Al’s Beef

I only had tried Al’s once because I like to try new things. When this spot opened up at The Plant in San Jose, I new instantly I had to try it. Besides, they were featured on Man vs. Food!
We stuck to what they are known for, Al’s Famous Italian Beef! I had the regular and it was succulent! The beef was plentiful and each bite till the end of the sandwich had plenty of beef. The beef was tender and so juicy! It has some sweet peppers and provolone cheese to top it off. Because it’s so juicy, the flavors get soaked up in the bread like a sponge. So it does get messy! Overall it was a great first experience, and sad that they closed even before I got to try them again.
The staff was nice, and the space was clean and plentiful and not feeling claustrophobic. It is about $ 10 a person and maybe more if you order fries and other things, so its not super affordable, but the quality of the sandwich can justify it.
I thought Al’s was great. Something different, but good. It’s always the usual crap this side of town, so something different is good.
The bad part is they opened it in the wrong part of town. Yes its somewhat close to Willow Glen, but it isn’t Willow Glen. The original Franchise owner probably didn’t look at the demographics enough. This part of town is a certain demographic and this just wasn’t going to bring enough clientele to a place where I’m sure the rent was/​is high.
Hopefully they can reopen somewhere that has the type of clientele/​demographic that can keep it open.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!
This Al’s is closed while the company searches for a qualified successor to take over this franchise.
I would think this place would be better off opening in a more densely populated area like San Francisco. This location is ruined by Boiling Crab and the throngs of people overcrowding the center. With that said…
I had Portillo’s flown in from Chicago recently and it was simply scrumptious. I saw a bit on the Food Network on Portillo’s and Al’s so imagine my surprise when I found out there was an Al’s right next door to Boiling Crab when I went there recently for a birthday dinner. I was more excited to see Al’s than I ever was to go to Boiling Crab (because I make some kick ass shrimp and roasted crab), I was so excited I ordered a couple beefs to take home after dinner.
IMO Portillo’s is the gold standard and after having Al’s, Portillo’s is definitely better HOWEVER take into consideration there is no Portillo’s in the bay area nor is there another business that I’m aware of which can compete with Al’s or Portillo’s. With that in mind Al’s is a winner and I appreciate having it (when they re-​open) and will go again when they reopen. For me the main thing which I felt lacking was the giardinera. It was flat for lack of a better description. Just didn’t have any zing or snap which adds to the beef. I would honestly bring my own in a jar from that company in Chicago and sneak it in there at the table… hehehe
The beef was tender, juices were plentiful, and soaked the bread like it should. You have to learn ‘the lean’ so it doesn’t spill all over you. I didn’t have other things like fries or dogs so you’ll have to read other reviews for info. but if you’re coming here, a hot dog isn’t the thing you should be eating, there are better places for that. If there was a Portillo’s or other competitor nearby I’d have to downgrade to three stars but since there really is not other option I give them and extra for simply being here.

To be fair, I’ve never tried Al’s Italian Beef in Chicago to adequately compare this place with the originals. But I have had Portillo’s (both in SoCal and Chicago), and love their dipped beef sandwiches, so I’m making that my baseline. And this sandwich, unfortunately, falls a bit short. There was a lot of meat, so that wasn’t the problem, but it just tasted okay — something was missing. I ordered a small sandwich and still left some of it behind.
The cheese fries were delicious though. I know, you can’t really go wrong with fries smothered in Cheez Whiz but I was especially happy with these considering the sandwich let down. I was surprised to see they didn’t have a kid’s meal… they offered to sell me a plain hot dog, which I accepted. Little did I realize that plain hot dog was $ 6, a pretty pricey item for a 3 year old kid.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still a decent stop that temporarily satisfied my craving for Chicago eats. But I wouldn’t make the drive back down here for it any time soon.
Why oh why can’t they open up a Portillo’s up here?!

