NYCReview
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Bobbi’s Italian Beef
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Eating at Bobbi’s Italian Beef feels like riding an antique car through a wormhole and ending up in the '80s. Vintage Vienna Beef posters line the walls, old movies loop on the TV, and the booth seating will remind you of going on pizza dates as a teenager. As the name suggests, Italian beef is the specialty at this spot on the border of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, and it’s some of the best you can get in New York.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
photo credit: Emily Schindler
photo credit: Emily Schindler
photo credit: Emily Schindler
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Bobbi’s isn’t the only midwestern transplant restaurant in NYC, but what makes it unique is just how much Chicago food they’ve brought out east. There’s the Italian beef in both standard and cheesy styles, tavern-style pizza, and Supreme Tamales. They also make great Chicago dogs, prepared according to a strict set of rules laid out in that Vienna Beef diagram on the wall. It’s fun comfort food done well, but the reason to come here goes beyond what shows up on the red plastic tray they’ll bring to your table.
Nostalgia is a main ingredient at Bobbi’s, from the personal pan pizzas that will remind '90s kids of Book It!, to the coin-operated machines in the front that dispense tiny prints by local Brooklyn artists. The space is a throwback to slice shops and sandwich joints from decades gone by, with a few modern touches. The posters on the walls are vintage, but the hand-drawn art covering each tabletop feels contemporary. It makes this place equally good for a family dinner after a soccer game or a lowkey date night.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Italian Beef
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Chicago Dog
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Chili Cheese Dog
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Tavern Pizza
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Brooklyn Muffeleta