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    Johnnie's Beef

    3.9 (745 reviews)
    ModerateHot Dogs, Shaved Ice
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Johnnie's Beef Photos

    JOHNNIE'S BEEF ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Johnnie's Beef

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    Ryan D.

    Johnnie's Beef is an institution in Arlington Heights. It's been there longer than I've been alive. It's the place to go to get good quality take out food. I love their Italian beef and sausages. Their Italian ice is a must have! It has real lemon pieces in it and is a perfect summer treat. There prices have gone up but the quality has not changed.

    Double dog with fries Beef bowl Large diet coke
    Kathleen L.

    We have not been here in a while and we're passing by around dinnertime so we decided to dine here. I ordered the double dog (it comes with fries) the fries are just like McDonalds used to make back in the day without all the chemicals. Wow I forgot how much I loved their fries! These are clearly the best fries around (in my opinion) My husband ordered the beef bowl. We posted a video of him opening it up. They wrap it really good with plastic wrap. The guys at the counter took the orders quickly and got out food out to us just as fast. Very impressive It is freezing cold outside and it was nice and warm in here. Even when the door opened you did not get any arctic blast and we sat really close to the door. Definitely adding this to our favorites list! Great food at good prices! Cannot go wrong dining here. Will dine here again soon!

    Beef juicy, sweet, fries
    Jim K.

    Great beef sandwich, juicy with sweet, tamales, so good, fries excellent. The staff is quick, knows their jobs and good communication.

    Beef Sandwich
    Ann C.

    We tried the other Johnnie's Beef so we of course had to try this Johnnie's Beef. Hubby and daughter each got a beef and the son ordered a hot dog. Everything was great... perfectly dipped and hot. Service was incredibly quick, we were there at lunch time during the week. We sat outside and watched the birds who were looking for dropped French fries. The birds are smart, the fries are great. We made some friends as we were walking to our car... all of us talking about how good the beef is.

    Italian Beef, dipped with sweet peppers.
    Michael W.

    Johnnie's Beef in Arlington is one of the best beef spots in Chicagoland. It's under $10 even when you add the peppers. What Johnnie's does that I don't see many beef places do it how finely they chop their beef but also the sweet peppers. It ensures there is no pull and each bite is smooth.

    Italian lemon ice
    Leslie A.

    I know this place is an institution and really famous for the Italian beef and the grilled hotdog here. However, I came here for the very first time on a weekday to get some relief from the ridiculous heat. I wanted to try the famous Italian ice here. I came at an off time in the afternoon and of course there was a line however, this line does move. I learned on this day there's only lemon or watermelon and there's no mixing, which is perfectly fine. We got two large lemons and they really overflow and overfill that cup, which is fantastic. I will definitely be coming back here again as this is a true institution at staple. There is real lemon in the lemon ice so it's not just sugar. They have a pretty big parking lot as well.

    Hotdog & Fries and Italian Ice
    Miranda L.

    Johnnie's Beef is a local staple! The Arlington Heights location accepts cash and card to make it easy for customers. They are best known for their Italian beef sandwich as well as italian ice. My husband ordered the combo sandwich (italian beef & sausage) with wet bread and hot peppers. The peppers added a good heat to the sandwich! I had the hotdog and fry combo. The fries were skinny, perfectly salted, and crispy. My hotdog had a steamed bun and quality beef. We shared the small italian ice which had a fresh lemon flavor. This is a fast casual spot with some tables and chairs inside and on an outdoor patio. Parking is minimal up front but there is more in the back. Overall, I highly recommend Johnnie's Beef for the quality, flavor, and to support small business.

    Italian beef and a hotdog with fries only mustard on the hotdog with hot giardiare on the side
    Mark A.

