al's Beef 2 stars, which means things could have been better. I ordered the conventional Italian beef sandwich, which I had to upsize, though not all the way to jumbo, to make for a decently sized dinner. Everything is extra, including the cheese. I also ordered their hand cut fries. The dipped Italian beef, which I thought would be somewhat awash in flavor and aroma because of it being dipped, was bland, as another reviewer or two have pointed out. I kept taking additional bites waiting for a revelation, or at least improvement. This wasn't the case. The hand cut fries were also disappointing. Almost all of the fries in my carton were so small that you couldn't hold them and dip them in ketchup. Needless to say, I was disappointed, especially compared to how I remember the Wabash location. I can almost say I've fared better with nationwide chain sandwich stores which sell their product at lower price points. Maybe it was a one-off event. However, I did get to walk by the "Corn Cobs." I also happened into a downtown dweller in front of the store who had a very likable Australian Shepherd - Australian Cattle Dog mix rescue. (They certainly can read who likes them and who doesn't.) So, yes, I got the protein and carbs I needed. But I think that the best part - for me - was leaving the airport and seeing the "Corn Cobs" and running into this beautiful dog. Al's has enjoyed a great reputation for such a long time. I think they just need a small tune-up of sorts. read more

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This was disappointing. The location and ambiance were great and the service was very friendly and helpful but the food was comparatively subpar compared to the other places we've eastern serving menus. The hot dog was pretty good but the Italian Beef was very dry. It was far superior at Buona'a and Portillo's and even my hometown spot in Las Vegas. This place is consistently highly rated in rankings of Chicago food spots and it was a letdown. We won't be back read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Good, simple hot dog at an affordable price! Food was fast and tasty. Not too much else to be said. Next time I'll have to get a beef sandwich like everyone else goes there for. read more

Al's Beef - Original Dog - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best Italian beef in Chicago. Spicy peppers, dipped. And the amazing thing was I left not feeling like it was a heavy meal. The meat was super tender and the seasoning was spot on. read more

Easy, convenient, quick, affordable and delicious. We had the regular beef, with peppers -!: cheddar cheese sauce and dipped! So good. Also the fries were spot on. read more

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We got to Al's just as the lunchtime rush began. The service was friendly, and ordering was easy. My wife and I decided to split a jumbo Italian beef (with spicy giardiniera) and small fries, with two fountain drinks. The sammies were meaty, juicy, savory, messy, and amazing! Great fries as well! We almost went to the original location on Taylor Street, however, I noted their ratings were not as good (perhaps too many turistas = ultra high volume = dilution of quality/service). This location on Wells was convenient, spacious, and clean. Anyone visiting Chicago should make Al's part of your culinary experience! read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's been a while since I've been to Al's. Their new location is a block south on Ohio and Wells. It's really nice and modern. There are plenty of tables and seats. One thing that's the same is their delicious Italian Beef. It's so good dipped in the juice. Can't wait to come back again! read more

Al's Beef - Beef and sausage combo, dipped, with hot peppers - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Walked in and we were immediately welcomed by the friendly cashier. First time trying an authentic beef sandwich, but it was perfectly juicy and flavorful, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The fries were perfectly hot and crispy, and the cheese sauce is a must have. The place itself was pretty clean and kept up. read more

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Never have I ever had a better meal while sitting on the side of the road in downtown Chicago. I asked for the best option they could make it I think it was wet with peppers (I was drunk so don't fully know for sure). Anyways I would go back for sure and do it all over again. 100% recommend as an experience in Chicago. read more

Busy place, however, very little wait to order. The beef sandwich was ready quickly, hot and tasty.

This review is for Yelp/grubhub delivery. The service is terrible. We ordered nearly 3 hours in advance for a delivery and it was going to be an hour late. Sitting in the car for over 45 minutes. Called to complain and the simply cancelled the order. Their service sucks. Yes I know your soo sorry but that doesn't help When I'm depending on you for dinner and nothing arrives. It's also soo great that you use a foreign country to be your customer service reps read more

If you want a classic Italian Beef Samwhich , this is the place to go in Chicago! Al's beef has been around forever for a reason! It's great, no complaints, EVER! The staff is extremely friendly, and the atmosphere is nice. It was a great place to enjoy my samwhich, fries, and diet. Will be back! read more