Nice shopping mall but parking is a nightmare.
It’s been a while since I paid over $ 15 for a franchise sandwich, fries and a drink so my expectations were set pretty high.
The Al’s Italian was very good. The beef was as tender as it could be and is why I would come back. The juice and spices on the sandwich was good but not amazing. There are some odd spices in there. I added cheese and hot peppers and the peppers had no impact. I had a hard time seeing the peppers between the roll. The buffalo fries were just ok and a bit soggy from the average tasting dressing and under utilized hot sauce.
So overall it was just an ok expensive experience.

Having grown up near Chicago and raised to worship Italian Beef sandwiches done right, I was thrilled when I discovered this place. As far as I know it’s the only place in San Jose that sells Chicago style Italian Beef sandwiches (not to mention Chicago style hot dogs.)
It’s pricey and, to be honest, it’s no Portillos. There’s a spice in the sauce that shouldn’t oughta be there. But it’s damn good, and close enough to make me a little homesick. I will definitely be back.

A taste of Chicago without the long flight. The first time I had Al’s beef was in one of the original locations in Illinois back in 2006. I fell in love with their beef sandwiches and had missed having them for years.
Needless to say I was beyond thrilled to see them open a location in San Jose. Now I can get my fix for an Italian beef sandwich (with sweet and hot peppers of course!) any time the craving strikes. If you’re at the Plant and looking for something to eat, hit this place up. Oh, and be sure to get it dipped!

As a huge fan of Al’s Beef from when they first opened in Las Vegas, I decided to give this one a try.
Yes, I know it’s a Chicago chain. Good food is good anywhere though, and it was as tasty as I remembered it from my first few times. I had the Big Al ($ 8.29), whch is their largest size of the Italian beef sandwich, and asked for it to be dipped, i.e. drenched in the au jus. Not only does the meat have a ton of juices, but the bread soaks up even more savory goodness, and it’s sturdy enough that it was still intact for the hours-​later leftover session.
I also added sweet peppers (+$ 0.55), which provide a juicy and non-​spicy crunch to the sandwich. However, I realized that there was still something missing after the first bite, so I went back to get the hot «giardiniera» peppers. Even if you typically can’t handle spicy, just get the giardiniera anyway. The diced, vinegary mixture really adds more depth of flavor even disregarding the heat.
The sandwich is certainly a little pricey and is even more expensive than the Las Vegas restaurant’s offering. However, it’s not a whole world of difference from the prices of many of the Chicago locations. The other interesting thing I noticed was how their décor took a bit of an almost touristy approach in that there were so many quotes and testimonials from TV food show folks and the like, whereas the walls of the Las Vegas place had a home away from home vibe with the Chicago sports team memorabilia. However, there’s an improvement in the three TV’s that presumably can be tuned to many popular channels (a variety of sports channels were available at that time). Possible gameday lunch spot, I would think.
I’m with Eric H. Even though it was a decidedly off-​peak hour, I am surprised that they aren’t busier. Price and aesthetic differences aside, the food is as good as I remember it from my first few visits to their Las Vegas location, so I don’t see a reason not to give this restaurant five stars as well.

I hate giving two star reviews but this place was a bit of a let down.
We went there looking for the full Al’s Beef experience. We were fully prepared to get all messy with it when we were told we couldn’t have a dipped sandwich because they were running low on the gravy. Um, excuse me? What? All the website talks about is the gravy. It’s not even really gravy… It’s Au Jus. But it’s so special, it got it’s own nickname!
But we were there, and it’s not easy finding a parking space at the plant so we made the best of it. Tried to make a bit of a joke with the girl at the cash registrar over the absence of gravy but she wasn’t having any of it. IDK maybe she had heard it before. Oh well, my husband thinks I’m funny.
We ended up with a wet (but it was more like dry) sandwich and greasy soggy fries.
NOTE to fry cook: fries become greasy and soggy when you under cook them. No need to rush those fries. I’d rather wait for good food than get crappy food real quick. Also, fries have keep times for a reason. I know it’s hard to throw fries away but that’s where time management comes into play. Know your crowd… and they will thank you.

I don’t understand why this place is not packed all the time.
I came in here because it is one of the only places here in the plant I have not tried yet. So I will start with customer service since that happened right from the front door. The girl loading the napkin dispenser (because you use a ton here) said hi right when I got in the door. Being a first timer the menu is a bit overwhelming, but the guy behind the register fixed that right up. He was super friendly and patient with the slowness of our order. Being sure to add advice when appropriate. Plus the place is super clean.
I ordered my Italian beef dipped, which means extra wet. They can do dry too for those of you out there that hate your hands getting wet. This is where you use tons of napkins. The spicy peppers I added were perfect. I did not put cheese, but they do offer it. I also ordered the loaded fries, which were amazingly delicious. Like a baked loaded baked potato with no need to mix the ingredients together. I can not believe this place is ever empty!
I read some reviews that seem strange to me about not liking what they got when the guy behind the counter said if there was anything the matter they would gladly fix it for you. And I believe him because he seems genuinely excited about the product he is serving. That is rare.
All in all I recommend this place to anyone looking for a deliciously sloppy sandwich that needs too many napkins to keep the juice off your elbows.

This is my first time to enjoy the food the loaded french fries are delicious minus the onions for me I tried Al‘s italian beef sandwich and held the the gravy and peppers.
My friend had Al‘S beef italian sandwich with gravy and peppers and provolone cheese. The food is filling, the portions are big. Honestly do your self a favor share the fries. And order small sandwch.
This place is very clean and spacious and the customer service is really good the cashier was very informative and helped us picking out our food

I was bookmarking a bunch of places to visit in Chicago. Al’s beef happen to be one of them! Rodney H. pointed out there’s one in SJ, so I thought why not save a precious Chicago meal and have Al’s beef in the Bay?! Big mistake. Their Italian beef was not good at all! I don’t know if it’s because we came around closing to pick up a take out order, but I was not impressed!
Al’s combo beef & sausage — I got this dipped and with peppers. The sausage was fine, but the beef tasted old. It wasn’t moist at all and had a light jerky like texture. I couldn’t eat it.
Take out: Big al (8″) — The roommate’s sandwich. He didn’t mind the beef as much as I did, but he didn’t really like it either.
Chili cheddar fries — The only thing that saved this meal! The fries were a great canvas for the chili and cheese. The chili had a good beefy flavor. The cheese was like a nice gooey nacho cheese. My favorite dish of the night!
For an Italian beef place, you better bring it with the beef! Unfortunately, Al’s did not. I don’t know how close the taste in SJ location is to all the Chicago locations, but hopefully Chicago’s big al is better than this!

I was alerted to the existence of Al’s Beef some time ago, but my regular route to South San Jose never took me close to this place. Yesterday, I was sent on an errand to a store at The Plant, and realized that I was right here. Naturally, I had to give it a shot.
Having spent several years in Chicago, I know what to expect in a real Chicago hot dog, and I’ve been craving one for a very long time. I quizzed the kid at the register about their dog, and he confirmed that it contained all the necessary ingredients — and no ketchup. So I ordered one. I’m happy to say that it’s legit — complete with the tomato slices, peppers, celery salt, dill pickle, and the neon-​green relish. If you believe the signs around the establishment, it’s even a Vienna Beef hot dog. I enjoyed every bite of this Chicago tradition. My only quibbles is that the dog seemed smaller than I recall, and the dill pickly was only a thin slice, not a full spear. Fix these things and it’s the perfect dog.
So, it looks like that I’m going to alter my route to South San Jose from time to time. I need to come back and try their Polish sausage and Italian beef. If those pass muster, then I’ll upgrade my rating to 5 stars.

Al’s Beef at the Plant, is best know for their Italian Beef sandwiches. First off, if your not into soggy sandwiches, you might want to pass on this one.
Italian beef sandwich is serve with the meat dipped, making the bread soggy. You can add different type of peppers for an extra charge. The peppers were just average and did not enhance my sandwich. I probably pass on the peppers. Personally, the peppers should be standard or increase sandwich price and make it standard. The beef also has a different texture, some say more like corn beef.
The fries were tasty but not crispy. I ordered the fries a few times here and it’s always been like this. I’m not quite sure if it is freshly made onsite. Personally, I thought it was a little pricy, small fries almost $ 3.
Al’s Beef serves decent sandwich, nothing to crave about. It is on the pricer side if you add fries and a drink. Al’s definitely not my first option but will consider if I’m in the area.

