Zel's Roast Beef - East Chicago

The food was absolutely delicious! That's all there is to say.

I thought this place was a staple of the area. Always heard the hype and finally was able to grab me a sammich. Roast beef with peppers and pickles. Not sure why but I was expecting something similar to Arby's. Instead I got a dry chewy Italian beef sandwich minus all the good seasoning. I'd compare this to maybe some catered beef because it's always horrible and this was on par with that. If that wasn't it I think a small McDonald's fry has more to it than what I got in my order. Good fries for sure, I searched the bag looking for the rest to no avail, I felt cheated out of the best part of my meal. 1/10 will not revisit

I used to travel to the East Chicago, IN area weekly for business and was introduced to Zel's. As someone from Chicago, I have a good sense of what makes fast food delicious, and I can confidently say that Zel's offers a unique flavor when it comes to their Beef BBQ. Their regular menu items, including Chili Cheese Dogs, Chili Dogs, Polish Sausages, Hamburgers, and Cheese Fries, are all fantastic. I used to dine there 3-4 times a month. I can't wait to introduce my children to this place so they can also become food enthusiasts like us in the Chicago/Indiana area. The food is consistently great in the Chicagoland area, and that quality extends across the border into Indiana. If you find yourself in East Chicago craving tasty local fast food, definitely check out Zel's. Mangia! Cheers!

I wanted Beef Sandwich. I remember back in the day My father and I would always go to Zel's and it's been years since I ate at Zel's but I woke up and thought let's do Zel's. I ordered a beef sandwich and honestly my expectations were this is going to be a stellar sandwich this is going to be one for the books. So I unwrapped the sandwich and I was ready for a decadence that's hadn't experienced in years. I rubbed my hands together with expectation. I took I bite....I thought hmm.....let me take another bite.....hmm.....I took another bite.......I wanted to curse.....I mean Jesus I just spent $8.00 on this.....it's dipped in au juse.....and what is this? This is ridiculous that's what this is. This is the most plain dry and bland roast beef sandwich I've ever eaten.....how is the sandwich even partially dry when it's been dipped? Eating it....literally it had no flavor at all....it's like eating flavorless meat......and what's the point in that? Portrillos easily smashes this roast beef to pieces.....portrillos is easily 10 times better.....Barton's is probably the best beef sandwich I have had and even Arby's is easily much better then Zel's. So my personal recommendation is it's not worth it. I will say however that the chocolate shake is excellent. The onion rings are meh....because I can taste some after taste of something else that isn't onion rings which tells me the oil in their fryer should be changed. So there you have it. If your going to Zel's just go for a chocolate shake.

The flavor is what you would expect from a Chicago Italian beef that has been made in Indiana. It didn't meet my expectations.