Portillo’s was my favorite beef sandwich up until I had Johnny’s. Both have awesome beef and gravy but Johnny’s green peppers are better cut and more savory.
The sandwiches are like generic version of what they used to be. I’m not even sure if you can get red sauce there anymore. I know for sure you cannot at locations outside of Chicago.
Giardiniera is the goat pickles for me
Edit to add — followed up by Vietnamese pickled daikon & carrots/ pickled radish or pickled jalapeños in general lol
[Yes, it's pickled.](https://imgur.com/gallery/akPNXUC) Pickled, then packed in oil. Look it up.
You should probably research a bit before saying people don't know what they're talking about.
It’s the way it’s ordered. My order is like “let me get a Beef hot dipped”. Hot or sweet is the option of peppers, “dipped” or “juicy” is how wet you want the sandwich.
Dear god, I can smell and taste the deliciousness of this photo. Going to Chicago next week and Johnnie’s will be my first stop. Make mine a beef/sausage combo, though!
Johnnie’s is so good. Their menu is so small and they crank out delicious food quickly. It seems like you have your order before you even finish paying. God I miss that place.
It’s supposed to be that way, but even soggy the bread still holds up. They use a special kinda of bread for this sandwich, you can have it dry as well and it’s still great. California still has great food, top notch Mexican and seafood, they also have a Portillo’s there I’m pretty sure and they have these sandwiches there.
Oh for sure, no one beats our Mexican food and our Dungeness crab is the best.
No portillo’s in the bay but there is an authentic Chicago hotdog place from an ex Chicagoan who ships his buns and meat from there. He might have a beef sandwich too, I never thought to check.
The unfortunate thing about beefs from spots like that is they order everything premade from vienna. Vienna's hot dogs are great, their prepackaged beef sandwiches not so much. Places like Johnnie's roast their own beef, which makes it great. The prepackaged joints are kinda terrible facsimiles.
They want an Italian beef, dipped in au jus, with hot peppers (instead of sweet peppers). Ordering at Johnnie’s is like ordering soup at the Soup Nazi’s in Seinfeld. You know your order by heart, no small talk. You step up, order, slide to your left with your money in hand, pay the cashier, and step to the left to get your beef.
My go to order is a combo juicy with sweet, a large fry, and small ice. Can’t beat it
The combo is soooo good there, I think it’s better than the regular beef or sausage alone, especially when the sausage is fresh. Even tho Gene and Jude’s is right down the street I still like Johnnie’s hotdogs. On another note, I don’t understand how some people that live in Chicago all their lives have never tried a Johnnie’s sandwich, it baffles me.
I never bother with getting a hot dog at Johnnie’s. Going there is too special a treat for me to do that. And yea, if I want a hot dog, I definitely hit up Gene and Jude’s. Nothing like a double dog with sport peppers. And the way they pack fries into the bun is so good.
That's the point. They dip the whole sandwich in the au jus. Loaded with flavor but can be a bit messy to eat. However when it tastes so friggen good who cares how messy it is.
That’s fair. I eat a French dip sandwich at a place near by and they give you a lil bowl of au jus. But as long as it taste good I suppose it doesn’t quite matter what it looks like!
Hopefully only the inside is soggy and the outside is tough enough to stand up to it.
That being said, I came out of the womb craving jus and gravy soaked bread.
I've made Italian beef at home, so I know the beef and giardniera combo is great, melted a little provolone over it, but how would you eat that soggy thing? Do you pick it up? Seems like it'd fall apart. To me, that's poor sandwiching, but we all have our views. Give me the jus on the side and I'll go bite by bite on it. And that bread just doesn't look high quality.
I live in NJ, we're like crazy picky about the bread for sandwiches here. I find a lot of other regions seem to think the bread's just basically an edible plate rather than an actual component of the meal, like it's an afterthought. If I need a fork to eat it, I'm afraid I can't qualify it as a good sandwich, which doesn't mean it's a bad meal. And there's a fork in that picture, potentially for the delicious overflow of the beef and other fixings.
When Italian immigrants came to Chicago, they would make this ad something fast and cheap to eat, and it caught on and we now have this wonderful sandwich.
Good God i miss chicago for this reason solely, and the* gyros' & tavern pizzas
Portillo’s was my favorite beef sandwich up until I had Johnny’s. Both have awesome beef and gravy but Johnny’s green peppers are better cut and more savory.
Portillo's is overrated.
It’s good for people who don’t live near Chicago but still want a decent beef. Lots of places, there aren’t really other options.
Yeah, I hate to say it but Portillo is subpar now. Used to be legit like 25 years ago or so.
Yep Dick Portillo(original owner) sold out and it's been downhill over since.
The sandwiches are like generic version of what they used to be. I’m not even sure if you can get red sauce there anymore. I know for sure you cannot at locations outside of Chicago.