I’ve been wanting to try this place out for awhile, and it also is a partner with the United mileage program! Score!
On a Sunday afternoon, the Plant was packed as usual, but it wasn’t too busy inside. I think I’ve been to an Al’s Beef in Chicago, and more of a hot dog kinda gal over the wet meat sandwich. Also, since I was taking it to go, I didn’t want a super soggy sandwich, so I went with the ¹⁄₃ original polish dog combo at $ 5.95. I added cheese sauce for 50 cents as I am a sucker for cheese fries. At $ 7, it was a decent price. The hot dog was not bad, with my favorite, mustard, relish, onions, and sport peppers. But Costco’s dog is actually much better and bigger. The fries here are super good though, and the cheese sauce goes along with it perfectly!
I would totally come back for the fries, adn want to try those loaded fries next time!

I was looking for a new place to eat so I came here. This was in The Plant and close to Jamba Juice (I assume that was a good landmark if you knew where that was in The Plant). The parking was bad on this area so you would probably have to walk if you’re not lucky enough to find parking in front. I came around 12:45pm and there was only a handful of people here. It was Christmas Eve so that explained a lot. After looking at the menu online and the Unilocal reviews, I knew what I wanted to try. The interior was clean and bright. There were 3 TV monitors with a game playing along with music playing from the speakers.
I ordered the Big Al’s Italian Beef sandwich ($ 7.80), small homemade fries ($ 2.35), and a soda ($ 1.99). The Big Al was 8 inches and the size differences were 4 inches, 6 inches, and 8 inches depending if you ordered the small, regular, or big Al. I decided not to add anything else to my sandwich not because it would be 55 cents more but to try it to get a baseline. I read a lot of reviews and tips about ordering the wet sandwich but I didn’t so that. My order was ready within a few minutes.
The sandwich was pretty good to me and adding the cheese or peppers would have made it taste even better; in addition, making the sandwich wet with the sauce would have also made the sandwich taste better. That was just my assumption but if the sandwich already tasted good to me then I don’t think adding more to it would ruin it. The homemade fries were okay and a little soggy.
This place was great and I will definitely come back the next time I’m back in the Bay Area.

Hot diggity dog!
Ordered:
— Loaded polish hot dog $ 5.45
— Small loaded french fries $ 3.45
— Large Fries $ 3.70
— Soda $ 1.99
Tina’s Tips and Tantrums
— The check in deal tricked me, chocolate dipped cheesecake on your birthday only. Boo. :(
— Register person, Ed, was real patient with us and was very accommodating
— Menu is tiny! I could read, but man I felt like I was squinting to focus. Hahah. Am
I old or what?
— Plenty of seating all around
— Definitely not a studying atmosphere, but has wifi (which sucks) and stays open til 11pm
— Music is super loud, so loud I couldn’t really talk amongst my friends and myself
— Polish dog was pretty good, only had a bite, but it was decent. I wish it were spicy. Crazy how the fries are all up in the hot dog.
— The loaded fries included cheese, onion, bacon, and salt. A side of a sour cream package. It was like animal style, but not even close. Soggy and greasy. Definitely, not my style.
— Fries were wayyyyyyyyyyy too salty. Not even exaggerating. I was parched after a few to snack on…
— Cheap and affordable, would I go back? Maybe for other ppl, but for me personally? Nahhh…

Thin beef. yum…
I was in need of something different. No more hamburgers, no more Vietnamese food, something different from the rest.
I remember seeing Al’s beef under construction at the plant when I was choking on the food from Johnny’s Garlic.
So i had to swing by.
The food here gets kudos because it has something different on the menu.
Al’s beef is clean, the employees are very knowledgeable and there is plenty of space to eat your sloppy Italian beef sandwich.
I think the only downer that I had with this place was the lack of combo offerings and everything extra came with a price tag.
I would say it’s worth a try, but probably not the best value for your buck, just a good place to try something different.

