Beef It Up

Fantastic. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The food is outta this world. Definitely will be back!

The guy running this place is awesome! He took his time discussing the menu and its items and made some great suggestions. The customer service was on point!
As for the food, delicious!!! I got the Chicago Chicken Cheese Steak (diced grilled chicken topped with mayo, fried onions, cheese wiz and choice of sweet or hot peppers). The chicken was juicy, tender and seasoned perfectly! I upgraded my fries to chili cheese fries and they were so tasty! My boyfriend got the Mike Ditka Monster Spicy Beef Polish (100% all beef monster size Polish.) I snagged a bite and it had great flavor, little smoky hint. We shared an Oreo shake which was awesome!
We will definitely be back! Especially to try the Italian Beef Sandwich.

Great steak sandwich. Their hot peppers were on point. Would have been 5 stars if bread was a little better, but still a really good sandwich Good fries too. My buddy Brasky also had a Chicago style hot dog and said it was great. Nice guy running the joint too. I would go back if I was passing through again.

Pleasant surprise! I came into town from Maryland to spend the day with my brother. It was lunch so I open Unilocal on my phone, saw that «Beef It Up» was less than four miles away and off we went. The menu was so enticing that I actually picked two sandwiches. The Beef and Hot Sausage, both were SUPERB! I relayed my satisfaction to my parents who went that same day on my recommendation. Oh, I must tell you… I’d go back for the fries alone!

I have met the owner Mike at Newark Toyota where he sold me a car. After that I went to his restaurant and had the best sandwich ever put in my mouth. It was called the carbonation sandwich. It was definitely love at first bite. I enjoyed the experience at the car dealership and to top it off I enjoyed the atmosphere and products from because of his restaurant.

Tryed the roast beef, chili dog, hand cut fries, and shake.
All were off the hook.
Really enjoyed them and will be back with friends.
Mike the owner is a very nice guy and made sure we had a Great Experience!

I read the reviews on Unilocal and had to give this place a try. YUMMY!!! My guy and I both had the Italian beef sandwich. O M G!!! The bread and beef has just enough au jus. The meat was moist, flavorful and delicious!!! After speaking to the owner, the discussion of tamales came up and he suggested we try his. It was very tasty. I would not say expect a traditional tamale. It’s not that, but quite tasty. I would STRONGLY suggest giving it a try.
There are small tables to sit out with laid back music playing. Go!!!

Amazing hot dogs and beef sandwiches. If you know anything about Chicagoan foods then you will appreciate this place!

Dear god! Can’t believe this was our first time. My wife got the chili cheese dogs and I got a sausage and the Italian beef sandwich. Everything was amazing. The gardiniera veggies were so good! You have new loyal customers!

This place knows how to make a sandwich! I had the Italian Beef. My husband had a Chicago Dog, and we split the fries. I’m no expert on Italian Beef — but I’ve had a few, and several from top rated places in Chicago. This was as good — or better than all. The Chicago Dog was great — as were the fries. I want another one — now!!!
The Au Jus for dipping the sandwich was so good I wanted to take the rest home.
I rarely eat sandwiches — but this one is stuck in my head…

This place was recommended by a friend. My husband ordered the Italian beef sandwich, I had the chili dog and we got a plain hot dog from the kids menu for our toddler. I must say I was disappointed with the dogs. Although my expectations were high, there use to be this food truck in philly that had the best chili dogs and I have yet to find a chili dog that comes close. I was hoping this would be it, but I was sadly mistaken. It was quite bland for a chili dog. My toddler only had two bites of his hot dog, I guess he prefers Nathan’s. On the plus side their Italian beef sandwich was quite good and their fries were awesome. The owner had just opened and didn’t have a high chair, but he promised to get one soon. We went again a few months later and sure enough he got that high chair. We both ordered the Italian beef sandwich and extra fries again. I’m salivating just thinking about it.

I wish I had taken a picture of my sandwich but it was gone before I could even think about it. The Italian beef sandwich is «eye rolling back in your head» good. I liked the fries because I like soft fries. The place is warm and clean the service was very fast. The guy who took our order was very friendly and helpful for our first time visiting. Will come back for sure!

Expensive to order for delivery but…
Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum. Nice people on the phone and nice delivery folks. Oh… need to add: yum!

One of the friendliest owers of a business I’ve ever met. You can tell he really cares about his customers. Food was delicious and fresh. Chicago dog was excellent. Dog had good snap to it and had all the toppings one would expect. We’ve been here multiple times and have taken people from Chicago here and they loved it as well.

