I've been to Buona Beef a few times over the years, and I've been to this Skokie location on Touhy twice now. It seems like both times I've been here during off-peak hours, so the service has been pretty quick for me. The Italian beefs are solid and satisfying in size and flavor. I'm not big on the totally dunked sandwich, but even so the "dry" beefs come out juicy enough for me when I ate them at home. I like the sweet peppers as a topping on the beefs. The crinkle cut fries are tasty too. There is free parking in the lot, and Buona has The Original Rainbow Cone embedded in this location. read more

The guy behind the counter took my order was really cool. Tried the 1/3 lb hamburger special today. The burger was well seasoned and comes with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, red onion and mayo between a warm and pillowy brioche bun. The fries were crispy and salted well. And the burger is char grilled which gave it awesome taste. read more

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08/25/26 - I haven't eaten @ Buona Beef for quite awhile. I forgot how good they are. We went here for a beef sandwich today. As usual I always order my beef dipped w/Jardiniere. This sandwich was served on a toasted piece of French bread that added a nice crunch to the beef even though it was dipped in the beef juice. The one thing I never noticed before was the toasted bread that added a delicious crunch to the beef. The other thing I totally missed was the garlicky flavor in the beef even though I have eaten at Buona Beef before (NOT MY FORST RODEO). I throughly enjoyed the his beef & savored the crunch of the dipped garlicky laden beef w/the jardiniere peppers & I added red pepper flakes for a little extra kick. Even though this wasn't my first time I really savored this beef sandwich & feel like I missed out on some of the things I thought were new like the toasted bread & garlic flavor. I asked the guy working at the front he told me they always made them this way. This beef was delicious but a bloody mess dipped. Sorry I forgot to take a picture read more

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That are known for their fantastic Italian beef sandwiches, but they have so much more. You can get Chicago style hotdogs, pizzas, pastas, salads and much much more. The staff is very friendly and the food is some of the best around. Their dining area is also very nice and can accommodate large parties. read more

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We'd been to this location several times because it shares space with Rainbow Cone which we love. But we hadn't had buona beef because I don't enjoy Italian beef. But when the came out with a vegan option, we had to try it. We were greeted immediately by a friendly cashier and only had to wait a few minutes in the warm ambience for our food. The food was brought piping hot and fresh to our table. The fries were so hot they were almost burning our mouths but so tasty, we kept eating them anyway. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside - perfection. The vegan beefless is seitan and is shaved more like a gyros texture than Italian beef although the flavors are definitely spot on for Italian beef. Since the vegan "meat" was so tender, I loved it. The sweet green peppers were still slightly crunchy, nicely roasted. Vegan or regular cheese was an option. But we got ours just with peppers. The roll was soft with a pleasant and satisfying chew. The beefless is pretty salty, but I like salt so I found it yummy. I was also happy to see how many other options they have. We'll be back to try their chicken sandwiches too. And try to save room for a rainbow cone ! read more

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Picked up an Original Rainbow Cone and a Buona Beef to celebrate my birthday month. I have brought my son and young neighbors here in the past during the summer. All had a great time! This business is family friendly and inviting. Parking Private parking lot with plenty of spaces. Seating Comfortable booths and outdoor seating. Drive thru for Buona beef. Staff is very friendly sbd I csn tell tgey work as a team. Ordered my beef to go and waited on side couch for my order. The staff member brought order to me and even asked if I wanted anything additional. Thank you staff for all that you do. I appreciate it. read more

Buona - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Love Buona Beef!!! Everything we have ever had there is delicious From the beefs to meatballs, salad and chicken you can't go wrong with anything. Bonus....Rainbow Cone is there too! read more

3 out of 3 orders: one catering and two game day packages- each over $100- ALL did not deliver with key items included- the au jus, giardiniera, and peppers. The heros of the sandwiches! First time, thought it was an unfortunate mistake. Second time, further annoyed, third time- don't believe it's a mistake. I think it's deliberate, saving costs for them. I don't think it's coincidence. Not 3 out of 3 orders!!! read more

Really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately I didn't. I ordered a regular beef with sweet peppers, not the more spicy giardiniera. So I thought I was going to get something on the mild side but what I got instead was something more spicy. I'm thinking it's the way they spice their beef, but it could've also been the peppers. I don't really know, but it was too strong tasting. Another thing, it was the price. It was $11 which I thought was kind of steep for what I got. And the beef itself seemed overcooked, making it taste dry and without any flavor. i went on an off hour, before dinner, so maybe the beef was sitting in the au jus for awhile, so it wasn't completely fresh tasting. Next time I'll just go to Johnnies in Elmwood Park which is my usual go-to when craving a beef and Italian ice. read more

