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Buona

3.2 (129 reviews)
Closed • 10:30 am - 11:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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BUONA ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Buona

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James A.

Surprisingly good Italian beef sandwiches from a well known chain that serves many of the Chicago classics. Chicago Italian beef sandwiches have become popular outside of Chicago, partly due to the popularity of the series 'The Bear'. This means of course, that there are many lists of the best beef sandwiches in Chicago on the internet, but I've never seen Buona on any of them. It's a shame, since my wife grew up going to the original location and could testify that it was just as good as the other beef places like Portillos and Johnnie's. So around the time we were dating, Buona was rapidly expanding their original Berwyn location to other suburbs, so we stopped by multiple times to the nearest franchise location and we were disappointed every time. The beef wasn't as plentiful or flavorful and didn't justify the price. These locations closed soon after, and I kinda forgot about them. But this location was right across the street from the hotel we were staying at in Itasca, and I ended up stopping in twice for carryout. The first time was to grab a quick dinner for the two of us (the kids had dinner plans with friends in Chicago), and just kept it simple with two regular original buona beef sandwiches ($7.99 each, hot giardiniera +0.75) and an order of cheese fries ($4.19). Their version of giardiniera is very hot, and includes black olives. The sandwiches were good, with very thinly sliced beef, not overly heated up. The bread seems to be their own version of Italian bread, and it was fine. We got it the original way (a little gravy on top). The experience was good, so two days later, I came back to order lunch for the 4 of us. This time I noticed they have two digital order screens in the very front of the restaurant, allowing one to customize and pay for it exactly the way we wanted. We then found a place to sit down in the dining room. After about 10 minutes, instead of yelling out my name to get the order, somebody actually came out to the dining room to hand me my package, and we were on our way. We tried some other dishes. - chicago style hot dog ($4.69) - it's a jumbo, all-beef hot dog (doesn't say what brand it is, so probably not Vienna beef), dragged through the garden. Everything about this was just right, including the size of the wiener. Can't help but compare it to the version from Portillo's, and this is better. - Big Joey's beef ($12.49) - large Italian beef with added hot and sweet peppers and melted mozzarella. It's a good sandwich, though the toppings were too much. Next time, would just get a large beef with hot pepper oil, dipped. - Beef Regular ($7.99) and side of giardiniera (+0.75) dipped - this is the combination that works for my wife, since she just likes the hot oil for the sandwich. Getting it dipped was the right move (meaning only the ends of the sandwich are put in the gravy)...though if you can eat the sandwich right away, try it baptized. The bread will start to disintegrate, but its a great way to maximize the flavor. - Large fries ($3.99) with cheese cup ($1) - it's crinkle cut. they don't give you that much (it just reaches the top of the package) and it's just OK. The cheese is a thick nacho cheese, similar to what Portillo's has. Reg Strawberry Shake ($3.99) - good price. A bit watery (not thick at all), but the flavor was good. They have a self serve soda machine in the back, and for those doing carry-out, they have small and large carryout cups near the ordering kiosks. So after you order, you can pick up a cup or two and fill it with ice water while you wait. It's a nice touch that I've never seen at any other place, and strangely is one of the things I remember most about this restaurant as I sit here writing my review.

the front of buona
Savanna B.

The online ordering system is very easy and my order was ready almost exactly when I arrived to pick it up. The restaurant was pretty clean and the staff were friendly. We all enjoyed our meals- I especially liked dipping my beef sandwich into the gravy rather than having it baptized...my husband was mostly relieved that I didn't put mustard on it!

Buona Italian Beef Isis a Best Restaurant EvereAenki
Agratta G.

Buona Italian Beef Restaurant is Great tasty, quality real ingredients, large portions,fair, fast casual fast food restaurant. Almost the same food industry field as a Chipotle, BUT Chipotle 20% more expensive, almost always dirty and unfair unequal portions smaller sizes... you always pay for extra... same as Buona have as a regular sizes. Plus excellent exceptional service to your numbered table... not like in Chipotle they are pushing you as an animal faster and faster... and in Chip u pick up your food by urself... w no options do not leave : NO TIP... but in Buona Italian beef restaurant they are treating you as human being... w a choice : NO Tip... that's honest, because you have a choiceAEnki

Regular Buona Beef with fries, and Beef & Sausage combo.
Natalie A.

