15 Retro Illinois Fast-Food Sandwiches That Deserve A Comeback Immediately

Remember when grabbing a quick bite in Illinois meant more than just settling for the usual burger and fries? Once upon a time, the Prairie State was a hotbed of inventive, mouthwatering sandwich creations that captured the hearts—and appetites—of locals across generations.

From rich, saucy pork sandwiches to uniquely stacked regional specialties, these handheld masterpieces were the pride of local diners and fast-food joints alike. Sadly, many have vanished from menus, leaving behind only fond, flavorful memories.

I still catch myself craving those iconic bites that once defined Illinois’ fast-food scene. Let’s revisit the legendary sandwiches that truly deserve a comeback!

1. The Beef-a-Roo Super Roast Beef

The Beef-a-Roo Super Roast Beef
© 97ZOK

Growing up in Rockford, my Saturday afternoons weren’t complete without Dad taking us to Beef-a-Roo for their legendary Super Roast Beef sandwich. This masterpiece featured thinly sliced, perfectly seasoned roast beef piled sky-high on a pillowy sesame seed bun.

The magic happened when they added their secret horseradish sauce—tangy, creamy, with just enough kick to make your taste buds dance without overwhelming the meat.

A sprinkle of fresh parsley and a couple of crisp dill pickle slices completed this beauty. Beef-a-Roo still exists in northern Illinois, but this particular sandwich configuration vanished years ago, taking with it a piece of my childhood happiness.

2. Barnelli’s Turkey Focaccia Supreme

Barnelli's Turkey Focaccia Supreme
© LoveFOOD

Barnelli’s Pasta Bowl might be remembered primarily for their Italian dishes, but us Chicago suburb kids knew better—their Turkey Focaccia Supreme was the real hidden gem. Herb-infused focaccia bread, warm from the oven, cradled layers of oven-roasted turkey that put deli counters to shame.

What made this sandwich extraordinary was the roasted red pepper spread liberally applied to both sides of the bread.

Sweet, slightly smoky, and utterly addictive! Fresh spinach leaves, provolone cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze completed this masterpiece. When my high school debate team won regionals in ’97, we celebrated with a tray of these beauties. Nothing has tasted as victorious since.

3. Bun ‘n Burger’s Italian Beef Boat

Bun 'n Burger's Italian Beef Boat
© St. Charles Business Alliance

Bun ‘n Burger’s Italian Beef Boat wasn’t just a sandwich—it was a Springfield institution! Unlike Chicago’s traditional Italian beef, this quirky creation came on a hollowed-out French bread “boat” that caught every drop of that glorious jus instead of letting it soak through.

The genius was in the preparation: tender beef simmered for hours in a broth loaded with oregano, basil, and garlic, then topped with melted provolone and house-made giardiniera that packed serious heat.

My uncle Frank claimed they added a splash of red wine to the jus—a secret ingredient that elevated it above all competitors. When the restaurant closed in the early 2000s, locals literally lined up for blocks to get one final taste.

4. Wonder Roast from Sandy’s

Wonder Roast from Sandy's
© Daily Meal

Before Hardee’s gobbled them up in the late ’70s, Sandy’s drive-ins dotted central Illinois with their distinctive Scottish-themed restaurants. Their Wonder Roast sandwich was pure magic—a bizarre yet brilliant combination that sounds wrong but tasted oh-so-right!

Picture this: thinly sliced roast beef layered with crushed pineapple and a schmear of cream cheese on a toasted onion roll.

I’m not making this up! My grandma would drive us 40 minutes to the Decatur location just for these sandwiches, claiming they were “worth every mile of gas.” The sweet-savory-tangy combination was revolutionary for its time. Modern chefs charge $15 for similar flavor profiles, but Sandy’s nailed it for under a buck fifty.

5. The G.D. Ritzy’s Triple Decker Club

The G.D. Ritzy's Triple Decker Club
© Broken Chains

My first job was at G.D. Ritzy’s in Champaign, where I assembled countless Triple Decker Clubs during the lunch rush. This wasn’t your average club sandwich—it was architectural genius stacked three layers high on buttery toasted sourdough.

