It was okay. Food was not as great as everyone said. Needs more flavor. Anyway, many will still like it. Not bad.

Trust me, this place is the real deal. I didn't get the Italian beef, so I can't speak to it, but the chicken parm was something you'd get from a high end restaurant. You'd never expect it from basically a food court restaurant, but it's unbelievable. I didn't try the Italian beef, but I'd bet you anything that it is seasoned perfectly, and their bread is amazing. I spoke with the owner briefly, he had been retired for 4 years after owning a popular Italian restaurant, and decided to come out of retirement and do this. Cool dude. read more

Best tuna sandwich I've ever had! My husband loved the Italian Beef. He got it "juicy" but said he would do dipped next time for even more juice. Really great food and obvious pride from Mario, the owner, who made our food and served us. read more

If you are at Navy Pier, drop in to Ciccio's place for a flatbread pizza!! It is something out of this world! Tastes like real home made how grandma used to make pizza! With real tomatoes. Your choice of toppings. Highly recommend. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious Italian Beef!! Friendly service! Be sure to order with a side of hot peppers for a yummy crunch!

Great beef sandwich on a fresh quality roll served in an aluminum tray with a few roasted potatoes. Add this to the very friendly service = 5 stars. I will return for sure. read more

Food was amazing. Awesome spot for some Italian beef. Service is amazing and funny. Gus and Mario were very fun to talk to. They have their own seating that is in front of their business. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Gus - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A delicious food stand and the best option on the Navy Pier! It's honestly one of the best Italian beef sandwiches in the city. Definitely add the peppers! Service was friendly and quick as well. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best Italian sandwich I've had in a very long time. The bread is fresh and the Italian sausage is full of flavor. Highly recommend! read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Ciccio Beef and Sausage Combo - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

gus was absolutely great ! meatball sub was delicious and he had awesome costumer service ! gus where mario ;)

We were surprised to find this new restaurant today where the brown sugar bakery used to be at Navy Pier. It's a little tucked away but it's definitely worth checking out. We met Mario and Katt, both very friendly. The food was delicious, and the service was excellent. We usually get our Italian beef from Portillo's, but this place has heart. The menu is very small, but what they offer is on point. We first ordered two Italian beef sandwiches. The bread is nice and crusty and can hold up well even when drenched in gravy which is what we wanted. The beef is tasty and juicy, and the included potato is also really good. We ordered the beef with sweet peppers, and hot peppers came on the side which is perfect so you can add as much oil and peppers as you want on the sandwich. Then Mario gave us free samples of meatballs. Oh my! Well after we were done with our Italian beef sandwiches, we went ahead and got a meatball sub. We were really hooked and returned immediately to order more meatballs and sauce. Two adults and two kids, stuffed and happy. I went back again for unsweetened ice tea which hit the spot. Navy pier was missing a place for Italian beef and meatballs, and this is definitely the perfect spot! I highly recommend Ciccio! This is a new Navy Pier favorite, and we will be back for sure! read more

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Very tasty Very nice workers Beautiful aesthetic Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaàaaaa read more

Amazing Chicago Italian Beef and great service We had the beef and potato wedges and finish lunch with an amazing cannoli This is a must stop when you are Pier especially if you have never had an Italian beef read more

We came here for some Italian food and what we got was the best Italian food I have ever eaten. The service was excellent and the staff was really nice. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

These guys are so fun!! The food is fresh, tasty and a casual place to stop on your walk back from the end of the pier, or even on your way out-cause it smells heavenly walking past!! So generous and so friendly. Delicious hot beef! The chicken parmigiana sandwich also tremendous! 5 stars! read more

Fantastic beef. Avoid the tourist trap franchise places at the Pier & get a beef from here. Chicken parm was excellent as well. Service was great. The guys are characters that really make it feel like you're enjoying a local restaurant while being at the Pier. Highly recommend. read more

