Baldarotta’s Italian beef sandwich was messy, drippy, and delish. The fries ($3) were dusted in seasoning and great. The plastic container was big enough to drown the sando - and I did. At six ounces, this side of jus was the largest in this list, and it was freaking delicious. The beef was already wet before any soaks in the side of jus, and the soft hoagie absorbed the dip’s hearty oregano flavor which paired perfectly with the beef.

Baldarotta’s Italian beef sandwich had a toasted French roll stuffed with thinly sliced roasted bottom round beef with a bit of chopped cherry peppers, pepperoncini, banana peppers, and tomatoes for added flavor and juiciness. With a side of fries ($3), I ordered the 8 inch ($11) which came sliced in half au jus.

The Italian beef sandwich at this Urbana sandwich shop is a favorite of mine, and it is available in 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-inch options. Spoiler: all five were good, and I highly recommend that you take yourself on an Italian beef tour of Champaign-Urbana. I ordered the Italian beef sandwich, with no modifications, from Baldarotta’s, Baxter’s American Grille, Manzella’s Italian Patio, Papa Del’s, and Po’ Boys. For this list, I wanted five Italian beefs that are only available in C-U. Last year, we asked you where you get your favorite Italian beef, and if your favorite is missing from this list, let us know. Also, I want to say, yes, Portillo’s has a tasty Italian beef sandwich, but it’s a chain. In Champaign-Urbana, there are a lot of places with Italian beef on the menu. I did not know the greatness of the Italian beef sandwich until I tried my first Italian beef at Portillo’s (dipped beef with hot peppers) outside a mall in Chicago years ago, and it was everything. When I moved to Illinois, a thing I noticed was that people here love an Italian beef sandwich.

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