Tony's Italian Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Today we head to da southwest side down Pulaski all the way to 80th street right there by Midway. Tony's Italian Beef is an old neighborhood favorite introduced by an old friend who used to work for Mike Madigan down near West Lawn where Tony's resides. This is a true Chicago style sandwich place that features an extensive menu including breakfast and about 20 other different sandwiches including beef and sausage along with breaded steaks and other offering like chicken and breakfast sandwiches served in French buns too. You can bet they got hot dogs, hamburgers and all the other things you would expect to find at a Chicago style fast food joint.


a locals favorite out by Midway

Their slogan goes by "When Was the Last Time You Had a REALLY Great Sandwich?" but I like to use another saying to describe it - Tony's "the safest place to eat in all of Chicago". I will set the odd's at 5/2 that you will see at least two if not quite a few CPD in their enjoying some rest and relaxation from the streets while putting down one of Tony's really great sandwiches. In the summertime you can eat your beef outside at the stand up counter along the exterior of the place and you can hear the planes landing at Midway airport fly right over you. In case anyone was wondering about good spots to grab Italian beef and other city favorites catered for Super Bowl Sunday or otherwise, Tony's is a really good bet.


It's all pretty damn good...

Tony's will get it's time in the limelight over at Smokin' Chokin' & Chowing in an article that will feature many of it's menu items offered some of which are top notch amongst their peers around the city. But over here it's all about da beef. The best part of da beef over at Tony's is the beef itself. This is a good thing since that's the most important part of the sandwich, ya know? Definitely their #1 seller, they go thru a bunch on a daily basis and so thus it's always sliced fresh and never sitting long. I think the bread is ok and the gravy is legit, the peppers are different. They are without a doubt made fresh with a heavy blend of jalapenos, very small pieces of celery and quite a few garbanzo beans with lots of oil. I don't know of anywhere else that uses these in their giardinaria mix so this is definitely unique. I don't really care either way about the blend I just wish it was hotter. All in all this is a very good beef and the fact it's stayed the same over time is great. They also have a location in Palos Park. I would recommend Tony's to anyone who likes them a good Italian beef sammich and finds themselves out that way by Midway.


Beef with hot from Tony's Italian Beef

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 3

Score: 15/20

Tony's Italian Beef
7007 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629
(773) 284-6787
Website

Enzo's Beef & Sausage

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

So I drove by Enzo's on Chicago rd. out in Chicago Heights not too long ago while out on work and remembered what I was told by an old colleague, which that it's worthy of a stop. So I decided to stop in and try a beef with hot and upon doing so it was like going back to an old beef joint from the 70's.


In Chicago Heights, IL

Inside they had cafeteria seating with an old ice cream parlor next door connected from within. The old menu was painted on the wall with the standards like Italian beef, sausage, meatball sandwiches, hot dogs and Polish sausage along with a charred salami (I assume) and sloppy Joe's. The menu also had a "Combo #2" with sloppy Joe and Italian beef. It was very cool that they had an indoor grilling pit area seen below where some items like the sausage were grilled over charcoal. I should of got a combo but I always get a beef with hot on my first visit to a beef joint which is a rare thing these days since I feel like I'm winding down trying all of the ones deemed worthy of doing so in Chicagoland. So its always nice to find an old spot that's new to you.


The Old Menu is still up on the wall


Indoor fire grilling pit from back in the day which is still used

Well, the sandwich was alright. I asked for a beef with hot and it came with sport peppers which I don't mind on a beef but I prefer them with giardineria. The beef was a little above average, it was like a roast beef, not shaved thin, so a little thicker but I ate the whole thing happily. I guess this place was a favorite back in the day when Chicago Heights had a strong Italian presence. There are still a few of the old school pizza spots located along Lincoln Highway U.S Route 30 as well as some real old bar's from back in that day. You should check out S'C'&C for updates from those spots coming soon.


Beef with sport peppers from Enzo's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 2

Score: 12/20

Enzo's Beef & Sausage
1710 Chicago Road
Chicago Heights, IL 60411-3405
(708) 754-7040

The Dog Joint

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Hello again my goods friends, Da Beef here. I apologize I haven't gotten around to getting another beef scored up on here at "Beef With Hot" I've been busy with chibbqking and just haven't had the time. But like I said last time I have many spots waiting to go up and will get to many more this winter. So today we head to a hot dog stand in Lincoln Park called The Dog Joint. They've been over on Armitage for a couple years now and will eventually get reviewed as a whole on S'C'&C With Da King. But today were sticking to the Italian beef. Check over at S'C'&C you can see some of their other offerings soon.