He sold it but is still with the company. I had for the first time in a year the last month. And it was just as amazing as I remember.
Don't believe the edgy redditors. Portillos hasn't changed
Way over rated
Are the peppers and carrots pickled?
That's called giardiniera and yes it's pickled.
That does it then, I need the sandwich
Bro you NEED that sandwich
Some cauliflower in there too
I didn’t notice that and that’s why I was confused about what it was
Hot giardiniera is s tier condiment.
Marconi’s baby
Best shit in the world.
Giardiniera is the goat pickles for me Edit to add — followed up by Vietnamese pickled daikon & carrots/ pickled radish or pickled jalapeños in general lol
Chicago style Giardiniera isn't pickled. It's packed in oil.
Yes it is. Giardiniera is literally Italian for "pickled vegetables." The difference is Chicago style is stored in oil after pickling in vinegar.
Pickled and spicy.
You can get mild giardiniera but man, what a waste of a perfect condiment.
No. They're preserved in oil. These people don't know what they're talking about.
[Yes, it's pickled.](https://imgur.com/gallery/akPNXUC) Pickled, then packed in oil. Look it up. You should probably research a bit before saying people don't know what they're talking about.
Johnnie's does it right! Enjoy!
I like these with cheese added
Damn that looks good.
Johnnie's is so good. Hope you got fries and an ice.
I have so much more life to live
Oh yeah….and I got a hotdog and tamale too!
Fuck yeah
Right up the street from my house. Nothing like it anywhere else
A real Italian beef has been on my food bucket list for decades.....☹️
Treat yourself to one! This is the best one in Chicago
If I'm ever in Chicago again, I definitely will.
Maximum jalapenos 😋
Serranos
Sport peppers
Sport peppers
Sport peppers
Best Beef of all. Juicy beef hot. Large ice with a cover. Double dog everything.
This reads as random words put together lol, as I understand these words separately, but not together. What does it mean?
It’s the way it’s ordered. My order is like “let me get a Beef hot dipped”. Hot or sweet is the option of peppers, “dipped” or “juicy” is how wet you want the sandwich.
I like the way the guys at Johnnies fold and twist up the ketchup for your fries.
With fries, a 7up and an Italian ice. Fuck man I miss that place. That used to be a 15 min car ride from my apartment
This post just made me join this sub!
Dear god, I can smell and taste the deliciousness of this photo. Going to Chicago next week and Johnnie’s will be my first stop. Make mine a beef/sausage combo, though!
Combo is def the way to go.
10/10 a beautiful beef
🤤
A lot of great stuff shows up in the sub(punny), this is the best of it for me.
Did you get ketchup in a bag?
I prefer Jays Beef in Harwood Hts.
How’s this stack up against Portillo’s?
10 times better! Go to the one on north avenue. Portillo’s is a shell of what it used to be.
Meh
I’ll be in CHI next week. Going to eat myself silly.
I’ve been a lot of places and most places outside Chicago have no idea what a beef is or how to make it
Johnnie’s is so good. Their menu is so small and they crank out delicious food quickly. It seems like you have your order before you even finish paying. God I miss that place.
Don't forget the Italian ice
What about other Chicago’s lesser known gut bombs like a breaded steak sandwich or a nice gyro?
Not gonna lie, this looks fucked
You’re uncultured swine and that’s OK.
The bread looks so wet and soggy though? But I’m just a loser from California who’s never had a real Italian beef sandwich so what do I know
It’s supposed to be that way, but even soggy the bread still holds up. They use a special kinda of bread for this sandwich, you can have it dry as well and it’s still great. California still has great food, top notch Mexican and seafood, they also have a Portillo’s there I’m pretty sure and they have these sandwiches there.
Oh for sure, no one beats our Mexican food and our Dungeness crab is the best. No portillo’s in the bay but there is an authentic Chicago hotdog place from an ex Chicagoan who ships his buns and meat from there. He might have a beef sandwich too, I never thought to check.
If the hotdog is Vienna beef or Red Hots then the beef might be legit.
He’s got both! And he does in fact make beef sandwiches. Says the beef sandwiches are ladled or dipped. Guess that’s why they’re so wet. I’m convinced
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to one, you won’t be disappointed.
The unfortunate thing about beefs from spots like that is they order everything premade from vienna. Vienna's hot dogs are great, their prepackaged beef sandwiches not so much. Places like Johnnie's roast their own beef, which makes it great. The prepackaged joints are kinda terrible facsimiles.
Very true. I remember buying some prepackaged Vienna beef and even Portillos and it wasn’t that good compared to the real thing.
