Mr. Beef on Orleans

Service sucks. It’s cold in here and their I don’t give a fuck attitude is typical Chicago bullshit service. And no public washroom. Should be zero stars.

The last time I went here, they seemed annoyed that I was a patron for their business. I ordered fries crispy since the last time they were soggy and floppy. The dude said «Ok» then proceded to just throw whatever fries they had sitting under the heat lamp in the bag for me. At that point I wasn’t about to make a fuss — Bunch of shitty assholes there. I wont be back.

Love this place.
My son and I came here to check it off the list. I’ve been waiting years to finally make it to Mr. Beef, and I’m glad I did.

I have heard a lot about this place and had high hope for it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The beef was average. Nothing special about it. Seemed under cooked. Fries were good. Crispy. Hated that they don’t have trays so you have to carry all your food and drinks in your hands to the picnic tables in the back of you want to eat in. With all the other beef spots in the city, I don’t believe I will be coming back to this one.

The beef here is decently better than at any random Chicago fast food restaurant, but it’s not as good as Al’s, and isn’t necessarily better than Portillo’s either. I think that their meat isn’t as tender than the aforementioned two.
What turns me off here is that the staff is generally disinterested in upbeat customer service. I get that they get a lot of the drunk late night crowd, but at least be somewhat nice. I’ve never received a smile or a heartfelt thank you from the cashier. Whatever guy that’s at the counter at Al’s is at least nice to you.
That being said, check it out so that you can compare against the other beefs in the city, but as an Italian Beef connoisseur, this goes lower on my personal top 10 list.

Love me Mr. Beef. Use to work close by before my move to TX. Introduced my kids and they loved it. Tried to talk them into franchising in Dallas. A must go if in the area. Has been for over 30 years in my book.

Good sandwich place! Tasted really good, fast service and fresh. The only problem I had was that it was a little bit oily, so the bread got a little soggy. But it was definitely worth the 2 mile walk in the rain!

Yummy. They need a bathroom 4 5 stars. Love the beef here. My favorite. No thrills place, puts the emphasis on taste.

Good quick fix for an Italian beef, but i’m going to have to give the edge to Al’s. The flavor of the beef and sauce at Al’s is quite a bit better. I’ll come back to have a taste test against the two, but for now, I’m going with Al’s.

Been hearing that this is the best place to get a beef when you’re in the river north area my entire life. I decided to go tonight and the food was definitely sub-​par compared to the rest of the beef joints like Portillos, Als & Johnnys. Barely any seasoning on the beef, small compared to the rest and more expensive. $ 10 for a beef and fries.
Although the counter person was friendly, I won’t be coming back for the beef.

Came here to introduce my friend to the Italian Beef. Very tasty I.B. I see why all of the stars love it so much. If you don’t believe me, look at all the pics on the wall. I heard its one of Jay Leno’s favorite places.

I don’t come here for ambiance or a back rub. I come for a great beef sandwich. And that’s exactly what you get here. Pefectly seasoned beef and gravy on fresh bread with delicious sweet peppers. Hot could use more peppers and less celery, but definately has a nice bright crunch to cut through some of the richness. To all the whiners crying about gruff service, Welcome to Chicago! Get over it and enjoy a great sangwich over by dere…

I thought this was one of the best Italian beef sandwiches I’ve ever had. The beef was marinated well and tender. The bread was crispy with the right about of wetness to it from the dip. Not soggy at all. It was perfect! The only thing was when I asked for hot peppers, I got 99% celery which was fine because it added a nice crunch and flavor to the sandwich. Will definitely have to come back and ask for more peppers and try it with cheese!

I was very pleased with my experience at Mr. Beef. Although I felt it was pricey over $ 13.00 for a beef sandwich with hot and sweet peppers, regular fries and drink ($ 7.00 for just the sandwich) I felt the meal was filling. The sandwich seemed to be on the small size but it was very tasty. Surprisingly the fries were very good as well. I would put Mr. Beef up against johnnies in elmwood park and Tony’s by midway as being one of the best beef sandwiches around. Definitely worth checking out.

3.5 stars. My first time here. Had heard good things about it and also that to some it’s a Chicago institution. The beef was tender, juicy and flavorful. I liked the grilled green bell pepper piece they put on the sandwich. The sandwich hit the spot. My gripe would be that it’s a small sandwich and kinda pricey. But I guess that’s expected. This is definitely in my top five places so far but the best one for me has been Johnnie’s in Elmwood Park, hands down. Next up, I got to go back to the original Al’s Beef. It’s been a while since I had it.

My top 3 for Chicago Italian beef.
Pros:
Great beef
Great au jus
It falls apart when you don’t eat it fast enough
You need napkins
The staff
Homemade shakes
Cons:
They have a photo of Jay Leno
How have I not reviewed this yet? When people ask where they should go for Italian beef, they should go to Mr. Beef. From the changing hours of operation, the change in staff, the construction, Mr. Beef sandwiches and shakes have remained consistent in taste and quality. It’s so delicious here, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Gonna have to cut this review short — I’m getting too hungry.

Go to Al’s.
Other than the bread, nothing is special at this place. I would say that it doesn’t even beat Portillo’s or Johnnie’s.

Our go to place for 2:00 am drunk food. Get the beef with gravy and hot giardianara. I am one happy drunk when I stumble out of there :)

Beef by the pound
Beef by the pound…
One of the best Italian Beef spots in the city. If you looking for a good Italian beef that simple, this is the spot. Run in and grab you one and fries and you are set to go. Beef is always juicy, sweet or hot peppers and the bread is delicious. And if you really like it, you can order their Italian beef by the pound to take home with you. I’ve done it before and they give you well enough beef and juice to almost recreate it at home.

Holy crap, this is one GOOD simple sandwich– nothing complicated nothing fancy just the way it’s supposed to be.
Try it for yourselves. Totally recommend.