4. Restaurants

Bono’s. Real Chicago Food.

6700 N Linder Rd,Ste 192, Meridian, ID, 83646
  • (208) 884-4422
  • Store is closed

Bono’s. Real Chicago Food. Menu

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  • Holly C.

    I have had two so terrible experiences here that I'm compelled to write a review. First, I must say the owner seems like a friendly well-meaning person. Secondly, I think their choice in employees is terrible. Mostly teenagers or young adults with little to no knowledge of the menu, and who just don't care about doing a good job. But most disappointing is the food. The Italian beef is entirely bland and the buns are reminiscent of store brand hoagies. Soggy in seconds and no crispy outside, the way an Italian beef sammie should be. The au jus is terrible. In my mind, it is herb water, not even au jus. The pizza is also less than worthy. No flavor except tomato. This last time, I ordered a tamale, and for $2.25, I got something as wide as my thumb and as long as my pointer finger. It had absolutely no flavor. I legitimately wonder if the chefs have dead taste buds. I don't think this place is worth a dime, and it is not cheap. I wish I had better things to say. I think unless this place makes some really drastic changes to recipes and staff, it simply won't survive.

    (1)

  • Jennifer R.

    Pretty much the same as all the other reviews: slow service that was mostly unfriendly (aside from one guy), soggy, forgettable food that was way too expensive and skimpy on the portions, awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere. How is this place still open?

    (2)

  • Beauford W.

    I returned for the last time to Bono's to try the legendary deep dish pizza. I found that it's a legend of overpriced, underwhelming, tiny pizza. The owners should be ashamed to call this "authentic" Chicago deep dish. Almost $20 for a tiny pizza that barely feeds 3 people. My family almost laughed when I brought the boxes home. The crust is slightly deeper than Pizza Hut and their idea of authentic simply means the sauce is on top. What a joke! I've had real Chicago deep dish pizza and this isn't even close. I feel like I've given Bono's a fair shake. I've been 3 times now. I won't be going back. Boise remains a barren waste land when it comes to authentic deep dish Chicago style pizza.

    (2)

  • Doug D.

    Tried a couple of times and just have to say it is just OK. I don't think I get the deep dish pizza, but I did like the meatball and stringed meat sandwich.

    (3)

  • Lisa T.

    Excellent food. Pizza is the best around, although a bit greasy. Crispy thin one time, a little chewy the next. Meatballs are true Italian, and delicious. Awesome custard. Service is very slow, even when they aren't packed. Delicious, so calling ahead might be the ticket.

    (3)

  • Saturn Z.

    Beef Sandwich!!! So tasty! Can't wait to have another. Also the staff was very friendly and they had a great kids area that made the meal even easier to enjoy. They have tasty local brews on tap. Overall can't wait to try again! Oh and I had a thin crust Alfredo sauce with sausage, onions, and spinach...not only was it cut right, true Chicago box cut, but it is superb!! Great job Bonos on bringing Chicago a little closer!

    (5)

  • Brian H.

    Inexuseable business practices. Poor service. Slow! Better than average food. Beware of gift certificate nonsense! My takeout orders have been incorrect in some way, 4 out of the 6 times I've ordered to go. Hold times and order times on a busy day can be extreme. Staff is consistently frazzled, rushed, nonchalant and sometimes rude. They employ so many people on any given night that I am repeatedly stunned at how long it takes orders to come out of the kitchen, or the fact that they appear to be untrained in the processes or the system. Perhaps the turnover is high. But you can never say they are understaffed! Kudos to the owners for employing so many local students, but shame that it's an inaccurate first work experience for them - potentially making them feel they can behave this way at a "real job" someday and get away with it. Possibly, they don't have time to train them. Gift certificate: We attempted to use a $50 gift certificate with limited success. First, they said they do not accept gift certificates (I promise it is a legit one given by a friend and not a fake one made in Photoshop). Then when pressured, they said they accept it but I am required to use the entire amount now. They would not give a cash or even a CREDIT refund on the balance. They suggested we order a pizza to go that we can eat another night. What kind of business is this? And BTW it took over 90 minutes for our order (hot dogs and sandwiches, no pizza) to arrive, all while there are only two other tables of customers in the entire restaurant. If this is their form of punishment for using a gift certificate, that's upsetting. The food is usually good - pizzas very good. Decent variety on the menu. Reasonable prices. Delivery too. But their other consistent and inexcusable failings take my review down from a 4-star to a 2-star.

    (2)

  • Jeff M.

    My group thought it was awsome. A pre-teen who won't eat beef LOVED the Italian beef. A teenager with bottomless stomach complained he was too full. Staff couldn't have been nicer. And the peanut butter pie was. ...incredible! Four 1/2 stars cuz it's a long way from home.

    (4)

  • Chad R.

    My wife and I had two hamburgers, onion rings, and a salad. The burgers were DRIPPING with oil, the salad had been made, uh, a while ago - it was not fresh! The burgers were obviously frozen, and served on "ciabatta" bread (actually some sort of baguette) which left awkward half-circles of meat protruding from the sides. The relish looks like some sort of neon-green chemistry project. I will say, the onion rings were EXCELLENT! But not good enough to rescue our abysmal gut-bomb lunch. We won't be going back.

    (1)

  • Jen J.

    Food was ok but the wait was forever. Not like the typical pizza place but after the long wait it wasn't really worth it. It was also privy for what we got. All in all surprised they are still open.

    (2)

  • S L B.

    No, this certainly isn't true authentic Chicago pizza. Having been to Chicago this fall and dining at Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, etc...I was a bit disappointed. The pizza looks authentic, but the taste just isn't there. Crust was missing the buttery goodness of a traditional deep dish. The sauce had an okay flavor, but there was TONS of it coating my cheese pizza. Our food took about 35 min to arrive at the table, but the odd thing to note on our visit was the young waitress we had. Most everything there is counter service...ordering, drinks and silverware. The waitress dropped by to ask if we needed anything and awkwardly stood at our table for a few minutes. Then, about 5 minutes later, she comes by to tell us that our pizza is still cooking. A few minutes later, she brings us the pizza pan riser and two plates. While she was very nice, it just seemed odd to us and our conversations kept getting interrupted by her dropping by every few minutes. Since my first visit was with a friend's Groupon, I will be back to spend mine another day.

    (3)

  • Jodi C.

    First time and not impressed, upon arrival, the two girls that were working taking orders were out in the parking lot chatting. Made order of sausage/meatball sandwich and a polish dog. There was only 1 person preparing food and handling the bar while all the rest were just visiting with friends. Waited 15 min. for a plain polish dog and finally asked for money back. Felt like a hangout for high school kids (and their friends that don't work there). First time I've experienced total non-professional people in an establishment in Boise/Meridian!

    (1)

  • GARY B.

    We stopped in for lunch. I was disappointed. The sandwiches, while reasonably priced, were small. I ordered a hamburger. It had quite a bit of gristle in it. I kept chewing on stuff in the meat that I don't like. My wife ordered a Polish sausage sandwich. It too was small. The fries were very good. We both ordered coffee. Wow! We each got a 6 oz cup which was delicious, but definitely not enough. I kept thinking that maybe someone would come by and ask how we liked our lunch, but that did not happen. I was going to ask for more coffee if someone came by, but like I said, that did not happen. The music was a little too loud which made it had to carry on a conversation. I went to the Men's Room to wash up and it was dirty. Oh, and the table was dirty when we sat down. There weren't many customer's there, so I don't understand why the tables weren't cleaned. So in summary, I would not bother to stop at this place, unless you had absolutely no other choice.

    (1)

  • Julie K.

    My sons (16 years old) and I stopped here one night as we were passing by. We were happily surprised! We ordered at the counter, and Pamela (the owner) helped guide my son in his first Italian Beef order (wet or dry, etc). My other son and I ordered deep dish pizza. We ordered and then looked around - the place was packed and it looked like everyone was having a blast. It was Friday night, and they were playing Music Bingo. I flagged down a passing waiter (Nick) and asked how to play. He ran and got us cards and daubers, and we played bingo while we waited for our food. It is so much fun...my kids and I had a great time and this might be our new regular Friday night family activity (and based on the regulars who were there, we won't be the only ones!. The food was great, Nick was a great waiter and seemed to really have fun doing his job. My boys were looking around and kept commenting on how they would love to work there - they loved the food, the atmosphere, the whole thing. We also got to try a cannoli when Pamela, the owner, stopped by the table with a free sample for us. It was very good, too! Give it a try for the food, and if you want to have some good family fun, go on Fridays for Music Bingo.

    (5)

  • Scott C.

    Very slow service and the meatball sub was lukewarm and nothing to brag about. Very disappointed was expecting more...

    (1)

  • Beauford W.

    I returned for the last time to Bono's to try the legendary deep dish pizza. I found that it's a legend of overpriced, underwhelming, tiny pizza. The owners should be ashamed to call this "authentic" Chicago deep dish. Almost $20 for a tiny pizza that barely feeds 3 people. My family almost laughed when I brought the boxes home. The crust is slightly deeper than Pizza Hut and their idea of authentic simply means the sauce is on top. What a joke! I've had real Chicago deep dish pizza and this isn't even close. I feel like I've given Bono's a fair shake. I've been 3 times now. I won't be going back. Boise remains a barren waste land when it comes to authentic deep dish Chicago style pizza.

    (2)

  • Doug D.

    Tried a couple of times and just have to say it is just OK. I don't think I get the deep dish pizza, but I did like the meatball and stringed meat sandwich.

    (3)

  • Lisa T.

    Excellent food. Pizza is the best around, although a bit greasy. Crispy thin one time, a little chewy the next. Meatballs are true Italian, and delicious. Awesome custard. Service is very slow, even when they aren't packed. Delicious, so calling ahead might be the ticket.

    (3)

  • Saturn Z.

    Beef Sandwich!!! So tasty! Can't wait to have another. Also the staff was very friendly and they had a great kids area that made the meal even easier to enjoy. They have tasty local brews on tap. Overall can't wait to try again! Oh and I had a thin crust Alfredo sauce with sausage, onions, and spinach...not only was it cut right, true Chicago box cut, but it is superb!! Great job Bonos on bringing Chicago a little closer!

    (5)

  • Brian H.

    Inexuseable business practices. Poor service. Slow! Better than average food. Beware of gift certificate nonsense! My takeout orders have been incorrect in some way, 4 out of the 6 times I've ordered to go. Hold times and order times on a busy day can be extreme. Staff is consistently frazzled, rushed, nonchalant and sometimes rude. They employ so many people on any given night that I am repeatedly stunned at how long it takes orders to come out of the kitchen, or the fact that they appear to be untrained in the processes or the system. Perhaps the turnover is high. But you can never say they are understaffed! Kudos to the owners for employing so many local students, but shame that it's an inaccurate first work experience for them - potentially making them feel they can behave this way at a "real job" someday and get away with it. Possibly, they don't have time to train them. Gift certificate: We attempted to use a $50 gift certificate with limited success. First, they said they do not accept gift certificates (I promise it is a legit one given by a friend and not a fake one made in Photoshop). Then when pressured, they said they accept it but I am required to use the entire amount now. They would not give a cash or even a CREDIT refund on the balance. They suggested we order a pizza to go that we can eat another night. What kind of business is this? And BTW it took over 90 minutes for our order (hot dogs and sandwiches, no pizza) to arrive, all while there are only two other tables of customers in the entire restaurant. If this is their form of punishment for using a gift certificate, that's upsetting. The food is usually good - pizzas very good. Decent variety on the menu. Reasonable prices. Delivery too. But their other consistent and inexcusable failings take my review down from a 4-star to a 2-star.

    (2)

  • Jeff M.

    My group thought it was awsome. A pre-teen who won't eat beef LOVED the Italian beef. A teenager with bottomless stomach complained he was too full. Staff couldn't have been nicer. And the peanut butter pie was. ...incredible! Four 1/2 stars cuz it's a long way from home.

    (4)

  • Chad R.

    My wife and I had two hamburgers, onion rings, and a salad. The burgers were DRIPPING with oil, the salad had been made, uh, a while ago - it was not fresh! The burgers were obviously frozen, and served on "ciabatta" bread (actually some sort of baguette) which left awkward half-circles of meat protruding from the sides. The relish looks like some sort of neon-green chemistry project. I will say, the onion rings were EXCELLENT! But not good enough to rescue our abysmal gut-bomb lunch. We won't be going back.

    (1)

  • Jen J.

    Food was ok but the wait was forever. Not like the typical pizza place but after the long wait it wasn't really worth it. It was also privy for what we got. All in all surprised they are still open.

    (2)

  • S L B.

    No, this certainly isn't true authentic Chicago pizza. Having been to Chicago this fall and dining at Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, etc...I was a bit disappointed. The pizza looks authentic, but the taste just isn't there. Crust was missing the buttery goodness of a traditional deep dish. The sauce had an okay flavor, but there was TONS of it coating my cheese pizza. Our food took about 35 min to arrive at the table, but the odd thing to note on our visit was the young waitress we had. Most everything there is counter service...ordering, drinks and silverware. The waitress dropped by to ask if we needed anything and awkwardly stood at our table for a few minutes. Then, about 5 minutes later, she comes by to tell us that our pizza is still cooking. A few minutes later, she brings us the pizza pan riser and two plates. While she was very nice, it just seemed odd to us and our conversations kept getting interrupted by her dropping by every few minutes. Since my first visit was with a friend's Groupon, I will be back to spend mine another day.

    (3)

  • Jodi C.

    First time and not impressed, upon arrival, the two girls that were working taking orders were out in the parking lot chatting. Made order of sausage/meatball sandwich and a polish dog. There was only 1 person preparing food and handling the bar while all the rest were just visiting with friends. Waited 15 min. for a plain polish dog and finally asked for money back. Felt like a hangout for high school kids (and their friends that don't work there). First time I've experienced total non-professional people in an establishment in Boise/Meridian!

    (1)

  • GARY B.

    We stopped in for lunch. I was disappointed. The sandwiches, while reasonably priced, were small. I ordered a hamburger. It had quite a bit of gristle in it. I kept chewing on stuff in the meat that I don't like. My wife ordered a Polish sausage sandwich. It too was small. The fries were very good. We both ordered coffee. Wow! We each got a 6 oz cup which was delicious, but definitely not enough. I kept thinking that maybe someone would come by and ask how we liked our lunch, but that did not happen. I was going to ask for more coffee if someone came by, but like I said, that did not happen. The music was a little too loud which made it had to carry on a conversation. I went to the Men's Room to wash up and it was dirty. Oh, and the table was dirty when we sat down. There weren't many customer's there, so I don't understand why the tables weren't cleaned. So in summary, I would not bother to stop at this place, unless you had absolutely no other choice.

    (1)

  • Julie K.

    My sons (16 years old) and I stopped here one night as we were passing by. We were happily surprised! We ordered at the counter, and Pamela (the owner) helped guide my son in his first Italian Beef order (wet or dry, etc). My other son and I ordered deep dish pizza. We ordered and then looked around - the place was packed and it looked like everyone was having a blast. It was Friday night, and they were playing Music Bingo. I flagged down a passing waiter (Nick) and asked how to play. He ran and got us cards and daubers, and we played bingo while we waited for our food. It is so much fun...my kids and I had a great time and this might be our new regular Friday night family activity (and based on the regulars who were there, we won't be the only ones!. The food was great, Nick was a great waiter and seemed to really have fun doing his job. My boys were looking around and kept commenting on how they would love to work there - they loved the food, the atmosphere, the whole thing. We also got to try a cannoli when Pamela, the owner, stopped by the table with a free sample for us. It was very good, too! Give it a try for the food, and if you want to have some good family fun, go on Fridays for Music Bingo.

    (5)

  • Scott C.

    Very slow service and the meatball sub was lukewarm and nothing to brag about. Very disappointed was expecting more...

    (1)

  • Deanna R.

    My husband, daughter and I tried this place after church. It wasn't very busy but the service was terrible. My daughter asked for a calzone and the girl at the register shot her a dirty look and said, "You realize that will take thirty minutes?" And then stared my daughter down. We were taken a back so she ordered something that would be quicker to cook. It still took FOREVER for our food to arrive and when it did the fries and mozzarella sticks came ten minutes before the sandwiches and burger. The mozzarella sticks were burnt. When the burger came it was burnt. The cheese was literally black, hard and crusty, and resembled charcoal. We were done eating and still waiting for wings and a sandwich we ordered for our sons who were home not feeling well. The person bringing the food to our table looked shocked when she asked when we wanted our to go food, and we said now. We were all done eating, and had been for ten minutes....and ready to leave. It took another ten minutes for the to go food to make it to the table and when it did after we got home we found the wings were not in the bag. Terrible food, terrible service. We will not return or recommend this place.

    (1)

  • Don N Amber S.

    Went here the other day with my husband for lunch. We don't eat out much and had really high hopes for this place. Upon entering the restaurant, I will say it was beautiful inside, clean, and smelled delicious. We were just going to get a burger but the lady told us the Italian beef is what they are known for so we figured why not. I've had a good Italian beef before being from NY and visiting Chicago..this was not even comparable. The photo on the menu had giardiniera on it. Since we were sharing, she convinced us to get the $8.50 jumbo version of the sandwich because "3" wouldn't be enough" and I am pretty sure the sandwich we got was 3 inches long! It was so pathetic and tiny looking and only had green peppers and shredded provolone on it (which we were charged $1 for even though it should only be $.50). And who uses shredded provolone?! Blasphemy. If I am paying $9.50 for a sandwich, it better have more than the basics on it. The beef tasted great so they are doing something right, but the sandwich wasn't enough to fill my 2 year old. It was a total waste of our time and money (neither of which we have a lot of). Coming from an Italian, this is an all-around bad representation of Italian beef and Chicago style food. Go elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Holly C.

    I have had two so terrible experiences here that I'm compelled to write a review. First, I must say the owner seems like a friendly well-meaning person. Secondly, I think their choice in employees is terrible. Mostly teenagers or young adults with little to no knowledge of the menu, and who just don't care about doing a good job. But most disappointing is the food. The Italian beef is entirely bland and the buns are reminiscent of store brand hoagies. Soggy in seconds and no crispy outside, the way an Italian beef sammie should be. The au jus is terrible. In my mind, it is herb water, not even au jus. The pizza is also less than worthy. No flavor except tomato. This last time, I ordered a tamale, and for $2.25, I got something as wide as my thumb and as long as my pointer finger. It had absolutely no flavor. I legitimately wonder if the chefs have dead taste buds. I don't think this place is worth a dime, and it is not cheap. I wish I had better things to say. I think unless this place makes some really drastic changes to recipes and staff, it simply won't survive.

    (1)

  • Chris B.

    If I could give it zero stars I would. To start off they had a sign out front that said live music. A stereo was there version of live music. We then ordered our food. Food was ordered and paid for but we had to proceed to the bar for our drinks. Bazaar. Drinks were paid for and we went and sat down. Food came out but was wrong. My sandwich was real dry with nothing but meat and cheese. My wife sandwich did not come so we had to order and pay for another one cause they got it wrong. Went to the bar for a drink and the guy taking orders was at the bar drinking . No wonder our order was wrong. The inside of the place was very unclean. The lights were dusty and dirty. Cheesy Christmas lights hanging all over. Tip jars everywhere. That's probably why you have to order and pay for food the order and pay for drinks. Leave a tip at order counter leave a tip at bar and leave a tip at table????? If you want another drink you have to walk up and get it yourself even though servers are everywhere. Makes no sense. Server must have felt bad so he came out with two cookies and offered saying fresh baked cookies. They were frozen yes frozen and must have been a week old. He did not even try to nuke them. I don't get this place. I ask person at bar what beers were on tap. She looks at them and said I am not sure. She was trying to read the handles. There were only 5 and she only could tell me 3 of them. She said one is 208. I said what kind of beer is that and she said she did not know. Dang. Guy behind bar pours a glass for himself. No wonder this place is terrible. Walking around and drinking while working?????? When you are drinking while working you have a problem. How can you give good service buzzed?????? This place will go out of business soon.

    (1)

  • Familia C.

    I am rating this place 1 star and at that they don't deserve the cashier was rude and gave me no information to the special they had going on ask about straws for the drinks and was totaled need to use small ones due to we ordered the wrong ones I ordered Chicago style hot dog that took what worth over 45 minutes to get where it was not on a sesame bun it was not a Chicago hot dog at all if you are looking for Chicago style food then this place is not for you it seems like they are budgeting what they sell and are under poor management conditions completely disappointed

    (1)

  • R H.

    Uuuugh, this place is a hot mess. Over the past year we have eaten there twice and never again. The deep dish pizza was decent.. for a faux-Chicago restaurant in Idaho. I aslo ordered a meatball sandwich. I hadn't had an MBS in years. I brought it home with the intention of having it for lunch the following day. I immediately placed it in the refrigerator and dreamt about the hopeful delicious goodness as I counted down the hours until lunch. Finally, lunch time arrived the following day. I broke out the MBS and nuked the huge sandwich. I sunk my teeth into the end, right into a big, meaty meatball. That's when it happened. My teeth encountered a massive vein or artery in the middle of the ball of meat. I nearly gagged as I looked at the sandwich and saw the severed artery sticking out of the meat. The rest of the MBS was given to the dogs who thoroughly enjoyed it. Please tell me how in the world does this happen? We have never dined in, though the delay in picking up the food for a to-go order felt like we should have ordered in. Both times we have ordered to-go I ended up waiting at least 20-30 minuted past the quoted ready time. I think I ended up watching an entire quarter of Monday night football during one wait. We will not be returning to Bono's.

    (1)

  • Jody T.

    Slow, slow, slow. 55 minutes for a deep dish pizza almost makes me think they forgot to put it in the oven. Food was ok but service was terrible. When our pizza was brought finally the waiter didn't bring plates (we had to ask) didn't bring a serving spatula and could barely be bothered to grunt at us beyond bringing the food. I had to go ask how much longer for the food as my kids were starving at that point I was looked at like I had just bothered them. Better idea, when you order they should tell you how long it takes to cook said pizza as we would have changed our mind on the order. Food was too expensive for what you get. Extremely under impressed. Won't go back. Ps, there were only 4 other patrons in the building so they weren't busy at all.

    (1)

  • Tyler L.

    I've been here 5 times now. I've tried something new 4 of the times. The pizza is good and the restaurant's casual atmosphere is nice. That said, I won't be going back for a 6th time. This place has HORRIBLE service, thus my poor rating. Aside from the fact they're super slow, the staff's attitude is awful. Last time I went I waited five minutes before even being greeted. Then the lady gave me an extremely poor greeting - "what do you want." I place a lot of value on service and wouldn't recommend the wait nor the service for the marginal food menu.

    (2)

  • Derek H.

    We drove from Twin Falls to get here. For some reason they do not cross train. We get here "our fry line person didn't show Up" WTF if someone don't show up manager should step in and do it. Not fuck it it's down we will 86 half the menu. Wish I could tell you what the food tasted like. Other than $50 in gas

    (1)

  • Paul J.

    Went to Bono's today craving their delicious beef sausage combo that only they know how to make it. Twenty minutes after ordering our food, I decided to check on our orders status. It took two times asking for our order until we were told with no apology that they were out of beef and sausage. I am talking noon folks. I can see that Bono's is on their last leg which is unfortunate. We told so many people about their once great food and service but that has truly passed.

    (3)

  • Rich L.

    Could anything be any slower? Slowest slow of all the slows. Ordered the special and it still took forever, its a simple chicken parm, its not rocket science. Sauce was tasteless, chicken was semi-done. Glad it was a Saturday so I gad all day, because thats what it took, all day, to get... the special.

    (1)

  • Braden F.

    I grew up in Chicago and was a weekly patron of Portillo's. I was hoping to capture that magic at Bono's. I found the menu to be more expensive and lower quality ingredients than what I experienced.

    (2)

  • Andy H.

    First off I am born and raised in Chicago. I worked at a Beef stand in HS. I am an expert. The 4 stars are for the sandwiches not the pizza. The place is good for beef and a dog, however you need to get cucumbers on the dog menu. And when someone orders a tamale on a bun, know what they are talking about. The bread more than likely comes in frozen, nothing is better than the trucks dropping off the fresh bread in Chicago, but this is Boise, and they are doing what they can....may want to bake longer IMO. Are you a fast food or casual dining? A beef and dog should take minutes if not seconds to make, the efficiency needs to improve. The pizza....sorry but the crust is what makes Chicago Pizza Chicago Pizza...this is more of a chewy avg run of the mill doe...not PIE crust. Growing up with Home Run Inn, Palermo's....You need a pie crust that is almost flaky, like a pie. Sauce, not sweet enough for my liking, but that is personal taste....All in all it is just a avg run of the mill pizza. My Dad just moved here and he loved the Beef as well....It is great. Only complaint, the hot giardiniera is not to my liking, but then again I make my own. Plus I am spoiled having Parisi's and Duke's homemade on the south-side, where all the best Beef joints are located. Growing up in Chicago, we are spoiled at the culinary treasures we get to partake in daily. However these are minor complaints, the beef is great. Improve the pizza and speed the service please!

    (4)

  • Doug B.

    Pretty good food, but the service is authentic as well....and I don't think that's on purpose.

    (3)

  • Michael B.

    By far the worst service I've probably had. The lady at the register didn't say hello or even put a smile on our face. They didnt even have the hotdogs we ordered. Plus, she never gave us a number, so when our food was ready they had no idea who to give it to. The only reason I give two stars is because the food was good.

    (2)

  • Lavon W.

    Worst service I have had in my 48 years of dinning out. 1:35 min. To get a hamburger, hotdog, let alone they forgot to make our cheese pizza and calzone. We had to walk out with our food in a 2- go box. We complained to the owner. He said sorry, we are just really busy. Never will go here again.

    (1)

  • Karey M.

    The best feature of this restaurant was the decor and ambiance. The food was mediocre at best. We waited 36 minutes for a hot dog and cheese sticks on a Tuesday night at 7:30. Staff was unapologetic. It's too bad. As I love to support local business, but we won't be back.

    (1)

  • Jeff P.

    Lived in Chi-town for a decade through my years of higher learning and the Chicago style Italian Beef sandwich was always a treat I've enjoyed. Portillo's, Buona Beef, the no name hole-in-the-wall beef joints are places I miss quite a bit... and... after I've had Bono's, I miss them even more. I REALLY, really, wanted to like this place. I was on their website every week before they launched, stoked about the prospect of satisfying my Italian beef cravings... but after a total of 4 visits since, I feel bad to say this but, I really wonder if these guys have a future here in the treasure valley. From the look of it, it seems pretty clear that they thought they were going to storm into authentic import food scene and have several locations in a couple years. Not a chance. And by the look of things, with each successive visit, the place has look more and more dreadful... and empty. Psst, it's not because Italian beef is an acquired taste. It's not. Location? Nah, though a first location in downtown Boise could have helped, with what they got wrong, it would have probably sunk them faster. Here's my list of their seven sins: 1) Their bread sucks. White and pasty looking. Would have passed for something sold at winco... Maybe (no offense, winco) But for an Italian beef? Fuhgettaboutit. 2) Fries please? You mean to tell me, I paid you nine bucks for a jumbo and you can't throw in a side of fries? Every joint I went to in Chicago did and they did it a dollar cheaper. You're in Meridian, low-rent, Idaho, and you mean to tell me fries don't come with a 9 dollar sandwich? 3) You call that a jumbo? My daughter got a regular and my wife got a jumbo (due to previous experience), no joke, the thing was barely an inch longer. Portillos had the beef exploding out of their regular size beef sandwiches for less than what these guys are charging. 4) Is it worth it? Unless they hid some caviar under the beef or slaughter only blemish free red heifers, that question is the single biggest dilemma, that despite my cravings, made me visit Bonos only 4 times since it opened. 30 bucks. 30 bucks for 3 pasty breaded, low beef, pathetically not-even-close-to-jumbo sandwiches with no sides.... & One drink. And the order was wrong EACH and EVERY time. Tell me why this is worth 10 bucks more than the more filling foot longs I can grab for my family down the block? They can't even convince a family that craves Italian beef, much less convince newcomers of it. 5) Poorly trained, poorly screened staff. Busy playing around, not once did they get the order 100% right. To their credit, the last time we went, our order came to us quicker... but maybe that was the case because it was dead. Take a page from Chick-fil-A, a chain with far more traffic to deal with, and learn what they do. 6) Let there be light! I get it, The mancave needed to be dark... Why are they so married to the mancave concept? It isn't even a Chicago exclusive thing. They have the whole front of the joint looking like they have a strip joint in the back. They spent so much money on the décor inside why make it look so dingy from the outside? 7) Listen to the feedback, skip the "come talk to Pamela and Ronnie." We've personally spoken to Pamela. We told her the same thing I'm laying out here. Either Pam or Ronnie or both have some humble pie to eat rather than scratch their heads and wonder if Boise folks just don't get Italian beef. Get this: You're competing for our money. If you want it, you'd better make it worth it.

    (1)

  • Nina S.

    Way over-priced. Way too slow. Out of ingredients. Staff standing around gabbing while we waited 40 minutes for chicken strips & a hot dog ($26). I thought you were out after 3 strikes!

    (1)

  • Janelle G.

    Great pizza! I haven't had any of the other food besides the mozzarella sticks, which, I'll be honest, weren't my favorite, but I love the pizza and I love the ranch. Ranch is pretty important, people. The people there are super friendly and always deliver pretty quick. I'm glad they're so close to work. Very convenient for me.

    (4)

  • Darren G.

    Poor service and lousy food - not going back. I think we waited 15 mins for 2 sandwiches and the staff brought us plates for pizza - confused

    (1)

  • Connor K.

    I came in with high hopes. Nice setting. The only reason it got one star was the layout of the restaurant. Open. And clean. Also nice. First started with me waiting five minutes to place my order. No one in the place and actually upon asking the cashier they said it was prepping time. They were too worried about getting prepped to take new customers. Bad sign. The food came out quick enough but I was immediately annoyed at how little seven dollars got me in food. Small messy six inch food. The meat was like ground beef and was soggy and wet. The layout of the sandwhich was bad also. It only had cheese and peppers on one side of the bun. But the bun was cut all the way through so that stuff fell out continually. I ate in two minutes and the entire time was disgusted. My uncle with me as well had the same feeling. Gross food. Too little for the money. Don't go here unless to get drunk and if so take a PB and J with you. You will be more satisfied with that.

    (1)

  • STANLEY K.

    The place was way too loud, service was slow and when I got home the dipping juice lid was not put on tight ,spilled all over car and the food was not worth going back for. Much better places to go in Meridian that this place.

    (1)

  • T R.

    Pizza was excellent! Over the last week I had a thin crust and also a deep dish pizza. Both of the pizzas had plenty of cheese, good crust and excellent sauce. I'm usually disappointed by cheap ingredients and hardly any sauce on most pizzas. This was not the case at Bono's. The sauce had great taste. The crust was crispy. The ricotta cheese on the windy city pizza was delicious. The deep dish takes a little longer to cook but I was not in a hurry. The service was great and the people were very friendly. Highly recommend their place for good pizza.

    (4)

  • Kristen N.

    Owner is an ass. Was lucky enough to walk in as he was berating someone about his order-so I'm guessing it was his food purveyor. If that's how he treats people who are supposed to be partners I can only imagine how he treats customers. Pass. Heard just enough to know I didn't want to give this guy any of my hard earned money. Turned around and left. Thanks for helping me dodge a bullet, guy!

    (1)

  • Dave C.

    We went there a few times in the first two months they were open. However it took so long to get your food even when the restaurant was nearly empty, that we haven't tried now for over a year. However, I thought we would give them another chance today and order pizza to go. I called ahead and she was very helpfuland assured me the pizza would be ready in no longer than 20 minutes. I showed up and the pizza was not ready until almost 30 minutes and when we got home it was also burnt. when I went in there there was only one table occupied in the entire place. How do you burn pizza when it's the only thing literally that you have to cook at the moment?

    (1)

  • Christy L.