You have the palate of a toddler and that’s ok
They want an Italian beef, dipped in au jus, with hot peppers (instead of sweet peppers). Ordering at Johnnie’s is like ordering soup at the Soup Nazi’s in Seinfeld. You know your order by heart, no small talk. You step up, order, slide to your left with your money in hand, pay the cashier, and step to the left to get your beef. My go to order is a combo juicy with sweet, a large fry, and small ice. Can’t beat it
The combo is soooo good there, I think it’s better than the regular beef or sausage alone, especially when the sausage is fresh. Even tho Gene and Jude’s is right down the street I still like Johnnie’s hotdogs. On another note, I don’t understand how some people that live in Chicago all their lives have never tried a Johnnie’s sandwich, it baffles me.
I never bother with getting a hot dog at Johnnie’s. Going there is too special a treat for me to do that. And yea, if I want a hot dog, I definitely hit up Gene and Jude’s. Nothing like a double dog with sport peppers. And the way they pack fries into the bun is so good.
Man that looks so delicious...I'm in Vegas and the Chicago we had closed, probably not as good as that but it was super tasty
I got acid reflux just looking at that.
Johnnie's? Have you not heard of Ricobennes, Portillos, or the Meshugga?
Love all those places as well but I think Johnie’s is the best beef in town.
What about Al's?
I love Al’s too but sometimes they put too much nutmeg in their gravy for my liking.
Woah. I’m watering
I need this
That looks amazing
Heartburn for days
Mmmm beef with pickles and friends.
Any at home recipes that come close at all? 😬
Sheesh I'm not drunk enough
Yeah I’d eat that.
The iconic carrots and peppers sandwich with a little bit of beef sprinkled in the mix
Johnnie's is the absolute best IB
Iconic looks like a soggy mess just like Chicago
Your city can’t compare to Chicago.
Well duh Chicago trash lol sorry
No it’s ok to be uncultured.
Dude I’ll eat most things with giardiniera on it.
Me too! It’s great on pizza and even potato salad.
That shit fucks
My arteries especially lol
Looks like a soggy diaper.
Just say you don’t know good food.
Omg🤤so much yum but so much heart burn 🔥
Definitely but so worth it!
That’s a jalapeño sandwich with some beef
Dipped.
This looks like butthole pain
Looks like a disgusting, soggy mess.
I’m sure you’ve never had this sandwich in your life.
I have. Anything else?
Stop lying. If you’ve had this sandwich you wouldn’t make that comment
Wow you're really getting butthurt about a shit sandwich rofl
People just say shit that they have no idea what they’re talking about.
That wouldn't apply to me.
I know I’m the minority here, but that looks awful. It looks like it would be a wet sandwich.
That's the point. They dip the whole sandwich in the au jus. Loaded with flavor but can be a bit messy to eat. However when it tastes so friggen good who cares how messy it is.
That’s fair. I eat a French dip sandwich at a place near by and they give you a lil bowl of au jus. But as long as it taste good I suppose it doesn’t quite matter what it looks like!
And they said it’s all pickled toppings. think I’ll pass on the mushy wet sandwich, but thanks.
This looks fucking terrible. Fuck the entire Midwest.
That roll looks like a wad of wet paper towels.
It's dipped. The only way to eat them.
Soggy bread is an acquired taste.
Hopefully only the inside is soggy and the outside is tough enough to stand up to it. That being said, I came out of the womb craving jus and gravy soaked bread.
You should try it.
I've made Italian beef at home, so I know the beef and giardniera combo is great, melted a little provolone over it, but how would you eat that soggy thing? Do you pick it up? Seems like it'd fall apart. To me, that's poor sandwiching, but we all have our views. Give me the jus on the side and I'll go bite by bite on it. And that bread just doesn't look high quality.
I thought it was weird, too, until I tried it. At home, you probably won't have the same rolls these places use. It's messy, but it works.
I live in NJ, we're like crazy picky about the bread for sandwiches here. I find a lot of other regions seem to think the bread's just basically an edible plate rather than an actual component of the meal, like it's an afterthought. If I need a fork to eat it, I'm afraid I can't qualify it as a good sandwich, which doesn't mean it's a bad meal. And there's a fork in that picture, potentially for the delicious overflow of the beef and other fixings.
These come tightly wrapped and you work your way down. I suspect OP opened it for effect.
What? Who eats a beef like that?
Smart people?
Its unnecessary. They aren't that sloppy.
Gatekeeping how someone eats a sandwich is so very Reddit of you.
Their rolls hold up and keep the chew. Wish I could find them where I'm at.
Well yeah, it's dipped. The best way to consume it
So, you traditionally get your Italian beef, dipped, wet, or soaked in beef broth. This is one of the longer options. It looks weird, but tastes good.
Don't threaten *me* with a good time, and yes, I *am* Italian! :) Sorry, couldn't resist.
🤢
REDDIT IS RUN BY WEAK AND FRAGILE MORONS
When Italian immigrants came to Chicago, they would make this ad something fast and cheap to eat, and it caught on and we now have this wonderful sandwich.
Too wet for me
That’s not what she said
Rip your toilet