Roma's Italian Beef & Sausage
4237 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641 (773) 725-5715
- Nearest Transit:
Montrose (Blue)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
14 reviews
Neighborhood: The Loop
"Atmosphere: Theatrical Price: Lunch expensive Bathrooms: Very Clean Food: Excellent We went here for lunch after a meeting in the area! No…" read more »
13 Reviews for Roma's Italian Beef & Sausage
Driving in the neighborhood and I am starving. Where should I go? Notice Roma's on the next block and decide it has a Yelpish looking atmosphere and I have to try it. Usually, I yelp first then eat. Today? I'm eating then I'll yelp.
Dive? Yup. Locals? Yup. Check Board of Health Notice? Yup. (it cautions on eating meat that has been cooked inadequately - NOT a citation - good). Combo beef and sausage? Yup. Mouthwatering flavor? NO! It's just kinda dull. The anticipation was killing me and what a letdown. Edible? Yeah, but nondescript. I ate my meal and left Roma's never to return
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Roma's definitely has a nostalgia factor attached to it. Talk to the regulars, and most will tell you tales of how their parents were regulars, too. For decades, customers have come for the Chicago flavors that are cooked up here, including great Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beefs with sweet peppers. In fact, even if people move out of the neighborhood, they find themselves traveling back home to revisit their lunchtime memories.
With a history and reputation like that, where's the room for debate? Well, Roma's serves up its fries skin-on, which some people like and others don't. Also, the last time I visited, the restaurant didn't have any tables indoors, only a couple of picnic tables set up outside. That's not a big deal for me, but it's all subjective, opening the door for more debate. Finally, there are rumors stating that once the boss-owner leaves, the employees water down the gravy (jus), which might account for the inconsistency in taste people have reported.
Whatever the reasons, this debate won't end any time soon.
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Fries, HORRIBLE and always cold
Beef, dry, flavorless, blah
service, BAD once the pig working by the fryer dropped my pizza puff that I had to wait 5 minutes for turned around to see if I noticed her drop it grrrrrrrr then asked me if I wanted to wait another 5 minutes for her to make another one ( I really think she was going to try and get away with serving me that ) I said NO and asked for my money back.. she had to get her cocky asshole boss to give me my money back.
I still go there and get a beef once in a while, cause if I put enough cheese on it and add my own hot peppers, its pretty tasty.. their prices are freaking crazy, and my kids never ask to stop there when we pass it, they rather eat at Taco bell across the street NOW that's bad. My biggest problem with this place is the owner.... he is one cocky asshole and I would love to see someone knock his lights out someday :) GET SOME HOT PEPPERS INSTEAD OF CHUCKS OF CELERY! TYVM!
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This is my FAVORITE beef of all time. I heart all beefs. It's an illness for me. Seriously. Like I will eat them if I'm not hungry and just had three meals. It's that good.
It's the same workers, same vibe, same location since I was little. It's awesome. I stick to the tried and true, juicy beef hot. Easy and great. Enjoy.
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I really only ever have a hotdog here, but I have had the beefs before. Not bad, but even the 'dry' beefs turn out with soggy bread if you're taking it home. I think you have to go in just knowing that this is a greasy hotdog joint, and it is what it is. I will say, it isn't the cleanest looking of places, but I've never gotten sick or anything from here.
For the quality and the price, its totally worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood, but I wouldn't make a special trip.
This is a gem of a greasy beef and dog joint on Cicero Ave, and has been around since I was a kid. It's always nice to see things go on for years and find that the quality and original concept remains, isn't it?
Great italian beef sandwedges (call them "beefs"), dipped in au jus ("juicy") or not, topped with mozzarella cheese ("motz") or not. Great meatball sammidges too. Very generous portions. I think their hand-cut fries are cooked in peanut oil, which is why they are my new religion.
Bonus: watermelon or lemon italian ices are a chill summer treat!
