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If I'm in Chicago the only place I'm tryna get Italian Beef is Johnnie's in Elmwood Park. If I'm outside of Chicago I know the great Chicago export of Portillo's will offer a perfectly adequate beef. I probably won't go out of my way for this Portillo's again, but the decor inside was classic Chicago mob-themed and you can't beat their iconic red stripes and wiener dog mascot. My main critique of the quality of the sandwich is sometimes their meat is a bit tough, and even though I ask for the beef "extra juicy" there are some really dry moments. Overall, solid intro to Italian Beef and their chopped salad is bomb! 7/10 Yum 9/10 Chicago-ness 10/10 Service 8/10 Vibes (slightly lower cuz their patio was lacking in vibe but inside was great)
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Jan 21, 2024

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OK so it's not an Italian Beef per se because of the bread, but mighty tasty with spicy giardiniera (notably imported from Chicago, noted the menu), crinkle-cut fries (by far my favorite fry shape but not so common in LA), and a side of jus (that was not on the menu but when I asked if they served it "dipped" or "juicy" they very graciously brought a side of it) that overall made one heck of a sammich! 8/10 Yum 6/10 Chicago-ness 10/10 Service 10/10 Vibes
Jan 21, 2024
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(outside the city but worth it) they have the best italian beef hands down!!! Otherwise any mom and pop lookin beef place is the best, better than the big ones like Portillos or Al’s
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This is a pretty solid/recent list with map included. The top places are in the burbs and some of the more popular downtown spots are kind of meh, my recommendation is Bari on W Grand, get the hot giardiniera, very consistent and you can ask for au jus on the side. (I had one fully "dipped" from Johnnie's in Bridgeport once and it was like a straight up heart attack)
Jul 18, 2024

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