The Beefless Italian Beef

By Charlotte Goddu

Laricia Chandler Baker, better known as Chef Fab, has been slinging veganized versions of meaty classics at her restaurant chain, Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat, since 2019. (It has three locations: Near North Side, Hyde Park, and Orland Park.) So, of course, the Italian Not Beef ($15.95) was a natural offering.

“Beef”

The secret to keeping this thinly sliced soy protein tasty is a long soak in the veggie-based jus that fills in for a traditional meaty broth. It simmers with green and red peppers, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and a housemade spice blend for two hours, then rests overnight so the flavors meld.

Giardiniera

Baker’s family urged her to make the Italian Not Beef more accessible by topping it with Marconi mild giardiniera. Not to worry, though, Baker says: “The people who want spicy? They get spicy.”

Vegan cheese

Cheese is not traditional, but Baker insists on it. Growing up in Englewood, she says, “we never ate Italian beef without cheese. Literally, like never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.” Here she uses Numu vegan cheese, almond milk, and a secret spice mix to create a melty nacho cheese she smears inside the roll.

Bread

Baker gets the traditional roll daily from a local bakery.

Packaging

The foil and parchment wrapping steams the sandwich so that, Baker says, “when you open it, it almost melts in your mouth.”

Three More Veggie Beefs

Liberation Kitchen’s “Chicago Style” Italian Sandwich

Spiced seitan — a toothsome meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten — is paired with mild giardiniera. West Town

Buona’s Italian Beefless Sandwich

Olive oil subs in for beef fat in the vegetable broth for the local chain’s seitan-based rendition. Multiple locations

Chicago Not Dogs’ Italian Bēf

This spot in the vegan food hall XMarket simmers slices of seitan loaf in jus. Uptown

The Asian Italian Beef

By Lisa Shames

The summer after they opened Phodega in 2019, Nathaniel Hoops and Anthony Ngo wanted a seasonal menu replacement for pho. Their solution: the Viet Dip ($12.99), which transforms the flavors of the traditional Vietnamese soup into sandwich form. This love child of a French dip, banh mi, and Italian beef has been a hit at the Wicker Park restaurant ever since.

Beef

Sliced super thin, the rib eye spends 10 to 15 minutes in the heated broth. Salt and pepper finish it before six übertender ounces are piled into the roll.

Jus

A 20-hour process, making the broth starts with simmering beef bones and brisket with traditional pho spices like star anise, cinnamon, clove, and black cardamom.

Condiments

Like the pho, the sandwich comes with thinly sliced raw white onion, cilantro, and jalapeños. But it also gets a schmear of aïoli on the roll’s bottom half. “It adds a bit of texture and a hint of garlic,” says Hoops.

Bread

Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, the custom seven-inch French roll is delivered daily from Il Mulino di Valenzano, an Italian bakery in Franklin Park. “It just hits,” says Hoops.

Three More Asian Beefs

Umamicue’s Umami Beef

This pan-Asian pop-up within Spilt Milk executes its version with smoked round beef, available wet or dipped in a Chinese-style hot pot jus. Logan Square

Kasama’s Combo Sandwich

Chef Tim Flores pairs a housemade Filipino longanisa sausage with shaved pork roasted in adobo jus, while pepper-forward giardiniera adds heat. East Ukrainian Village

Perilla Steakhouse’s Korean Beef Sandwich

This offering features beef braised and roasted in a Korean bulgogi-style broth and giardiniera (daikon, shishito peppers, Korean red peppers, carrot, garlic, ginger, and perilla) fermented kimchi-style. Loop

The Fancy Italian Beef

By John Kessler

The Duck Inn’s chef, Kevin Hickey, developed the Decent Beef sandwich for a stall at Time Out Market. “We asked ourselves how we could elevate the beef, and landed on prime rib roasted in an Alto-Shaam oven,” he says. This $17 beaut has since earned its place as a menu mainstay at the Bridgeport restaurant.

Beef

Hickey starts with all-natural prime rib roasted rare and dipped to order. “We choose a beef that has some nice fat on it that leaches off and creates a nice creaminess in the broth.”

Jus

Calabrian chiles, basil, and oregano season the fresh veal stock.

Giardiniera

A house recipe, made by a third party. “It has the perfect level of heat — just hot enough.”

Bread

Hickey gets his from D’Amato’s Bakery. “It’s really light but has a crispness to it and enough heft to stand up to being dipped or baptized.”

Add-ons

Pile on sweet peppers or, for an extra $3, melted aged provolone. You can also make it a “classic combo” by adding housemade Italian sausage for $7. “I like the combo hot, with cheese, and jus on the side,” says Hickey.

Three More Cheffed-Up Beefs

Kindling Downtown Cookout & Cocktails’ Italian Beef

The $24 price is eye-popping but justifiable: Chef Jonathon Sawyer uses wagyu beef from Châtel Farms in Georgia and toasts the bread in its fat. Loop

Gibsons Italia’s Italian Prime Rib

Pickled green peppers and beef are tucked into a crusty roll, with a cup of giardiniera Romana on the side. West Loop

Chop Shop’s Italian Beef

Featuring braised top round, housemade giardiniera, and a gloss of melted provolone, the sandwich also comes with a heap of fries. Wicker Park