    My family and I were excited to try this restaurant. The decor is really nice. Very inviting and fun atmosphere. So we had high hopes. Unfortunately, the service was awful. I mean reeeaaallly bad! It took way too long and two of our dishes were incorrect. So they had to remake it which also took forever. Very forgettable food as well. We will not be back.

    (1)

  • ShekagoN8V W.

    Born and raised Chicagoan. I was super excited to come into today as a surprise from my hubs. Holy Hannah though...a wait for 2 beefs, fries and a plain dog?! There are a lot of authentic parts to the food but they lost me on the dry bread for the beef, the obviously not steamed poppy seed bun for the dog and the Idaho seasoned overlooked fries. Where are the true crinkle fries? I hope the beef and dog were Vienna brand and for cripe sake, train the staff about the food.

    (2)

  • Chris H.

    First I want to say I have tryed Bono's several times before doing this review. The decor is fun to look at and really makes you feel like your in Chicago or want to go there. The man cave is really cool and what a great idea having a chalkboard wall for the kidos! Great job.. Food, Well I am a big fan of a Chicago bog and the first time in that's what I got for lunch. Dog, fries, and a beer for lunch... So happy! The next trip in I got an order of the Italian beef sandwich to go. I would not recommend this. Got very soggy and was just not the best. On my next visit I was helped by the owner ( very nice lady I might add) and she asked why I wasn't eating the Italian beef. Told her the story and she insisted I try again. And it was much better but I'm just not an Italian beef. I'm sorry because it makes no sense to me. I should love it but it's just not my favorite. Now let's talk about the pizza. I ordered a thin crust cheese pizza for the kids and asked for the best and most popular recommendation. And the nice lady behind the register said without hesitation ( The man cave pizza)........ It's a beep dish pizza FULL of all the meats. So I said.. Oh were so doing that's pizza! Cheese pizza came out and it was a hit. Gone In a matter of minutes as we waited the 45 minutes for the MAN CAVE. She did say it would take longer thats why the chalkboard wall came in handy.... And then It came OMG it's something! If you like over the top meaty, cheesy, buttery rich pizza then this is for you. I ate almost two slices (not sure you call them slices) I will tell you non Chicago folks like me that it's not like any pizza you have ever had. And I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Oh and one more thing.. I ate it 3 days ago and I still have heartburn.. Or it could be from the leftovers I've been eating even day since. Glad it is gone and I hope the heartburn will finally go away.. Just try it.. Trust me... Service, This is not a complaint. Because I'm not a complainer. But the ordering is a bit awkward and cumbersome. People coming in are not always welcomed right away and seem a bit confused. And the food to table seems the same way. And the weird thing is that their is lots of friendly hard working employees. They just don't seem to be in sync with each other. So I just hope they can get this down a bit better because this is a great place to get a Chicago bog and heartburn! Which is a good thing!

    (3)

  • Michael M.

    Great Pizza! Great hot dog! The food was so good. We really liked this place. Really clean. Kids have their own table and the people are super friendly. Awesome!!

    (5)

  • John S.

    This isn't Gino's East, Giordano's, Uno or even Lou Malnati's. You can tell first off by the whitish deep dish pizza crust. The real deals in Chicago are yellow from the butter they infuse their dough with. The sauce was more like diced tomatoes with a few herbs sprinkled in than a complex sauce simmered for hours. That said, Bono's pizza isn't bad. It's just not what I expected from a place trumpeting "real Chicago food." I will return to try their Italian beef sandwiches and see how they stack up to Al's # 1, Johnnie's Beef and Portillo's. They have big shoes to fill there, too.

    (3)

  • Allen P.

    Waiting for pizza and hot dog for 45 minutes. Don't hear any "sorry for waiting" or any warning before placing the order to let us know that gonna be this long wait. Nobody here just a few people drinking. $26 for deep dish "mancave"and it's not good. Cannoli is good.

    (1)

  • Doug H.

    It gives me no pleasure at all to write this, but it appears my 3-star review in January was too generous. Based on our experience this week I've gotta knock this down to 2 stars. (Although in this case, it's really 1.5 rounded up, with the fractional .5 awarded because Bono's is one of the rare eateries in Meridian that's not part of a fast-food chain. Without that "gimme," maybe it truly should just be a 1? But I do try to reserve the 1-stars for places that should be condemned and bulldozed immediately, with the site quarantined for multiple half-lives until once again suitable for human habitation.) Sorry, where was I? Oh, Bono's. Wednesday. Lunchtime, 1-ish. Quiet. In fact, nearly vacant except for a party of 7 or 8. Two refrigerated cases that formerly held soft drinks stood sentry by the entrance, empty and sad. We wanted a Chicago dog with fries, a rare indulgence for us. Iced tea. Cheerful young woman took the order and we paid. Note that at Bono's you have to go all the way down past the kitchen area to the bar, where the self-serve drink machine is located. Hand-written sign on the iced-tea dispenser: "No ice tea." Okay, it happens. Back to the counter. Cheerful young woman had not gotten the memo about the missing iced-tea, but apologized. No problem, it's just that we don't do sugary carbonated drinks, so could we just get a refund for the tea? Absolutely, but cheerful young woman didn't know how to process a refund on the register and neither evidently did anyone else. After a few minutes during which they called Chicago or something, cheerful young woman managed to return our $4.47. That was when I noticed for the first time that we had actually paid $4.47 for two iced teas. A profit margin like that, we should get valet parking and tuxedoed waiters. But as Harry Chapin might have put it, I stashed the bills in my shirt and we sat down. Then, we waited. There seemed to be some confusion over at the larger party about parts of their order missing. Some appeared to be half-finished eating while others were still waiting. The line cook seemed a little annoyed and exercised over all this but I guess it all got straightened out and, after maybe 15 more minutes waiting, we got our hot dogs with fries. Well, truth be told, they were "warm" dogs. The fries were piping hot, though, suggesting the dogs had been prepared before someone noticed the fries weren't cooked yet. Five degrees cooler, we'd have sent the dogs back, but we might still be there. So, all this over iced tea, warm dogs, and untrained employees? Alas, yes. In the context of our prior experiences and the many, many other negative comments posted, Bono's is simply a poorly-run operation that shows no sign of improvement and in fact seems to be headed in the other direction. This is hard to fathom. Given the area's rapid growth, the place should be packed. The food is generally pretty good, after all, with potential to be very good if someone would just pay attention. That rounded-up half-star is looking mighty shaky.

    (2)

  • David A.

    They could do so much with this space because right now there is no ambiance. The service was slow and the food was very average (chili-dog). It's too bad because they are in a great location.

    (1)

  • Jason N.

    If I could give this place negative stars I would. Stopped in cause the kids just wanted a quick hot dog and some mozzarella sticks. Hot dogs are served with "skin on French fries". So we wait, and wait, and wait.. 30 minutes go by and I go to the counter to ask the only girl working what the delay was. She says, "we ran out of fries, but they went to get more". I ask, where did they go? "Next door to Fred Meyer" yes, they ran out of fries and they got more FROZEN FRIES to make for us. The hot dogs come out and honestly, they are pretty good.. The 5 mozzarella sticks are burnt to a crisp... So we send those back and ask for some new. A few minutes later they bring more and our fresh frozen fries. They tasted exactly like you might imagine... And now the 4 mozzarella sticks (original order was 5) are still cold or frozen in the middle. We get our money back on those. Bottom line the hot dogs were good, but not $30 good for a family of 4. The food is mediocre, the restaurant is dirty. I seriously wouldn't even chance going there again. Maybe if they get a great big "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" sign and even then I would be skeptical. You could get 15 hot dogs for $20 at a Wiernerschnitzel and it would be 1000% better!

    (1)

  • Derek M.

    I really had high hopes for this place. I've really tried to like it because it's a good location and a cool little restaurant but the people who run it are totally brain dead. Worst service the gal at the cashier/counter was totally clueless like she was high. tonight they were out of corn dogs chicken strips coors light bud light hot sauce and out of to go containers. Learn how to run a business. This place is a joke don't know how it's still open.

    (1)

  • natalie s.

    Been here a few times and previous visits food took quite awhile however tasted good. This review is on my most recent visit- not impressed! Placed my order on the phone and was told it would be ready for pick up in 45 min- when we got there to pick up our pizzas we were told it would be another 20 mins!! When we finally got our food and brought it home pizza it was cold and tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for awhile- and the "Chicago style" pizza was lacking in sauce- may give them one more chance

    (3)

  • Brittney C.

    Atmosphere is amazing. The People are cool. If I had ordered something else my review may have been different. As it is, I ordered chicken strips. I asked if they were fresh and they weren't! What?! Why??? Use fresh ingredients, people! Couldn't finish the fries. Just not good. Also didn't finish the chicken strips. Underwhelmed over all. Hoping their meatball sandwich and pizza is better.

    (3)

  • Gene T.

    We decided to try them again, my wife likes the sandwiches here. She ordered this Italian beef sandwich, kind of like a French dip and oh man...it is actually really good. The person that helped us was very kind and helpful as well. I am improving my rating after this last visit.

    (4)

  • Familia C.

    I am rating this place 1 star and at that they don't deserve the cashier was rude and gave me no information to the special they had going on ask about straws for the drinks and was totaled need to use small ones due to we ordered the wrong ones I ordered Chicago style hot dog that took what worth over 45 minutes to get where it was not on a sesame bun it was not a Chicago hot dog at all if you are looking for Chicago style food then this place is not for you it seems like they are budgeting what they sell and are under poor management conditions completely disappointed

    (1)

  • S L.

    We were excited when this place was going to open as its near our home, now its a complete disappointment and we won't be back. Ordered 1 deep dish pizza, a house salad and two beers. Weird that you have to walk around to the bar to order your beers. No salad came within 30 minutes, they forgot it and we had to go get it. No forks or napkins came with the salad, wrong dressing, and it was poorly prepared, lots of big chunks, and of course no knives. It took and hour and 10 minutes to get the pizza, and when it finally arrived we got attitude from the staff saying "we've been busy with take out". How about serving the patrons that are in your restaurant? Frankly if you can't manage take out and in store service at 6pm on a Friday night then you don't deserve to be in the pizza business. Your prices are ridiculous for what is served. And like many other reviewers, your Chicago deep dish is not true deep dish. It's a regular pizza with a thicker outer crust, that was baked to long and not manageable without a knife. To the owners, you may be able to get away with poor service and poor food quality in the big city, but not here.

    (1)

  • Deanna R.

    My husband, daughter and I tried this place after church. It wasn't very busy but the service was terrible. My daughter asked for a calzone and the girl at the register shot her a dirty look and said, "You realize that will take thirty minutes?" And then stared my daughter down. We were taken a back so she ordered something that would be quicker to cook. It still took FOREVER for our food to arrive and when it did the fries and mozzarella sticks came ten minutes before the sandwiches and burger. The mozzarella sticks were burnt. When the burger came it was burnt. The cheese was literally black, hard and crusty, and resembled charcoal. We were done eating and still waiting for wings and a sandwich we ordered for our sons who were home not feeling well. The person bringing the food to our table looked shocked when she asked when we wanted our to go food, and we said now. We were all done eating, and had been for ten minutes....and ready to leave. It took another ten minutes for the to go food to make it to the table and when it did after we got home we found the wings were not in the bag. Terrible food, terrible service. We will not return or recommend this place.

    (1)

  • Don N Amber S.

    Went here the other day with my husband for lunch. We don't eat out much and had really high hopes for this place. Upon entering the restaurant, I will say it was beautiful inside, clean, and smelled delicious. We were just going to get a burger but the lady told us the Italian beef is what they are known for so we figured why not. I've had a good Italian beef before being from NY and visiting Chicago..this was not even comparable. The photo on the menu had giardiniera on it. Since we were sharing, she convinced us to get the $8.50 jumbo version of the sandwich because "3" wouldn't be enough" and I am pretty sure the sandwich we got was 3 inches long! It was so pathetic and tiny looking and only had green peppers and shredded provolone on it (which we were charged $1 for even though it should only be $.50). And who uses shredded provolone?! Blasphemy. If I am paying $9.50 for a sandwich, it better have more than the basics on it. The beef tasted great so they are doing something right, but the sandwich wasn't enough to fill my 2 year old. It was a total waste of our time and money (neither of which we have a lot of). Coming from an Italian, this is an all-around bad representation of Italian beef and Chicago style food. Go elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Jennifer R.

    Pretty much the same as all the other reviews: slow service that was mostly unfriendly (aside from one guy), soggy, forgettable food that was way too expensive and skimpy on the portions, awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere. How is this place still open?

    (2)

  • Rach G.

    Great atmosphere! The hot dogs are good but some of the staff seem rude and like they don't have time to help you. I've even seen two people who work there fight over who had to clean a table after a customer left.

    (3)

  • Kacey J.

    I feel horrible because this is the closest restaurant near my house and I don't want them to go under... But the food is awful I have gone 3 times hoping for a different result.

    (1)

  • Sean M.

    Needed my Bono's fix having grown up in Las Vegas (Trop & Eastern). Did not disappoint had the Chicago Dog and Fries, can't wait to come back and get the Italian Beef I love their Giardiniere.

    (4)

  • Greg B.

    We called to order 5 sandwiches delivered. 1st we were told out of pork, so switched to beef on restaurant owner's recommendation. Also ordered hot dog with sour krout & onions but no bun due to gluten intolerance. Two Bono burgers & frys, onion rings, plus a meatball sandwich completed the order. We were told 30 minutes. 50 minutes later; Just about to call about lack of food when the order arrived. Paid and sat down to eat. First found the beef sandwich had soggy bread and not much flavor. The hot dog was in a bun- not as ordered. It had almost no krout. The meatball sandwich was not good enough to finish. The hamburgers did not have lettuce & tomatoe as ordered and promissed. They did have a too- bright green relish that did not taste like relish! They forgot the onion rings (we were not billed for them either.) Over all poor order accuracy & just OK food.

    (2)

  • S L.

    We were excited when this place was going to open as its near our home, now its a complete disappointment and we won't be back. Ordered 1 deep dish pizza, a house salad and two beers. Weird that you have to walk around to the bar to order your beers. No salad came within 30 minutes, they forgot it and we had to go get it. No forks or napkins came with the salad, wrong dressing, and it was poorly prepared, lots of big chunks, and of course no knives. It took and hour and 10 minutes to get the pizza, and when it finally arrived we got attitude from the staff saying "we've been busy with take out". How about serving the patrons that are in your restaurant? Frankly if you can't manage take out and in store service at 6pm on a Friday night then you don't deserve to be in the pizza business. Your prices are ridiculous for what is served. And like many other reviewers, your Chicago deep dish is not true deep dish. It's a regular pizza with a thicker outer crust, that was baked to long and not manageable without a knife. To the owners, you may be able to get away with poor service and poor food quality in the big city, but not here.

    (1)

  • Stephanie D.

    I went in to Bono's on the Thursday of their opening week. Seemed to be a decent amount of people in line, mostly people on their lunch break. On this first visit, I pretty much just wanted to get a menu, but decided to get two cookies and a cannoli (I am a cannoli FIEND) to go. The cookies are ok - good if you like a lot of chocolate chips. As far as the cannoli...it was probably the worst I have ever had. The shell was really thin and crispy and it tasted like they used orange zest or something in it. I couldn't even really taste the filling, but maybe that was because I couldn't get past the grossness of the shell. In any case, I would have given them a 2/5 for that. HOWEVER, I did end up trying it again for the pizza. I do not eat meat, so I got a straight up cheese pizza. It was DELICIOUS. Totally a classic Chicago pizza, deep dish, not greasy, and tons of sauce on top. Definitely something I would get again, only I would probably get more adventurous and add some veggies, because no doubt it would be even more tasty. My family tried their meatball sandwich and sausage sandwich. I was told that they were both quite tasty and they would have them again. Based on that, I upped my rating to 4/5 stars. I would definitely go back for their pizza, sounds like the sandwiches are pretty good, and the atmosphere is ok (they have some booths which is nice, and a "man cave" with a television playing sports). Just be wary of the desserts they offer if you go, they're a complete miss.

    (4)

  • Shea M.

    Big thumbs up. My little family of six love this place. Always amazing counter service and they're always running out asking if we need anything. I love love their dogs. Best in town and the pizza is pretty darn good too. They've always got the best sports on so if you're looking for a place with a TV they're your man.

    (4)

  • Meagan K.

    Disclaimer: I lived in Chicago for 25 years.....and I am critical when it comes to pizza and dogs. First trip: hot dog was good...had the right ingredients. Italian beef was ok. It was a little cold and not as flavorful as it could be but I would order again for sure. There is nothing else even close around here. I did not like the giardinera....it was not enough pepper and too much celery, but maybe this is just personal taste. My dad loved the fries so much he ate all of ours! Second trip: Deep dish was lacking the buttery crust and was pretty thin on ingredients.... there should be twice the amount of filling.....I would pay more. Sauce was great! Thin crust was great! Not as good as my fave place in Chicago, but for Boise it is amazing. Service was great and they were nice considering I had a problem with expired groupon. I would go there more if it were closer to my house.

    (4)

  • R P.

    Pretty good pizza, friendly staff and tasty cannoli's Would definitely come back again

    (4)

  • Stuart C.

    We really enjoyed it. We just had hot dogs, so it was nothing particularly special. I had the Firecracker I believe it was called. And it was great. The kids had more basic hot dogs, and everybody enjoyed their. The quality of the meat was good. Service was average speed. We will go back.

    (4)

  • Jackie E.

    I First went there in 2013, and saw some very bad cleanliness habits within the food area, prep time was extensive, and the quality and taste of the food varied so two times was enough. A friend of mine is here from Seattle and wanted to try it out. Ok....when we walked thru the doors the beverage cooler was 95% empty...interesting...the girl at the counter was coughing/hacking...i asked her if she was ok? she stated she was just "choking on her spit"...we continued to look at the menu, and felt safe with hamburgers...we did notice that it didn't come with fries, those extra, except with the dogs, but they did come with everything else...there were five dirty tables in the entire small place, and there had only been a man and his son in front of us. Our hamburgers and mozzarella sticks(4) got to us 30 minutes later...the hamburger bun was a 1/2 inch larger all the way around the burger, 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, large leaf of lettuce and TWO QUARTER SIZE PIECES of tomato, like from a Roma tomato, a very small piece of melted cheese, one slice of bacon cut in half, and the bun was greasy. We really were not sure what to make of it either, as we kept looking at each other, the taste of the meat was off...my friends opinion was that the bar was so small (4 chairs)that there was no reason to sit or even go there, and he didnt like their "man cave", but his concern was with the co-use dirty bathroom and the staff that were seriously in the rough. My friend was going to start cleaning the tables when one member of the staff began to do so as we were leaving. Needless to say our suggestion is...Money is better spent...the food is better...you are treated better....and it will ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE HARD to beat in every given way at "BIG ALS"...I would have not have felt so awful (we both got upset stomachs )....i would have felt proud to have taken him to Big Als..

    (2)

  • Michael B.

    I was excited when I first saw the signs for Bono's. I grew up in the Detroit area and have visited Chicago many times. I love Chicago style hot dogs. Bono's makes a very nice Chicago dog, the only problem is you could get one faster if you flew to Chicago. 17 minutes for two Chicago dogs and fries is ridiculous. I almost got a divorce after ordering carry out for my pregnant wife who was at home. By the time I drove there, ordered, waited, and then delivered the food home she was super h-angry. Oh well. I guess it's back to Costco for hot dogs in the future.

    (2)

  • Darcy B.

    Have to agree with most of the other reviews. Very slow...waited almost an hour for our food, service is far from stellar, no napkins on the tables...they treat it like self serve but hit you up for a tip. My sons burger didnt come with anything...no fries...nothing, and it wasnt cheap. This was my second time visiting...wont go back.

    (2)

  • Loren M.

    I hate to say it but subway's meatball sandwich is better than this. I asked of they had tea and the employee said yes. There was nothing but water when I poured a glass and when I asked to have it fixed they hooked it up to soda. I won't return.

    (1)

  • R H.

    Uuuugh, this place is a hot mess. Over the past year we have eaten there twice and never again. The deep dish pizza was decent.. for a faux-Chicago restaurant in Idaho. I aslo ordered a meatball sandwich. I hadn't had an MBS in years. I brought it home with the intention of having it for lunch the following day. I immediately placed it in the refrigerator and dreamt about the hopeful delicious goodness as I counted down the hours until lunch. Finally, lunch time arrived the following day. I broke out the MBS and nuked the huge sandwich. I sunk my teeth into the end, right into a big, meaty meatball. That's when it happened. My teeth encountered a massive vein or artery in the middle of the ball of meat. I nearly gagged as I looked at the sandwich and saw the severed artery sticking out of the meat. The rest of the MBS was given to the dogs who thoroughly enjoyed it. Please tell me how in the world does this happen? We have never dined in, though the delay in picking up the food for a to-go order felt like we should have ordered in. Both times we have ordered to-go I ended up waiting at least 20-30 minuted past the quoted ready time. I think I ended up watching an entire quarter of Monday night football during one wait. We will not be returning to Bono's.

    (1)

  • Jody T.

    Slow, slow, slow. 55 minutes for a deep dish pizza almost makes me think they forgot to put it in the oven. Food was ok but service was terrible. When our pizza was brought finally the waiter didn't bring plates (we had to ask) didn't bring a serving spatula and could barely be bothered to grunt at us beyond bringing the food. I had to go ask how much longer for the food as my kids were starving at that point I was looked at like I had just bothered them. Better idea, when you order they should tell you how long it takes to cook said pizza as we would have changed our mind on the order. Food was too expensive for what you get. Extremely under impressed. Won't go back. Ps, there were only 4 other patrons in the building so they weren't busy at all.

    (1)

  • Tyler L.

    I've been here 5 times now. I've tried something new 4 of the times. The pizza is good and the restaurant's casual atmosphere is nice. That said, I won't be going back for a 6th time. This place has HORRIBLE service, thus my poor rating. Aside from the fact they're super slow, the staff's attitude is awful. Last time I went I waited five minutes before even being greeted. Then the lady gave me an extremely poor greeting - "what do you want." I place a lot of value on service and wouldn't recommend the wait nor the service for the marginal food menu.

    (2)

  • Kristen N.

    Owner is an ass. Was lucky enough to walk in as he was berating someone about his order-so I'm guessing it was his food purveyor. If that's how he treats people who are supposed to be partners I can only imagine how he treats customers. Pass. Heard just enough to know I didn't want to give this guy any of my hard earned money. Turned around and left. Thanks for helping me dodge a bullet, guy!

    (1)

  • Chris H.

    First I want to say I have tryed Bono's several times before doing this review. The decor is fun to look at and really makes you feel like your in Chicago or want to go there. The man cave is really cool and what a great idea having a chalkboard wall for the kidos! Great job.. Food, Well I am a big fan of a Chicago bog and the first time in that's what I got for lunch. Dog, fries, and a beer for lunch... So happy! The next trip in I got an order of the Italian beef sandwich to go. I would not recommend this. Got very soggy and was just not the best. On my next visit I was helped by the owner ( very nice lady I might add) and she asked why I wasn't eating the Italian beef. Told her the story and she insisted I try again. And it was much better but I'm just not an Italian beef. I'm sorry because it makes no sense to me. I should love it but it's just not my favorite. Now let's talk about the pizza. I ordered a thin crust cheese pizza for the kids and asked for the best and most popular recommendation. And the nice lady behind the register said without hesitation ( The man cave pizza)........ It's a beep dish pizza FULL of all the meats. So I said.. Oh were so doing that's pizza! Cheese pizza came out and it was a hit. Gone In a matter of minutes as we waited the 45 minutes for the MAN CAVE. She did say it would take longer thats why the chalkboard wall came in handy.... And then It came OMG it's something! If you like over the top meaty, cheesy, buttery rich pizza then this is for you. I ate almost two slices (not sure you call them slices) I will tell you non Chicago folks like me that it's not like any pizza you have ever had. And I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Oh and one more thing.. I ate it 3 days ago and I still have heartburn.. Or it could be from the leftovers I've been eating even day since. Glad it is gone and I hope the heartburn will finally go away.. Just try it.. Trust me... Service, This is not a complaint. Because I'm not a complainer. But the ordering is a bit awkward and cumbersome. People coming in are not always welcomed right away and seem a bit confused. And the food to table seems the same way. And the weird thing is that their is lots of friendly hard working employees. They just don't seem to be in sync with each other. So I just hope they can get this down a bit better because this is a great place to get a Chicago bog and heartburn! Which is a good thing!

    (3)

  • Michael M.

    Great Pizza! Great hot dog! The food was so good. We really liked this place. Really clean. Kids have their own table and the people are super friendly. Awesome!!

    (5)

  • Andy H.

    First off I am born and raised in Chicago. I worked at a Beef stand in HS. I am an expert. The 4 stars are for the sandwiches not the pizza. The place is good for beef and a dog, however you need to get cucumbers on the dog menu. And when someone orders a tamale on a bun, know what they are talking about. The bread more than likely comes in frozen, nothing is better than the trucks dropping off the fresh bread in Chicago, but this is Boise, and they are doing what they can....may want to bake longer IMO. Are you a fast food or casual dining? A beef and dog should take minutes if not seconds to make, the efficiency needs to improve. The pizza....sorry but the crust is what makes Chicago Pizza Chicago Pizza...this is more of a chewy avg run of the mill doe...not PIE crust. Growing up with Home Run Inn, Palermo's....You need a pie crust that is almost flaky, like a pie. Sauce, not sweet enough for my liking, but that is personal taste....All in all it is just a avg run of the mill pizza. My Dad just moved here and he loved the Beef as well....It is great. Only complaint, the hot giardiniera is not to my liking, but then again I make my own. Plus I am spoiled having Parisi's and Duke's homemade on the south-side, where all the best Beef joints are located. Growing up in Chicago, we are spoiled at the culinary treasures we get to partake in daily. However these are minor complaints, the beef is great. Improve the pizza and speed the service please!

    (4)

  • Karey M.

    The best feature of this restaurant was the decor and ambiance. The food was mediocre at best. We waited 36 minutes for a hot dog and cheese sticks on a Tuesday night at 7:30. Staff was unapologetic. It's too bad. As I love to support local business, but we won't be back.

    (1)

  • Janelle G.

    Great pizza! I haven't had any of the other food besides the mozzarella sticks, which, I'll be honest, weren't my favorite, but I love the pizza and I love the ranch. Ranch is pretty important, people. The people there are super friendly and always deliver pretty quick. I'm glad they're so close to work. Very convenient for me.

    (4)

  • T R.

    Pizza was excellent! Over the last week I had a thin crust and also a deep dish pizza. Both of the pizzas had plenty of cheese, good crust and excellent sauce. I'm usually disappointed by cheap ingredients and hardly any sauce on most pizzas. This was not the case at Bono's. The sauce had great taste. The crust was crispy. The ricotta cheese on the windy city pizza was delicious. The deep dish takes a little longer to cook but I was not in a hurry. The service was great and the people were very friendly. Highly recommend their place for good pizza.

    (4)

  • R P.

    Pretty good pizza, friendly staff and tasty cannoli's Would definitely come back again

    (4)

  • Stuart C.

    We really enjoyed it. We just had hot dogs, so it was nothing particularly special. I had the Firecracker I believe it was called. And it was great. The kids had more basic hot dogs, and everybody enjoyed their. The quality of the meat was good. Service was average speed. We will go back.

    (4)

  • Rach G.

    Great atmosphere! The hot dogs are good but some of the staff seem rude and like they don't have time to help you. I've even seen two people who work there fight over who had to clean a table after a customer left.

    (3)

  • Kacey J.

    I feel horrible because this is the closest restaurant near my house and I don't want them to go under... But the food is awful I have gone 3 times hoping for a different result.

    (1)

  • Sean M.

    Needed my Bono's fix having grown up in Las Vegas (Trop & Eastern). Did not disappoint had the Chicago Dog and Fries, can't wait to come back and get the Italian Beef I love their Giardiniere.

    (4)

  • Greg B.

    We called to order 5 sandwiches delivered. 1st we were told out of pork, so switched to beef on restaurant owner's recommendation. Also ordered hot dog with sour krout & onions but no bun due to gluten intolerance. Two Bono burgers & frys, onion rings, plus a meatball sandwich completed the order. We were told 30 minutes. 50 minutes later; Just about to call about lack of food when the order arrived. Paid and sat down to eat. First found the beef sandwich had soggy bread and not much flavor. The hot dog was in a bun- not as ordered. It had almost no krout. The meatball sandwich was not good enough to finish. The hamburgers did not have lettuce & tomatoe as ordered and promissed. They did have a too- bright green relish that did not taste like relish! They forgot the onion rings (we were not billed for them either.) Over all poor order accuracy & just OK food.

    (2)

  • Chris B.

    If I could give it zero stars I would. To start off they had a sign out front that said live music. A stereo was there version of live music. We then ordered our food. Food was ordered and paid for but we had to proceed to the bar for our drinks. Bazaar. Drinks were paid for and we went and sat down. Food came out but was wrong. My sandwich was real dry with nothing but meat and cheese. My wife sandwich did not come so we had to order and pay for another one cause they got it wrong. Went to the bar for a drink and the guy taking orders was at the bar drinking . No wonder our order was wrong. The inside of the place was very unclean. The lights were dusty and dirty. Cheesy Christmas lights hanging all over. Tip jars everywhere. That's probably why you have to order and pay for food the order and pay for drinks. Leave a tip at order counter leave a tip at bar and leave a tip at table????? If you want another drink you have to walk up and get it yourself even though servers are everywhere. Makes no sense. Server must have felt bad so he came out with two cookies and offered saying fresh baked cookies. They were frozen yes frozen and must have been a week old. He did not even try to nuke them. I don't get this place. I ask person at bar what beers were on tap. She looks at them and said I am not sure. She was trying to read the handles. There were only 5 and she only could tell me 3 of them. She said one is 208. I said what kind of beer is that and she said she did not know. Dang. Guy behind bar pours a glass for himself. No wonder this place is terrible. Walking around and drinking while working?????? When you are drinking while working you have a problem. How can you give good service buzzed?????? This place will go out of business soon.

    (1)

  • Jerry H.

    The Italian beef is amazing, when they have it. Seriously we drive in from Middleton and right at lunch they either have none or like today only enough for one. This place could be 4 stars if they could get it together. Last time they at least warned us when we ordered. To day we ordered and paid and sat down. 5 minutes later the girl comes over to inform us that they don't have enough beef ( ya know, the signature dish) so they have to do part beef and part sausage. I guess the ran out of the juice they dip it in too because we ordered "extra wet" and it was anything but. This is the last time for us.

    (1)

  • Laura A.

    My son and I walk on into Bonos, before we order we are told there is no beef or chicken wings. As we order, the man is not sure what is in stock and what is not and goes to check 3 different times. We ordered a thin crust pizza, chicken caesar salad, and onion rings...they are out of Caesar dressing so they gave us cheap watery Italian dressing. I ordered iced tea and he then had to check if he had tea, come on! It took 20 minutes for our food to come when we were the only customers in the restaurant, normally I wouldn't think twice about food taking 20 minutes. There was another couple that left right as we sat down, it looked as if they got tired of waiting for their food because their number was still sitting on the table as if it never came. When the man comes to serve our food, he tells us that he almost dropped the pizza and that he was a train wreck! He tries to put the pizza on the table, drops our silverware, and picks it up and gives them to us off the floor without giving us clean silverware. As he is serving the Caesar salad he says that the cook is out back smoking and he just took the salad and the cook did not know if the food was delivered or not. The owner's office seems to be a booth underneath the TV, he has his computer and papers on the table in the main seating area of the restaurant, beside the booth there is an outlet where his phone is plugged in and laying on the floor. Several tables are covered in crumbs. This place has so much potential as the food they had in stock was decent and the atmosphere was pretty cool but the service was atrocious! Yikes! This place is going under if they don't make some serious changes!

    (1)

  • Dave C.

    We went there a few times in the first two months they were open. However it took so long to get your food even when the restaurant was nearly empty, that we haven't tried now for over a year. However, I thought we would give them another chance today and order pizza to go. I called ahead and she was very helpfuland assured me the pizza would be ready in no longer than 20 minutes. I showed up and the pizza was not ready until almost 30 minutes and when we got home it was also burnt. when I went in there there was only one table occupied in the entire place. How do you burn pizza when it's the only thing literally that you have to cook at the moment?

    (1)

  • Doug H.

    It gives me no pleasure at all to write this, but it appears my 3-star review in January was too generous. Based on our experience this week I've gotta knock this down to 2 stars. (Although in this case, it's really 1.5 rounded up, with the fractional .5 awarded because Bono's is one of the rare eateries in Meridian that's not part of a fast-food chain. Without that "gimme," maybe it truly should just be a 1? But I do try to reserve the 1-stars for places that should be condemned and bulldozed immediately, with the site quarantined for multiple half-lives until once again suitable for human habitation.) Sorry, where was I? Oh, Bono's. Wednesday. Lunchtime, 1-ish. Quiet. In fact, nearly vacant except for a party of 7 or 8. Two refrigerated cases that formerly held soft drinks stood sentry by the entrance, empty and sad. We wanted a Chicago dog with fries, a rare indulgence for us. Iced tea. Cheerful young woman took the order and we paid. Note that at Bono's you have to go all the way down past the kitchen area to the bar, where the self-serve drink machine is located. Hand-written sign on the iced-tea dispenser: "No ice tea." Okay, it happens. Back to the counter. Cheerful young woman had not gotten the memo about the missing iced-tea, but apologized. No problem, it's just that we don't do sugary carbonated drinks, so could we just get a refund for the tea? Absolutely, but cheerful young woman didn't know how to process a refund on the register and neither evidently did anyone else. After a few minutes during which they called Chicago or something, cheerful young woman managed to return our $4.47. That was when I noticed for the first time that we had actually paid $4.47 for two iced teas. A profit margin like that, we should get valet parking and tuxedoed waiters. But as Harry Chapin might have put it, I stashed the bills in my shirt and we sat down. Then, we waited. There seemed to be some confusion over at the larger party about parts of their order missing. Some appeared to be half-finished eating while others were still waiting. The line cook seemed a little annoyed and exercised over all this but I guess it all got straightened out and, after maybe 15 more minutes waiting, we got our hot dogs with fries. Well, truth be told, they were "warm" dogs. The fries were piping hot, though, suggesting the dogs had been prepared before someone noticed the fries weren't cooked yet. Five degrees cooler, we'd have sent the dogs back, but we might still be there. So, all this over iced tea, warm dogs, and untrained employees? Alas, yes. In the context of our prior experiences and the many, many other negative comments posted, Bono's is simply a poorly-run operation that shows no sign of improvement and in fact seems to be headed in the other direction. This is hard to fathom. Given the area's rapid growth, the place should be packed. The food is generally pretty good, after all, with potential to be very good if someone would just pay attention. That rounded-up half-star is looking mighty shaky.

    (2)

  • David A.

    They could do so much with this space because right now there is no ambiance. The service was slow and the food was very average (chili-dog). It's too bad because they are in a great location.

    (1)

  • John C.

    I see most people have flocked to Bono's because they are personally familiar with actual Chicago food while living in the Chicagoland area. I'm not different; I grew up in the Chicagoland area and spent a total of 18 years there. I go out of my for authentic Chicago food; especially pizza. I've gone as far as to mail order Giordano's stuffed pizza. After finding out about Bono's, I was amped to no end. Today we ordered a stuffed Canadian Bacon and Pineapple pizza. I couldn't stop talking about how excited I was. When I saw our pizza was up, the excited look on my face was replaced with disappointment. This "stuffed pizza" was an epic fail in every sense. It felt and tasted like the pizza was made by taking a thin crust pizza, putting toppings, sauce and cheese on it and topping it off with another layer of thin crust pizza. The taste was decent for what it was but any true Chicagoan would be embarrassed to associate this pizza with Chicago. As for the service, the female that took our order was also delivering food to the tables. She seemed a bit out of it but she wasn't rude at all. I can sum up my visit in one line: If you are AT ALL familiar with true Chicago food, think twice and think hard about visiting Bono's. Though the food is decent, it can't hold a candle to authentic Chicago dining. EDIT: I'm sitting here having a cold piece of my "stuffed" pizza (because I'm hungry, not because I like it) and half way through, I'm overwhelmed with disappointment yet again. I REALLY wanted to like this place but I reckon I got what I paid for. I'm now going to throw away the remaining 50% of my pizza :(

    (1)

  • Jason N.

    If I could give this place negative stars I would. Stopped in cause the kids just wanted a quick hot dog and some mozzarella sticks. Hot dogs are served with "skin on French fries". So we wait, and wait, and wait.. 30 minutes go by and I go to the counter to ask the only girl working what the delay was. She says, "we ran out of fries, but they went to get more". I ask, where did they go? "Next door to Fred Meyer" yes, they ran out of fries and they got more FROZEN FRIES to make for us. The hot dogs come out and honestly, they are pretty good.. The 5 mozzarella sticks are burnt to a crisp... So we send those back and ask for some new. A few minutes later they bring more and our fresh frozen fries. They tasted exactly like you might imagine... And now the 4 mozzarella sticks (original order was 5) are still cold or frozen in the middle. We get our money back on those. Bottom line the hot dogs were good, but not $30 good for a family of 4. The food is mediocre, the restaurant is dirty. I seriously wouldn't even chance going there again. Maybe if they get a great big "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" sign and even then I would be skeptical. You could get 15 hot dogs for $20 at a Wiernerschnitzel and it would be 1000% better!

    (1)

  • Derek H.

    We drove from Twin Falls to get here. For some reason they do not cross train. We get here "our fry line person didn't show Up" WTF if someone don't show up manager should step in and do it. Not fuck it it's down we will 86 half the menu. Wish I could tell you what the food tasted like. Other than $50 in gas

    (1)

  • Paul J.

    Went to Bono's today craving their delicious beef sausage combo that only they know how to make it. Twenty minutes after ordering our food, I decided to check on our orders status. It took two times asking for our order until we were told with no apology that they were out of beef and sausage. I am talking noon folks. I can see that Bono's is on their last leg which is unfortunate. We told so many people about their once great food and service but that has truly passed.

    (3)

  • Christy L.

    My family and I were excited to try this restaurant. The decor is really nice. Very inviting and fun atmosphere. So we had high hopes. Unfortunately, the service was awful. I mean reeeaaallly bad! It took way too long and two of our dishes were incorrect. So they had to remake it which also took forever. Very forgettable food as well. We will not be back.

    (1)

  • ShekagoN8V W.

    Born and raised Chicagoan. I was super excited to come into today as a surprise from my hubs. Holy Hannah though...a wait for 2 beefs, fries and a plain dog?! There are a lot of authentic parts to the food but they lost me on the dry bread for the beef, the obviously not steamed poppy seed bun for the dog and the Idaho seasoned overlooked fries. Where are the true crinkle fries? I hope the beef and dog were Vienna brand and for cripe sake, train the staff about the food.

    (2)

  • Jeff P.

    Lived in Chi-town for a decade through my years of higher learning and the Chicago style Italian Beef sandwich was always a treat I've enjoyed. Portillo's, Buona Beef, the no name hole-in-the-wall beef joints are places I miss quite a bit... and... after I've had Bono's, I miss them even more. I REALLY, really, wanted to like this place. I was on their website every week before they launched, stoked about the prospect of satisfying my Italian beef cravings... but after a total of 4 visits since, I feel bad to say this but, I really wonder if these guys have a future here in the treasure valley. From the look of it, it seems pretty clear that they thought they were going to storm into authentic import food scene and have several locations in a couple years. Not a chance. And by the look of things, with each successive visit, the place has look more and more dreadful... and empty. Psst, it's not because Italian beef is an acquired taste. It's not. Location? Nah, though a first location in downtown Boise could have helped, with what they got wrong, it would have probably sunk them faster. Here's my list of their seven sins: 1) Their bread sucks. White and pasty looking. Would have passed for something sold at winco... Maybe (no offense, winco) But for an Italian beef? Fuhgettaboutit. 2) Fries please? You mean to tell me, I paid you nine bucks for a jumbo and you can't throw in a side of fries? Every joint I went to in Chicago did and they did it a dollar cheaper. You're in Meridian, low-rent, Idaho, and you mean to tell me fries don't come with a 9 dollar sandwich? 3) You call that a jumbo? My daughter got a regular and my wife got a jumbo (due to previous experience), no joke, the thing was barely an inch longer. Portillos had the beef exploding out of their regular size beef sandwiches for less than what these guys are charging. 4) Is it worth it? Unless they hid some caviar under the beef or slaughter only blemish free red heifers, that question is the single biggest dilemma, that despite my cravings, made me visit Bonos only 4 times since it opened. 30 bucks. 30 bucks for 3 pasty breaded, low beef, pathetically not-even-close-to-jumbo sandwiches with no sides.... & One drink. And the order was wrong EACH and EVERY time. Tell me why this is worth 10 bucks more than the more filling foot longs I can grab for my family down the block? They can't even convince a family that craves Italian beef, much less convince newcomers of it. 5) Poorly trained, poorly screened staff. Busy playing around, not once did they get the order 100% right. To their credit, the last time we went, our order came to us quicker... but maybe that was the case because it was dead. Take a page from Chick-fil-A, a chain with far more traffic to deal with, and learn what they do. 6) Let there be light! I get it, The mancave needed to be dark... Why are they so married to the mancave concept? It isn't even a Chicago exclusive thing. They have the whole front of the joint looking like they have a strip joint in the back. They spent so much money on the décor inside why make it look so dingy from the outside? 7) Listen to the feedback, skip the "come talk to Pamela and Ronnie." We've personally spoken to Pamela. We told her the same thing I'm laying out here. Either Pam or Ronnie or both have some humble pie to eat rather than scratch their heads and wonder if Boise folks just don't get Italian beef. Get this: You're competing for our money. If you want it, you'd better make it worth it.

    (1)

  • Nina S.

    Way over-priced. Way too slow. Out of ingredients. Staff standing around gabbing while we waited 40 minutes for chicken strips & a hot dog ($26). I thought you were out after 3 strikes!

    (1)

  • Rich L.

    Could anything be any slower? Slowest slow of all the slows. Ordered the special and it still took forever, its a simple chicken parm, its not rocket science. Sauce was tasteless, chicken was semi-done. Glad it was a Saturday so I gad all day, because thats what it took, all day, to get... the special.

    (1)

  • Doug B.

    Pretty good food, but the service is authentic as well....and I don't think that's on purpose.

    (3)

  • Michael B.

    By far the worst service I've probably had. The lady at the register didn't say hello or even put a smile on our face. They didnt even have the hotdogs we ordered. Plus, she never gave us a number, so when our food was ready they had no idea who to give it to. The only reason I give two stars is because the food was good.

