Johnnie’s Beef

Excellent place to go for a great Chicago style Italian beef and an Italian ice. Highly recommend!

Delicious hotdogs and Italian Ice! They are cash only which is inconvenient but they have an ATM in the restaurant. It’s definitely an above average hot dog place.

Went w a client. Had the combo. The hot sausage is amazing. Cooked on open flame. Real locals place. Didn’t realize they had shakes, probably for the best as that would’ve been over the top.

Johnnie’s is a good place to grab tasty food quickly at a very affordable price (cash only, by the way). There are certainly better places to get Italian beef and hotdogs, but Johnnie’s doesn’t disappoint. I’ve had much better vienna beef hotdogs from other places (especially with Portillos down the street), but it’s still tasty, cheap, and it comes with fries. Their Italian beef is good too, but I recommend asking for it dipped otherwise the bread is a bit much and quite dry. Add an Italian ice and it all comes together as a decent fast food meal. ⁴⁄₅ for the food.
I only knocked another star off because the service there can be sort of unwelcoming at times. I often go to Johnnie’s later at night, because it’s one of the few food places open late. They advertise that they close at 12AM, but sometimes they start putting the chairs up and mopping the floor around 10 or 10:30. The cleaning supplies smell strong and are a little annoying if you’re still trying to enjoy your food. It’s almost like they want people to get out and leave even though they don’t close for another hour and a half.

I love this place! The best Italian beef in the area for sure. I have gotten this to go and eaten in the restaurant, and both are great experiences even if you get your sandwiched dipped! You have to get an Italian beef, dipped, served with hot and sweet peppers. Get fries on the side and the lemon ice. You will thank me later.
You can see from pictures here that the lemon and watermelon ice are served in a small paper cup, but stuffed almost twice as high as the cup is! You’ll be wanting more at the end though! It’s the best flavored ice I’ve ever eaten. Ever. I definitely prefer the lemon over the watermelon. The lemon does have lemon rinds within it, but that only adds to the authenticity of the flavor. I want a lemon ice right now!

I love Italian beef and this is definitely one of my favorites. Not in this area too much so I always try to stop by here when i’m passing through.
Make sure to bring cash and always get hot peppers with an italian ice to cool you down.

I went here with two friends last Friday night. We got there right before 6 PM and boy am I happy we did! We ordered our Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, one of us had egg added too, with fries and a drink for under eight dollars apiece. The service was very quick and we picked up our orders in literally a minute or two sat down at a nice clean table in a well-​maintained eating area and begin to enjoy your meal. Within 10 minutes the line was over 20 people deep. The sandwiches were excellent, the french fries were done just right. It is a great value. My friend who likes it hot ordered extra hot peppers and he lived it! I had the sweet peppers and it suited me just fine! For an inexpensive meal this is a great place.

Love their beef and they always get my order correct. Beef extra wet 20^th sweet peppers and hot pepper oil. It’s not complicated but seems like no one ever gets it right. Price is toght. Open late. And best of all tastes great!
Simple menu but everything they do they do very well!

So Johnnie’s beef is wonderful if you only want Italian beef lol, the menu had very little to choose from but I guess that’s what makes them «Johnnie’s beef»
The service is terrible, regardless if there was a misunderstanding with my order, don’t try to argue it with me.

Italian Beef seems to be a Chicago area delicacy. You can eat inside or out. Or I suppose the real way is to stand in front of the window facing the parking lot leaning over the table.
This means you need to get a beef with peppers (sweet or hot) dipped in juice — and have it over the wax paper it comes in — then lean forward and eat with the juice dripping all over the wax. You have to practice to not make a juicy mess.
Johnnie’s has amongst the best beef in the area. The portion size is on the small size, but the quality is top notch.
The high point is the Italian beef — would be rated 5 if that was all. The other stuff is good — but not as top notch. I generally just get a beef sandwich with hot peppers and a large pop.
Chicago takes a lot of pride in their Italian beef — and this is easily accessible right off the Northwest Tollway.

This is the best Italian Beef on the planet. Do not mess around and go anywhere else in Chicago. When I am in Chicago this is the only place I go to for Beefs! Last trip to Chicago in 4 days I ate her all 4 days. You also need to get the Lemon Ice to as well. Heck everything is good here including the tamales and french fries. The kicker to all of this is it is by far the least expensive Italian Beef place in Chicago.

