Las Picosas, Hofherr's Meat Co., Mabe's Sandwich Shop, Sando Street

Overview

Chicago’s most unexpected (and possibly best) Italian beef sandwich can be found in a North Shore butcher shop that doesn’t even sell sandwiches most of the time (it’s only served intermittently and announced on social media). Everything about this butcher shop’s version of the Italian beef is memorable, from the tender beef slices to the giardiniera from a fourth-generation giardiniera maker (and Chicago fire fighter). Elsewhere, Poochie & Pang try the most famous sandwich from the Mexican state of Jalisco, sample a deep-fried turkey sandwich on the South Side, and find one of the very few places in Chicago to serve the Japanese egg sandwich.