The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.1—Serelli’s!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 17 May 2010 at 2:30 pm {one comment}

Serrelli’s
6454 West North Avenue
(773) 745–3888?

The number 1 choice of the Beat Cop’s Guide readers, as well as your two humble authors, is Serelli’s.

A staple of Chicago’s far west side for generations, Serelli’s is the typical Italian grocery we talked anout in our Tony’s entry. In addition to being a neighbor grocery, Serelli’s also has the best beef in the city. The way I’ve always liked it best was to buy it by the pound and heat it up myself at home. It’s an instant party, even when your fellow partyers are a wife, three little kids, and a loud dog.

Serelli’s is the perfect blend of taste and ambiance. The beef is always cooked properly, and the gravy is just right, not overpowering or watery.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.2—Paterno’s!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian, Pizza by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 11 May 2010 at 7:01 am {one comment}


Paterno’s
5303 N Milwaukee Ave
(773) 631–5522
www.paternopizza.com

Some people might accuse the Beat Cop’s Guide of being a little biased when it comes to Paterno’s. After all, it’s a neighborhood place, Paul Paterno is a great guy, and the bar doesn’t overcharge the beer or underpour the scotch.

What’s great about Paterno’s is that everything is homemade. I think this includes the gravy in the beef sandwiches, which has a more peppery flavor than some others I’ve had.

The sandwich is called the ”Incredible” and incredible it is. The bread is always fresh, and so are the peppers. At Paterno’s, I get the beef a little less wet than is my usual, because the bread is so good, and I don’t want the gravy to overpower it. Although it’s a bar, many families go to Paterno’s and eat in the simple dining room.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.3—Buona Beef!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian, Pizza by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 10 May 2010 at 2:42 pm {no comments}

Buona Beef
7025 W. North Avenue
(and other locations)
(708) 383–1800

http://www.buona.com


The Beat Cop’s Guide does not cover chain restaurants (normally) but for Buona Beef, we’ll make an exception. Partly because we got a lot of votes for the Buona Beef sandwich; partly because … it’s really good.

Sticking to the theme that defines the Top 7, Buona’s serves very tasty beef, with good dippage, and fresh peppers. What makes Buona just a touch better than the bottom four of the top seven is the intangibles. The service is good, the restaurants, especially the North Avenue location, are clean and the people that work there are nice and polite. The cost is comparable to places in the neighborhood, and haven’t been jacked up because they have a good reputation.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.4—Al’s Beef!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 29 April 2010 at 12:23 pm {no comments}

Al’s #1 Italian Beef
1079 West Taylor St.
630-858-9121

Al’s invented beef. I know it, and I respect it. However, it doesn’t mean they are the best. I will go so far to say that Al’s would have fallen just out of the top 7 if it hadn’t been for its location and its storied history.

Al’s has good beef. They also have good peppers, perfectly prepared; and they are masters at the art of the dip. But they’ve fallen into the trap of many successful businesses: they’re resting on their laurels. The sandwiches are just too small for the price. If you’re holding a  proper beef sandwich, you should not be able to touch the edges of the bun together without at least five minutes of eating. Al’s buns are touching when you unwrap it.

Al, if you’re listening; go for the top spot again! Stop skimping! Fill the buns.

I have a dream of the day we can once again walk along Taylor street, get a giant beef sandwich that leaves barely enough room for the fantastic Italian Lemonade across the street.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.5—Tore’s Beef!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian, Pizza by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 28 April 2010 at 2:30 pm {no comments}

Tore’s Beef & Pizza
2804 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
773-486-2600

OK. .. OK, I know: I’m falling behind; but I was eating beef sandwiches! Number 5 is Tore’s beef. Tore’s is not really well known for its beef, and I was surprised to see it mentioned in the Facebook argument*. But they are very good, and Tore’s has it all, good location, good beef, good service—and dipping skills.

When we order it for the district desk, the beef is still hot by the time we get it. When you ask for extra juicy they dip it good and wrap it twice. The peppers are always right. I generally get sweet, and they are firm, but not overripe.

Tore’s has a menu that includes all of your other hot dog stand items, but they don’t forget about the quality of the beef.

Tore’s is located at Elston and Western, which is convenient if you live anywhere from downtown to the northwest side. Location does count in ranking your lunchtime fare, because if you have to leave your district for lunch, the food better be worth the risk.

* This series started as a simple question we posted on our Facebook page.. .

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.6—Tony’s Deli!

