Al’s Beef

The beef sandwiches here were good… but I think it’s obvious that customers were disappointed because the staff here sucked. Just read the reviews. I came here once and it was like 45 mins before closing and they had all the chairs up and we almost didn’t go in because we thought they were closed. They made it seem like a hassle when I asked if I can pull two of the chairs down to eat. I’m sure this deterred customers away when it appeared to be closed, when they weren’t closed. Whomever is the franchisee for this place, take note: hire and train and supervise smart staff. The ones that were hired here contributed to its closing faster than it should have.

Business has closed, the other location in Alhambra is still operational. I’ve sent this message to Unilocal HQ and posted a picture of the sign on the door. I loved theses sandwiches and we were getting them weekly — going to miss the wonderful ladies that took my order and made each visit a fabulous one.

Was very good but now CLOSED! Sign on door says closed as of 8-​6-​2015 bummed as I was looking forward to a beef sandwich
.

I usually get the Polish combo (Chicago Polish + Fries for $ 6 something) it pretty good when you want a break from the Costco style. The portion is decent and the flavor is good.
The Beef stuff isn’t for me, it is mainly meat and bread with the peppers. The last time I had it it didn’t wow me, which it should because its the signature item.
Service is pretty decent for me, I had one time when they messed up my order and the employee corrected it for me no problem. I usually get my order in less than 6 minutes, 10 on lunch rush.

Was really looking forward to trying Al’s Italian Beef, as their reputation preceded them for me. I’ve separated this review into 3 parts:
*Sandwiches:
Not a bad beef sandwich, I think if it came out the way that it was intended it might be an exceptional one. What two of us received was not the case.
–1 Star
*Service:
We came in with a party of four. To be clear, there were no other customers in the business when we came in. We ordered individually & two of the four orders were incorrect, so naturally we send the sandwiches back thinking that they’ll fix this… It ain’t rocket science, we’re talking sandwiches here. Unfortunately that was not the case. After informing them of the errors we got a sense that they really didn’t care and didn’t want to be bothered.
–2 Stars
*Conclusion:
This Al’s Italian Beef location has potential, but they’ve got to do some work to improve the order accuracy & most importantly the customer service side of the equation. It’s obvious that they have a state of the art order ticket system in place. There’s no reason I can come up with other than lack of focus or just general laziness on the prep line when an order gets screwed up.

Bought the als sandwich and I got it als way it was so bad I could made a better sandwich like really fries are to salty I could of just went to McDonald’s if I wanted cappy food waste of money.

We bought a groupon, it was a waste of money 14 for 20
Chili was disgusting, Wendy’s is better and that says a lot
Their beef sandwich — flavorless
Fries — alright better then anything else
We came today around 3
The man that helped us was nice, but everyone else that was working was gossiping and we usually don’t care but they were very loud and annoying.
Overall we won’t be coming back

I love this place. It really reminds me of my experience in Chicago. I usually get beef and add hot peppers, then get a side of cheddar fries. I think flavorwise, the sandwich reminds me of niu rou mian (beef noodle soup) in sandwich form. It’s meaty, juicy, oily, and a good time. The cheddar fries are good, too. They have that melty velveeta stuff all over a mound of fries, and it’s just good eating.
I’m surprised to see that this place has the ratings it does. Why so low? I realize we’re in suburbia, and people would rather stuff their gullets with Subway sandwiches, and Daphne’s and junk like that. I don’t know. It’s one of my favorite places to get an Italian beef.
I do love Portillo’s up in Buena Park, and I think that Al’s offers a much more juicier (wetter) and more flavorful beef, but the comparison you all are throwing out here about Al’s and Portillo’s is a bit ridiculous. I mean, can’t you love In-N-Out’s Double Double and also love Del Taco’s Bacon Double Del at the same time?
You fools need to step up your food polyamory.

I love this place! Takes me back home to Chi Town. The beef dips here are awesome! Tasty Vienna Beef! Buffalo Bleu fries are the bomb! Very happy with the service. Staff very friendly.
Only reason they get only 4 stars is because they don’t have celery salt for the Chicago Dogs. It’s not a Chicago dog without the celery salt!!!
I will be coming back. Thanks Al for thinking about us in the west coast

First off, Al’s Beef is my favorite Chicago sandwich shop in IL. But, I’m sorry to say Portillo’s in Buena Park is my favorite sandwich shop here in California.
A couple things about the sandwich…
Ordered:
1. Italian Beef with American Cheese
–Wayyyyyy tooooo salty.
2. Fries with cheese
If you order this, make sure you ask for the cheese on the side. If you order it the ‘regular’ way, your fries will end up soggy.

