First look at new restaurant bringing Chicago ‘Italian beefs,’ hot dogs to Lexington
South of Wrigley, a new restaurant on Lexington’s Southland Drive, is beefing up and getting ready to open up. LexGoEat got a sneak peek at the new place, which is coming to the former coffee shop spot across from Good Foods Co-op.
Owner chef Randal Jacobs is bringing in 500 pounds of beef to start. That should make about 1,000 of the special Chicago-style sandwiches, he said. He hopes that will be enough when the place opens this week.
But it’s hard to know what demand will be like for a taste that isn’t necessary well-known in Central Kentucky.
Jacobs, who moved to Lexington with his family a couple of years ago from Chicago, hopes that the flavors will translate.
“South of Wrigley is your favorite Chicago restaurant brought down to Lexington,” Jacobs said. “What we’re going to do is serve Italian beefs, Chicago hot dogs, a few other favorites, Chicago street fare if you will. And hopefully the Lexington community will gravitate toward it.”
What are Chicago Italian beef sandwiches?
The sandwiches start as roasted beef sliced thin and left to soak in au jus.
“It’s kind of a reverse French dip. ... The meat stays in the liquid, gets soft and beefy-flavored and it’s just delicious,” Jacobs said.
When you come, Jacobs said, you order it either dry (no au jus), dipped (with the ends of the sandwich dipped in the au jus) or wet (completely soaked.)
That can get messy but the special Turano rolls he’s bringing in from Chicago holds up to the juicy beef, Jacobs said. The beef can be topped with giardiniera, the Italian relish of pickled peppers, carrots and cauliflower, or with roasted fresh sweet bell peppers.
South of Wrigley will serve it will hand-cut fresh fries, or you can even get the beef right on top of the fries for a glutton-free option.
What’s on the menu at South of Wrigley?
Jacobs also will have Chicago-style hot dogs on the menu with the unique toppings the Windy City likes, including relish, sport peppers, celery salt, tomatoes, pickle and onions.
The menu also includes hand-dipped corn dogs, specialty sausages, home-style potato salad and more.
Once South of Wrigley has been open a while he plans to add Philadelphia-style porchetta and daily special sandwiches such as Philly cheesesteaks, hoagies and meatball subs.
Vegetarian options will be coming later this year, he said. The restaurant also will serve beer once its liquor license is approved.
Takeout is available, as well as seating inside the restaurant.
Jacobs said he and his family have grown to love Lexington. “I’ve really grown to love Southland Drive. The people who walk through the door excited to see us open, the overall community, the support has been amazing,” he said.
South of Wrigley
Where: 472 Southland Dr.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday to start
Online: Southofwrigley.com
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
