Jay’s Italian Beef & Sausage

Best beef in town !!! Great flavor on the beef with sweet and hot peppers. Have been coming here for over 10 years. Never been disappointed with the food or catering.

Excellent beef. The hot peppers elevate the beef to another level. I was here a few years back and the owner was here taking the order from a first time customer. The kid asked for a recommendation cause it was his first time. The owner of course recommended the Italian beef. The kid then ordered and they made small talk. I overheard and learned this kid was taking classes at wright college and worked a night job at rivers casino. The small talk continued for a bit until his order was ready and it was time to pay. When the kid got his order the owner said it was on the house and waived the bill. What a nice gesture.

Don’t know what happen to this place, was my all time go to for beef. Today got a burger and 2 beefs and burger was not good, just a frozen thin piece of meat but my mom wanted a burger. Should of went to Mcdonalds for the burger. The bread for the beef is different and the beef was pretty grizzled. I will try again but not too happy today. The pepper and egg sandwich during lent was awesome so that’s a positive. I sure wish they would bring Pepsi back.

one of my friend said he knows a good place for Italian beef around him so we decided to go and check it out.
went on a early saterday night. we was the only customers there. the food came out quick.
we both ordered the Italian beef with hot pepper and a order of fries.
I thought it was just alright. tasted really average to me. I think I enjoyed the hot peppers the most out of the whole meal. lol

My husband introduced me to this place. While he’s a regular, I’ve never tried an Italian beef from here. I might just become a regular myself! The Italian beef was great! The meat was cooked perfectly and the sweet peppers made it just right. I also tasted the meatball sandwich which was also very tasty! They don’t skimp on the portion size here! This is the place to go for a awesome Chicago Italian beef !

This seems like a nice place to grab food since its not too far from the Wright College and probably a better option than the closest fast food chain just around the corner. The place is spacious in seating; its nice they have a TV to watch some sports! Food was quick and service OK… We tried the Italian beef and Polish dog with side of fries which were both OK. Next time ill consider trying their burgers and Italian sausage to make sure i didnt miss anything out from this place

Nothing better than Jay’s. The freshly made hot peppers makes the beef even better. My family and I have been going there for years. This is the best Italian beef in Chicago! Fries great, burgers, chicken sandwiches … All great !

The best Italian beef. So tasty, so fresh, great homemade hot peppers. Jay’s has been around since the 80’s and with each year it just seems to get better. With three locations you’re not gonna have a problem finding one to satisfy your hunger. I promise you you will be licking your fingers and let me say they are not cheap with the beef they pile it on. I highly recommend you put them in your bucket list and try them you won’t regret it.

Been eating here for about 20 years, love it. I get the combo with hot peppers normally, but occasionally get a burger.

Love Jays for the best Italian beef among other things. The young men who work there are marvelous. They are friendly, honest and accurate. The owner Jay is also very nice and recognizes his customers with a pleasant greeting. I am a regular customer and i appreciate the delicious food and great service.

Many, many years ago — this was the original Jay’s Italian beef — run by Justin Fortuna. The quantity of beef was huge; the quality was excellent; the commentary from the owner was mixed. Before they built the current building — it was an old wooden structure that had nothing going for it except the fantastic food. Fast forward 25 years, Justin is dead, the building is more solid, the food is still served in enormous quantity. The food isn’t quite as top notch as in Justin’s day — yet is still very good — and well worth a stop.
Italian beef is a big deal in the Chicago area — and Jay’s competes with the best and thrives. I recommend get it juicy, in the wax paper, and lean over and let it drip. Jay’s has really good beef — and I never leave hungry. I can’t get fries with it — the sandwich is enough.

We came in at 11pm, they close at 12am. We ordered 2 beefs, 2 fries. I asked if they cared if we dined in because the place was empty & they were cleaned up. The guy at the register was cool as hell he was like sure dine it. There was a muscle man in the back cleaning with a mean mug who kept an «eye» on us. LOL Back to the food! Beefs were delicious!!! Good flavor. They delivered on our requests. Dry beef & xtra juicy beef. Mine wasn’t as juicy as I prefer, but I sopped up the excess and enjoyed it never the less. Hubby’s beef was dry as requested, but his he didn’t like the hot peppers they use. He likes those Portillo’s peppers, but we banged our food & we both said we’re coming back!!!

Jays beef combo easy dip, Jays famous hot peppers, fries and a coke is the perfect prize after Da Bears loss to Greenbay.

There’s absolutely nothing pretentious or superficial about Jay’s. It ain’t nothing but a beef joint. Homemade Italian beef and homemade giardiniera. I believe the french fries are hand cut, but don’t hold me to that.
The star attraction is the beef. Order it, and you’ll get a hefty sandwich with generous amounts of beef (not pre-​apportioned or put on a scale). The servers are exceptional and will go out of their way to cater to your needs. Sweet peppers? Got ‘em. Hot peppers on the side? You got it! Cup of au jus on the side? No problem!
Dine in or take out, Jay’s is THE best beef place on the northwest side. Check it out!

