The story of the Italian Beef Sandwich begins at the end of World War I with a Chicago street peddler named Anthony Ferreri. Ferreri drove around the city delivering cold sandwiches and other bakery items he made in the basement of his home. He sold them from the back of his truck at construction sites, hospitals, and offices—much like a modern-day food truck.

One fateful day, Ferreri attended a local Italian-American “peanut wedding,” a common type of wedding reception for Italian immigrants who had limited funds. These receptions were often held in homes and church basements, serving inexpensive foods like peanuts (hence the name). At this particular wedding, the family was slicing a beef roast thickly by hand and making sandwiches out of it.

Ferreri, a true sandwich enthusiast, had a revelation. He realized he could slice the beef roast much thinner using his deli slicer, cook it in its own juices with some secret spices, and produce a sandwich that would feed twice as many people. He named this new creation the “Beef Sandwich” and began including it in his regular deliveries and catering events across the city.

Anthony Ferreri later married and had two children, a son named Albert (Al) and a daughter named Frances. The family continued their food business on Chicago’s Near West Side. After serving a prison sentence, Al Ferreri came up with a plan to open a bookie joint using his father’s beef sandwich as a front. He enlisted the help of his sister Frances and her husband, Chris Pacelli, Sr., and in 1938, they opened a small family beef stand in the Little Italy neighborhood on Harrison and Lafflin Streets. They named it Al’s Bar B-Q, as the Italian beef was simmered outside and the Italian sausage grilled over charcoal.

Initially, Chris Pacelli, Sr. worked for a streetcar company, and Al drove a truck, so the stand only opened in the evenings. As Al’s reputation grew, the sandwich business thrived, allowing the family to buy out the bookies and run a legitimate business.

Inspired by Al’s success, many gamblers and bookies opened their own beef stands throughout Chicago. It became common for these stands to bear the owner’s first name. The Ferreri family’s Italian heritage contributed to the name “Italian Beef,” signifying beef sandwiches made by Italians.

The landscape of Little Italy changed with urban renewal and the establishment of new universities. The original beef stand was bought out, and Al’s reopened at 1079 West Taylor Street in the early 1960s. Frances and Chris Pacelli, Sr.’s sons, Terry, Chuck, and Chris Pacelli, Jr., continued the family tradition at the new location.

Al’s Beef gained national recognition in 1980 when Chicago Magazine named it the #1 Italian Beef Sandwich in Chicago. This accolade transformed the business, leading to the name change to Al’s #1 Italian Beef. The business expanded, opening a second location in the River North neighborhood of downtown Chicago.

Al’s has received numerous culinary honors, including Best Sandwich & Sandwich Shop in America, Most Iconic Dish in America, and Top Food to Eat in Chicago Before You Die. With over 150 awards from the Food Network, TODAY Show, Travel Channel, Playboy, and Esquire, Al’s Beef has become a culinary icon.

Visitors from around the world, including celebrities, athletes, food critics, and entire tour groups, have flocked to Al’s to sample the legendary Italian Beef Sandwich. Once, an entire village in Italy traveled to Chicago just to try it.

Today, Al’s Beef continues to share its passion for Italian Beef sandwiches with Chicago and the world, serving the same great food it did when it first began over 80 years ago.

For more Stories From The 78, follow @tombarnas78 on Instagram and @storiesfromthe78 on TikTok.