It was my first taste of Chicago style beef sandwiches, but not the last. Cash only but they have a cash machine. It is an old school place. The menu is extremely limited, but delicious. $ 8.85 for the full meal of a sandwich, fries and an Italian Ice. The meat was tender, the spices just right and the peppers tasty. Awesome sandwich. Kind of surly service, but what the hell, with food like this you can be a little surly. Maybe the manager (owner?) was filling in for a no-​call no-​show?

Stopped in here for one of their beef sandwiches. They have a zillion reviews already so not much more that I can add. Been here a whole bunch of times. A very solid beef sandwich can be had here. Fries are so-​so, Italian ice is good. If you are in the area, worth checking out.
Cheers to All

This place is no frills and only accepts cash so be prepared!
We all have our favorite Italian beef spot. And we all know that Portillo’s is a safe bet. However pound for pound the Italian beef at Johnny’s has more flavor then most other spots. The reason for the four stars is because they have been rather inconsistent in their seasoning. At times their beef may be salty and fries may be overcooked. However when you catch them on the good day you would be surprised that you have lived this long without eating here.
Plus on their fast and friendly staff.

Pretty accessible as far as the indoor sitting. They also have outdoor seating and restrooms, but I didn’t get to scope out the wheelchair accessibility. They do have wheelchair accessible parking. They had a cloth tent in front of the main door, probably to keep the AC and heat inside, which made it harder for my sister to hold the doors both open for me.
Not the best Italian beef, but pretty cheap. It was kind of salty. We like the Italian beef at Portillo’s and Torre and Luke’s better. They have a limited menu. We did like the watermelon Italian ice. We shared a small that had some seeds, but it was served so it looked like a flower in a cup.
There was ample seating, TVs, and a mural of the restaurant in Chicago.

Not the fanciest restaurant you’ll get a sandwich at, but for the price it’s hard to beat. The Italian beef, served wet and with hot peppers is a rich masterpiece dripping with juice. The peppers bring a bright pop to each bite, making the soggy mess your holding feel worth it. The Italian ice is marvelous, the clean lemonade helps cut the fatty aftertaste of the meal, leaving a refreshing flavor in its wake. All in all, a great experience of cheap and easy food that is well prepared and balanced to make you smile.

Beef. Dipped. Hot. Fries. Watermelon.
Combo. Dipped. Hot. Fries.
That’s the way we like it.
Got that? Probably my 4^th-​ish/​forgot how many times visiting from out of state and I’ve finally figured out the lingo in ordering here. I tell ya, it saves a LOT of time and confusion.
Eat in. Out in the patio. Or I suppose the real way is to stand in front of the window facing the parking lot doing the «Chicago Lean».
1) Put your massive juicy sandwich on the counter.
2) Stand in front of it with your chest about a foot from the counter’s edge.
3) Lean forward until your chest is at a 45 degree angle to the counter. (Gents, tuck your ties… ladies pull back your hair.)
4) Pick up your sandwich with your elbows propped on the counter.
5) Angle the sandwich 45 degrees to the counter with top end towards your mouth.
6) Eat and enjoy. Let the juicy drippings/​toppings hit the floor!
Disclaimer: For best results, keep the sandwich wrapped in the wax paper and unwrap it as you go. It’ll save you greasy mess and a massive amount of napkins.
Well…I didn’t do the «Chicago Lean» today, simply because the weather was superb and we sat in the patio. I was free to drop things and let the little fat birdies feast on it.
Lunch for 2 only set us back a mere $ 16. I think the meat and toppings are getting a little skimpier than previous visits. Tsk tsk. Nonetheless, still satisfies my craving for a hot Italian beef.

Similar to the other Johnnie’s in Elmwood Park, convenience did me in for this one since its way closer.
Beef was good, whether its with hot peppers or sweet peppers. I prefer mine hot or sweet, mood depending, and dipped. Also, the fries were good, fountain drinks well mixed. Also had their lemon Italian ice, very very nice and cold and lemony.
Plenty of seats/​tables indoors and out, so you can bring some friends/​family.
Its no 5-​star restaurant, but its no dive either, casual dining. And you don’t come here for a burger or sutchi! (yeah, a Terry Bradshaw-​ism for fun).

Beef was okay sausage was a bit overlooked and seasoned for me. It’s cash only and no frills but a solid affordable lunch. Obviously go with hot peppers!

I was really disappointed in my visit there yesterday because I love this place! My combo had an odd and different flavor than I’m used to there and I asked for my sandwiched dipped and they were to dry… I guess when the cashier says juicy he means just touch the ends of the sandwiches in the auju. I’m not ready to give up on this place by any means but it was my first bad experience and I wasn’t happy because I have such high expectations for their food.
Excellent value.