Firstly, I'm from Chicago. Unless i travel to Chicago and go to a stand, or buy Scala's beef and gravy (au jus) at Dominick's, I can't get a good beef. I've started making my own. Well, that was before SOC moved down here. Great beef,...good gravy, quality Turano bread (a Chi Italian beef MUST be served on a Turano or Gonella roll). So that's a top pick. I like mine "wet" with giardinara, and it's a great meal.
Their sausage is also top quality. Flavorful, not fatty, and the red gravy (sauce) is incredibly good.
So now you've got great red gravy, what you put in it? The best meatballs in the area. Tender, tasty, and really filling in a satisfying, but not 'heavy' way.
If you're from Chi, you know it's not all about deep dish, there is some terrific thin crust (e.g., Rosati's). South of Chi nails this too. I like a super thin, almost like a cracker or a matzoh type crust, and this isn't that, but it's just a few mm thicker. The crust is thin, it's not bread, it's a crust. It's crispy on the edges, and has good "tooth" in the middle without being dough-y. I HATE eating essentially raw flour on local "bread crust" pizzas. The ingredients are real pepperoni and real sausage (not that dog kibble the chains use), the cheese blend is tasty, generous and sauce is really fantastic. And the pie is cooked correctly, fully cooked crust, a little 'burn' or color on the mozzarella (mix) on top, but still juicy because the amount of sauce is correct.
So, excellent It. Beef, It. Sausage, Meatballs and Thin Crust.
By the way, I like deep dish too and this is a deep dish pie, not a "pan of bread" with a thin pizza on top. I've had the deep dish off the buffet and it's authentic too.
It's hard to find their specials on the web or their menu; currently, the lunch buffets are MON: It beef and pizza, TUE: It saus. and pizza, WED: Meatballs in sauces and pizza, I don't know what thurs and fri are but i think they are some kind of pasta.
Really really good food, clean restaurant, nice people. Maybe a buck or two higher than your chains, but for real 'pie' instead of that cardboard they serve, i think it's great value.More