The foundation layer featured hand-carved turkey and Swiss, the middle boasted crispy bacon and lettuce, while the top crown contained thinly sliced ham and tomato. Each level received its own special sauce: herb mayo on bottom, honey mustard in middle, and a peppery aioli on top.

Customers would watch through the diner-style counter as we built these towering beauties. The satisfying “crunch” when they took that first bite was the sound of pure sandwich perfection.

6. Kewpee’s Olive Burger

Kewpee's Olive Burger
© MLive.com

Long before I understood the concept of umami, I was experiencing it in its purest form via Kewpee’s legendary Olive Burger in Moline. This unassuming masterpiece featured a hand-formed beef patty topped with a generous scoop of chopped green olives mixed with mayonnaise.

The briny, salty olive spread melted slightly into the hot burger, creating a sauce that transformed an ordinary patty into something transcendent.

A soft white bun soaked up all those magnificent juices without falling apart—a structural engineering marvel! While a few Kewpee locations still exist in other states, the Illinois shops closed decades ago, taking their olive-topped perfection with them. My taste buds have never quite recovered from this particular loss.

7. Neba’s Hot Roast Beef with ‘Boom Boom’ Sauce

Neba's Hot Roast Beef with 'Boom Boom' Sauce
© All Over Albany

Neba’s brief expansion into southern Illinois in the late ’80s brought us the most incredible hot roast beef sandwich I’ve ever encountered. Unlike today’s fast food, they slow-roasted whole top rounds in-house daily, slicing the beef paper-thin to order.

The sandwich came on a kaiser roll with a liberal dousing of their infamous “Boom Boom” sauce—a creamy, slightly spicy concoction rumored to contain horseradish, cayenne, and secret ingredients the staff would never reveal.

My high school buddies and I would pool our lawn-mowing money for weekly Neba runs. The chain abruptly closed their Illinois locations in 1991, leaving behind nothing but sauce-stained memories and countless failed attempts at recreating that magical Boom Boom formula.

8. Booby’s Submarine Sandwiches’ ‘The Carbondale Special’

Booby's Submarine Sandwiches' 'The Carbondale Special'
© The Daily Egyptian

College life at SIU Carbondale revolved around late-night study sessions fueled by Booby’s legendary “Carbondale Special” subs. This monster measured a full 16 inches and contained what seemed like half a deli counter: salami, ham, turkey, roast beef, AND pastrami!

The true genius was in the details—specifically, their hot pepper cheese that melted slightly when they wrapped the sandwich in wax paper.

The warm sandwich activated the fragrant Italian herbs sprinkled throughout, creating an aromatic experience that announced your arrival to any room. Booby’s closed in 2015 after over 50 years of feeding hungry students. Alumni still exchange recipes trying to recreate that distinctive flavor profile, but something about the original remains elusive.

9. Mel-O-Cream’s Breakfast Club

Mel-O-Cream's Breakfast Club
© Dunkin’ Donuts

Springfield locals know Mel-O-Cream for their donuts, but true insiders mourned when they discontinued their mind-blowing Breakfast Club sandwich in the mid-90s. This morning miracle featured a freshly-baked croissant split and griddled in butter until golden and crispy.

Inside lurked fluffy scrambled eggs folded with chunks of their house-made breakfast sausage and melted cheddar cheese.

The crowning touch was a thin layer of their signature apple-cinnamon jelly that created a sweet-savory combination that woke up your taste buds faster than any coffee could. My mom worked nearby and would bring these home on Saturday mornings. The heavenly aroma filling our kitchen meant the weekend had officially begun. No breakfast sandwich since has captured that same magic.

10. Wimpy Grills’ Double Garbage Burger

Wimpy Grills' Double Garbage Burger
© The Straight Beef

Despite its unappetizing name, the Double Garbage Burger from Wimpy Grills in Bloomington was the holy grail of hangover cures. This magnificent mess featured two hand-formed patties stuffed with diced onions and pickles, then topped with American cheese, shredded lettuce, and their mysterious “garbage sauce.”

Nobody knew exactly what went into this orange-tinted sauce, but rumors suggested it contained thousand island dressing, A1, Worcestershire, and a dash of cinnamon.

Sounds bizarre, tastes like heaven! The whole glorious creation came on a steamed poppy seed bun that somehow maintained structural integrity. When my college roommate visited from out of state, I insisted we drive 40 minutes just so he could experience this local legend before the small chain closed in 2001.

