Al's Number 1 Italian Beef

The Verdict

If you are in Chicago and want to understand Italian beef sandwiches, Al's Number 1 Italian Beef on Wells Street is the correct place to start. It holds a 2025 Pearl Recommended designation and has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America list in both 2023 and 2024 (ranked #540), which tells you two things: this is a serious sandwich operation, and it costs almost nothing. Walk in, order, eat. Booking is not required and the experience does not call for one.

What to Expect

Al's sits on N Wells St in River North, a stretch that draws office workers at lunch and tourists in the evening. The format is counter-service Italian beef, a Chicago institution built around thinly sliced seasoned beef, soaked in its own cooking juices and served on Italian bread. The scent of the au jus hits you before you reach the counter — that low, savory, beef-fat smell that signals you are somewhere doing this properly. There is no tableside service, no tasting menu, and no dress expectation beyond being dressed.

For a food enthusiast trying to map Chicago's eating culture, Al's is a useful reference point. Italian beef is not a trend or a revival here; it is a functional part of how the city eats, and a spot that earns recurring OAD Cheap Eats recognition is one that locals keep returning to, not just one that tourists photograph. The 4.5 rating across 2,918 Google reviews reinforces that this is not a one-visit curiosity.

Lunch vs. Dinner at Al's

This is primarily a daytime destination. The lunch window is when Al's makes the most sense: quick turnaround, a crowd that knows what it's doing, and the kind of energy that suits counter-service eating. The Italian beef is the same product day or night, but at lunch the pacing is natural and the queue, if there is one, moves fast. For dinner, Al's is more of a late-stop option than a considered evening meal. If you are planning a proper dinner in Chicago, the meal at Al's is not the one to anchor your evening around — but as a pre-show or post-event sandwich, it does the job without ceremony or wait. For a full evening dining experience in the city, see our full Chicago restaurants guide.

Ratings and Recognition

• Pearl: Recommended (2025)
• Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats North America: Ranked #540 (2024); Recommended (2023)
• Google: 4.5 stars (2,918 reviews)

Booking and Practical Details

Reservations: Not required, walk in. Booking difficulty: Easy. Dress: No code; casual is the only appropriate register. Budget: Cheap eats category; expect to spend well under $20 per person. Format: Counter service, Italian beef sandwiches. Address: 548 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654.

There is no phone number or website in our current data. If you need to confirm hours before visiting, a quick search on Google Maps for the Wells Street location will give you current operating times. Al's has multiple Chicago locations, so confirm you are heading to the River North address on N Wells St.

Where Al's Fits in Chicago Eating

Al's is not competing with Alinea, Smyth, or Kasama. It is operating in a completely different register: fast, inexpensive, category-specific, and historically grounded in Chicago food culture. For Italian beef specifically, it is a credentialed option. For a broader picture of where to eat in Chicago across formats and price points, our full Chicago restaurants guide covers the range. For other Italian-leaning references outside Chicago, Amerigo in Greve in Chianti and Albergo Il Giglio in Scorgiano offer useful contrast on what Italian cuisine looks like in a formal, regional context. If you want pizza in Chicago, Bartolis Pizzeria is worth checking. For broader Chicago planning, see our Chicago hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide.