Ricobene's - Chicago, IL

Posted By Michael Stern on July 27, 2000 3:54 PM

The breaded steak sandwich is a specialty of South-Side Chicago that is little known beyond the Bridgeport neighborhood. Although similar in girth to the city’s widely-beloved Italian beef sandwich, the Italian steak sandwich is a whole other animal. It is a steak that is pounded to the thinness of a potato chip, then lightly breaded and fried, and rolled inside a length of Italian bread. Topped with sweet peppers, hot peppers, or the spicy vegetable-pickle mélange known as giardiniera, this is one hefty sandwich!

Only a few places continue to make a specialty of Italian steak sandwiches; one of the best-liked is Ricobene’s, which has been a local institution since 1946. Now a big, modern dining room with evocative pictures of old Chicago on the walls, Ricobene’s is a good place to eat not only breaded steak but also good versions of many other Chicago specialties, including red hots, Italian beef, and a curious “Vesuvio Italian Classic” sandwich. That’s a crisp, garlicky breaded chicken cutlet dressed with onions, lettuce, tomato, and mayo stuffed into a length of Italian bread – a quick-eats version of the knife-and-fork meal known in Chicago as Chicken Vesuvio.

Alongside any of these fine meals, you want French fries. While it is possible to get your fries gilded with melted cheese, Ricobene’s are so good straight from the fry kettle, we recommend only a good sprinkle of salt. Chicago in general and Ricobene’s in particular have so many wonderful street foods to occupy one’s attention that excellent French fries like these are sometimes overlooked. Once you’ve eaten your way through a bag of Ricobene's celestial potatoes, you’ll never forget them!

Overall Rating

11 out of 11 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes

Posted By James Shelton on January 7, 2011 8:42 PM

Been to Ricobene's a few times. Not that great. The steak is interesting the first few times. After that it is not worth it. Fries are greasy and are heavy. My rating--2 stars.

Overall Rating

0 out of 1 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes

Posted By keith solomon on October 26, 2010 10:36 AM

I rarely get here and almost never past the breaded steak sandwich. The red sauce makes the sandwich. You will need extra napkins, so stock up first. The only problem is the feeling I get that I am taking years off of my life every time I go there.

Overall Rating

Italian steak

0 out of 0 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes

Posted By Burt Fleisher on December 20, 2007 4:15 PM

Riccobene's is known as the place for the "Breaded Steak Sandwich," a Southside original creation from the Bridgeport neighborhood. What's special about Bridgeport? It's the home of the White Sox and it's the place in Chicago where the (Mayor) Daley family has its roots.

The food is simply and satisfyingly good. The famous steak sandwich is a type of milanesa commonly found in Latin America, which is based on the breaded veal cutlet (cotoletta, from Milan, Italy; cotoletta alla milanese). But these are kicked up a notch, Chicago-style of course. They have a wonderful red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and are served on an Italian bread roll (either Turanno or Gonella, I think). They are served in two sizes: regular and king. Both are huge!

One thing I never seem to see when Ricobene's gets written up: they have one of the best Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas in the city. This is a pizza not to be missed.

Overall Rating

10 out of 10 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes