Name: Al's #1 Italian Beef
Address: 1079 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60607
Telephone: (312) 226-4017

Al's #1 Italian Beef

Iconic/NotableUniversity Village · Italian Beef Community-sourced, unverified

📍 1079 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607

Al's #1 Italian Beef traces back to Anthony Ferrari peddling seasoned beef around Little Italy starting in 1917; Al Ferreri and his sister and brother-in-law opened a proper stand nearby in 1938, before urban renewal pushed it to its current Taylor Street spot in the early 1960s. Al's nephews carried the business forward, and it earned the "#1" in its name from a 1980 Chicago Magazine title.

Tourist Friendly

Dish Gem$$

Italian beef, straightforward and done right — the name of the place is basically the whole review.

📈 Scores in the top 100% of Dish Gems on ChicagoSpecials.com

This Taylor Street location is the original -- every other Al's Beef around the city and suburbs is a franchise built off this one. It's cash only, with free limited parking right by the building, and the setup is more to-go counter than sit-down restaurant, though dogs are welcome and it's fine for kids.

Nearly 700 Yelp reviews and 745 Facebook reviews (88% recommend) back up the reputation, with the usual split of praise for the beef against some grumbling about service and price.

📅 Reservations not available🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (312) 226-4017 📍 Directions

Hours

Mon-Fri9AM-11PM

Sat 10AM-11PM

Sun Closed

Amenities & accessibility

🚶Walk-in only

🥡Takeout available

❔Wheelchair access: unverified

🐕Dog-friendly

🙂Kid-friendly

🅿️Free limited parking on-site

Location

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Al's #1 Italian Beef

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