Craving an Italian beef sandwich from 'The Bear?' Here's where to find one in Central NJ

Millions of foodies tuned into “The Bear,” a HuluFX hit featuring a James Beard Award-winning young chef who heads home to Chicago to manage his late brother’s Italian beef sandwich shop.

But if you’re one of those New Jersey viewers who then looked to your home state for a taste of your own Italian beef sandwich, you likely came up short — an anomaly in this diverse, food-friendly region. Apparently, it’s not easy to find the concoction, which includes thin slices of seasoned roast beef, served au jus, on Turano or Gonnella puffy long rolls, frequently topped by giardiniera (pickled vegetables in oil or vinegar) or sweet peppers, sometimes both.

Although the Garden State is full of Taylor ham (or is it pork roll?), tomato pies and fat sandwiches, you have to search high and low — from Bergen to Burlington County — to find an Italian beef sandwich.

In Central Jersey, only three shops offer them, and two are run by owners who hail from the Windy City.

One of those owners is Michael Lialios, who was born and raised in Chicago and opened Gyro’s Corner in Rahway in 2019, about a decade after his arrival in New Jersey in 2008 after marrying a “Jersey girl.” He also owns the Fontainbleau Diner in Piscataway, but wanted to also open a fast-casual spot in New Jersey that reminded him of home.

“There are spots like this on every corner in Chicago where they have gyros, burgers, dogs, and sandwiches like the Italian beef,” Lialios said. “Like how diners are in Jersey, that’s how little fast casual places are in Chicago.”

When he opened the white-and-blue building across from the Rahway River, Italian beef sandwiches had to be on the menu right off the bat. They didn’t try to reinvent the wheel.

“If you had Italian beef and you have my Italian beef, you’re like, 'OK, that’s an Italian beef,' ” Lialios said.

At Gyro’s Corner, Lialios toasts the bread of an Italian beef sandwich to soften it before filling it with thin-sliced beef and grilled peppers, or Marconi giardiniera, which he buys from Chicago, since New Jersey giardiniera typically includes cauliflower.

“The only thing I’m not 100% Chicago on with that sandwich is the bread, because you can’t get Gonnella bread here fresh, only frozen,” Lialios said. “It’s basically like French dip but with more Italian seasoning, like more garlic and onions. There is more flavor in it than French dip.”

It’s not the most popular sandwich that Gyro’s Corner — those titles belong to gyros and burgers – but people who “know it, know it,” Lialios said.

Just like some of his customers, Lialios is a fan of the "The Bear," too.

“Some of the regulars ask me if I saw the show and I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course,’ “ he said. “Anything Chicago-related, I’m a homer.”

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Another shop on the other side of Union County hails from Chicago, too, but patrons might not realize it at first bite. Goodman’s Deli, a nearly 80-year-old Jewish-style deli in Berkeley Heights, was bought by Donald Parkin a dozen years ago. After he left Chicago — where he was born, raised and lived for 40 years — he wanted to bring some of his favorite city foods to his new deli.

One of those included the Italian beef sandwich, which at Goodman’s Deli includes rolls from Turano Baking Company in Illinois; Chipico giardiniera from Vienna Beef in Chicago; USDA Prime top round beef (the same that’s used in other Goodman’s products); sweet peppers prepared in-house; and au jus from the beef drippings, Vienna Beef Italian beef gravy, and added spices and ingredients.

“If you go to Chicago, I can send you to two-dozen different beef places that are all different,” Parkin said. “I strive to take the best attributes from all those places and style my sandwich after them. So, what I serve is what I like in an Italian beef. The roll has to be made in Chicago, and the beef must be sliced thin and cooked in the juice long enough to shrivel up.”

Parkin describes the taste as “like home.” He doesn't take the term lightly.

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“Ever since I left the Windy City, I missed the foods I grew up on, in particular Italian beef — lightly dipped with hot and sweet peppers; Chicago hot dogs, 'dragged through the garden;' and pizza, deep-dish, thin crust, cut in squares and stuffed,” Parkin said. “Even restaurants that had these Chicago specialties never had the authentic, real-deal.”

Parkin had planned to open his own restaurant, but after people warned him that Chicago items wouldn’t sell well in New Jersey, he decided to buy Goodman’s Deli, which was for sale, and add Chicago items to the menu.

Since the airing of “The Bear,” Parkin has noticed an increase in customer interest in Italian beef sandwiches. Fans of the show will find other elements in common with Goodman’s Deli, too, Parkin said.

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“On most busy days, these patrons will also get to witness the chaos, screaming and infighting that adds to ambience of owning a restaurant that makes their food from scratch and has a lot of demand from the public and expectations from the owner," he laughed.

Go: Gyros Corner at 745 E Hazelwood Ave, Rahway; 732-934-4976, facebook.com/gyroscornerrahway. Goodman’s Deli at 400 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights; 908-898-0900, goodmansdeli.net.

Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA Today Network New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Contact: JIntersimone@Gannett.com or @JIntersimone.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Central NJ has italian beef sandwiches similar to 'The Bear'