Stopped in for lunch on a Monday afternoon. The restaurant was clean and set up well for Covid distancing. Service was friendly and quick. The food was very good, but I think it was a little overpriced. But.... if you use their app it offers reward points and bonus deals, so, that's helpful. They also do a 1/2 price milkshake happy hour in the afternoon from 2-5pm. If you're in the area, would recommend stopping in to check it out. Enjoy!

Buona is the official beef provided of your Chicago White Sox! (and the Cubs too, but who cares about them)
Eric S.

JUST A SWEET/HOT MESS For a quick beef sammy, you could do a whole lot worse than this restaurant chain. Not knowing what food to expect at the Yelp event on 9/5/19, I made a last-second decision to stop at this Buona in Itasca. You know you're getting fat when you eat a fully loaded italian beef sandwich as a snack before dinner. I see commercials for Buona Beef on White Sox broadcasts damn near a dozen times each game, so the brainwashing has done its job. They're the official beef provider of the Chicago White Sox and to a lesser extent, the Cubs. Not really digging the whole 'fair weather fan' business deal, but whatever. I placed a dine-in order, assuring myself I'd make a big fucking mess in the car, had I opted for drive-thru. Though the service is speedy, it's not "fast food" so they'll give you an order number to shove on top of the stainless steel holder. Bottles of domestic craft are $4.50 and the selection is okay. Their standard beef ($6.25) is 7" and I got mine 'baptized' w/sweet peppers and hot giardiniera, an extra 70¢ each. My sandwich looked lonely on the plate, so I quickly put it out of its misery in less than 3 minutes. Soaked in gravy with sweet & hot peppers made it pretty good, I have to admit. A very passable 6/10 on the Johnnie's Beef-O-Meter. You can get a smaller 5" version if the regular i-beef is too much to handle. They also offer a big 10 incher for all you size queens out there--you know who you are! Prices are okay, though Portillo's is a tiny bit less expensive (their beef is $5.99, peppers only 60¢ extra). At some point, I heard an older lady complain "you're out of iced tea" and the only response a manager could offer was "yeah um, sorry about that" and walked away. lolz ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ * TL;DR * Buona's okay in the grand scheme of things, though this visit could've been better. Staff weren't exactly friendly and placing an order took way too long at the register. They were good about baptizing my sandwich and piling on plenty of peppers, I'll give them that much. Some day, the doctor's gonna say to me "no more eating 5x beefs a week, or you'll die a gravy-soaked death". Saddened and hungry, I'll reply "I want a second opinion" and he'll say "well okay, your hair's stupid too". Nevertheless, I shall continue devouring Italian beef sandwiches at a breakneck pace. That's how we do in the 3-1-2, baby!!

Thursday night is Pizza Night
Peter M.

"First time there, and I was Impressed!! This was my first time at Buona, as I was reffered here by the front desk at the Hyatt. It is a family and chain style restaurant with very nice vibe, cool decor and an open feel. The cuisine here centers around 'Italian Beef" which according to them is an Italian/Chicago tradition. I was lucky to be there on a Thursday when Pizzas are half priced. Be wary that this is a self serve restaurant. I stood by the entrance for about 5 minutes with servers going by me, and no one told me you order at the counter. Aside form that everything was great. I ordered a classic Italian "Buona Beef" 7 inch. The sandwiches meat was flavourful, tender and mixed with peppers was very good. My pizza was served hot and fresh, and it was vary good pizza. Cheesy, gooey, and just the right amount of pepperoni. They also have burgers, Ribs and other sandwiches and sides as well. The people at the counter were very helpful and helped me order my meal. The staff is attentive and helpful. Buona Beef has great food, its family friendly, and affordable. I've eaten at other locations since then.

Buona Chopped Salad

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

Love Buona! They have great food and you receive bonus points for each meal. You'll never get that at another Chicago fast food group!

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18 years ago

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The Buona Companies L.

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