    First of all anybody who rates this place less than five stars as an idiot and should not be posting anything on Yelp clearly doesn't know anything about Italian beef and how they should be presented. This place is a staple and icon to the whole Chicagoland area this branch out in Arlington Heights is spot on to the original in the city 100% worth a drive no matter where you're at to go get a large or an XL Italian beef with hot peppers on the side. The service in this place is absolutely stupendous & fast. I was in line with 15 people in front of me and was through the line with my food in hand less than five minutes everything accurate and perfect and delicious as it was when I was a kid eating there for many many years !! Every time I visit Chicago that's my first stop as well as Al & Joe's Italian subs in Franklin Park near the airport (bonus review) (look it up) Johnnie's beef on the inside of this restaurant is no frills , simple , Fast and place for the best Italian beefs in the whole city. Now, if you want the most authentic Italian ice you'll ever have ? Johnny's is even known more for their Italian ice than their beef and their beefs are 6 1/2 stars out of 5.!! so make sure that you get the Italian lemonade ice !! It's the staple of Johnny's beef & 100% you will not be dissatisfied !! So..if you are looking for some great authentic Chicago fast food Italian beef's,sausage,Hotdogs? This Italian beef stand should be eaten every day that you visit Chicago that's just my suggestion!! Try something different on the menu every day that you're there trust me it's worth it. ! Cheers!!

    Counter
    Drake M.

    Went here for an Italian Beef. The place was packed. I was greeted and placed my order. My order was handed to me so fast, I thought they gave me someone else's food. There were no tables available so I asked a guy could I share his table. It was too cold to sit outside. The beef was tender and seasoned well. The hot peppers could be hotter but still had a nice kick. The fries were crispy and salted well. And the price for both was a good deal.

    Fun!
    Carol E.

    When in Chicago I always need an Italian beef sandwich! Method: wet with hot peppers. This one was good. Very few hot peppers, not very wet. I left behind some of the dry parts of bread. Good heat on the peppers, but really wanted to see morel on the sandwich before I ate it!

    Busy cashier area
    Daniel M.

    I got take out, tamales and a italian beef sandwich and a hotdog. I was already "Hangry", been in a car for 12 hes traveling from NYC to Chicage. First restaurant on the way to the hotel is Johnnie's beef. Its only normal to want to try their signature tamales, i placed an order, we shared it with my wife. As a Salvadorian, who has eaten many tamales sweet, savory, pork, chicken and tamales de elote. I didnt understand what i was eating. There was something maybe beef, pork or chicken that was the filling in the tamal. The masa was soft and doughy, couldnt eat it. The beef sandwich was ok, if you take away the pickled veggies, the beef does not have alot of taste. The hotdog was another story. I am an avid hotdog connoisseur. My favorite dog no matter where I go, is the costco hotdog. So we tried the hotdog with everything, they are right had everything but taste. Never had a bad dog, i guess there is always a first time for everything. What can i say. We were veey disappointed about lunch.

    Beef, dipped, w/ homemade hot gardindera peppers & a fry.

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    3 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Best beef in town. Quick service. Italian ice is awesome. love going here for beefs and Italian sausages!

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    22 days ago

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Delicious beef sandwich. One of the best in the NW suburbs. Clean restaurant, fast service, reasonable prices.

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    Page 1 of 19

    Ask the Community - Johnnie's Beef

    Beef by the pound?

    Beef is $15 per pound. We give one quart of gravy per pound of beef. Additional quarts of gravy… 

    Is this location cash only?

    Used to be but, cards r okay now. They also have an atm on site as well

    Can you ship?

    Sorry, we do not ship.

    Is there an actual website or Instagram page? Also, is there a child's meal option?

    We sell hot dogs but have no designated kids menu. We do not have a website or instagram page. We are on Facebook.

    Any gluten free options?

    They have bowls, which have no bread - italian beef bowl, combo (beef & sausage) bowl and tuna bowl.

    Is the same owner as Johnnies on North Ave?

    Yes

    Did they change their bread? Seems more like a sub sandwich and not their usual crusty bread. It used to be gonella did it change?

    The bread seems a little rubbery so I'm not sure if they change the bread I know the weather sometimes has a lot to do with it if there's humidity in the air the bread becomes a little more rubbery than if it was dryer air

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    We knew this was a pretty well-known local spot, so we had to give it a try. We ordered the…read moreChicago-style hot dog and the Italian sausage combo, and surprisingly they also had cake shakes, so we got the strawberry lemon cake shake as well. The Italian sausage combo was fire, especially the sausage itself, which was juicy, well seasoned, and packed with flavor. The Chicago hot dog was also surprisingly good. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a hot dog with no ketchup, but lowkey, I really liked it. The cake shake was another surprise. Drinking what basically tastes like a slice of cake was definitely an interesting experience, but somehow it worked and was actually really enjoyable. Service was quick, and the whole place had that classic casual local vibe. Overall, we liked it a lot and can definitely see why this place is so popular.

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    Johnnie's Beef - hotdog - Updated August 2026

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