Italian beef sandwich with sweet peppers please! That’s what I normally go for when seeking an Italian beef sandwich. The restaurant was surprisingly empty when I arrived. They were quick to take my order and were fast on preparing it as well.
Upping receiving the sandwich I noticed that the paper had a generous amount of liquid/​grease soaked through. Doesn’t matter though because the sandwich looked and tasted pretty darn good.
Beef was seasoned well, the peppers were nice and sweet, no bitterness. The only minor complaint I have is that the bread was a little on the tough/​dryer side.
I also had a chocolate milkshake. It was decent, typical vanilla shake with Hershey’s chocolate syrup added. Or at least that’s what it tasted like haha.

Here was another awesome-​tasting Italian beef sandwich I had tonight at Jay’s. Hubby and I came here because of many friends’ recommendation on this place. My verdict? I think people’s hype is justified. I had a juicy, well-​immersed Italian beef (IB) sandwich, and I think this one can confidently be allocated to my top-​five (5) IB list.
Due to the ongoing Lent season, hubby was able to adhere to his vegetarian diet by ordering a fish sandwich. While it wasn’t as amazing as the Italian beef sandwich dwelling in my stomach, it was a much more satisfying choice than ordering fries and mozzarella sticks.
Please note that Jay’s does charge the sweet/​hot peppers and cheese a bit higher than the standard $ 0.50; they charge $ 0.70 per extra topping. In addition, if you prefer your IB sandwich to be non-​dipped, you need to notify your request when ordering. Otherwise, all IB sandwiches are presented in a «dipped» fashion, which is my preferred way as always.
I like both Jay’s and Marco’s IB sandwiches, yet Jay’s «dipping» was more thoughtful and balanced. It was easy to consume because the bread wasn’t ultra soggy.
Jay’s also has pretty decent lemonade. I was glad that the cup wasn’t full of ice.
Many patrons were ordering to-​go, but the dining room was clean and napkins were provided generously. I got to watch some NBA and Bulls were playing.
We will for sure be back for more IB sandwiches, or other items on the menu.

Their beef is on fleek! For those of you who don’t know that means on point. Their hot peppers with the beef just equal perfection. My girlfriend got the hotdog special (two dogs, fries, drink) for 7.95 and they give you a good load of fries on BOTH dogs. The dog had everything it was juicy not too hard on outside with a crunchy pickle, hot HOT sports peppers, onions, tomatoes all around classic Chicago dog and it was great! The guys there are really great too. The guy In front of us asked for a sm fry they admitted to accidentally giving him a lg but only charging for a sm. Real stand up guys, I’d say, and really nice overall. Their crowd on a Sunday seemed to take more to the older folks, you can tell they’re the usuals. Just overall great can’t wait to try their food again.

Quality and consistency in product carries on with this northwest side community staple. I had an Italian beef with sweet peppers and french fries. Absolutely delicious. The meat was tender, moist and flavorful. Can’t say the same thing about competitors.
Portillo’s is okay but the portions keep getting smaller and prices keep going up. I don’t think Jay’s has increased their prices in quite some time and I know portions have not gotten smaller.
I can’t say enough about this place. Great quality and delicious food.

Yep, 7 years later my 5 star rating remains without a doubt.
Love it. Must eat — every visit home.

Oh Italian beef, it will seriously make you scream «mama mia» like that mustachioed plumber in overalls that conquers goombas, koopas, and venus fire traps to rescue the «peachy» princess.
In all seriousness, the history of the Italian beef dates back to when it was invented in Chicago in the 1930s. But in general, all Italian beef sandwiches consist of the same components.
You see, the Italian beef is a soggy ass sandwich (think French dip) that is covered with hefty amounts of thinly-​sliced seasoned roast beef that is dripping with fat and juices and is finished off with a topping of giardiniera peppers.
So while Jay’s Italian beef has only been around since 1976, and this location was opened in 1982, I chose Jay Fortuna’s take on the sandwich to pop my Italian beef cherry because I couldn’t care less about a place that hires Mike Ditka (not even Italian!) to be the spokesmen, and I really don’t give a shit if Jay Leno vouches for a sandwich place on the North Side.
I walked into to the Harwood Heights location and was greeted by one of the Fortuna clan members that run the business. Let’s just say that they had a rough-​around-​the-​edges Italian charm to them. Straight to the point they asked, «so what’ll it be?»
Without hesitation and due to the fear of being taken down like punkass Carlo Rizzi, I said an Italian beef with spicy peppers and a Mr. Pibb ($ 5.99 and $ 1.90, respectively).
When my sandwich came out a few minutes later, I was impressed by how awesome it looked… an Italian masterpiece.
The taste of the sandwich was unbelievable. The seasoned beef taste was forget-​about-​it delicious. The only way I can describe it is, think of the most delicious beef jerky and imagine it un-​dried. Capisce?
The bread that was soggy from soaking up all the wonderful juices held up long enough to be devoured and the house-​pickled peppers were damn good. Thank god they have rolls of paper towels at each table because after whacking Jay’s sandwiches, you will get shit all over the place and all over your face.
For less than $ 10, Jay’s Italian beef sandwiches are an amazing deal and as others have proclaimed, quite possibly «the best beef in Chicagoland!» At least I can say with conviction that Jay’s is the best Italian beef that I have ever tasted, ba-​da-​bing ba-​da-​boom!
* BTW that ten-​chinned Jay Leno is nothing more than a skeevy jamook.
* And… forget about rescuing any «peachy» princesses after eating at Jay’s because their sandwiches are so filling that your fat ass won’t be able to stomp on any mushroom-​head goombas.