AS SEEN IN THE IE MAGAZINE
The beef was very tender and the roll was fresh and tasty. I would recommend trying the original beef sandwich with peppers. I do not think it needs cheese.
This is a franchise restaurant but do let that scare you away. They are East Coast based. Only two Al’s at this time in California.
The small shop was very clean (even the back) and the employees were extra nice.
Located on the corner of Pipeline and Grand. Parking can be an issue in that center on busy evening/​lunch hours.
*Not sure how the other sandwich shops in that plaza stay in business. Al’s was super yummy and the huge outdoor fireplace and gorgeous fountain makes for a great location to dine outside.

Impromptu Tuesday mini-​date at Al’s Beef! This chain was featured on Man vs. Food. Instead of the typical Italian beef sandwich, I opted for the Italian sausage. I added the optional hot peppers and provolone cheese to the mix.
Although better than many sausage sandwiches I’ve eaten, this doesn’t necessarily sit at the top of my list. They used the right bread to avoid becoming soggy with the oils, so that was a great pick, but the rest of the sandwich left me hanging! The provolone was folded into quarters and shoved down one end of my sandwich (not even placed strategically in the middle of said sandwich). It would have been better to wrap the sausage in the cheese and place it in the bun. The hot peppers were also oddly situated on top of the cheese, but no where else on the sandwich (at least it definitely missed a few bites on the far end) so this wasn’t as delicious throughout the entire sandwich as much just on the end. The peppers weren’t the best tasting ones, Portillo’s might have better peppers!
Overall, this place is a pretty penny, an Italian Beef Sandwich will land you about $ 11.00USD, and the Italian Sausage was just under $ 5 for the sandwich and nearly $ 8 for the meal. Meal includes a fountain drink and sub-​par french fries. This isn’t your typical cheap fast food joint at that price point. The tables are more bar-​style so don’t expect to be able to talk to your party of more than 2 comfortably. The organization of this place was a bit odd but considering the layout I suppose they did the best they could.
Meh.

I was in the area and decided to take advantage of a groupon that I recently purchased and encountered :
Great Vienna beef dogs !
Delicious polish Sausages !
Freshly cut fries !
Great old school Midwestern tamales !
Scrumptious italian sausages !
Very polite staff !
I had to buy one of everything.
I was very impressed !
I will be back !

First off, this review comes from a person who has eaten at Al’s Beef in Chicago (where this place originated) each time he’s been to Chicago, and, on occasion, multiple times per visit to Chicago… ok, I’ve been there A LOT. So please, forgive me if my review is partially based upon nostalgia.
Anyway, this Al’s gets down just like the ones located in Chi-​town. You gotta do the «Big Beef», wet, with giardiniera… that’s it. I’m telling you right now, if you put cheese or anything else on this sandwich, you’ll be robbing yourself of the simple, yet delicious flavor of this sandwich. Though sliced thinly, there’s plenty of BEEF flavor and the «wet» (gravy) gives it just enough wetness to help you devour the sandwich in minutes (which is useful if you’re a glutton for Al’s like I am). The giardiniera gives the sandwich a great vinegary spice (but that’s for people who like spice, you could totally do without it and enjoy a GREAT beef sandwich without it).
The fries here are pretty dang good too. I’ve seen complaints about the cheese fries (mainly not being provided enough cheese). To me, cheese is obviously a gimmick. Once again, the key is simplicity. The fries still have the skin of the potato on them and are lightly salted, and go great by themselves or with a simple dip in ketchup.
Although this Al’s location won’t keep me from visiting Chicago, or the Al’s located within the City of Chicago, it MOST DEFINITELY will satisfy my craving for it on a regular basis… time to hit the gym a little more during the work week.

I had a Groupon deal for this place. It took my boyfriend and I a while to decide what we wanted to order because everything on the menu sounded good. Haha. We ordered the italian beef, dipped, with hot peppers and a side of american cheese, a chicago dog, and loaded fries. The wait for the food was not too long (yay!) because we were the only customer in there.
The italian beef was SOOOO good. It is actually much better tasting than Portillo’s. Only downside of it is that the portion is small, if you are a big eater. The chicago dog was okay, you know, your typical average hot dog. As for the loaded fries, they were good until we reached halfway. Reason is because it was drenched in too much cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE CHEESE!, but the cheese over powered the taste of the fries and the other toppings on it. Next time I order this, I’ll probably ask to go light on the cheese, enough to enjoy it and devour it!
I’ll be back!