11. The Eagle’s Nest Turkey Cranberry Stackup

The Eagle's Nest Turkey Cranberry Stackup
© Order Online

Thanksgiving came monthly at The Eagle’s Nest in Quincy thanks to their incredible Turkey Cranberry Stackup. My aunt worked there in the ’80s and would sneak these sandwiches home after her shift—the ultimate family treat!

House-roasted turkey breast was carved thick, not thin like most delis, then piled on marble rye bread that had been slathered with a mixture of cream cheese and chunky cranberry sauce. A layer of stuffing—yes, actual stuffing!—came next, followed by a drizzle of warm turkey gravy.

The sandwich required both hands and at least three napkins to eat properly. The combination of hot and cold elements, plus the textural contrast between moist turkey and crisp bread, created a sensory experience that modern fast food can’t touch.

12. Krekel’s Custard’s Pork Tenderloin Deluxe

Krekel's Custard's Pork Tenderloin Deluxe
© DoorDash: Food, Grocery and Retail – Fast Same Day Delivery

Krekel’s still serves amazing frozen custard in central Illinois, but their discontinued Pork Tenderloin Deluxe keeps me awake at night dreaming of its perfection. This sandwich featured a hand-pounded pork tenderloin breaded in a secret mixture containing crushed saltine crackers and cornmeal.

After frying to golden perfection, the meat extended a good three inches beyond the bun on all sides—a proper Midwest tenderloin! What made the “Deluxe” version special was the addition of smoked ham and Swiss cheese on top of the tenderloin, creating a pork-on-pork masterpiece.

My grandpa claimed it was “worth getting your cholesterol checked for” and would drive from Taylorville monthly just to indulge. Health concerns eventually removed this beauty from their menu around 2005.

13. Rax Roast Beef’s BBC (Beef, Bacon & Cheddar)

Rax Roast Beef's BBC (Beef, Bacon & Cheddar)
© Patch

Before Arby’s dominated the roast beef scene, Rax restaurants peppered Illinois with their superior sandwiches—none more beloved than the BBC. This flavor bomb combined thinly sliced roast beef with crispy bacon and a molten cheddar sauce that had a distinctive sharp tang missing from today’s fast-food cheese products.

The secret weapon was their onion-poppy seed bun, slightly sweet and always fresh-baked in-house. My dad worked late shifts when I was a kid, and our special tradition was grabbing BBCs when he got off at midnight—one of the few places still open in our small town.

While a handful of Rax locations survive in other states, they vanished from Illinois in the ’90s, taking their perfect BBC combination with them.

14. Steak ‘n Egger’s Italian Sausage Grinder

Steak 'n Egger's Italian Sausage Grinder
© DoorDash

Chicago’s Steak ‘n Egger diner chain might be remembered for breakfast, but their Italian Sausage Grinder was the underground lunchtime legend that kept construction workers and factory employees fueled through afternoon shifts.

Unlike typical sausage sandwiches, this beast featured a whole rope of spicy Italian sausage coiled inside a specially-baked circular bread loaf. The sausage came smothered in chunky marinara sauce made fresh daily, with melted provolone and mozzarella creating that perfect cheese pull with every bite.

Green peppers and onions caramelized in the rendered sausage fat added sweetness and depth. My first apartment was above their Western Avenue location, and the aroma wafting upstairs around lunchtime was torture when my wallet was empty!

15. Windy City Gyros’ Italian Beef and Pastrami Combo

Windy City Gyros' Italian Beef and Pastrami Combo
© Holidify

Only in Chicago would someone think to combine two iconic sandwich meats into one mind-blowing creation! Windy City Gyros on North Avenue perfected this concept with their Italian Beef and Pastrami Combo that had lines out the door during the ’90s lunch rush.

Thin-sliced Italian beef soaked in garlicky jus shared space with pepper-crusted pastrami on a sturdy French roll that somehow didn’t disintegrate under all that juicy goodness.

The sandwich came “hot and wet”—Chicago code for spicy giardiniera and dunked in beef jus—creating a glorious mess that required strategic eating techniques. My Chicago cousins introduced me to this sandwich during a family reunion in ’95, and I still judge all sandwiches against this perfect standard.