Buona Terra

I have never before been moved to write a review. This was my worst restaurant experience ever. They are snotty, impolite, crude people. Food was served with a thick black human hair in it. When mentioned to the management, she said,""it's not our fault"". Well, neither I nor my table guests have black hair. When we asked for the bill to be split between two couples, she said in a very snotty way, we don't do that, you have to figure it out and do it your self. Then she proceeded to insult us with a verbal attack which we just had to walk away from, in fear of being physically attacked. Notice that all of the good reviews were made years ago. more

Food good, waitstaff nice, upper management snotty and act like you are doing them a favor by eating at their restaurant. Can go elsewhere for a friendlier environment. Pros: plenty of street parking before the rush Cons: snotty more

The wife of the owner is rude and demanding. Should have known when making the reservation that this would be a bad experience. We went for a birthday dinner. She wanted the party of 8 -10 people to have decided what their menu choices were prior to coming to the restaurant. Who has ever heard of such a thing? When one goes to a dining facility and receives their menu and hears the specials is when one decides on their order. Pros: Gracious waiter Cons: Poor service from owner more

This was once an inviting neighborhood place with decent food and good service. After dining at Buona Terra for over five years, I find that the new staff is wholly indifferent to the needs or desires of diners. The wait staff carried forward from the glory days remains as great as ever, but they cannot make up for the disdain dished out by the newcomers. After several meals in a row tainted by snottiness, I see no reason to hope that Buona Terra will return to its former, friendly self. Ciao. Pros: Price Fixe Night; Pasta Cons: Stale Menu and Sour Service more

I always love it when restaurants give you specials and this one does a great job. On Thursdays you can... more

I always love it when restaurants give you specials and this one does a great job. On Thursdays you can choose an appetizer, entree & dessert for $... more

A nice casual restaurant in Logan Square, fresh calamari. The Linguini with Clams in White Sauce is delicous. I've had these dishes a couple of times and it's to die for. Also, don't forget to try the garlic & olive sauce/dipping provided with bread while waiting for dinner. You can also ask for some when you order out too. I can't wait to go back, in the summer you can sit outside. Pros: Ambience, Pricing Cons: Limited Parking more

As a newbie to Logan Square, this was one of the first restaurants I found, and I'm glad I did! Great all-around...food (everyone in a group of 6 was happy with their meal), service, price, ambience. I'm can't wait to go back. Pros: Great food, Excellent value more

The husband and wife team make you feel like family. The service is excellent. Our favorite waiter is Juan. He knows what you want and brings it promptly. We have also had some of the other wait staff and they all are very knowledgable about all the items on the menu. The quality of the food is excellent. There is always a fish entree on the specials of the night menu. We are southsiders and try to get there at least once a week. Pros: Great Prices, Family Friendly, Delicious Food more

I love going to Buona Terra with my girlfriend, especially on Thursdays for their $20.00 prefix. I can't believe what a value it is. I'm glad they're just a few blocks away from us. more

More than just your regular Italian menu, good wine list and good service. Pros: location, chef/owner Cons: open only for dinner more

This place is amazing. I've been eating here for over a year now and haven't been disappointed. The food is always delicious and reasonably priced. I've ordered fish from their menu of daily specials twice and each time it was fresh and mouth-watering. The prices are reasonable and the waitstaff is friendly and attentive. This is by far the most consistantly wonderful place to eat in Chicago and arguably one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. Pros: great food, great prices, great service more

Wonderful is all I can say about Buona Terra! My partner and I tried this restaurant for the first time and found it to be just perfect from start to finish. Our waiter was fantastic. While he was very attentive, he also gave us plenty of time and space to just enjoy our meal and conversation. When I asked if he could recommend a wine, he recommended one that was just wonderful and only $18. I was impressed that he didn't just recommend a high-priced wine - the one he chose for us was perfect. The food was wonderful - the salad with champagne viniagrette, the butternut squash ravioli, potato & spinach gnocchi. Also, this was the best cannoli I've had in ages! We also really enjoyed the atmosphere. Simple, but very welcoming. I can't wait to go back and bring friends. Pros: great service, welcoming atmosphere, reasonable prices more

Riding the crest of the Logan Square wave is this cozy Italian offering upscale menus at remarkably comfortable prices. Service is prompt, professional and friendly -- an appealing blend of sophistication and family feeling. An irresistable salmon carpaccio provided a hearty portion of melt-in-your mouth smoked salmon of highest quality accented by smoky grilled asparagus, rich white truffle sauce and piquant pink peppercorns. Squash ravioli balanced sweet and salt and swam in luscious browned butter. Cheese-covered chicken breast was a simple delight in a tangy tomato sauce. Our dessert was a semi fredo (apologetically presented by our server as ""a bit too cold"") that was indeed over-frozen but rich and indulgent, accented with a tongue-pleasing zap of burnt carmel and pistachio and raspberry sauce. Ignore assessments of the wine list in earlier reviews -- thoughtfully selected and VERY reasonable (many very fine bottles priced below $20). Pros: Service, Reasonable prices more

Overall, I'd say there was good value for the dollar to be had and overall quality and service was solid. The shrimp ravioli in spicy tomato sauce was very good. The shrimp flavor in the filling really came through and gave way to a pleasant burn from the spicy sauce on the finish. Just enough cream to mellow everything out and provide a great mouthfeel. Finished up with a good canoli and espresso. The espresso was better than in most places I've eaten in Chicago - still can't touch a cafe in Italy, but that would be expecting too much. The one disappointment here was the wine list. Limited choices, which could be expected in a mid-scale place like this - but they could have done better within the same scope and price points. Bottles were mostly in the $20-$30 range. more

Recently I visited the newly opened Buona Terra in Logan Square...I was happy to find out they had finally received their liquor license. ECSTACY!!! That is all I need to say. The carpaccio...amazing... The main course...the special of the day...halibut over top of a pesto risotto...every bite made me appreciate this thing we call FOOD. I did not realize it could get any better...dessert ... homemade Tiramisu. It was mouthwatering...not too sweet...generous in portion..This privately owned italian restaurant...I predict...will is/will be the next hottest spot. more