Chicago counter classic · Dipped in its own juices
Italian Beef
Photo: The Buona Companies / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
One theory traces it to Italian-American weddings in 1920s Chicago, where beef sliced paper-thin and simmered in gravy could stretch to feed a crowd.
Thin-shaved roast beef soaked in seasoned gravy, piled into a long French roll and topped with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera; ordered at the counter, often 'dipped' so the whole sandwich is dunked in the jus.
Why it's made this way: It was created by Chicago's Italian-American community; Al's Beef, whose family began selling beef sandwiches in 1938, is among the oldest stands still serving it.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3422 dishes from 118 countries.
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