So I never write restaurant views, but this place is so good that I had to. Visiting Chicago, and of course had to have an Italian beef sandwich . Looked at all the reviews of all the places, but none of them were near where we were staying and then a place popped up that was not far from where we were staying on the Navy pier. Of course, my first thought was, how could there be a great Italian beef sandwich in such a touristy spot but the reviews were good. So we thought we'd give it a try and we did and boy are we happy. The owners were there, Mario and Patricia and chatted with them a little bit about the history of the restaurant. Mario's father sold Italian beef sandwiches from a cart in Chicago in the 30s, so his family knows from beef sandwiches. Mario and Patricia went into the catering business and retired a few years ago and we were bored so they opened Chef Ciccios. All of the ingredients are top shelf, quality, they even get the bread from Canada cause no one in Chicago makes the right bread anymore. It holds the beef, dripping with juice until the last bite. We had the Italian beef sandwich ,juicy with peppers and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life Every component is perfection. If you are in Chicago, do yourself a big big favor and go and get an Italian beef sandwich a Chef Ciccios. read more

had the pleasure of trying the italian beef here and WOW! super flavourful and fresh. i wish i would have ordered more because it truly was THAT good. i was a fool to think that all italian beef's were made equal. made the mistake of trying to relive the epic moment of chef ciccio's italian beef in an italian beef at one of the more well known spots, it rhymes with smortillo's, and was left very, VERY underwhelmed. chef ciccio's italian beef blows it out. of. the. water. the beef and jus were seasoned exceptionally well. the giardiniera peppers were flippin' SPICY and crunchy and delicious. the BREAD! stood up to the jus, it didn't fall apart or get overly soggy. THIS!! THIS is the italian beef i will come back for!! if you like well seasoned, EXCEPTIONAL food, chef ciccio's is where you want to get your italian beef from. *chefs kiss!* read more

I don't usually give 5 stars but this was a great experience. I spoke to the man who I assume owns the place (Chef Ciccio?) and told him I wanted an Italian beef and he proceeded to walk me through exactly how he would make it for himself and also gave me a meatball to try. His kindness and obvious enthusiasm for his food and his customers was something you don't see often and the food was also outstanding so I give it a rare 5-stars. Highly recommended for a quick lunch or dinner. read more

Ciccio Beefs were like no other in Chicago! And the bread so yummy! The staff was super helpful. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - All ambiance - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good menu at typical Navy Pier prices. The beef was delicious as other reviews have indicated. My wife got the beef and meatball marinara protein bowl, which was $16 and came with precisely two meatballs. Arancini ball was on point. When we finished our meal with some gelato from the stall next door, Mario offered us homemade biscotti, on the house. Everything was delicious and filling - no complaints. We will be back soon. read more

We're out of towners visiting our granddaughter who lives in Chicago and heard we had to have the beef sandwich from CCO's. Gus and Angie served the absolutely best beef sandwich ever. Our granddaughter also approved of the chicken, palm, garlic bread and potato wedges. Great cannolis, and wine and beer! Nice location in the way to the Children's Museum with a great view. read more

What a wonderful surprise ... my granddaughters and I chose Italian for lunch at Navy Pier and we ended up at a place called CICCiO! The owner is a seasoned Italian named Mario . His food is made fresh daily and the bread is an import from Canada since the bakeries here do not have the rustic bread he requires to make his satisfying flavors pop in your mouth! We tried the Italian beef sandwich... it comes dry, wet or bathed in the au jus gravy. ( my selection was bathed -mmmm) and adding the cheese, sweet and hot peppers is a must! The spaghetti with home made Gravy ( the real Italian name for what we call sauce) and meatballs were a hit with my crew as well! There's no sugar added and it's all organic tomatoes and slow cooked to perfection and taste. I will definitely have to come and try more of the items on the menu. Mario has a wonderful assistant named Jeanette . She mans the front and always has a super recommendation for you if you're not sure what you'd like to start with. The afternoon guy , Gus is very helpful as well! Don't hesitate to ask them for suggestions... in doing so you may just be tempted to ask for a job just because they're such amicable personalities that you want to work with them! Mario was such a sweetheart and treated us like family . He shared his love for his cooking and his story as if we had known each other for years. He also surprised us with a taste of the cannoli that is on his menu. He handpicks the bakery he acquires them from so that the taste is authentically Italian. I was so impressed with the flavors and experience that I had to share this in hopes that his business keeps thriving and those who read this are moved to go and share their stories and well wishes with Mario at this Navy Pier location. Mangia! Mangia! read more

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The chicken parm sandwich was huge and delicious. The chef is also just a genuinely awesome guy. This is what Chicago is all about.

A hidden gem toward the end of Navy Pier. Maybe the best Italian Beef sandwich I've had -- and on follow-up visits the chicken pesto and short-rib sandwich special both were fantastic as well. A true "only in Chicago" experience for anyone visiting the city, and it's worth the trip for locals as well. Really exceptional. read more

Mario is amazing at what he does with Italian cuisine. His personality is an wounderful experience itself. Look forward to my next trip to eat here again. Thank you Mario for making our trip to Navy Pier. read more

This place has the Italian beef sandwich in Chicago! And the meatball sandwich for our kids was to die for. Everything is delicious. Super friendly service. These guys are great. Consider yourself lucky if you end up here. read more

Amazing!! Best Italian beef ever, it's a must get. Such great, friendly, authentic people. Bread that holds up to the sandwich, makes a huge difference. Worth the flight from San Francisco on its own. read more

Great service, fun tasting that drew us in. Had two sandwiches that were so good and filling. Highly recommend! read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Yum! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is great! In the food court so had to search a bit but worth the hunt. The food is plentiful and delicious!

Simply put--this place is awesome. Order the chicken parm sandwich. Easy to share. Everything tastes so fresh and homemade. The owner is present and so attentive, too. read more

This place was soooo good! We got chicken parm sandwich, the ciccio sandwich with sausage, aranchini, and the canoli. EVERYTHING tasted so good and if you like spicy, get the spicy peppers on the side!!! We didn't get a chance to take pics of the food because we ate it so fast read more

The Italian Beef was amazing !!! A must try !!! And the Cannoli was great. I highly suggest !!

Their Italian Beef sandwich is worthy of being included among Chicago's Best. The beef and juice were delicious but it was the bread which made this sandwich fantastic. It was bake fresh with a crispy shell and soft bread, which kept the juice perfectly contained without becoming overly soggy. The Italian beef sandwich also was tasty. It is located in the Navy Pier food court all the way to the east, so it's not the easiest to get to, but well worth it. read more

Meatball with provolone sandwich. Hands down the best meatballs I've ever eaten outside of my own house. The people are nice too. Go here! read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Meatball with provolone sandwich. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow! Keep walking past Giordano's toward the end of the pier till you find this place! Italian beef sandwich with the "gravy" (au jus). He stews the meat in the sauce before putting it in the sandwich. Bread is crispy enough to hold together even though the sandwich is swimming in sauce. Ask them what's best; we were going to get it with meatballs but he said, "have to get the red sauce with meatballs" so we opted for sausage. Yum! read more

Visited today for lunch with a friend- I couldn't decide what to get, so I got a junior Italian Beef and a junior Meatball sandwich. They were both delicious! The owner took our orders/made our food- he was so friendly. He even cut us some free watermelon for dessert! The whole experience left me feeling heart-warmed. read more

Excellent food and even better service. Highly recommend. Brought my highly picky eater son and the owner even put together a delicious off menu garlic flatbread! Perfect spot for a quick and tasty meal after a long day at Navy Pier. You'll feel like you're eating food prepared by the Italian grandpa you always wanted. read more

Chef Ciccio Beef-Balls-Beer - Menu at Ciccio. Special requests are well received! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Shared a beef and a combo. Both excellent. The beef was tender, not too fatty and had nice flavor. The sausage was just spicy enough and had a nice crunch. The bread was soft but held up to the au jus, which as delicious. Can't wait to go back! read more

Excellent Italian beef, perfectly crispy yet tender bread, wonderful meatball sandwiches and the option for beer or cocktails. Excellent place for lunch - great food at a very reasonable price. read more