The Dog Joint in Lincoln Park

Before this place was the Dog joint I believe it was another hot dog stand maybe Rock Star Dogs? I never went there but when the Dog Joint opened up the homemade Italian beef is what caught my eye and eventually prompted me to go in. I have been there a handful of times now and the Italian beef was ordered on every visit but one. The best part this beef sandwich has going for it is the actual beef. It's a homemade roast that is sliced fresh to order when they arent too busy and it goes on a pretty good roll and the hot peppers and gravy are both good as well. It's actually one of the better beef's I have had from a hot dog stand. I also like how they have late nite hours on the weekends as well. One of the better beefs in an area lacking them.


beef with hot from the Dog Joint

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 3
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 3

Score: 13/20

The Dog Joint
350 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 687-9573

Turk's Beef & Sausage

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

I had to take a little break from the Beef Bus since I was back and forth some places this summer and time didn't allow me to jump on it and ride. Well were riding again and today we head out to the Southwest suburbs to Orland Park to taste Turk's Italian Beef & Sausage. I actually went here last winter and have a just been backlogged in posts. However like always I recorded the score in my cell phone and saved it so there would be no forgetting. So with that, welcome back. You can expect a monthly flow of posts over at What's Your Beef? on this country's greatest regional sandwich variation.


Located in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, IL

I had been told about Turk's from various family members and other friends who live or lived out in the area and I got to try it when I was out there with one of them. Turk's has a pretty good reputation and is one of the favorites of the locals so I had some nice hope that it would be another better than good beef to be found out South. I went with my usual of a beef with hot and dove right in to what was a heavily stuffed beef sandwich bigger than most spots. I could see why this is a neighborhood favorite and I enjoyed my beef with hot and would easily have been back if I was from the area. The only thing that I thought was average about it was the gravy which wasn't as flavorful as some other stands around Chicagoland. The beef was thinly sliced and dissolved on your tongue while the hot peppers and bread were also above average and nice.


Beef with hot from Turk's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 4

Score: 15/20

Turk's Italian Beef & Sausage
14600 South La Grange Rd
Orland Park, IL 60462
(708) 403-6517

The Original Roma

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Our next stop on the Beef bus is to the Original Roma located out there in Norwood Park. Its not to be confused with Roma's Beef in Portage Park which I will get to one day. I hadn't been to either or since my days of working for the Sheriffs department over summer break. The Original Roma as it called was actually closed for repair or whatever for a while and one day when I cruised past it on Milwaukee ave en route home I saw it was back open and stop in so it could get its score over here at Whats Your Beef?


Located in Chicago's Norwood Park neighborhood

Since it closed and reopened Roma's has done some changes to the menu and they now also carry pizza. I decided to give a slice a try along with my beef with hot and prepared to take my mental notes. The pizza was ok if anything bordering around the not so good line. The sausage was really good however but this is the case on most pizzas in Chicago.


Slice of Sausage from the Original Roma's

It wasn't pizza that brought me in here though, it was the Italian beef. I remembered thinking Roma was good but not great back in the day and so it was time to see if that had changed or not. Immediately upon unwrapping my beef I noticed the giardiniera looked like the pickled carrot and jalapeno tray they put tableside at alot of Mexican restaurants. It wasn't too appealing to see these huge pieces of carrot chips in their hot pepper blend. The beef itself wasn't bad at all and described by me right then and there as good but not great but it was the best part of this sandwich. The bread and gravy were in the pretty good range. All in all the sandwich was ok but the peppers did it in for me. I didn't like theirs at all. Huge pieces of celery and large carrot chips.


Beef with hot from The Original Roma

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 1

Score: 12/20

The Original Roma
6161 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60646-3804
(773) 594-2885

Tore's Italian Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Its back into the city limits for our next stop which is to a place I first went to years ago and that's Tore's Beef. Located in Avondale on good old Western ave its been around for some time but I believe changed owners over the years too. It was actually years in between visits and wasn't until I started this here site that I had a reason I needed to go back. Its your typical Chicago beef stand with a pretty extensive menu ranging from pizza to hot dogs but today its all about the Italian beef.


a popular stop with city workers

Tore's makes their beef in house and is a popular stop with the blue collar crowd with the Italian beef being the most widely ordered item. I would consider it a must to get fries with your beef sandwich at Tore's because they do an excellent job with them. I really liked Tore's when I used to get it now and then back in high school and then hadn't gone there for a few years up until a couple months ago. As noted above there are some other good menu selections to be had but today its all about the beef, I'll feature Tore's again one day and take a look at the other items.