Filed under $, 7 Best, Cuisine, Italian by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 19 April 2010 at 11:07 am {no comments}

Tony’s Deli
6708 Northwest Hwy.
Chicago, IL 60631
(773) 631–0055
www.tonysdeliandsubs.com

Tony’s is an old Italian style grocery store. The deli counter in back makes great subs and even better beef. I love places like this, and in Chicago, some of the best Italian, Mexican, and Polish food is not found in restaurants, but in the back of ethnic grocery stores. The next time you’re driving past one of these places on your way to Dominick’s, stop in and check it out.

Tony’s make its beef right there in the store, and serves it up in three sizes. They will make it dry or wet, but the beef is always perfectly cooked, juicy and tender. I don’t think they make the bread there, but it’s always so fresh that it seems as if it was made about five minutes before you pick it up. The giardiniera is home-made and fantastic.

I will admit that when you get to this level of food tastiness, the smallest things can separate number 1 from number 7. Things like presentation, ambiance, and history come into play. The ambiance at Tony’s is striking. It seems to me (never having been to Italy) what a real Italian grocery is like. Also, I’ve never had bad food there, and I’ve lived in this neighborhood nearly two decades. Lastly, after you finish your sandwich, you can get homemade cannoli and anise cookies, which are fantastic.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s 7 Best Italian Beef Sandwiches!

No.7—Max’s Italian Beef!

Filed under $, 7 Best, American, Cuisine, Italian by Sgt. David "Biscuit" Haynes on 15 April 2010 at 7:35 pm {no comments}

Max’s Italian Beef
5754 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659–5114
(773) 989–8200
www.roadfood.com

Just about all decent beef places start with the same beef. Thinly sliced, perfectly cooked, and yummy. What separates the best from the rest is what they do beyond the beef; the bread, the juice, the peppers, and even the ambiance of the place.

Max’s goes that extra mile. The juice is peppery and sticks to the sandwich. The bread is fresh and the proper length and it comes with a very generous portion of meat. At Max’s they have also mastered the art of the dip. They really understand the difference between “dry,” “dipped,” and “extra juicy.”

Over the years, Max’s has improved on the ambiance, but there is still has hardly any seats, and it is located across the street from Rosehill Cemetery, so the view consists of a fence and graves.

The Beat Cop’s Guide to Chicago’s Best Italian Beef

Filed under American, Cuisine, Italian by Christopher "Bull" Garlington, Esq. on 13 April 2010 at 9:07 am {3 comments}

Thanks to our fans on Facebook for providing such enthusiastic responses to my casual question about who’s got the best Italian beef sandwich in Chicago. There were so many comments, I had to write about it.—Chris “The Bull” Garlington

Dave can tell you: even after living in Chicago ten years, I did not know Italian beef sandwiches were invented in Chicago. I thought they were, well, Italian, kapisch? When we were writing a sidebar for our book that listed all the great foods invented in the Windy City, I argued for a good half an hour that Italian beef sandwiches were from the papal boot. Allow me to state publicly: Dave, you were right and I was wrong.

The Italian Beef sandwich is as Chicago as Al Capone; that’s an argument that’s been put to bed. Who makes the best Italian beef sandwiches in town? That’s an argument that will last forever. Until then, our fans have weighed in, gone a couple of rounds, and come up with a list of the best places to get a real, authentic, original, classic Chicago Italian beef sandwich.

However; in order for this to make sense, a definition:

  1. An Italian beef sandwich is: a crispy, split, Italian bun, over-filled with a wad of spiced, marinated, slow-cooked beef sliced paper-thin, drunk in it’s own au jus. Green or hot peppers mixed into the meat is a typical option. An Italian beef sandwich should be served with so much gravy the customer is forced into making a critical split second decision: should I pick it up, or eat it with a spoon?
  2. Cheese is optional. However, should you choose cheese, choose wisely: Smoked Gouda, Havarti, Osu Eraty, Pepper Jack, and Cheddar are all nice in their places but their place is NOT melted onto an Italian. Provolone, pal, and only provolone. Mozzarella in a pinch—and don’t admit it.
  3. Asiago dusted olive embedded artisan breads are cute when you’re on a date but using it to dress up an Italian it’s like wearing a tuxedo to a baseball game. Cheap bread. Local, sure—but cheap with crispy, crackly, crumbs exploding in all directions: a soaking-up-gravy-like-a-^%$#@!-sponge white bread. No substitutes!

That’s an Italian sandwich. We’ll post a review each day for a week until we reveal the number 1 Italian beef joint in the City of Big Shoulders.

And then you can argue.

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Tweet Cop . . .

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