Tried them for the first time a few weeks ago. I picked up lunch for my team. They were accommodating and labeled each sandwich.
There were several people waiting for them to open (11am) on a Wednesday.
A bunch of us ordered the little Al with gravy on the side. We also had an order or regular fries and cheese fries.
The Little Al is a bit small but perfect if you don’t want to feel guilty afterwards. The beef was a little dry but soaking it in the «gravy», as they called it, did the trick. The beef and au jus were really flavorful though. It’s a bit messy to eat so just make sure there’s napkins nearby!
I saw a sign that said their fries were voted top 10 best in America. Naturally, I had to try them to see if they were right. Visually, you wouldn’t think too much but once you try one… on man! They were good! Crispy salty medium sized fries. (somewhere in between the thickness McDonalds and Red Robin fries)
I am interested to come back and try their Italian sausage and cheeseburgers.

AL’s Beef much awaited opening did not disappoint.
We walked in for dinner on a weekday around 6:30 and the line was short. The staff that was pretty helpful.
I had the Little Al’s with the Au Jus. It was pretty tasty but looks boring without all the accoutrements. It will get pretty soggy so eat up!
The fries were very good! So– fast service. Good staff and tasty food! You order, pay, you get a number and they will call you once your food is ready.
I want to return but will order Big Al’s. I think I can manage it’s heft! :)

This was actually my first time visiting the Plant in San Jose. Wow. What a food chain lover’s paradise. Five Guys. Boiling Crab. Krispy Crème. Famous Dave’s BBQ. Johnny Garlics. You really can have your pick of some of the most popular chains around.
Al’s is one of the newer establishments to open up here and with it, it bring a reputation as one of Chicago’s original and best sandwiches, the Italian Beef.
I had actually only had my first Italian Beef sandwich in SoCal at Portillo’s when a Chicago native started waxing poetic about how great the sandwiches were. I wasn’t disappointed. Made with a soft french roll and filled with shredded beef, the Italian beef is typically topped with your choice of sweet or hot peppers and then served with an au-​jus like sauce.
At Al’s, they ask you whether you would like your sandwich dry (no sauce), wet (dunked once in the sauce) or dipped (sauce poured over the entire sandwich).
I was a bit confused as to the difference between dipped and wet and it’s a common customer question, so hopefully, I got the above right. I opted for the wet, thinking it would be a happy medium between the dry and the more sauce heavy dipped. I also opted for both sweet and hot peppers.
Al’s wasn’t particularly busy at the hour I visited, but it still took almost 10 minutes for my sandwich to be ready. When my order was called, I found a decent sized sandwich that had been wrapped in two sheets of wax-​like paper. It’s a good thing as the wet sandwich is indeed quite wet.
Opening the sandwich, I found a generous helping of both sweet and hot peppers and a nice amount of meat. You can actually order extra meat for all the sandwich sizes for an additional charge (small, regular, large). Next time, I’d probably do that.
As the sandwich gets fairly soaked, it’s best eaten immediately and is quite messy. One thing about wet sandwiches is that they are amazingly easy to swallow and you never feel quite as feel as you expect given the size. As competitive eaters dip all their sandwiches, it becomes clear there is some science behind the practice.
Overall, the sandwich was tasty albeit fairly salty with the dipped sauce. I also found the meat quality to be ok… definitely not as good as I remember Portillo’s. The sweet and hot peppers were a highlight. I did find the sandwich a bit too soggy for my liking and next time I’ll order it dry with the sauce on the side. That’s akin to a French Dip sandwich though the meat isn’t near as good as the prime rib that usually adorns those sandwiches.
Al’s has a history of being the original inventor of the Italian Beef sandwich and has won many awards for being one of the best, but I’ll be honest, I enjoyed Portillo’s (which has a bigger West Coast presence) more. I’ll probably give Al’s another try, but for now, A-​ok.
Al’s accepts credit cards, including American Express.