I have always been Mr. beef loyal. Meaty beefy big and bouncy. This place is really winning me over. Clean. Number 1 - C L E A N ! Lots of options on HOW to have your beef. Nice staff. Good managers. They got my order wrong. I complained. The manager rightfully said," let me get you the RIGHT order." I explained I didn't want to throw the meal away. I was brought up poor and food waste offends me. He asked "can I buy your meal next time?" "Excellent idea." "Very Christian," I thought as I ate my "baptized" beef. My beefs w/ this beef joynt? Rainbow Cone should ALWAYS be open. The hours are odd. And the self-service kiosks are a total loser of an idea. You thought you could lose staff w/ these? Uhhh.. no. The opposite is true. Big mistake. It actually just takes longer. The kiosks are infuriating and people always end up calling over sn employee to help. You have a fine staff. Let THEM do their job. Lose the kiosks slowing everything down. These screens are bad for business. The customers mostly HATE them and they are disrespectful to the competent staff standing right there. Uncomfortable and offputyong they actually do the opposite of what they were intended for. Be humane. Lose the kiosk's! read more

First time I ate inside the restaurant as opposed to drive-through. I want to complement the young man that was running the counter today for his helpfulness and politeness. Food was good. The only downsides were there's no shades on the windows and it's incredibly bright in the restaurant and made it hard to find a seat that wasn't blindingly bright And also there is a smell in the restaurant that is a painting contractor I recognize is the smell of varnish that is still offgassing. That is nothing to do with the staff there who were all incredibly polite as I said. read more

Was hired, they work employees like slaves, very poor management, They comment you're doing a great job& can you after 4 days.. if you want a real Chicago beef, Al's is the best! New employees beware, two faced staff.. they work you to death& let the 20 age group, get way with everything.. 90% of the crew is Hispano, a poorly run company, and only hire's hispanics, people be aware, they tell you, your doing a great job& stab you in the back.. stay away from this company.. waste of time. read more

I got the beef bites and they were okay, I do wish there was more meat inside, next time I'd probably get a sandwich. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised that there was a vegetarian sandwich option of a "beef sandwich" made with seitan. A rainbow cone at the end of our meal was the perfect treat! read more

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Pleasantly surprised by how well this establishment runs. Food is great, and staff are so friendly! I loved their giardiniera pizza, loved how the cheese was toasted so well, who would've thought that this combo worked so well! Their pumpkin spice latte shake was also soo good, not overpowering or artificial tasting at all. Thick and creamy, lightly fragrant. The rainbow cone was not only pretty but the flavor adjacents were stacked very well. The price are actually all so very reasonable for the quantity and quality it provides. I'd definitely come back to try their cheesy Italian beef and other icecream flavors like blue sky and s'more! read more

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Top notch friendly service with a smile. Very clean dining area and restrooms. The sandwiches and fries are very good. Would return, would recommend. read more

Love their app! Easy to order while just heading out of the house and order is ready right when I pull up. I had the classic 7" buona which is plenty for me with a side of fries. The beef is nicely seasoned and the fries are perfecto being thick cut and crunchy. Personally I don't really like my beef bread wet, it does get a bit soggy if you let us sit. I know some folks that like the brad drenched like through weatherman hurricane rain type wet, not sure hot it eat that - do I need a fork and knife? I'm not looking to beat the food eating champions here! If I had a side of au - jus to just dip at my leisure I'd much prefer that. It's neat that Rainbow cone was opened in the same building - they had a great promo last summer and I guess it made business sense, well customers will definitely be happy especially bon a hot summer day! read more

Buona - 7inch Buona - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Everything went nicely. Thought something was missing in my carryout so I came back, but it was all there. The guy at the front insisted on making it all again anyway since it was "cold by now." That's called CUSTOMER FIRST. Food great as well. 10 stars read more

I really like coming here, the restaurant is brand new and there isn't a crowded parking lot or two lanes for a drive thru that you'll see elsewhere. The restaurant itself is very airy and the tables and general seating allows you to spread out. There are a few tables for outdoor dining too. What's good to eat here? Of course the big beefs, but the avocado and strawberry with chicken salad was mind blowing. So was their BBQ chicken pizza - it had both some sweetness from the sauce and tartness from the tomatoes. The crust was crunchy and soft. I love their pastas and accompanying sauce - get meatballs added to it, if you can. I would like to try their eggs with pepper sandwich next, Overall, think I've found my favorite beef spot. read more

