Al’s #1 Italian Beef

Though it was franchised at the turn of the millennium, this location of Al’s is the oldest (having opened in 1938) and the only direct descendant of the original (a wooden stand at Laflin and Harrison). These days, you’ll find Italian beefs all over town, but there’s something about eating one at this surviving piece of Little Italy. A six-inch bun piled with tender, thinly sliced beef is only better as a “combo” (topped with char-grilled sausage), “dipped” in beef jus and finished with hot giardiniera. Skin-on fries smothered with cheese are required eating for a meal lingering locals would be proud of.