Buona, St. Charles

Buona was a family effort from day one. Founder Joe Buonavolanto Sr. took out a second mortgage to fund the original restaurant, and when it came to building it, he dug the foundation himself alongside his sons. What's more, Joe's wife Peggy formulated Buona's original Italian beef recipe with the help of their Uncle Junior, proprietor of the now-iconic Mr. Beef.

Today, three generations of the Buonavolanto family operate 16 Buona locations throughout Chicagoland. Their reach has certainly expanded with a menu that now also includes salads and pizzas, but their beef featured in the signature sandwich the Buona Beef remains exactly the same: slow-roasted, perfectly seasoned, and served on fresh-baked Italian bread. All customers need to worry about is how they want their sandwich prepared, be it dry, dipped, or doused in the beef's natural gravy, which is sourced from beef trees.