Best Beef: St. Charles & O'Hare

I'll be in the neighborhood this coming weekend. I need suggestions for 2 Italian Beef outings:

1. Is there a good Al's near Ohare? My first trip to Al's (the one on Taylor IIRC) was stupendous. Also my first combo! Wow! I'd like to try another Al's if any good.

2. Most of my time will be at a wood show in St. Charles, any good beef there?

Cheers and thanks!

There is an Al's near O'Hare - on Higgins just west of Cumberland - but it is a franchised location and I think the beef is poor. It is nothing like the Al's on Taylor.

I think a better bet would be the Johnnie's west of O'Hare (Arlington Heights road - there's an exit off of I-90 here - a couple of blocks north of I-90).

BR wrote:There is an Al's near O'Hare - on Higgins just west of Cumberland - but it is a franchised location and I think the beef is poor. It is nothing like the Al's on Taylor.

I think a better bet would be the Johnnie's west of O'Hare (Arlington Heights road - there's an exit off of I-90 here - a couple of blocks north of I-90).

OK, I'm game for Johnnies, been before and it was great. How's the combo?

good call. take I-90 West to the Arlington Heights road exit, make a right, stay in the right lane and you should see it (Johnnies) on your right shortly:

Johnnie's Beef
1935 S Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 357-8100

viewtopic.php?t=6020

the combo is pretty good if you like combos. i usually go for the beef, hot. if you're hungry you can probably eat two sandwiches (two beefs, or maybe a beef and sausage). i don't think Johnnie's will disappoint!

If your wood show is at Pheasant Run in St. Charles, there is a Portillo's about a mile west right on Rte. 64 (North Ave.) that I have always found consistently good. To the east, about 2 miles on Rte. 64 is Augustinos Rock & Roll Deli which has Italian beefs and many other good things. Hard to miss the white building with a giant guitar. It's in a stand alone building in front of a Menard's next to a Steak and Shake.

http://www.augustinos.com/west-chicago/

Abouna wrote:

BR wrote:There is an Al's near O'Hare - on Higgins just west of Cumberland - but it is a franchised location and I think the beef is poor. It is nothing like the Al's on Taylor.

I think a better bet would be the Johnnie's west of O'Hare (Arlington Heights road - there's an exit off of I-90 here - a couple of blocks north of I-90).

OK, I'm game for Johnnies, been before and it was great. How's the combo?

Excellent

IMO, Johnnies' combos are better than their beefs -and I'm normally not a big fan of Italian Snausage at all.

Thanks guys. Sounds great.

Im usually a beef with hot type guy but I only order combos from Johnnie's nowadays. Its still the best overall IB in my book but the combo is really special.

Da Beef wrote:Im usually a beef with hot type guy but I only order combos from Johnnie's nowadays. Its still the best overall IB in my book but the combo is really special.

I love Johnnie's too, and I've never had a combo there, but I think it's time to try one. Al's and Johnnie's are both amazing for beef. Al's fresh cut fries are some of the best I've ever had, while Johnnie's are just standard frozen fast food fries.

You also have Jay's locations in Des Plaines and Harwood Heights. Both are about 15 minutes away. I'm a little less enthused about it than others, but many of the hardcore beef fans around these parts like it quite a bit.

Johnnie's is the way to go, though.

I actually am more likely to get a combo at Al's than Johnnie's... the sausage at Johnnie's has been so volcanically hot the past few times I've gotten a combo that it's made the sandwich less enjoyable. Instead, I'll usually get a beef sandwich and a sausage sandwich, and eat the beef first so the sausage has time to come to a more sane temperature.

Also, although they aren't as good as Al's, I like the fries at Johnnie's a lot. They're nearly identical (to me) to McDonalds fries, and as fries-from-a-bag go, I think they're among the best.

Well good thing for distance! If I weren't 220mi away you guys it'd be making me jump in the car right now! I'm starving for a beef and I just ate!

i do the same thing: get a beef, hot on its own and a sausage on its own and enjoy the two seperately. i like to keep the tastes seperate, but i don't think you can go wrong either way at Johnnie's

if your by o'hare try Mr. beef on harlem and irving, always been good like johnnie's beef.

Dmnkly wrote:You also have Jay's locations in Des Plaines and Harwood Heights. Both are about 15 minutes away. I'm a little less enthused about it than others, but many of the hardcore beef fans around these parts like it quite a bit.

Johnnie's is the way to go, though.

I've only been to the Jay's on Irving Park Rd. in Schiller Park but I think their beef is pretty mediocre . . . better than the Al's on Higgins, but not by much. A much better beef sandwich in the area is offered by Bob-O's on Irving Park just east of Cumberland. Bob-O's also has very good skin-on fries, and if anyone ever doubted that they cut their own potatoes, that doubt would be quickly dispelled upon noticing the bags and bags and bags of potatoes near the back.

BR wrote:I've only been to the Jay's on Irving Park Rd. in Schiller Park but I think their beef is pretty mediocre . . . better than the Al's on Higgins, but not by much. A much better beef sandwich in the area is offered by Bob-O's on Irving Park just east of Cumberland. Bob-O's also has very good skin-on fries, and if anyone ever doubted that they cut their own potatoes, that doubt would be quickly dispelled upon noticing the bags and bags and bags of potatoes near the back.

I haven't been to the Schiller Park Jay's in years. But I still frequent the original in Harwood Heights. I find it pretty good and very consistent. And you sure can't beat it on value, they really fill up a sandwich.

Bob-O's, I live less than a mile from. The first time I tried their beef I was mad at myself for never having tried it before. It was excellent. The next time I tried it, it was awful.

I can handle good but not spectacular. I can't handle awful.

BTW, the only time I was at the Al's on Higgins I thought it was one of the better one's I've had from an Al's franchise. Still not great and light years inferior to Taylor St. And of course, overpriced to the MAX!!!

I've been to the original Jay's once or twice but I've been eating at the Montrose and Narragansett location forever. It was my favorite beef as a kid and still remains in my top five in Chicagoland. My dad and uncles who basically introduced me to beefs when I was 5 or 6 insist nothing has changed. The above poster was right about it being filled up and its also very good 9 out of 10 times.


beef with hot from Jay's

I can't comment on the original Jay's you guys speak of at Montrose and Narragansett because I haven't tried it.

As for Bob-O's Midas, I'd suggest another try . . . I'm almost always impressed with their beef. And although not for purists, I occasionally try their cheesy beef and it is excellent - juicy beef, garlic bread, thick melted mozzarella, hot peppers . . . really good.

On another note, anyone try this place called Bumpa's, at Foster & Elston? It's relatively new and right on my way home from work, but I haven't tried it yet.

UPDATE:

OK, so I went the Johnnies near Ohare. Good but, I'm sorry to say, nowhere near Al's on Taylor. The beef was fine, but the sausage was overly hot and on the dry side. It was also quite expensive and smallish.

I decided to hit Jay's also (again the one near the airport), no dice, they have closed their doors. Too bad because I aciidentally tried that location about a year ago and was impressed.

How about Paradise Pup in Des Plaines on River Road.

I remember Guy enjoyed their homemade Italian Beef on D&D.

Abouna wrote:I decided to hit Jay's also (again the one near the airport), no dice, they have closed their doors. Too bad because I aciidentally tried that location about a year ago and was impressed.

Their website still shows it open:

http://www.jaysbeef.com/locations.php

Jay’s Beef Schiller Park

9732 Irving Park Road
Schiller Park, IL 60176

Hours Of Operation

Mon-Sat: 10:30 AM-9:00 PM
Sun: 11:30 AM- 9:00 PM

chainey wrote:How about Paradise Pup in Des Plaines on River Road.

I remember Guy enjoyed their homemade Italian Beef on D&D.

I've had it a couple of times and thought that it's ok, but nothing special.

chainey wrote:How about Paradise Pup in Des Plaines on River Road.

I remember Guy enjoyed their homemade Italian Beef on D&D.

Going to PP and ordering a beef is like going to Johnnies and ordering a hot dog. You can do it, but why?

stevez wrote:Going to PP and ordering a beef is like going to Johnnies and ordering a hot dog. You can do it, but why?

Because they're making their own beef, which if done well, can be very good. And if you go often enough, you'll want something other than a burger. They also make an excellent chicken teriyaki sandwich, which most people going there do not know.

BR wrote:

stevez wrote:Going to PP and ordering a beef is like going to Johnnies and ordering a hot dog. You can do it, but why?

Because they're making their own beef, which if done well, can be very good. And if you go often enough, you'll want something other than a burger. They also make an excellent chicken teriyaki sandwich, which most people going there do not know.

I've been going to PP for years. People line up out the door every day for the burgers, chicken and dogs. I've rarely (if ever) seen anyone ordering a beef. There's a reason for that. They are famous for certain things for a reason. Beef is not one of those reasons.

Probably worth noting that Buona is now open on Touhy just west of Manheim (next door to Steak & Shake), about 5 minutes from O'Hare. Not Johnnie's, but far better than the Al's on Higgins. Portillo's (Dempster west of Greenwood) is also better than the Al's on Higgins but it is a little farther from O'Hare.