Buona — Restaurant in Oswego Township

This place is a dim shadow of Portillo's, even the way Portillo's has diminished since it was taken over. Ordering was slow. Service was slow. Even though there was hardly anyone in the place.

No napkins. Went to a server to ask for some, and the server said they were by the soft drink dispenser. Yeah, looked there. None there. Another couple overheard this, and said that they, too, needed napkins. So, the server went over to show us where they were. Oops! None there.

My salad was delivered to the table and the servers left before I saw that there was no fork. Back up to where the silverware was: three knives; no forks or spoons. Asked a server who, without a word, sullenly went and got me a plastic fork.

Grabbed the ketchup bottle for my fries: nearly empty. I was about to go to another table to grab one, but the guy at the next table was doing the same thing. He finally found one with a little ketchup in it on his second try.

When we sat down, there were people at three other tables. While we ate, those people finished and left. No one came to clean their tables. All their papers, plates, and cups sat there as more people came in and looked for a place to sit.

The only reason it got two stars rather than one is that the food is not bad. Not Portillo's,...

UPDATE!!! Went there Thursday for supper. Long work days for my wife and I forced us to eat out. Buona was agreed on by me, my wife, and my daughter. I've loved this place since it opened. I always prefer it over Portillos...until now. My Daughter and I both got food poisoning from this place. I got a combo beef and sausage sandwich and she got a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE HOW EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED I AM. I'LL SAY THIS AS WELL... EVEN WITH THE GREAT EXPERIENCE I'VE HAD WITH THIS PLACE SINCE IT OPENED, I CAN NEVER BRING MYSELF TO RETURN TO A FACILITY THAT GAVE ME FOOD POISONING. DISGUSTING...ITS OBVIOUS THEY'VE DEVELOPED A WORK ENVIRONMENT OF UNCLEANLINESS AND I NEVER WANT TO EXPOSE MYSELF TO THAT POSSIBILITY AGAIN. I'M 100% POSITIVE WE GOT IT FROM THIS RESTAURANT. IT'S THE ONLY FOOD WE BOTH ATE ALL DAY THAT WAS FROM THE SAME PLACE. I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS AT ALL. NOT JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED BUT BECAUSE IT HAPPENED AT KY FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. Great food and service. Beefs are far better...

Buona is a time honored classic for real Chicagoans. You will find no better Italian Beef sandwiches anywhere in the world.

EDIT: I wrote this review before actually eating my order of 2 sandwiches that together was $27 yesterday!! Upon opening the sandwich, I noticed it was not made correctly as ordered. To top it off, there was barely any meat inside the sandwiches. So, I paid almost $30 for two sandwiches (85% bread) from a place that does not value the quality of their product. It is really sad to see this time-honored classic be turned in to what it is today, a former shadow of its once great self. You might as well go to McDonalds now, at least you might get the right order and be full. It used to be you ordered a sandwich from Buona and could rely on the quality and care put in to the sandwich in exchange for money, but all they care about now is the money. 😥 Unfortunately I cannot and would not recommend you eat at this...