Tore's fresh cut fries are the real deal

On my first trip back things didn't go as smoothly as I would of hoped. The fries remained the same but my beef came without the hot peppers I ordered on it and I was taking it to go but also knew I would be back. I was checking to make sure it hadn't gone totally downhill and aside from them forgetting my hot peppers it wasn't as good as I remembered but it was also very worthy of being scored over here at beefwithhot. So I made a return visit a week or two later and ordered my beef with hot for dining in and took my mental notes upon finishing. Well the beef had the potential to score a 4 but like the previous time it just wasn't tender enough but did have good flavor. I thought the hot peppers were pretty good as well and the bread and gravy were the stronger points. The best thing were those fries and I did enjoy a few with some beef wrapped around them. All in all it was good but nothing great in the hunt for best beef in Chicagoland.


beef with hot from Tore's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 3

Score: 14/20

Tore's Italian Beef & Pizza
2804 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 486-2600

fRedhots

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Beep, beep all aboard the beef bus, next stop fRedhots in Glenview. this months beef comes from the getting to be world famous fRedhots. The popular "gourmet hot dog" stand opened its doors a few years back and has become an instant favorite not just in the suburb of Glenview but all of Chicagoland and anyone who's been there. I don't want get to get too in depth about this favorite food stop of mine since this is the beef with hot bus but there will be a full post with everything you need to know about fRedhots and all of its other food items that make them one of the leaders in Chicago's top notch five star fast food culture. But this is all about their Italian Beef and we will stick to that subject...


a popular stop in Glenview

...Especially since when you first walk into Fred's you might see this on the wall in the picture below. Fred's is a place similar to Chicago's famous Hot Dougs but they do more than just hot dogs and fancy sausage. While both of those are popular at Fred's place he also makes his Italian Beef in house and calls it the best I will ever taste. That's a pretty bold claim to make to DaBeef. Its also one I was ready to try especially since I'm a big fan of fRedhots anyways. So I got a beef with hot on a visit this past summer and scored it and mental noted it after I ate it like I always do.


Re-ha-ha-ha-ha-elly? Lets see...

I have three thing to say before we get to the actual beef. So the first thing I will say is that everyone has their own taste. The second I will say is Fred better keep working at it if he wants to make that claim with me. So finally the third thing is that this was still a good beef sandwich and totally gettable if you need a beef and are from near there. The beefs strongest part was the gravy. You can indeed tell that its a homemade stock with lots of flavor with a strong presence of fresh black pepper. The bread was also good and the hot peppers were too. My only complaint with it was the beef itself. My preference is to have the beef shaved as thin as possible which it wasn't so here. The beef was more like a roast sliced by hand with a knife by an expert chef. It wasn't awful but it tasted and had the texture of pot roast more than it did an Italian Beef sandwich. I still ate the whole thing and would never call it a bad beef. Believe me I've had bad ones and this isn't a bad beef by any means. Its good, just not great. However please (later this month) check the main site S'C&C for the other items on the menu at fRedhots, some are great. Make sure to get fries from here, they're great.


beef with hot from fRedhots

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 4

Score: 15/20

fRedhots and Fries
1707 Chestnut Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 657-9200
Website

Fiore's Italian Deli

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

When you love a good Italian beef as much as I do you tend to try alot. Now over the years I have learned that you don't order a beef from any and everywhere but rather the places that specialize in it. If you want a good beef you gotta go to a place that has them in their name or at least where its the focal point of the menu. it should be made in house and sliced fresh daily and the hot peppers should be unique to the stand. The delivery of fresh bread every morning is also a way of the day at the best beef shacks around town. In some cases you will find a place like Uncle Johnny's or Rosangela's where they might not be a beef shack but they are able to produce a product that can be classified as a good beef sandwich. So while you wont catch me trying a beef from some gyro place on the westside, I will try one from Italian corner deli's, some restaurants and other neighborhood spots. One day last winter I drove by Fiore's Italian Deli in the Ukrainian Village and knew from the looks of it that it was my type of spot.


