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Best Italian Beef in Chicago · Chicago, IL
Al's #1 Italian Beef has been the standard-bearer of Chicago's signature sandwich since 1938, when the Ferreri family began thin-slicing slow-roasted beef, piling it on French bread, and dunking the whole thing in seasoned jus on Taylor Street in Little Italy. Order it dipped with hot giardiniera and eat it standing, elbows out, in the posture Chicagoans call "the lean."
From that original beef stand it grew into an institution credited with launching the city's national sandwich — and the 2026 Centurion Award winner in Chicago.
Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Al's #1 Italian Beef
This page is the standing record for Al's #1 Italian Beef (2026). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.