Good Italian Beef in Ukrainian Village?

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if you know of any good italian beefs in Ukrainian Village, or something within walking distance of Ukie? I stumbled upon your beef tasting extravaganza from a few years back and it looks like you guys really know your beef.

As to my tastes: My personal favorites are Johnny's, Portillo's and Buona actually. I know Bouna is mostly thought of as mostly generic, run of the mill, but there is something I love about their whole olives in the giardiniera. I'm anti-Al's. Their giardiniera and beef flavor just doesn't do it for me.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Welcome to LTH, Idiosyncronaut!

I'm personally not aware of any good ones in the immediate 'hood (though I've no doubt some exist), but you have a couple of board favorites not too far away, depending on where you are, precisely.


There's a Jay's up on North Avenue, a few blocks west of Damen, and while it's not a personal favorite it's a solid beef and well-loved by many folks around here.


Also, Boston's is pretty close, where Chicago and Grand intersect (couple blocks west of California). That's another board favorite.

Hope one of those is close enough for you. Be sure to report back, and welcome again!

Jay's Beef of Chicago
2255 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773-772-2333

Bostons Italian Beef
2932 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-486-9536

Thanks so much for the reply and the welcome Dmnkly!

I'll definitely have to try both of those out. Although the thunder storm put a damper on my plans this afternoon. I'll let you guys know if I find anything around UK Village

~ Idio

You might want to try Odge's on Damen, just north of Chicago. I've never eaten there myself, but it has its fans. Cash only and weird hours, but as far as I can tell it's one of the only options around. We used to have Skippy's Red Hots and Peppe's on Chicago Ave, but they've both recently turned into other things. Skippy's is now a Mexican place and Peppe's is "Ski Dog," which may well have beefs, but reviews I've seen elsewhere have not inspired confidence.

Odge's
730 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622-5517
(312) 666-7335

ndgbucktown wrote:You might want to try Odge's on Damen, just north of Chicago. I've never eaten there myself, but it has its fans. Cash only and weird hours, but as far as I can tell it's one of the only options around. We used to have Skippy's Red Hots and Peppe's on Chicago Ave, but they've both recently turned into other things. Skippy's is now a Mexican place and Peppe's is "Ski Dog," which may well have beefs, but reviews I've seen elsewhere have not inspired confidence.

Odge's
730 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622-5517
(312) 666-7335

You know I read that first part five times saying "where is that?", then realized that you meant South of Chicago!

SSDD

Years ago, back when I used to live in the hood (1992 and earlier) I used to go to Chicago Carry Outs, when it first opened. I remember really liking the burgers, but don't recall what the Italian Beefs were like, although I do remember ordering them on several occassions. Anyhow, it is actually in East Village, but it may be worth a try. The fact that it is still in existence must mean something.

Chicago Carry Outs
1760 W Chicago Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 829-8749