My husband and I walked here on a Friday, late-afternoon (~5:30PM). It was pretty empty when we came in so we were able to order at the counter fairly quickly. We sat down and waited for maybe a few minutes before our order came out. We ordered a Chicago-style Polish Dog with fries, Chili Cheese Fries, and one of their original beef sandwiches (wet) to share. Instead of eating at the restaurant, we took it back to our Air BnB and decided to enjoy it there instead. Without heating it up, we dug into our food and boy, was it delicious! We were both surprised at the hog dog coming out GREEN, and realized soon after that that was the Chicago-style and simply a lot of bright green relish (yum!!). I hesitated seeing the different toppings on there (sport peppers, relish, tomatoes, pickle) as I usually just do a plain hot dog with ketchup back in California, but took a bite of everything together and was pleasantly surprised. It tasted SO good together! A little bit of spice, a little bit of sweet and savory - I need this back home! Of course, we know that this place is supposed to be known for their Italian beef sandwiches, so we tried that next. It was delicious, and definitely very beefy, so I had my husband finish that as I'm not a huge fan of the beefy taste. The sauce being absorbed into the sandwich beforehand made it so tasty though, and I only wish I could have enjoyed it with some pastrami meat instead! The meat was very tender and juicy, and I can see why everyone raves about this sandwich! Lastly, we tried their hand cut fries (original) and their Chili Cheese Fries. Both were good in their respectively ways. I LOVE potatoes and fries, so I was thrilled to finally get some fries on my trip. I also heard that most places in Chicago make their fries fresh rather than frozen, so I was curious to know what it would taste like here. I thought their fries were seasoned well (I don't like bland fries), and it was cut to the perfect size (I don't like super thick fries). Their Chili Cheese Fries were the same fries, but just in a box and topped with a bunch of chili cheese. We ate this one with a fork and it was SOOOO yummy! Definitely filling, but such a delightful snack in addition to an already-delicious hot dog and sandwich. Between the two of us, we finished all of the food and were pretty happy for allotting time to try this place out. Definitely recommend trying their sandwich at the minimum, hot dog if you're craving it and don't care for sandwiches, and any order of fries you can get your hands on because fries are so good!! read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friend went to get to-go food from here. There wasn't condiments on our food though. It's pretty plain. Not sure if our friend forgot to get them or what. The beef sandwich was better than the Italian sausage. But the beef sandwich was really soggy. read more

Al's Beef - Italian Sausage - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Place made a solid sandwich. Added cheese and peppers and the wife and split whatever the middle size was for a quick snack while walking around. Not very busy around lunch time on a Saturday. Place was clean people were polite. read more

Best Italian beef in Chicago by far! The beef is seasoned extremely well and honestly would taste great dry without the gravy! I had mine wet with the provolone cheese which I never tried before and my tastebuds were popping! read more

Great beef, clean restaurant, and helpful staff. Would go again for sure!! Good value as well as my wife and I split a jumbo beef and a fry. read more

Got the regular and the dipper beef sandwich. Partly my fault for not getting both cheese and peppers on them so it tasted a bit dry even with the dipped sandwich. On the regular one, it was still a bit wet which was good and the peppers help cut the beefiness and kept it multi-flavor. read more

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Passable Chicago beef and good prices. Tamale seemed like a one off but had better flavor than the beef.

The cashier was very cool and helpful in ordering. Enjoyed the atmosphere and the great sandwiches. #1 for a reason. Highly recommend read more

Ok tough being from Colorado and reviewing but Al's did beat Mr. Beef on meat tenderness. Not so much on flavor because the spices in Al's might be not great for some. Mr. Beef had more traditional beef gravy and hot peppers. Mr. Beef Chicago dog is better though. Service crushed Mr. Beef though. There were no rules at Al's:) read more

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As an introvert I appreciate that they had a kiosk where I could order without talking to someone. Tbh I think I got jipped from ingredients cause I thought the description on the kiosk said it came with peppers and onions but I could be wrong. This was THE BEST Chicago food staple I had out of my whole trip. The meat was seasoned so well. The sandwich was so moist. And it's just so simple but so good. read more

