Chicago Italian Beef: A Windy City Classic at Roasty’s

Some sandwiches tell you where they’re from with the very first bite. Chicago’s Italian beef is one of them: thinly sliced roast beef, savory cooking juices, and bread that happily takes on a little mess. Its story is rooted in Italian-American ingenuity—and making a modest meal feed a crowd.

From Wedding Tables to Neighborhood Beef Stands

The sandwich’s exact inventor remains disputed, but its history is closely tied to Chicago’s Italian immigrant communities. One often-told origin story centers on “peanut weddings”—budget-conscious celebrations where families stretched a small quantity of beef by slicing it thin and serving it on bread with flavorful broth. What began as an economical way to feed guests helped shape a regional favorite.

By the late 1930s, Italian beef was moving from celebration tables to sandwich stands. Al’s, which opened in Chicago’s Little Italy in 1938, became an influential part of that story. Other families also claim early roles, so it’s more accurate to describe Italian beef as a neighborhood tradition that grew than a sandwich with one universally accepted inventor.

Chicago Flavor, Portland Address

At Roasty’s in Portland, Maine, our Chicago Italian Beef brings that regional inspiration to a turano roll (the only acceptable long roll for this sandwich) with hot-dipped roast beef and giardiniera. You can order it dry, wet, or ends dipped, or as some say ‘baptised’—and make it hot for an extra kick. Those choices let you decide just how juicy and bold your sandwich experience should be.

That’s the appeal of Italian beef: a sandwich born from practical creativity, built around beef and its juices, and made personal at the counter. Our version brings a little Windy City spirit to Congress Street—no plane ticket required.