Buona Terra

I did a quick search and I can't find a topic dedicated to this restaurant; only mentions in other threads are available.

With that being said, I'd like to hear what you all think of the place.

Personally, I've been going regularly for about two or three years and I've never been disappointed. The veal ravioli is very good and not costly. The profiterols I've had for dessert there were awesome as well. This is a nice cozy place with solid food and quality service that's consistently delivered.

If you're thinking of going or passed by wondering if it's worth it, it definitely is!

It certainly looks worthy of a visit. I notice that the menu includes non-alcoholic beverages. Is it BYOB?

Buona Terra
2535 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 289-3800
www.buona-terra.com

Their bar is nice and cozy and makes the place warm and welcoming. Definitely not a byob and I'm sure you could bring your own bottle for a fee (but I'm not 100% sure on that one).

YourPalWill wrote:It certainly looks worthy of a visit. I notice that the menu includes non-alcoholic beverages. Is it BYOB?

Buona Terra
2535 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 289-3800
http://www.buona-terra.com

I think BT is a great neighborhood restaurant. I wouldn't drive 30 minutes for it, but if you live nearby, it's a great little spot. I think they do a reasonable fixed price menu on Thursdays, but I haven't tried it yet.

The service has always been warm and friendly, and they'll go out of their way to prepare things as requested (a certain relative of mine is known to ask for a salad special they'd had in the past or for shrimp instead of scallops on an entree - - they've always accommodated her).

Is it as good, for example, as another neighborhood Italian, Riccardo in Lincoln Park? I don't think it comes close. But, it's at a lower price point, and much closer to my house.

Things I've enjoyed:

The garlic spread that arrives with the bread. In all honesty, this could be a satisfying meal in and of itself. That's how good it is.

They do a nice grilled octopus salad. It's a special, but is often available.

Pennine al'Arabiata is great. I wanted something simple and was amazed how well-balanced the flavors were in this simple dish. A dining companion who'd ordered linguine with clams was quite jealous.

Spaghetti al Gamberetti is my usual. Tasty, juicy rock shrimp. A treat.

Enjoy!

I think Buona Terra is fantastic.

The pastas are universally better-than-good and some are great. I especially enjoy the rigatoni buona terra. My wife prefers the farfalle alla dominic.

I agree with the previous posts that identified the grilled octopus salad (nicely seasoned and well grilled) and garlic spread as enjoyable. I also think Buona Terra's caesar salad is good.

The atmosphere is welcoming. The service is friendly. And the prices are very reasonable, including the wine list. All in all, it is my favorite neighborhood italian restaurant in the city. There are neighborhood italian restaurants with better food (Terragusto, for one), but if I want a relaxing italian meal with good food, I go to Buona Terra.

Here here for Buona Terra~!
Every time I take someone here I know they will love it and be impressed. Love that garlic spread too, wow, is that stuff like crack or what?!
I love the pre-fixe night, that's usually when I go. I always love their pastas, and the salmon is delish. They always have a good special too. I had the lentil soup once and it was great. Desserts are HUGE too and we usually take ours to go!

I really like this place. The couple that owns it are very warm hosts, even when the place is busy. The garlic spread for the bread (made with cheese, garlic, olive and roasted jalapenos--I asked one of the waiters) is addictive as mentioned above. The pastas are really the stars--I like the agnolotti zucca and rigatoni buona terra a lot. The atmosphere is cozy and everything is very well-priced (including some nice wines by the glass).
I avoid the prix fixe nights though--there's usually a long wait and I think the food quality suffers (just a little) when they're super-busy.

Just wanted to give some overdue love to this place after another fine meal here on Tuesday. To me, this is kind of place you'd dream would move in down the street: friendly owners, good service, decent prices and, above all, good, consistent food. If I could walk here, no doubt I'd be a regular.

This visit, we started out with a special appetizer, proscuitto with fresh figs, a great mix of sweet of savory. We also did a carpaccio and the beet salad, both fresh and flavorful. But the special entre took the prize: a gnocchi with a slightly spicy tomato wild mushroom sauce and huge, plump sea scallops. A really nice mix of flavors and a surprisingly big portion.

My only regret was, since I was heading to concert at Logan Square Auditorium, I had to surrender my leftovers to a dining companion who was heading home.

I've enjoyed several meals at Francesca's on Taylor as well as La Sorella di Francesca in Naperville. I'm interested to hear how Bouna Terra would compare with the Francesca restaurants? Vastly different or somewhat similar? Thanks!

I think Buona Terra is better than the few Francesca restaurants I have been to. At least I thoroughly enjoyed my meal tonight, as did the rest of my family. We took advantage of the $21.95 three-course prix-fixe menu on Thursdays - a great value. No wonder the restaurant was so crowded! They have two separate rooms, one a little more casual and the other more romantic, dimmer and with candles on each table. However, I did see a family with a small child in the more romantic space, and everyone was very comfortable, so I think patrons can really sit wherever they would like.

The garlic spread is just as good as everyone says. I meant to purchase a jar of it but forgot by the end of the meal.

The rock shrimp are really great in the Spaghetti ai Gameberetti, but I must warn, the pastas (or paste if we're speaking Italian) are not housemade.

We enjoyed the special fig, prosciutto and parmesan appetizer as well and it was simple but excellent. Very fresh ingredients all around. The same goes for their salads - I loved the thick balsamic on the Tricolore salad.

I had the Paillard di Pollo al Palio and it was a bit unremarkable. Nothing was wrong with it, but the flavors weren't as appealing as in the Pollo alla Provinciana which was also ordered at the table. Lucky for me, my family tends to share, so I got to try a few bites of everyone else's dishes. The Pollo alla Provinciana is so tender and juicy, and a very generous portion of chicken. The white wine sauce is fantastic, worth sopping up with bread, and the roasted potatoes are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside - just the way I like them.

The desserts we had were all great, from the dolce di giorno (a vanilla bean flecked panna cotta) to the chocolate ganache pecan tart to the tiramisu, they were a perfect end to the meal. Granted, the tiramisu was not made with ladyfingers, but it was still quite good, and made in-house.

The service is excellent, very warm and friendly, and it seems like a restaurant frequented by lots of locals. Our waiter was constantly waving to people walking by outside. He must be a really popular guy! And one of the gap-toothed busboys was pretty cute too. On my next trip, I think I'd either order the Pollo alla Provinciana, or I'd love to try the Melanzana alla Emilia Romana.


Bread basket / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Tricolore Salad / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Fig, parmesan, prosciutto platter / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Spaghetti ai Gamberetti / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Pollo alla Provinciana / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Paillard di Pollo al Palio / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Panna cotta / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Chocolate Ganache Pecan Tart / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Tiramisu / Buona Terra by TrackBelle, on Flickr