Al's #1 Italian Beef — Restaurant in Chicago

Al's has great beef, this location is a freaking trainwreck!

I’ve lived in Chicago my entire life, and I know Italian beef. Al’s has always been one of my go-tos because their beef is delicious when it’s right. Unfortunately, the service and execution have been seriously disappointing, and this last order was the final straw.

I recently ordered two big beef sandwiches, DRY, with gravy on the side, hot peppers, plus a tamale. I was excited to try the tamale because the photo on their website makes it look fresh and homemade. My total came to $36.

Problems:

Both beef sandwiches were dipped, soaking wet, to the point the bread was dissolving. Not remotely “dry.”

The tamale… wow. Instead of what’s pictured online, it was literally a frozen 7-Eleven-style tamale, microwaved in the wrapper. Totally misleading. (See photos: the tamale on their site vs. what I received.)

My husband took everything back. The staff claimed the beef comes in juice and they “tried to get it dry,” which is nonsense! It was dipped! They remade the sandwiches, but one was missing peppers. At least the bread was dry this time, and gravy was on the side as requested.

Regarding the tamale, my husband told them we didn’t want it because it didn’t match the website photos. The employee apologized but refused to refund it.

When I called to discuss the tamale refund, they put me on hold… then hung up on me. No call back, even though they had my number.

Mistakes happen, but this isn’t a one-off. Four out of my last five orders from this location have been wrong. And I’m not ordering anything unusual — just basic options listed on their own menu.

Al’s still makes a great beef sandwich when it’s done right. But the sloppy service at this location and misleading tamale situation make it hard to trust this location.

Bottom line: Good beef, this particular...

Best Italian Beef like a Heavyweight Fight!

Opener -- just gotta put it out there first: choosing Al's over Mr. Beef as best Italian Beef is like being forced to choose between Kobe or LeBron (MJ of course is #1), Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth, or Walter Payton or Jim Brown.....ts almost impossible. But if forced to choose, Al's take top spot.

Food -- just heaven. Everything we had was amazing and if we weren't so full, we'd gone back for seconds and thirds. Super excited to compare the two heavyweights in Al's vs. Mr. Beef. Tried MB first and it was amazing. Came here second and, oh budders! Got Italian Beef double dipped and what out it over the top was how well it held the sauce and the spice compared MB. I was literally about to eat the paper because it was so Fn good!!!

Also got the Chicago Dog and fries and it was also fantastic. One of the best we had in Chicago even if slight below Portillos. The fries seemed to be homemade and cooked just right. Would like to have tried other items, but we're stuffed.... especially after eating the paper 🤣

Drinks -- standard soda & tea options, but doesn't serve beer, which I understand in terms of owning the concept, but if they served beer I may never leave.

Scene & Vibe -- certainly more corporate with a franchise feel. Perfectly fine given the concept, but a fast food feel that doesn't give any Chicago authenticity.

Service -- super quick and friendly counter service.

Overall -- if I lived in Chicago, I would eat here at least once a week! Their Italian Beef was probably my favorite food of the city, and Chicago is the second best food city I've experienced (New Orleans is the King.....and I say that as....

• Italian Beef Part I *

I waited until I left Chicago before writing this review because they probably would have kicked me out anyway. Not because the review is bad, but because I have to admit that I've been to Chicago more times than I can count and never had an Italian Beef sandwich 😬.

It would be unfair for me to write a review without having another reference, so Portillo's is the second part of this experience. Yeah, I know, a lot of people only do the hot dogs, but a Chicago-lifer I know swears by it. Let's get to it.

For anyone else who's never had an Italian Beef sandwich, here's the gist. This ain't Philly... That's about it. There are no Philly Cheese Steaks here, instead, it's thinly shaved beef with your choice of sweet or spicy peppers. Similar, but never, ever, call it the same.

With that said, I miss the cheese. The beef was delicious, the peppers had just the right amount of spice, but I realized I really like the flavor of certain cheeses. Being this was my first time, I can only comment on the flavor of the sandwich itself, and not how it compares.

The service was unbelievable. You can tell this is all they do. Before I could fill my fountain drink, my order was ready. I sat and watched while customer after customer was served with the exact same ruthless efficiency, it was very big city (reference for southerners).

All-in-all it was a great experience, but you'll have to read my review on Portillo's to figure out if I have a...