Where to Get a Taste of ‘The Bear’ in L.A.

Jeremy Allen White as Chef Carmen (aka Carmy) on FX series "The Bear" (Courtesy FX/Hulu)

Chicago may be just over 2,000 miles away from Los Angeles, but you won’t have to wander too far to get your hands on the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning The Bear’s Italian beef.

Eastside Italian Deli has been serving stacked sandwiches since 1929. Originally a market, the restaurant serves as the remains of the predominantly Italian immigrant neighborhood that DTLA was during the 1930s and ‘40s. They tacked on their roast beef sandwich to the menu in 1974 but only threw hot giardiniera into the mix after watching the first season of Hulu and FX’s The Bear.

Staff at the deli were first captivated by the show’s deeply accurate portrayal of working in the food industry. “As people in the culinary field it’s exactly what it’s like in the kitchen,” partner owner Vito Angiuli told Los Angeles magazine.

“For example, my brother, Anthony, who's a business partner with us, said himself, he couldn't even watch it,” he continued. “Because he goes, ‘Why am I going to deal with the stress of the show when I have to deal with the stress of the day-to-day operations here?’”

(Photos courtesy Vito Angiuli/Eastside Italian Deli)

Creating the sandwich seemed like a given to them. But don’t fret, they weren’t cutting any corners. The giardiniera mix is sourced from Chicago’s very own Marconi Foods: a legacy brand that started up back in 1898. Angiuli also adds that the creation had to serve its time as an “off-the-menu item” and go through testing before it earned its spot as an official selection.

The final product was the now wildly popular “The Bear Special Chicago Style Beef” sandwich. When some of the show’s crew members were in town, they even stopped by to try it for themselves.

“I did have some crew members come from that show… they weren't actual cast,” he says. “They were like, ‘Oh, man, this is awesome! We should get you at our special premiere of the next season!’… they loved it.”

But as it happens, they’ve got some haters too—those are inevitable when taking on another city’s signature dish. Chicagoans will sometimes comment on their social media that they’re “using the wrong bread.” Angiuli contests that the deli uses “one kind of bread” and it’s made “fresh daily.”

Regardless, it’s worth trying out. For a deli that’s been around for nearly 100 years, it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing when it comes to wiches.