Old School Chicago

Fiore's is a fun little place to stop into and pick up some groceries and lunch. Just like every other spot worth a visit, it will get its day and we will look at what else they have aside from Italian beef sandwiches over at S'C'&C. But since this is about the beef we will stick to that. I wasn't expecting Fiore's to have anything close to an all beef 1st team chance but I have to report that the beef should be skipped when going to Fiore's. The best thing it had going for it was the bread, that was fresh and not bad. The hot peppers were also average but the beef and gravy were a big no-no. I would guess they simply took some water added some beef bouillon and proceeded to put pieces of deli sliced roast beef in it and plop it on a sandwich. The Italian cold cuts are much better and the way to go should you stop in at Fiore's.


beef with hot from Fiore's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 2
bread: 4
gravy: 1
hot peppers: 3

Score: 10/20

Fiore's Italian Deli

2258 West Erie Street

Chicago, IL 60612-1322

Get Directions

(312) 942-9419

Portillo's

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

The next stop on the beef bus is to a place known to many. I'm not one to hate on Portillo's despite their fast food status. The truth of the matter is that Portillo's is a fine example of the American dream and a result of what can happen if one works hard. Odds are if you've visited Chicago then you heard of or stopped into Portillo's downtown for one of their famous hot dogs and or many other menu items including beef. What originally started off as a shack on North ave in Villa Park, IL is now a monster in the food game with almost 50 locations in Chicagoland. Its a spot I loved as a kid and whenever I was running around downtown with friends we would eat at the location on Clark street to eat. My order back then was always a dog with everything and a beef with hot. Not much has changed these days except I don't get there as much as I used to and now I always get a chili cheese dog and an Italian beef to go with it. I also always get these in the drive thru nowadays too.


The best drive thru beef in the city


Portillo's Menu

One reason I have always had a great deal of respect for Portillo's other than just their quality despite being a fast food place was also their consistency. Over the years I have had beefs from different locations and they always seem to be the exact same as the others. I also respect a place that can go thru so much beef like they do and continue to put out an acceptable product. If anyone is telling you Portillo's has the best either or well then they just haven't been around or simply aren't from here. However if someone, such as myself, tells you that they have good examples of each (dogs and beef) and its better than some spots and not as good as others, well that's the truth of it. I find that everything from the bread to the beef and the gravy and peppers to be better than average but not great. When put together as a whole its a well made Italian beef sandwich and easily one of the best in the downtown area. Its nice that they are also throughout Chicagoland and are always a good option for a quick drive thru meal. Much better than BK, Wendy's, Subway, Taco Bell, McD's etc...Just another reason Chicago is fast food king.


beef with hot from Portillo's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 4

Score: 15/20

Portillo's
100 W Ontario
Chicago, IL
(312) 587-8910
Website
locations throughout Chicagoland

Carm's Beef (Hillside, IL) Closed

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Its unfortunate it had to happen but the next stop is no longer open. Carm's Beef in Hillside, IL (no relation to Carm's on Polk) closed down a couple months back and I never got a chance to posting about it. Since Carm's is in Hillside which is nowhere near Lincoln Park its a spot I only got to a few times before it closed. I have no idea why it closed and thought it was a very popular neighborhood joint which was located on Wold Road across from the large cemetery. It was your typical Italian Deli serving all the usual's including Italian beefs which were their most popular item. I am unsure if this family of Carm's Beef has any outposts left. Feel free to post in the comments section and let me know.


Unfortunately Carm's recently closed...not sure if its for good or not

I think the beef you grew up on and neighborhood in which you lived has alot to do with what your favorite Italian Beef is. Some people might not be from a neighborhood with any good ones and seek out the best and others haven't had beefs from anywhere else but the place nearest to them. Since I am a seeker of the Great Beef and always on the prowl for the one's worthy of any "best of" list-I have had more beefs than most. Pretty much everyone as a matter of fact. If you grew up on a beef that has a unique characteristic to its flavor than its easy to see why that one will always be your favorite. I think Carm's in Hillside was a good example of a unique beef sandwich. The gravy had a real beefy taste to it almost as if it was a roast. The beef was sliced a little thicker than most places as well so it was a very roast beefy Italian beef sandwich. One of the other quality's that made Carm's stand out was their hot peppers. They had two different types of peppers-a mild blend made with celery, jalapenos etc.. and the hotter more traditional blend with carrots, sport peppers etc...seen on the sandwich below. I always gave Carm's credit for having above average everything went it came to their Italian beef's.


