Mr. Beef

There was only one more sleep until we saw Oasis (the real visit for our visit to Chicago), and now it was here. First thing, we headed down the road from our hotel (the best part of a mile down the road, but you know how long and straight American roads are) to the famous Mr. Beef. Fans of The Bear will recognise it as the beef sandwich joint the eponymous restaurant is based on, and the pilot episode was filmed almost entirely there.

There’s something otherworldly about turning a corner and seeing a place that only until now existed on TV with your own eyes, as if we’d taken a wrong turning and ended up going through the screen instead of across the street. That, and the unholy sounds my empty stomach was making, made this one of the most exciting places I’d visited this trip thus far.

Ordering a Chicago beef sandwich is a minefield for outsiders like us. You wouldn’t think there’s a unique shorthand for ordering a particular beef sandwich, but do you know your beef-dipped-hots from your beef-dry-hot-and-sweets with cheese? You’d better.

Feast your eyes on these truly gorgeous sandwiches. Our arteries won’t thank us for it, so we need the appreciation from you.

Matt