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Back in the days when my folks were courting, my father was living up on the North Shore, and he'd drive down into the city to pick up my mother and take her out for the evening. This meant a lot of late... and often sleepy... drives back north. It was during this time that my father, fearing for his safety, developed a theory that I think holds true to this day:
You can't sleep while you're eating.
While the study of NS-RED has technically disproven the theory, in general I think it's a good one. It isn't too hard to drift off while the dashed yellow line drifts by in hypnotizing fashion, but it is exceptionally difficult to fall asleep while you're chewing and swallowing. Of course, one might also question the wisdom of attempting to eat a Roma's beef sandwich while operating a motor vehicle, but hey... these were times when getting behind the wheel while drunk was socially acceptable in most spheres. Thankfully, neither gustatory nor somnambulatory endeavors kept my father from surviving his courtship, and he has thus been afforded the opportunity to produce progeny, to whom he might pass on the love for the beef stand that quite possibly kept him alive.
Sadly, while I wish I could profess to share the familial love of the joint, it strikes me as somewhat ordinary. I base this only on one visit, and I've heard they're rather inconsistent, so your mileage may vary. But while they serve a very pure beefy-tasting beef, I thought it lacked intensity. The juice was... well... I hate to use the term, but almost watery. That said, it was some sweet, tender beef, a generous sandwich, and decent sweet peppers which is something of a rarity. I won't be going out of my way for Roma's, but it's a worthy stop if you're in the hood.
__________
Three Stars - Decent, but lacking character.
Based on one dinner.
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I do not know what the hype is all about. The beefs are horrible. Very watery juice, which leads to soggy bread and the beef is dry. The hot dogs are skimpy, the fries are very thin and dark in color. Which basically means the oil is old. We threw them out. I live in the area and keep givign them a second and third chance. It is pretty bad when your kids do not finish their hot dog or fries. Yet it is even worse when your husband throws away an unfinished beef. We live up the street from here and we look forward to the day they close down. The place is also dirty, it is always hot inside and they do not keep up the area around the place. The patrons tend to be less than diserable as well.
Maybe it was good back in the day but in this day I would go some place else. Jay's on Narraganset offers a beef much better than this. Bet yet go get a real beef on Taylor Street. Beef and Burger on Irving Park Road also rocks. Located next to Suzies Drive through which in my opinion is also horrible. See my review on Suzies. The only thing my son and daughter like here is their lemonade ice in the summer. Other than that this place is a dump.
If you're in the area, this is a great place to stop for a beef. The Beef's good, and the place has neighborhood history and is considered the best around.
I've learned that the fries aren't my thing- they're skin-on, which I like, but they tend to be little tiny slivers, few long ones. I haven't figured out what they're doing to make them- you always have to wait for the fries, but they're never hot, what's up with that?
One more gripe- it's always sweltering inside this place and I feel sorry for them and mildly disgusted watching the employees sweat buckets.
But alright- it's the best beef in the neighborhood, I'll keep eatin' it, and you might want to too!
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Stand-up place with excellent Italian beef. However, I would advise people to stay away from the Italian sausage which was not good last time I had it here.
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This once-great beef joint still has great greasy handcut fries and pretty good hot dogs, too. My wife LOVES the roasted pumpkin seeds and we both like the Italian beef-sausage combos.
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I haven't been to Roma's in about three days and I'm already going into withdrawal. The beef sandwiches here are just incredible. The beef used in these sandwiches contain a bit of a hot spice. I usually don't care for that hot flavor, but this offers just the right amount. I also love the fact that Roma's will make your sandwich dry if you want it that way. At other places that means there isn't so much juice that it's dripping through the bag. At Roma's dry means dry and I appreciate that! The polish sausage at Roma's is good. Hot Dogs and everything else I've tried have been pretty average. But the beefs are the best! I only wish Roma's was open late when I really need them.
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2nd choice for an italian beef. Cheap prices, and just great fast food! They're burgers are pretty good too. Do the combination. Great.
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