Beef with hot from Carm's (Hillside, IL)

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 4

Score: 16/20

Carm's Beef
1801 South Wolf Road
Hillside, IL 60162-2110
(708) 449-0125

Beef with Hot from Captain Nemo's

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Captain Nemo's has been serving sandwiches and soup to the people of Chicago since 1971. The original location is the Rogers Park store which is still open but I have been visiting the Lakeview location on Ashland since my early youth. It was a frequent stop after basketball and football games and its always been in my rotation for a few visits a year since. I'm not sure much has changed at Nemo's except the prices. Its been the same since the early 90's as far as both the food and the interior go. Each booth has a wooden painting attached to the backrest. Each booth has different Chicago famous people of the time eating a Captain Nemo's Sub. When I was younger I always sat in the booth with the Chicago athletes. I think maybe once or twice I might of ordered an actual sandwich from there because I knew the beef was legit the first time I tried it and that was the first thing I tried. Whats even more amazing is that the taste of the sandwich and ingredients used to make it haven't changed a bit.


familiar sign along Ashland in the Lakeview neighborhood


Hey Ozzie is still in town and so is Capt'n Nemo's

Captain Nemo's is a great beef during the winter months. As soon as you walk in they offer you a free small cup of the days soups before taking your order. Its always been that way and always makes me order a combo which is a sandwich, soup and drink. I would highly recommend the combo, beef for your sandwich with their split pea soup. Its a great deal, one of the best in the city. The Italian beef definitely has a strong roast beef flavor, more so than most other beefs I have had. It's homemade and is also sliced a little thicker than most places so that also makes it very close to a warm sliced roast beef sandwich in gravy. But the gravy is its strongest element and much better than many other places around town. Just like any other beef joint I have had really good beefs from there and on a few occasions just OK ones. But when the beef is fresh and fall apart tender in the peppery spiced gravy its a great beef and one I get a few times each winter. Its a great takeout beef because the bread holds together the sandwich and they know how to wrap one up right. Wrapping beef in aluminum foil is a complete no no.


Nemo's has always had the stickers and wrapped it right


beef with hot from Captain Nemo's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4 (when on)
bread: 3
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 3

Score: 14/20

Captain Nemo's Subs & Soups

3650 N Ashland Ave

Chicago, IL 60613

Get Directions

(773) 929-7687
Website

Jimmy's Place in Da Burbs

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Its a special month for the people of Arlington Height's and the lifelong patrons of Jimmy's Place. Its this September that Jimmy's celebrates its 50th anniversary. The only way to describe Jimmy's place located on Northwest Highway in the Northwest suburbs is a world class grease dive. I actually got to try Jimmy's for the 1st time ever last week and just loved it. Stepping into this bar/fast food joint is like stepping back in time because nothing has changed. Upon your entry you are greeted by a dark room with a bar with a some regulars drinking and some old TV's showing the games and there's also tables for food patrons. On the walls are a bunch of Jimmy'd memorabilia and newspaper clippings from thru the years highlighting their excellent hot dogs and Italian beefs. Its been all in the family for three generations now.


Everything is old School over there

On top of all that, its been the same bartender and food prep people going on 30+ years so when I say nothing has changed I mean it in every sense. Same atmosphere, same beer, same people, same food. Same as it ever was or so I'm told anyways and I can see why. We were greeted by the lady who had been there 30+ and she was very alive if you know what I mean. I did the ordering so my buddy said he "was fine" when she asked what he needed. Lets just say she told him that she was just fine too. It was all in good fun because obviously they knew we were new. It was really easy to feel that this was a classic Chicago hot dog and beef kind of joint. The dogs are served up somewhat Chicago style minus the poppy seed bun and were a real winner if your in the area and craving yourself a hot dog. Guess what? for the month of September they will be rolling back the prices on the hot dogs to the same price when they first opened.


