EatNear West Side

Al's #1 Italian Beef

With its highly distinctive finely chopped giardinera with tons of red pepper for the heat, Al's has won accolades from various sources claiming it serves one of the top ten sandwiches in America, or more plausibly from the Chicago Magazine, the best Italian Beef in the city. It has since grown into a chain, but this is the original, and the destination of choice for aficionados.

Address: 1079 W Taylor St
Hours: Mon-Thu 9AM-11PM, Fri 9AM-midnight, Sat 10AM-midnight
Price: $5-8

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Chicago/Near West Side, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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