Is Al's #1 Italian Beef Still Open? Food Paradise Update (Chicago, IL)
Food Paradise, Season 9 Chicago, Illinois
Current status
As of October 2026, Al's #1 Italian Beef is open — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.
What the source shows: Yelp's listing, updated August 2026, and Al's own website together show the River North location still operating with posted hours and a working phone number. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 9, Episode 8
- Address 548 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654
- Website alsbeef.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Food Paradise?
The episode featured Al's #1 Italian Beef's signature Italian beef sandwich, scratch-cooked and hand-sliced in house. Al's is a beef stand in the River North neighborhood of Chicago that has served the sandwich since 1938, according to its own website. According to Yelp, updated August 2026, the River North location at 548 N Wells St continues to operate, with photos and reviews posted through that update. Al's own website (alsbeef.com) lists a working phone number, a dedicated River North location page, and delivery/pickup ordering links, though its copyright notice still reads 2024. According to a Wikipedia entry on Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc., revised 2026-01-31, that company has operated Chicago-style restaurants across Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri since taking over the Nancy's Pizza chain in 1990; the entry does not address this specific Al's Beef location.
The episode
Also in Season 9
Season 9: 70 of 100 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
- Open
- Closed
-
Ep 8Isola Pizza Bar
Open -
Ep 8Leo's Grandevous
Open - Open
- Open
- Open
- Open
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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/als-beef-chicago-24
- alsbeef.com http://www.alsbeef.com/
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Franchise_Systems,_Inc.
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record fp-0601 · checked by Cal Marchetti.