Jimmy's Place always gets love when best dog in Chicago is discussed

The hot dog was very good but it was the beef that I came here for. Its very rare that I just randomly drive by a beef joint that's been open for fifty years and I've never been to it let alone heard of it. So it was a special day and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I guess I wasn't expecting all that much because I was shocked at the old school taste of Jimmy's Italian beef. It reminded me of the beefs i used to eat as a kid from the places that are long gone. I especially liked the gravy which was seasoned very well and took me back to a time when everyone made their own beef and didn't order it pre-sliced from one of the many distributors of it these days. It really tasted like a beef I hadn't had in over ten years. The meat was tender and the peppers were average and served on the side even when ordering a beef with hot. So that was its only blemish and I would give it my signature of approval any day of the week should you be in the Arlington Height's area near Jimmy's Place.


beef with hot from Jimmy's Place

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 3

Score: 15/20

Jimmy's Place
640 W Northwest Hwy
Arlington Hts, IL 60004
(847) 398-9783

Joe Boston's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Lost in the shuffle of Grand ave and Chicago ave and all the vacant buildings and old warehouses and factories is an all time favorite of mine-Boston's Beef. If your asking yourself "I didn't know they had beef in Boston" stop right there because they don't have anything close as good and its Joe Boston's Italian Beef. It sits there on an island and is a favorite of 1000's and 1000's of lifelong Chicagoans and people that lived here and left but will never forget it. While I feel like an original custy (customer) since I've been eating here for 15+ years, I'm really not. There are people that have been eating here for 60+ years. If you were to ask me which beef stand around town is the most stuck in time and hasn't changed a thing, Boston's would jump quick to my mind. Its still family owned and still dishing out one of the best beefs in the city.


a Chicago original

When I say nothing has changed at Boston's that pretty much means everything with the exception of the prices and those are still some of the best around. I think a beef with hot with fries and a drink will set you back $6.75 and its not just the price that makes it a winner. I've always thought that Boston's must be using the same high quality cut of beef from the same butcher and roasting them perfectly in their special seasoning which they haven't changed that makes for a great gravy. In fact if you live in or are from Lincoln Park/Wicker Park/Bucktown or anywhere on the near Northside then this and the best beef joint in the area . Now I know that I am known for saying that a beef sandwich with provolone and sweet peppers isn't an Italian Beef sandwich. However like I also said, I've been going here forever and a beef with hot and orange cheese ooze is better than any cheesesteak from Pat's or Geno's. Sometimes I liked a beef with cheese as a change of pace in my youth. Its still a pretty good sandwich. So if you gotta get a beef with cheese try this one. Its the only one I'll eat.


Chicago Style Cheesesteak & one of my 1st food pics

When a place wants to make itself one of the best at what they do then a good way to do that is to pick something you do good and stick with that. The menu at Bostons is a great example of this way. Other than Italian beef they got Italian sausage, an old school favorite-BBQ beef sandwiches-gravy bread & combos, hot dogs, Polishes, along with fast food Chicago style tamales, fries and of course the old school beef stand standard-the pepper and egg sandwich which is of course on Fridays only. If you haven't figured it out by now Boston's homemade thinly sliced beef with well seasoned gravy is one of the best sandwiches in the business.

I used to spend summers doing some labor type work for my dad and uncle and spent one summer working with my grandpa building gliders at a space they own right down the block on Chicago ave. While the job with my grandpa wasn't bad the labor projects sucked (but it was $$$ which is always needed in H.S) and the best part about them was lunch from Boston's. My dad would run down and get it for us 3 of the 5 days a week. Back in the day I could eat a beef almost everyday and sometimes I did.


beef with hot from Joe Boston's Beef

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 4

Score: 16/20

Boston's Italian Beef
2932 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622-4307
(773) 486-9536
Menupages Page w/ Menu

Ferro's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Ferro's is one of those places that almost everyone has seen while driving southbound on the Dan Ryan. It sits on the corner of 31st in Bridgeport overlooking the highway and is the definition of a street and sans type eating spot. I have been to Ferro's maybe five or six times in my life but had not been there in over three years until early this past month. I figured then and there was as good of a time as ever to check it out for the beef blog. Whats up to all the beef hounds over at Facebook.


familiar sight along the Dan Ryan?

I swear that nothing had changed since the last time I was in there. Same people eating the same things and same people behind the counter making them. Its all in the area over at this place. The menu is about as broad as you can get for a Chicago style fast food joint. It includes all the regulars like beef, dogs, breaded steak and sausage along with burgers and all things breakfast. It doesn't try to be anything but what it is and that's a good place to get a quick, cheap and filling meal. Its been serving the blue collar people of the area for as long as I've been around. While the menu list is long and takes a half day to read there are only two things I have ever gotten-Italian beef and Italian Ice.