Al's Beef - Beef sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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At first I was confused how a very renown place only had 17 reviews but apparentlyI was told when I got there that they just moved to this location. This place had one other couple when we walked in... not bustling like Portillos a few blocks away. It was brightly lit and very clean... and very quiet the night we came... A Tuesday during our anniversary trip to Chicago. Of course we had to hit the famous, Iconic spots! Hubby and I shared regular (wet) beef sandwich. No additions cane with it, all were extra. We got an order of fries as well. Because the option for cheese sauce worked for us at Portillos, we had to get it here too so we can make fair judgement. I must say, I liked this beef sandwich better than Portillos. It just also seemed heartier. Yes, it didn't come with fillers like peppers and onions because those would (not only cost extra) but also meant less beef. And they did not skimp on the beef here! And yes-- it was def WET... not dry beef here that's for sure. So the cheese was mainly for the fries... (it was kind of needed ON the sandwich at "the other place". Warning... cheese sauce costs an $1 like at Portillos but the size is smaller. Sadly. The fries ... I was torn, they were good, hubby liked them better at al's cuz he doesn't for crinkle cut. These were definitely freshly made, hot and a pretty good size for a small. Btw-- extra star for the significant MILITARY DISCOUNT!!! :) great job to Al's for ... not only offering one but a bigger one than expected! With all the Chicago eats... I was kind of sad we weren't hungrier when we came here cuz I wanted to try other stuff on the menu! read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We stopped to eat here based on this place's history and the Italian beef sandwich's reputation. This was the best sandwich I've ever had in Chicago. I added hot peppers and cheese to mine and had it dipped. The staff was really friendly and helpful. We even stopped back by to eat one more time before heading back to Kentucky. read more

Ok, so a 4 star rating for a few reasons. One, the service was friendly, and the cashier offered suggestions. Plus, our to-go order was quick but still hot and fresh. My partner and son ordered the regular beef with provolone and loved it. I ordered the regular beef with nacho cheese and hot peppers. Personally, I am not a fan of the spices, but I still very willingly finished it. The fries were a family fave. read more

Mobile order was ready as promised and was correct. Haven't been to Chicago in a few years and the beef sandwiches were not quite as good as i remember. Still worth the time and effort to get one. read more

After a night drinking at nearby O'Leary's Pub, my buddy and I needed something full of carbs and greasy to pair with the liver limit testing we had just performed. Fortunately for us, Al's was close by and open late. I'm convinced the big beef with giardiniera saved my life that drunken night. It took me a while to finish (cuz it is so dang big), that it allowed me to process all that alcohol in a safe place (better than stumbling the streets of Chicago). That beef is plentiful, flavorful, juicy, and adding the giardiniera just elevates this sandwich to a place I have to visit each time I'm in Chicago. Thanks Al's, for helping make my great night, even better! read more

As a beef lover, it's absolutely one of my favorite food in Chicago, the beef is tender and juicy, the bread is soft with the gravy. read more

Al's Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hands down required eating when visiting Chicago. I would go back just for Al's beef. We sample any options and there was not a. Bad choice to be made. I fortunately we were busy eat and didn't take pictures read more

Read a few views saying Italian Beef Sandwich is a must try in Chicago. So we picked Al's. Al's location was conveniently located about a short 10-15 minute walk from our hotel right by the river walk, so we took a stroll here for lunch. The place was pretty empty at 11AM on Saturday and we were pleasantly surprised by how new, modern and clean this place was. Apparently this location is new, only about one block away from the old location. We ordered the beef sandwich dipped to share with provolone and sweet pepper and giardiniera (which costed $0.65 each) on the side. The sandwich was packed with flavorful beef and the buns were soaked with the flavorful beef soup. Definitely a must try when you're in Chicago! If I could, I would want to bring a few back to California with me. read more

Al's Beef - Italian Beef Sandwich, dipped - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I got the regular beef sandwich with gravy on the side. The meat was a bit dry even though we got the soft meat. The gravy was a bit too salty for my tasting. Overall, food came out quickly and ordering online made it convenient for quick pick up. read more

Al's Beef - Regular Beef - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good food overall. The Chicago dog is 4.3 out of 5. Wish the Vienna had more flavor bursting w/ beef but it works for its price. And the Italian beef sandwich w/ no cheese and added hot peppers could have been better imo. 4.0 out of 5. The pepper lacked texture and flavor. Honestly if they used pot belly's hot peppers the sandwich would be better. But yeah bread dipped into sauce does make the sandwich easy as heck to eat and it's good but the flavors of the beef juices could be more enhanced. Expectations weren't met with the hype and buzz I got about this place. But it's a 4/5 because it simply delivers well enough food for what it presents. read more