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Buona

3.6 (162 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

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BUONA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Buona

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Reviews With Photos

Scott L.

This was my second place to try an Italian Beef and really glad I did! I found the meat was much more flavorful, lots of sweet peppers, and hot. I also ordered some extra juice to dip into. Added the cheesy fries, which were really crispy crinkle cut fries and a cup of cheese sauce. Ordered at the counter (or you can use a kiosk) and food came out pretty quickly.

Cheese Fries
Juliana R.

This is a good spot for a classic Chicago beef and cheese fries. The value is great, but this location was a bit disheveled. I imagine that it's downtown location earns it some extra foot traffic. The patio seating was a bonus. Our order took a while to come out but everything was super fresh and the fries were hot and crispy which made it worth the wait.

Jeremy L.

This place was really close to our hotel, so we gave it a shot. I wanted to dislike it based on the fast food vibes, but honestly I liked it. Seems like the purists take fault with certain aspects of it, but my beef was wet without being soaked and the fries were decent (needed salt) tho. The place was clean and they clear your table as quickly as you eat. There are certainly places with more character, but for a quick fix you can't really go too wrong.

Hotdog and Fries
Franke H.

Thanks Isabella good food not my first time here pizza is banging... yes far girl vibes ... oh well yes I ate ate all ... fat girl vibes

Combo with cheese i
Bobby C.

The sausage is way better than the Italian beef although we didn't get it "dipped" and I'm not a connoisseur. I was a little disappointed as the night before I had taken my out of town and out of country family to Pequod's Chicago Pizza instead of something stupid like Pizzeria Uno. I tried to one up myself, but ran out of time and locations and ended up what seems to be a fast food chain - That butchers what Chicagoan's would think of "real" Italian beef and sausage. However, the sausage was decent even if the beef lacked flavor flavoring, we all thought. Reasonably enough priced for Chicago in this area.

Italian beef "baptized"
Nicole C.

This place feels very "fast food". Especially since you order on a kiosk thing. We had to remind the guy to give us the beer we ordered. Then the italian beef was bland. The onion rings were tasty though. But for italian beef, go literally anywhere else.

Italian Beef Sandwich
Bryan N.

It was just OK. A little dry and the bread didn't seem fresh on the Italian beef sandwich. I came to Chicago thinking it would be top notch and my local Portillo's in Minneapolis has better Italian Beef. Service was fast and friendly and prices were reasonable. Just ok/good but not great.

Dining area 2 of 2
J P.

This is a convenient and close place to get to during rainy weather from the Wade hotel. Interior is clean and modern with self order kiosks and staff readily nearby in case you need help. Food came out quickly. I ordered on first visit an Italian beef sandwich dipped Chicago way with a house garden salad on side with balsamic vinaigrette, all to to. I dined in and ordered one minestrone soup on second visit ($6 total). I enjoyed what I ordered and was grateful for the option for quick, satisfying hot food nearby.

Terrible

I purchased their Italian beef bucket from jewels and it tasted like crap . The meat was all shredded and greasy. Totally not worth the $25 I paid. Wish could return this crap or throw it in the CEO of the company face to see if they'll eat this horrible product.

Regular Dipped Buona Beef w/sweet peppers and mozzarella
Ryan C.

We were looking for a spot to grab a quick and easy dinner, specifically an Italian Beef and saw that a Buona location was in walking distance of the hotel so we made our way out. Took us about 5 minutes and it wasn't too busy for a Sunday night around 8. We tried ordering on the self checkout screens when you walk in next to a couple of guys but we all had issues so after 10 minutes we had to order with the person packing up the food. We ordered the Beef Bites, and two Regular Italian Beefs, dipped, with sweet peppers and mozzarella cheese. Found an empty pretty quickly and the food came out very fast. The beef bites were basically arancini filled with beef, gravy, cheese, and peppers with marinara and it was hot and crispy. A really great, heavy snack. The sandwiches got devoured. They were seasoned really well, nice and peppery and had a good amount of meat. The regular didn't feel too big but maybe just cause I crushed mine very quickly and I was hungry. Overall a great quick service to pick up some food in Streeterville. They just need to fix those kiosks to speed things up.

Big Joey's Beef
Yupeng L.

Buona's is a family-owned Italian beef restaurant that has been passed down for generations. I've been to the streeterville location several times and they have always blown me away with their food. The Italian beef classics are well seasoned and super juicy. You really can't ask for much more. As a bonus, the portions are generally pretty large and the food is good value for what you pay. Service has always been pretty quick. If you've never been before I recommend the Big Joey's, extra beef, baptized with gravy.

Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich and Fries

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9 months ago

Food is always great, staff is usually helpful and nice. Usually order takeout and it's done in a reasonable amount of time.

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6 months ago

Dine takeout last night fries were so cold I thought they were frozen beef no flavor and skimpy.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Johnnie's is greater than Portillo's and Portillo's is greater than Buona. But i'll be back its the only italian beef in the area!

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2 years ago

This place and this location in particular is great!! Fast fresh food and courteous service!!

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Business owner information

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The Buona Companies L.

Thank you!!

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1 year ago

I got a Chicago dog and an Italian beef. Their Chicago dog was nice, but I found their Italian beef sandwich rather dry.

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3 years ago

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Au Cheval

Au Cheval

4.4(9.6k reviews)
1.7 mi•West Loop, Near West Side
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Au Cheval was unfortunately a pretty disappointing experience for us. We arrived around 5:30 PM and…read morewaited nearly 2.5 hours for a table of four. We understood that it was busy, but being texted that our table was ready only to wait another 15 minutes in a tiny entry hallway was frustrating. When I asked for an update, the hostess was dismissive, which made the situation even more unpleasant. Once we were finally seated, it took about 10 minutes for our waitress to greet us. We ordered wings and single burgers. The food was hot, but our burgers and fries came out at completely different times because the kitchen was supposedly "backed up." For the price and the hype surrounding this place, I expected a much better overall experience. The burger was decent, but honestly, nowhere near worth a 2.5-hour wait, and the prices felt high for a burger and fries. I can appreciate that restaurants get busy, but the communication, service, and timing of the food could have been much better. Overall, I wouldn't wait 2.5 hours to eat here again. The food was okay, but the experience just wasn't worth it.

Yesterday, my colleague and I went to Au Cheval and I'm still in awe. We went without a reservation…read moreduring lunch and had a 30 min wait. We were sat at the bar in front of the chefs who were back there whipping it up. We ordered the Roasted Bone Marrow which was ahhh-freaking-mazing! It was the perfect balance of salty and savory. It was served with toast. I ordered a lemonade which was yummy. She ordered a coke. We both ordered burgers and an order of fries to share. They came huge and very good. I kept mentioning that my fries were one of the best. We are kindly given a key lime pie which was to die for. I'm not even a dessert person and I couldn't stop eating the slice. I will be back the next time to I visit!

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Crispy Fries & Potato Hash

Buona - sandwiches - Updated November 2026

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