As far as Italian ice goes this is some of the best to be had in the city. Its a damn shame they only have it for 3 months of the year because its good enough to eat in the winter. All flavors are made with fresh fruit so there's lots of chunks of whatever flavor you get. The most important thing to a good Italian ice is fresh fruit and lots of it but the next most important thing is the consistency of the ice. Its perfect at Ferro's so that its a smooth texture with no clumps whatsoever. It just might be the best Italian ice in the city of it.


Cantelope Ice is perfect on a hot day before or after a Sox game

Now I had remembered enjoying the beef on my last visit but that had to be at least five years ago if not longer. I wish I could say the same for my most recent visit but it was nothing to write home about and I live just a few miles down over on the Northside. What it did have going for it was it being some of the thinnest sliced beef I've come across since keeping score. Unfortunately that was about all it had going. The gravy was without a doubt straight from a metal can and tasted like it was made with boullin cubes and not the actual drippings from a roast beef. Which is probably because they don't make the beef in house. The hot peppers and bread were ok but that's it...just ok. I will stick with the Italian ice which is some of the best anywhere.


beef with hot from Ferro's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 3
gravy: 1
hot peppers: 3

Score: 10/20

Ferro's
200 W 31st St
Chicago, IL 60616-3702
(312) 842-0702‎

Scatchell's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Scatchell's beef and pizza is a tiny little shack located right along the border of Chicago and Cicero on Cermak and is technically in the Village of Cicero. It's a place that I had been to once or twice in my time at a younger age and for whatever reason never got back to it until a year or two ago. The fact that its not too far from Midway airport makes it one of the best if not the best beef available upon your arrival into Chicago should you land at Midway. Scatchell's has been a fixture of Cicero since 1953 when Stubby and Eddie Scatchell opened its doors. When driving down Cermak it is very easy to recognize at night the sign with flashing lights. It was around 1995 that the owners of Scatchell's decided to let the people of Cicero get a days worth of work done in one swoop when they opened a car wash and laundromat in the same strip mall as the restaurant.


Since 1953

The idea was that maybe if the current owners who bought the store from the original owners brought people into the lot to wash their cars or do laundry they would pick up a quick bite to eat from the dog stand. Scatchell's is a classic Chicago dog stand, there's no where to sit but you can eat at the counter along the walls, take outside or take it to go. The menu is features all the usual suspects. Along with the Italian Beefs they offer up all the others like Italian sausage, Polish Sausage, Vienna Hot Dogs and slices of pizza which were introduced in the 90's and is about the only thing that's changed since it got its start over 50 years ago. I'm glad I finally made it back to Scatchell's because they really do a good job with everything including this Italian sausage. It had me thinking that maybe there's another combo out there worthy of a shot at Johnnie's crown.


Scatchell's sausage with hot peppers is a very nice version

The star of the show on this menu is the beef and its not hard to taste why. The beef is sliced thin and tastes great in the spiced gravy and is loaded into the sandwich and topped off with some of my favorite housemade giardineria. They go thru alot of beef in a days work so the bread is always fresh and the price is right as far as a great lunch and one of the better beefs in Chicagoland. It was on my last visit that I realized that Scatchell's is one of the best Italian beefs in the only city to get one of them. Anyone traveling into the city thru Midway airport might want to check this place out if you already aren't. Its no secret that Scatchell's is a player in the beef game.


Scatchell's beef with hot

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 5

Score: 17/20

Scatchell's Beef & Pizza
4700 W Cermak Rd
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 656-0911

Luke's on Harlem

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

There are quite a few Luke's beefs around Chicagoland and some are related and some are not. There is no debating that the original Luke's is the location on Harlem which was established in 1973. The original Luke's is a popular spot in the neighborhood for pizza, dogs and of course Italian Beef. I hadn't been to this location in over 15 years but I remembered visiting it back in grade school and was eager to try it again through the years. I finally got back to it this past year to see how it compares to the other beefs around town. The night I made in here it was a cold winter weekend night but there were still a good amount of people eating here around 10p so that was a good sign.


The Original luke's on Harlem ave.


