Lived on the southside of Chicago in the 60's and moved back south to Atlanta in 68 and have tried to find the original and authenic Chicago Italian Beef sandwich in Atlanta. We actually have ordered from Chicago a couple of times and had it shipped to us. In our quest to find the real deal, we have visited Bobby G's, (Alpharetta) Guidos (Kennesaw) and Mike's Chicago Hot Dog (Sandy Springs) We visited Guido's on a Saturday afternoon around 2:00 P.M. The customer flow was steady. The person taking the order seemed new because she kind of struggled with prices and the order a bit and it was a little awkward. We ordered three Italian Beef sandwiches and the order took a few minutes but that is fine with us. I would rather have my food freshly prepared than sitting under a warmer. Our order was placed on the pickup counter and we weren't told it was there, but no big deal. Maybe due to the new employee. We did not order the Chicago dogs or Polish Sausage but other people did and it seemed like they were enjoying them as well. The beef was moist, the Au Jus was well seasoned and very good, the bread was very good and the Giardiniera mix was excellent as well. I think he uses the Vienna Beef Giardiniera mix and I am a partial to Vienna's Giardiniera mix. The food was very close to Chicago's and we were quite pleased. We will definitely visits again. Guido's is a small place for dining with 3-4 tables and a counter with 3-4 seats, but the food was excellent. We visited Bobby G's (Alpharetta) a week or two after Guidos on a Saturday afternoon about 2:00 also and the customer flow was good as well. Bobby G's is a much bigger place with several big screen LCD or LED TV's and had great ambience. Seemed like a good place to watch a game and enjoy a meal with some friends. We ordered the Chicago Italian Beef sandwich and also the ""Eat Your Heart Out Philly."" The ordering process was well organized and friendly. It also took a few minutes for the food to arrive but that is fine as mentioned above. The beef sandwich was pretty close to Guido's but not quite as good for us. I believe Bobby G's uses Fontanini Giardiniera mix and that was part of the difference but it was still pretty darn good. They did offer a mild or hot Giardiniera and the mild was too mild for me, so you may want to try the hot. They will put it on the side so you can make a decision after trying both or maybe mix both together. My wife loved the Philly with just onions and cheese and it was delicious. She had to fight off me and my daughter to keep her lunch. We also ordered a Chicago Hot Dog and it was spot on target and very good. Several folks were ordering the Pizza so we are going to try that next time as well. I am sure will will not be able to resist the Philly either. Lastly, we visited Mike's Chicago Hot Dog. It was also on a Saturday between 2-3:00. My wife ordered a chili slaw dog and I ordered the Italian Beef and a 1/4 lb. Chicago Hot Dog. My wife was not impressed with the dog. To tell you the truth it was probably the slaw. The dog itself was fine. The Italian Beef was a little dry, the Au Jus was ok, the bread was fine. I did like the fact that Mike's used Vienna Beef's Giardiniera and he sold jars of it for home use also. My 1/4 lb. Chicago dog was just ok also. I think the ingredients on the dogs and beef sandwich could have been fresher. The french fries were very good and hot. Mike's is a small place like Guido's. For Georgians not familiar with the Italian Beef Sandwich may I recommend you try the Italian Beef with just Giardiniera (pronounced jar di neer a) don't add anything else. That way you will have experienced a true Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich first.\r
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