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New (or new-ish, by this point--I think they opened a few months into the pandemic) location in Skokie on Touhy. I hadn't been here until a couple of months ago, and it may have been the first time I'd been to a restaurant since the pandemic began, and to date it's the first time since the pandemic began that I've been through a drive through. Nice large restaurant, plenty of indoor seating and, for my purposes, lots of pull-up spots to wait. Good food, as is the norm at any Buona. It is nice to have one much closer than the Harwood Heights or Des Plaines locations in the event I'm ever craving Buona. I'm sure I'll be back. read more

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We were craving for some Chicago style hot dogs and Italian beef so decided to try new Buona that opened up less than a year ago. The menu was very promising and very similar to its Chicago rivalry restaurant. We got many things that we would typically get. The chopped salad, Italian beef, and hot dogs. The hot dogs was a true Chicago style. I didn't like the Italian beef though. It was way too salty for my taste. The chopped salad was ok. Overall, it was just an a-ok meal. read more

Buona - December 2020 - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Do not use the app! My order was never received but my account was debited and they said it's an it problem and I'm still waiting for my money back. read more

I tried Buona for the first time and it was overall just okay. I ordered for my family: 7" Italian beef sandwich (not pictured) The combo sandwich (not pictured) Cheese fries Rigatoni pesto cream pasta Roasted vegetable pizza Chocolate chip cookie (not pictured) The Italian beef and combo sandwiches were alright..more on the salty side. I also didn't really like how soggy the bread was for the Italian beef sandwich. The fries were good, but the cheese was salty, so I ended up just not eating much of the cheese dip. The pasta was very average tasting. I couldn't really taste the pesto, so it was more like a plain Alfredo pasta. If I were to try it again, I would probably add chicken (extra cost) to it to give it more flavor. The pizza was pretty good. I liked how light tasting it was and how simple it was too. It was just really small. It's only 9" or 10" and is like a personal pizza. And the cookie lol pretty good. It was soft and a little chewy, and not too sweet. But I did split it 4 ways, so I think it would've been really sweet if I ate the whole thing myself... The restaurant is in such an odd location with kind of odd entrances and exits. It's a bit inconvenient to get to it. The inside is pretty neat and chill. You order your food, pay at the register, and wait for the dishes to be brought out to you. Also, I think you leave your dishes, cause I didn't see any garbage cans. If I were to eat here again, I think i'd get the pizza. read more

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About a decade ago, after visiting their Rolling meadows location for lunch I got so painfully sick, the experience stuck with me for so long I could never visit another one of their locations. Granted cross contamination situations can occur, it's the sort of "violation" that can dampen your ideas of a brand for awhile to come. Over the many years I had heard great reviews from Italian beef lovers and friends living locally to their locations. 'It's not just Italian beef they said.. most of it is good.' So this northwest side location opened up right around the pandemic no less. the design of the restaurant is far different than their other older locations. It's been revamped and is quite stylish. Since early Covid restrictions I had been limited to the window view while waiting on my drive-thru orders. Which had been plenty. Currently Buona owns the Italian beef that I enjoy most. I've introduced four niblings between ages 6 - 18. All became fans and only one goes against my typical order style of "baptized", because she prefers it dry. Many good meals to be had. A side salad is a small expense but lends enough food for two meals. Their quick style pizzas, sandwiches, grilled favs. Plenty of tasty options even when you aren't feeling like a dipped beef sammich. read more

I hadn't heard of Buona Beef until it opened this joint location with Rainbow Cone, and I read an article about it that someone had shared in our Neighborhood Facebook group. One weekday evening when I was wanting to get out of the house for awhile after working remotely all day, I drove around a little trying to decide where to go for dinner. All of a sudden I remembered that I'd wanted to check out Buona Beef, and suddenly I was in the parking lot and walking in. I studied the menu for awhile (which I usually do online before going someplace new, but my impromptu visit precluded this), and two staff members checked on me while I was doing this. Both were very friendly, and told me to take my time. There's a lot more information available on the menu in the store than there is online. I learned that I could order the Buona Beef in several sizes, and either dry, regular, dipped, or soaked (I don't think those are the words they used, but I can't confirm that now since the link to the PDF of their menu isn't working on their web site). Eventually I ordered the regular size Cheddar Cheesy Beef. The beef was moist, but the bread dry and crusty, which is how I like it. It was delicious! Next time I'm going to try the Buona Beef with mozzarella, maybe even with a little more juice this time, and I'm expecting that to be even better! There are several other things on the menu I'd like to try, like the meatball sandwich, chopped chicken salad, and pasta, so I'm sure I'll be back. The seating area is clean and spacious, the chairs are comfortable (a must for my plus-sized body), and the bathroom was well maintained And of course a big plus was that I could go to the other counter in the seating area to order dessert from Rainbow Cone. Ever since I moved back to Chicago a few years ago I've been searching for an Italian Beef sandwich that I really, really liked, and every one I'd tried kept coming up just a bit short. I think I've finally found it! I'm a fan! read more