Wow. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A+. Found a place that has food from home. Authentic Vienna Beef sandwiches, Chicago Style Hot Dogs, Pizza Puffs, the whole works. Food was absolutely amazing. Simply fantastic. The owner is very friendly. The décor is Chicago all the way. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

This was my first time there, I ordered the Chicago Dog with the fries, and the pasta salad, the store was very clean and the service was great with a very friendly smile. I will be returning very soon cause I really enjoy a good dog and the Chicago Dog was great could not wait till I got home to eat it and the pasta salad as well they both was finished off before I pulled in my driveway.

Recently moved nearby and discovered this gem of a restaurant; I’m a fan of their Italian Beef, but I think the thing that’s the most impressive is the pickled vegetables they make in-​house (and which accompany most sandwiches). This is exemplary of the level of attention to detail going into both the food and the service which makes eating here a great experience.

Just moved into the area, and checked the place out based on the Unilocal reviews. Great food, great service, and gotta support small businesses.
Looking forward to buying the peppers and the cookbook on Amazon! Definitely check it out.

I’m from Chicago so any chance I get to have an authentic Chicago hot dog or Italian beef is a mouth watering dream come true. I was so torn whether to get the Vienna beef hot dog (can pile with fresh cut fries) or an Italian Beef (offered wet or dry but come on Au jus is where it’s at). I went with the beef and was thrust back into Chicago foodie reverie. They bake their own bread and make their own giardinera which is nice and spicy. Everything tastes incredibly fresh because well, it is!
The décor is all Chicago themed in Bulls colors and is super clean and welcoming, as are the staff. The owner Mike is such a pleasant guy and will make sure you are well fed and cared for. He takes a lot of pride in his business and it shows.
When I’m back in town I’m coming for you hot dog!

As a former restaurant employee who married a former Sous Chef, I know you usually don’t try a new place in the first week or so, but I’ve been watching the owners work on the place for months — so I had to stop in as soon as I saw the OPEN sign.
The first person I met was the owners fiancé. She is an absolute delight. She didn’t know all of the nuances of the menu, but what she didn’t know, she went to find out. She is a keeper.
We did take out so we could deconstruct the sandwiches at home, and all sample. We chose the three most authentic Chicago Sammie’s — the Ditka Polish Sausage, traditional Chicago dog and Italian Beef.
Full disclosure. It’s been probably 20 years since I last visited Chicago, but you never forget good food.
Tearing into the bags, the steaming Mike Ditka Monster Polish came out first. So what’s in a name? This one says it all. Served traditional Chicago style with diced onions and yellow mustard. It’s almost enough to make a Bears fan out of anyone.
The traditional Chicago dog came out next. If your idea of a Chicago dog is a Sonic dog, you’re cheating yourself. This all beef red frank has a satisfying snap when you bite it. Mustard, onions, tiny peppers, tomatoes, a thin wedge of dill pickle and awesome bright green Chicago style relish. This is an authentic Chicago dog. It’s like a party in your mouth.
The Italian Beef was next. Tender beef on a fresh roll, we opted for the spicy Giardiniera Peppers and «cheddar» cheese (sauce). In Philly, they call it Whiz. This was a perfectly acceptable Italian beef, but Chicago has nothing on a Philly Roast Pork Hoagie. Still, for $ 7.50 with a side of fries, it’s not a bad deal.
As for the Giardiniera Peppers? Never heard of it? Check the menu. Never tried it? It would be good on a flip flop as a certain TV chef likes to say.
Update 2÷22÷16. Try the new Chicago style pork chop sandwich. Really good. REALLY good.
That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. The fresh cut fries were tasty, but would have benefitted from a couple more minutes in the fryer. I don’t mind paying 50 cents for cheese and 50 cents for au jus (you want the Italian Beef wet, trust me), but if so, your online menu should also say so. (Disclosure, we used the online menu. These charges are listed in their printed menu. Second Disclosure. That doesn’t matter.) Also, please spend a few extra cents and buy an au jus container that doesn’t leak. The amount of au jus was skimpy enough, worse when it leaked all over the bottom of the bag. Last, this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but you should never send carry out orders without napkins — especially if your liquid containers leak.
All in all, points for quality of food, cleanliness, friendliness and authenticity. A bonus for delivering to the curb since the driver was on crutches. A point off to account for room to improve. It would get a 4.5 if that was an option.
And keep that fiancé around. She makes your guests feel right at home — if home were sweet home Chicago.