The original rock outside Luke's

The beefs at Luke's are more than serviceable and I would call them good. Luke's has been making the same recipe for their beef that they used when they first started. It has a good spice in the gravy and the beef has a little kick itself from extra black pepper. I thought the peppers were average and maybe the weakest part of the beef but that everything else was good. I could see myself enjoying a beef from Luke's from time to time if I lived or worked near it. It also gets a big bonus for being open late nite and it is a more than passable beef after midnight when there are very few to be found.


beef with hot from Luke's on Harlem

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 3
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 3

Score: 13/20

Luke's on Harlem
3130 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 889-4000

Beef with hot from Tony's Subs

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Tony's Subs in Deerfield puts out what I feel to be the best Italian beef in the Northshore. I first read about this place five maybe six years ago in a magazine article about chefs favorite places to eat when they aren't working. A well known chef mentioned that she loves Tony's and cant enough of the homemade Italian beef when shes not in the kitchen. She went on to call it the best beef in Chicago. Like I always do when I hear that and its a place that I haven't been to I make a mental note and put it on my to beef list. Tony Viti opened his sandwich shop more than 44 years ago in his hometown of Deerfield. There was a time when Tony operated six locations of the sub shop including outlets in North Chicago, Libertyville, Highwood, Waukegan and two in Deerfield.

Here we are 43 years later and Tony and his family are still supplying the families of the area with the same great sandwiches as always. Unless your from the area, in which case you've been eating here since your childhood, you might not expect this sandwich shop next door to a Citgo to be anything worthwhile. The daughter of Tony recently opened a second location in Lakewood with her husband running it up to par with the one she grew up on.


a Deerfield, IL stop

Tony's menu is filled with a wide selection of both warm and cold subs along with soft serve for the kids which is a must when you have a place in the Northshore and you want kids to demand their ice cream and sandwich to their parents. One of the most popular sandwiches is the Launcher and it consists of salami, bologna, mortadella, ham and provolone cheese with a total of 19 slices of meat. When you walk inside you are immediately greeted by pictures of all the wonderful options to help make your choice a little easier. I have enjoyed the launcher but prefer the warm subs made with toasted bread and enjoy the meatball but nothing there is as good as the homemade Italian beef. Its a nice mixture of thin sliced beef and shredded beef with a gravy that has nice flavor topped with what may be store bought giardinara but it is still a good one.

What separates this beef from others is the toasted bread and it doesnt hurt that a large is a real mans size beef bigger than most out there. The toasted bread is an interesting addition to an Italian beef and it works for Tony's. I wouldn't want a beef from Johnnie's or any other place this way but from Tony's its a real treat. Long time customers also really like to devour an order of their air crisp fires. Different in that they bake them in a machine instead of deep frying them. They are good and taste like a light version of McDonald's fries.


large beef with hot from Tony's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 3

Score: 14/20

Tony's Submarine
1480 Waukegan Rd
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 940-7352

Pop's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef
a chibbqking production

Maybe the reason I have such a picky palate when it comes to Italian beef is because I have been exploring the different beef joint's of the city since my youth. While y'all were eating at Mr. Beef and Portillo's thinking you were heaven, I was in beef heaven. I have two favorite beef sandwiches that I was introduced to in my youth, Pop's and Jay's. Pop's is out on the south side and I would consider it the best IB out south and still in my starting five for the all Chicago beef team. I have been eating at Pop's for 15+ years. Back in the day when me and family would be at our grandma's for Sunday dinner, me, my brother and my cousins would always ride bikes over to Pop's to eat beef and gravy bread before dinner. Yes, I was taking food journeys before I even had a license.


Pop's in Beverly is one of the King's all time favorites

Pop's does everything above average and it makes one of the better beef's in the city no matter where you are. They slice their beef ultra thin and dont skim on it by any means. Im a huge fan of the hot peppers at pop's, some of the best around. This was my favorite restaurant as a kid and still one of my favorite beef joints in the Chi. It really hasnt changed aside from a few more locations throughout the area. Unlike other places that expand they seem to do the same good beef at each location. I would still recommend the original on Kedzie though. Folks on the south side are lucky to have such a good beef that hasnt changed. Its always got a constant flow of traffic and they aint dumb, they do a beef dinner to go for all the family's busy with school and sports activities. You get the beef, roll of bread, gravy and giardinara and do it all up at home. This way the wife doesnt have to cook and dad and the kids are happy, everyone loves Pop's. Ill be goin here til the day I die. Go Cub's.


beef with hot from Pop's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 5
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 5

Score: 18/20

Pop's Italian Beef and Sausage
10337 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 239-1243
Website