Not sure why but they seem to taste better in Chicago. The staff was friendly amd everything came out quickly but it wasn’t the same as home. Other than the obvious that it wasn’t home. The giardiniera was on the bottom of the sandwich. Never had it that way. It was put in the bun, then the meat then dipped. I prefer my giardiniera on top after its been dipped. Call me picky. Oh well. That’s the way its supposed to be done.

Had one in Chicago and thought it was pretty good but not worth all the hype! When I saw one here in Chino Hills. I knew I had to try it again.
Sandwich is good but after you add cheese and peppers it’s over $ 10. There are a lot of good sandwich places around that are full service and less that Al’s. I guess if your homesick, you may want to try a Chicago beef dip but this is no way like Chicago Pizza or Hot Dogs. Maybe I’ll try a dog next but I got to tell you, at the prices I have a lot of options. Pinks, man I haven’t had that in a while.
There are so many options in Chino Hills, I could have had a Tilted Kilt cheeseburger for less money served by… well you know! I dont see how they are going to make it here but again, its not bad.

Since there is a location near where I worked, I jumped on the opportunity to come try this place ever since I saw it featured on Man vs. Food.
Everything on the menu looked appetizing but I had to get the original Italian beef sandwich that they are famous for. I called in my order to get it for pick up since I thought that such a place was going to be pretty packed on a Friday evening.
I ordered the 6″ beef and sausage combo with provolone cheese. The person on the phone recommended to me that I get the sandwiched «dipped» which I promptly agreed. Since their fries are supposed to be famous too I ordered a small size and the lady on the phone asked me if I would like to upgrade the meal to make it a combo instead since it was about a dollar cheaper. I said yes and got my order placed ready for pick up in about 10 minutes.
After placing my order I quickly drove to the location eager to try out the deliciousness that awaited me. When I entered to much of my surprise the restaurant was fairly empty. I went to the counter to pay for my order and got my food shortly afterwards.
It was when I got to my car when I realized she forgot my drink which was okay since I don’t really like to drink soda anyways but since it was not busy at all there was no excuse. I drove home and opened the contents to the bag. The sandwich was smaller than I thought it was going to be.
I took a fry and tried it out and it was pretty good. My favorite fries are the ones from wingstop and these fries almost tasted on par to them. I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. The beef had a interesting taste to it that was not what I was expecting at first. It was quite flavorless with not much that stood out to me. The beef had a spice that I have never tasted that is what probably native Chigacoan’s are used to.
The sandwich was also very dry for it being «dipped». Almost half way into the sandwich I noticed that something was missing, the sausage. It was all beef which was NOT what I asked for. So not only did they forget my drink but made the sandwich wrong as well. This disappointed me greatly and almost made me not want to continue to finish my sandwich. Towards the end I realized that the sandwich was just too dry for me and good thing I had an extra Chick-​fil-​a dip sauce that I was saving and used that in order to add more flavor to it.
Even though the meal made me full the combination of the service and food were both mediocre to the point where I probably will not be back.

I do like the chili cheese fries of theirs. Their Chicago dog (fries, hot dog, relish, hot pepper, pickles) was pretty good though I haven’t seen another place put french fries on their chicago dog.
The place is clean and the staff was friendly. They take card and there’s parking nearby.

Al’s Beef just opened in Chino and I think it’s a hit. There are some rough edges they need to work out but they’ve been open less than a month so I’m willing to forgive the shortcomings.
They set the restaurant up with a long counted the runs almost the length of the place. The way it is situated along with the location of the door makes it awkward to get in and out and causes a lot of bumping and dodging for those waiting in line when busy. The trick is to enter from what I would consider to the side door, which is closer to where the register is. I think they intend this to be the front door but it’s no clear.
I ordered a Drive-​In Cheese Burger and a Chicago Dog. The Chicago Dog is served with the traditional bright green relish and is covered with fries, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, mine was a little cold which I’m sure was die to the inexperienced staff. The burger was charbroiled and had just the right amount of condiments and a very tasty bun. It was prepared just right.
The service was just a little slow but again probably just due to the staff learning their way around. There was enough people working there and they were very friendly so I’m sure things will improve quickly.
You should give them a try.