This being one of our favorite fast-casual chains, we're pleased to finally have an outlet in our neighborhood. With a drive-through, curbside pickup, indoor and patio dining, they've covered all bases for safe COVID-era dining. The indoors is bright, airy and contemporary. Menu variety extends far beyond Buona's signature Italian beef sandwiches. Their burgers, Chicago-style hot dogs, pasta bowls, protein bowls, salads, shakes, and 10' pizzas (ready within 5 minutes) are formidable competitors to other fast-food brands. Plus, they offer several options for health-conscious diners. On our most recent visit, the Missus had a craving for their beef with sweet peppers, which she quickly devoured. I ordered a turkey pesto sandwich and a side Caesar salad. These were remarkably good, possibly even better than similar items I've had at competing sandwich chains. I get an occasional craving for their pepper and egg sandwich, which is available only on Fridays. The cashiers and runners who bring the food are eager to please, but sometimes we've experienced inexperience or communication problems. "To make 2020 a little less terrible" (giggle!), Buona Beef has partnered with an iconic Chicago institution, The Original Rainbow Cone. TORC's fabulous ice cream cake roll is on Buona's dessert menu, but also on the day of our visit, Rainbow Cone's roaming food truck was parked next to Buona Beef. An approaching thunderstorm did not keep us away. read more

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Food is great in portion and taste. Service is amazing and quick Place is real chill plenty of space so you don't feel rushed to eat quickly. read more

Love that they have an Original rainbow cone in-house now! Way back when you could only get the original rainbow cone on the south side of Chicago or maybe at the Taste of Chicago. So glad to see them expanding! I had been to this Buona before when the Original Rainbow Cone had their ice cream truck stop bym and now they're actually inside the Buona and so glad they came to this one as it's so close! Food here is that classic Italian beef however you like it, so delicious on the soft roll. The large is huge, enough for two meals really. And of course for dessert you have to go for the original rainbow cone for a classic Chicago ice cream combination. For someone who has a hard time deciding what to get it offers you a little bit of everything and somehow still tastes amazing. Handy parking lot, maybe a little hard to find as it's tucked behind the gas station. But find it! It's worth it! read more

Now I'm not the biggest Italian beef sandwich, so I usually don't frequent Buona that often because of that. But this time I got the burger and let me tell you, this burger could bring me back more often. It was juicy and tasty, not something I expected from an Italian beef place. In my opinion the burger was better than the beef sandwich. read more

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lve been loving your food but come on guys I took a bite out of the southwest chicken sandwich today and it was hard! I took off the bread on top and saw the cheese was still wrapped in pape, I see that your trying to raise sales by 5-6% this year but it's not going to work if you don't double check. read more

I've never heard of this place but I absolutely Italian Beef and was pleasantly surprised with how delicious their Buona Beef is. It took me a minute to look over the menu and I already know I'll be back because there's so much I'd love to try. I'd also come back just for the Pumpkin Spice Shake. I enjoy when a shake is packed full of the flavor that it's suppose to be. We ordered the Buona Beef ( added mozzarella and mild giardeniera), fries, beef bites, and a chicago style hot dog. The food came out in a decent time and it was piping hot. Always a good sign. The buona beef was absolutely scrumptious. I also like the fact that you can personalize it. I may try it with a bit more gravy next time but it was delicious as is. Their fresh baked bread is soft and doesn't fall a part. The beef bites were a surprisingly great choice. Loved the rice ball texture and goes well with the marinara sauce. Chicago Style hot dog was pretty decent. Their fries though some of the best I've had in the area. The lemonade was not doing it for me. I ended up just swapping for fruit punch instead. Great place to dine in or theybhave a drive through if need be. read more

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Best of both worlds. I ordered my usual Buona Beef with sweet & hot peppers. Never disappoints! You can also grab an Original Rainbow Cone at select locations. Solid duo! Buona is the best in Chicago! read more

Buona - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

I stopped in for the Yelp elite event so it was good to know that this location existed close to where I was at. I ended up trying the saucy beef and the pasta salad and both were delicious! I also saw that they had pizza so definitely trying that out next time. The service here is really good. You order at the counter and they give will bring your food out to you. I saw that they had the rewards program so I figured I was going to sign up while waiting for my food to arrive. When I scanned the QR code, it turned out that I already had an account with rewards points! When our food arrived, I asked if it was possible to add our recent purchase to my points and they said it wasn't a problem. After eating, I went up to the counter and Gio (the manager) was able to apply my purchase to my rewards app and he made it look easy! I'm now closer to getting my free Buona! read more

Buona - Saucy Beef & Side Pasta Salad - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Yum yum YUM! It's been years since I had Buona Beef and it was just as good (if not better) than I remember. I got an Italian Beef w/mozz & sweet peppers lightly dipped and wow! The bread stayed in tact, there was plenty of beef, cheese & peppers! The fries were piping hot! They weren't oily & they were the perfect crispiness. My sig other tried the plant based version and he said it was ok, just a bit on the salty side. read more

Buona - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Curious about this popular sandwich, I ordered the fixings to make at home. Moist and flavorful, after the first bite I understood why the Buono beef sandwich with pickled vegetables is so popular. When not in Chicago area, the five inch sandwiches, drizzled with beef jus, can be composed whenever you want at home via a Goldbelly delivery. But if it's this good when mailed chilled overnight, can it be any better on site? Hard to imagine, but I look forward to investigating when in Chicago area this summer! read more

Buona - Beef topped with hot Giardiniera (composed at home) - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

We had a really lovely dinner here tonight! Me and the kids split an Italian beef and pepperoni pizza with a small cheese fry. The beef was really good, got it with mozzarella and mild peppers. The pizza was my favorite. The crust was really good. Dessert was a rainbow scoop! I've never had this before, but what a fun treat. The kids loved it! One baby scoop was the perfect size treat for after dinner. Overall, great service (I kept going up to ask for various things for the kids) and great food! We will definitely be back. read more

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I was in the area with my bf and he told me he had never tried Buona Beef. I am an Italian beef, roast beef sandwich junkie and Buona Beef is one of my absolute favorites! Thus, I told him we must try it! He agreed. Luckily, it wasn't very busy and we went through the drive thru. I ordered a regular Buona beef dipped and my bf ordered a meatball sandwich and then we shared a large fry. Oh my goodness! It was so, so good! Since we obviously took it to go, I hate to use everything I had to not sneak a fry or eat my sandwich before I got home. When we finally got home, we were ravenous and we ate our sandwiches. They were freakin BOMB!!! For me, my buona beef was perfectly dipped and the beef was juicy and succulent. I added some hot peppers bc you can't have an Buona beef without it and omg, it was delicious x 19384747. Similarly, my bf raved about his meatball sandwich!! He loved the sauce and the meatballs were juicy and tender. The fries were good too but nothing too special to say about them, not like the sandwiches. All in all, we definitely will be back. I swear, I don't think I've ever steered my bf wrong when it came to sandwiches and Buona Beef is quality meat, tasty, succulent, juicy and top tier sandwiches. Yummalicious all around! Bravo Buona Beef bravo! read more

Buona - Buona Beef with hot peppers, ends dipped and regular fries - Sandwiches Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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We ordered Italian beef sandwiches & fries to go - the service was quick and the food was tasty. Did not try the rainbow ice cream but we'll be back. read more

Buns for hotdogs and bread for Italian beefs are really flimsy. Beef flavor is good (and lots of peppers) and there's a double dog in the Chicago dog. Jus is tasty but could be saltier. Fries are good. Tables/booths were not cleaned and floor near sodas was super sticky. read more

Good fast food beef sandwich is delish. Love the fries, most of all love the rainbow cake.I live close by and it is very easy to pick it up FAST! read more

This is a long overdue review for the newer Buona Beef in our area. I preface this by saying that I am not an Italian beef fan. It would be the last thing I would ever order. However I heard so much about Buona Beef that I decided to try one, knowing that I could give it to my husband if I didn't like it. I love that they offer 3 sizes, with your choice of dry, dipped, or sauce on the side, plus options of sweet or hot peppers. For my first time I added mozzarella cheese and their delicious giardiniera. I was hooked! I liked it so much that I went to Portillo's to compare since they have a reputation for good beef too. (I love Portillo's for other things but the Italian beef at Buona was much better.) We have ordered from here at least 10 times now and we also like their cheddar broccoli soup, burgers, pesto pasta and salads. We've downloaded their app, joined their rewards program, and order frequently now, with the Skokie location being just minutes from us. I only deducted one star because one time we got delivery and they forgot my daughter's meal, and another time I ordered the soup and the container wasn't closed well and spilled all over the back of my car. I will say that Angel the store manager handled both situations well. We are definitely fans! read more