Al's #1 Italian Beef - Little Italy

Al's #1 Italian Beef on Taylor Street in Little Italy is the original home of one of Chicago's best-known Italian beef stands, at 1079 W Taylor Street on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The Italian beef sandwich is a defining Chicago street food: thin slices of roast beef simmered in seasoned broth and piled into a long Italian roll, usually topped with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera, a pickled vegetable relish in oil. The signature order here is the Italian beef, dipped, with hot peppers, in which the whole sandwich is submerged in the beef juices so the bread softens and soaks them up. Regulars typically ask for it dipped for the full effect, and eat it leaning forward over the counter to keep the juice off their clothes. The Italian sausage combo, which pairs a grilled sausage with the beef on the same roll, is the main alternative. The stand is a counter-service operation with no table reservations; customers order at the window or counter and eat standing at a ledge, in a car or on a nearby bench. The atmosphere is fast, informal and noisy, with a crowd that ranges from University of Illinois Chicago students to office workers, neighbourhood regulars and visitors who have come specifically for the sandwich. Prices are low, in the range of single-digit to low double-digit dollars for a sandwich, which makes it one of the cheapest classic meals in the city. Hours run Monday to Friday from 9AM to 11PM and Saturday from 10AM to 11PM; the stand is closed on Sunday. Lines form at lunch and after evening events, but service is quick. The Taylor Street location sits in a neighbourhood known for Italian-American restaurants, bakeries and gelato shops, making it a convenient stop on a self-guided food walk. There is no wine or cocktail programme; soft drinks and Italian ice-style treats are the usual accompaniment. The sandwich is messy by design, so napkins are essential.