    (2)

  • Lavon W.

    Worst service I have had in my 48 years of dinning out. 1:35 min. To get a hamburger, hotdog, let alone they forgot to make our cheese pizza and calzone. We had to walk out with our food in a 2- go box. We complained to the owner. He said sorry, we are just really busy. Never will go here again.

    (1)

  • Darren G.

    Poor service and lousy food - not going back. I think we waited 15 mins for 2 sandwiches and the staff brought us plates for pizza - confused

    (1)

  • Braden F.

    I grew up in Chicago and was a weekly patron of Portillo's. I was hoping to capture that magic at Bono's. I found the menu to be more expensive and lower quality ingredients than what I experienced.

    (2)

  • John S.

    This isn't Gino's East, Giordano's, Uno or even Lou Malnati's. You can tell first off by the whitish deep dish pizza crust. The real deals in Chicago are yellow from the butter they infuse their dough with. The sauce was more like diced tomatoes with a few herbs sprinkled in than a complex sauce simmered for hours. That said, Bono's pizza isn't bad. It's just not what I expected from a place trumpeting "real Chicago food." I will return to try their Italian beef sandwiches and see how they stack up to Al's # 1, Johnnie's Beef and Portillo's. They have big shoes to fill there, too.

    (3)

  • Allen P.

    Waiting for pizza and hot dog for 45 minutes. Don't hear any "sorry for waiting" or any warning before placing the order to let us know that gonna be this long wait. Nobody here just a few people drinking. $26 for deep dish "mancave"and it's not good. Cannoli is good.

    (1)

  • Derek M.

    I really had high hopes for this place. I've really tried to like it because it's a good location and a cool little restaurant but the people who run it are totally brain dead. Worst service the gal at the cashier/counter was totally clueless like she was high. tonight they were out of corn dogs chicken strips coors light bud light hot sauce and out of to go containers. Learn how to run a business. This place is a joke don't know how it's still open.

    (1)

  • natalie s.

    Been here a few times and previous visits food took quite awhile however tasted good. This review is on my most recent visit- not impressed! Placed my order on the phone and was told it would be ready for pick up in 45 min- when we got there to pick up our pizzas we were told it would be another 20 mins!! When we finally got our food and brought it home pizza it was cold and tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for awhile- and the "Chicago style" pizza was lacking in sauce- may give them one more chance

    (3)

  • Brittney C.

    Atmosphere is amazing. The People are cool. If I had ordered something else my review may have been different. As it is, I ordered chicken strips. I asked if they were fresh and they weren't! What?! Why??? Use fresh ingredients, people! Couldn't finish the fries. Just not good. Also didn't finish the chicken strips. Underwhelmed over all. Hoping their meatball sandwich and pizza is better.

    (3)

  • Darcy B.

    Have to agree with most of the other reviews. Very slow...waited almost an hour for our food, service is far from stellar, no napkins on the tables...they treat it like self serve but hit you up for a tip. My sons burger didnt come with anything...no fries...nothing, and it wasnt cheap. This was my second time visiting...wont go back.

    (2)

  • Jackie E.

    I First went there in 2013, and saw some very bad cleanliness habits within the food area, prep time was extensive, and the quality and taste of the food varied so two times was enough. A friend of mine is here from Seattle and wanted to try it out. Ok....when we walked thru the doors the beverage cooler was 95% empty...interesting...the girl at the counter was coughing/hacking...i asked her if she was ok? she stated she was just "choking on her spit"...we continued to look at the menu, and felt safe with hamburgers...we did notice that it didn't come with fries, those extra, except with the dogs, but they did come with everything else...there were five dirty tables in the entire small place, and there had only been a man and his son in front of us. Our hamburgers and mozzarella sticks(4) got to us 30 minutes later...the hamburger bun was a 1/2 inch larger all the way around the burger, 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, large leaf of lettuce and TWO QUARTER SIZE PIECES of tomato, like from a Roma tomato, a very small piece of melted cheese, one slice of bacon cut in half, and the bun was greasy. We really were not sure what to make of it either, as we kept looking at each other, the taste of the meat was off...my friends opinion was that the bar was so small (4 chairs)that there was no reason to sit or even go there, and he didnt like their "man cave", but his concern was with the co-use dirty bathroom and the staff that were seriously in the rough. My friend was going to start cleaning the tables when one member of the staff began to do so as we were leaving. Needless to say our suggestion is...Money is better spent...the food is better...you are treated better....and it will ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE HARD to beat in every given way at "BIG ALS"...I would have not have felt so awful (we both got upset stomachs )....i would have felt proud to have taken him to Big Als..

    (2)

  • Michael B.

    I was excited when I first saw the signs for Bono's. I grew up in the Detroit area and have visited Chicago many times. I love Chicago style hot dogs. Bono's makes a very nice Chicago dog, the only problem is you could get one faster if you flew to Chicago. 17 minutes for two Chicago dogs and fries is ridiculous. I almost got a divorce after ordering carry out for my pregnant wife who was at home. By the time I drove there, ordered, waited, and then delivered the food home she was super h-angry. Oh well. I guess it's back to Costco for hot dogs in the future.

    (2)

  • Connor K.

    I came in with high hopes. Nice setting. The only reason it got one star was the layout of the restaurant. Open. And clean. Also nice. First started with me waiting five minutes to place my order. No one in the place and actually upon asking the cashier they said it was prepping time. They were too worried about getting prepped to take new customers. Bad sign. The food came out quick enough but I was immediately annoyed at how little seven dollars got me in food. Small messy six inch food. The meat was like ground beef and was soggy and wet. The layout of the sandwhich was bad also. It only had cheese and peppers on one side of the bun. But the bun was cut all the way through so that stuff fell out continually. I ate in two minutes and the entire time was disgusted. My uncle with me as well had the same feeling. Gross food. Too little for the money. Don't go here unless to get drunk and if so take a PB and J with you. You will be more satisfied with that.

    (1)

  • STANLEY K.

    The place was way too loud, service was slow and when I got home the dipping juice lid was not put on tight ,spilled all over car and the food was not worth going back for. Much better places to go in Meridian that this place.

    (1)

  • Stephanie D.

    I went in to Bono's on the Thursday of their opening week. Seemed to be a decent amount of people in line, mostly people on their lunch break. On this first visit, I pretty much just wanted to get a menu, but decided to get two cookies and a cannoli (I am a cannoli FIEND) to go. The cookies are ok - good if you like a lot of chocolate chips. As far as the cannoli...it was probably the worst I have ever had. The shell was really thin and crispy and it tasted like they used orange zest or something in it. I couldn't even really taste the filling, but maybe that was because I couldn't get past the grossness of the shell. In any case, I would have given them a 2/5 for that. HOWEVER, I did end up trying it again for the pizza. I do not eat meat, so I got a straight up cheese pizza. It was DELICIOUS. Totally a classic Chicago pizza, deep dish, not greasy, and tons of sauce on top. Definitely something I would get again, only I would probably get more adventurous and add some veggies, because no doubt it would be even more tasty. My family tried their meatball sandwich and sausage sandwich. I was told that they were both quite tasty and they would have them again. Based on that, I upped my rating to 4/5 stars. I would definitely go back for their pizza, sounds like the sandwiches are pretty good, and the atmosphere is ok (they have some booths which is nice, and a "man cave" with a television playing sports). Just be wary of the desserts they offer if you go, they're a complete miss.

    (4)

  • Shea M.

    Big thumbs up. My little family of six love this place. Always amazing counter service and they're always running out asking if we need anything. I love love their dogs. Best in town and the pizza is pretty darn good too. They've always got the best sports on so if you're looking for a place with a TV they're your man.

    (4)

  • Meagan K.

    Disclaimer: I lived in Chicago for 25 years.....and I am critical when it comes to pizza and dogs. First trip: hot dog was good...had the right ingredients. Italian beef was ok. It was a little cold and not as flavorful as it could be but I would order again for sure. There is nothing else even close around here. I did not like the giardinera....it was not enough pepper and too much celery, but maybe this is just personal taste. My dad loved the fries so much he ate all of ours! Second trip: Deep dish was lacking the buttery crust and was pretty thin on ingredients.... there should be twice the amount of filling.....I would pay more. Sauce was great! Thin crust was great! Not as good as my fave place in Chicago, but for Boise it is amazing. Service was great and they were nice considering I had a problem with expired groupon. I would go there more if it were closer to my house.

    (4)

  • Loren M.

    I hate to say it but subway's meatball sandwich is better than this. I asked of they had tea and the employee said yes. There was nothing but water when I poured a glass and when I asked to have it fixed they hooked it up to soda. I won't return.

    (1)

  • Doug H.

    It gives me no pleasure at all to write this, but it appears my 3-star review in January was too generous. Based on our experience this week I've gotta knock this down to 2 stars. (Although in this case, it's really 1.5 rounded up, with the fractional .5 awarded because Bono's is one of the rare eateries in Meridian that's not part of a fast-food chain. Without that "gimme," maybe it truly should just be a 1? But I do try to reserve the 1-stars for places that should be condemned and bulldozed immediately, with the site quarantined for multiple half-lives until once again suitable for human habitation.) Sorry, where was I? Oh, Bono's. Wednesday. Lunchtime, 1-ish. Quiet. In fact, nearly vacant except for a party of 7 or 8. Two refrigerated cases that formerly held soft drinks stood sentry by the entrance, empty and sad. We wanted a Chicago dog with fries, a rare indulgence for us. Iced tea. Cheerful young woman took the order and we paid. Note that at Bono's you have to go all the way down past the kitchen area to the bar, where the self-serve drink machine is located. Hand-written sign on the iced-tea dispenser: "No ice tea." Okay, it happens. Back to the counter. Cheerful young woman had not gotten the memo about the missing iced-tea, but apologized. No problem, it's just that we don't do sugary carbonated drinks, so could we just get a refund for the tea? Absolutely, but cheerful young woman didn't know how to process a refund on the register and neither evidently did anyone else. After a few minutes during which they called Chicago or something, cheerful young woman managed to return our $4.47. That was when I noticed for the first time that we had actually paid $4.47 for two iced teas. A profit margin like that, we should get valet parking and tuxedoed waiters. But as Harry Chapin might have put it, I stashed the bills in my shirt and we sat down. Then, we waited. There seemed to be some confusion over at the larger party about parts of their order missing. Some appeared to be half-finished eating while others were still waiting. The line cook seemed a little annoyed and exercised over all this but I guess it all got straightened out and, after maybe 15 more minutes waiting, we got our hot dogs with fries. Well, truth be told, they were "warm" dogs. The fries were piping hot, though, suggesting the dogs had been prepared before someone noticed the fries weren't cooked yet. Five degrees cooler, we'd have sent the dogs back, but we might still be there. So, all this over iced tea, warm dogs, and untrained employees? Alas, yes. In the context of our prior experiences and the many, many other negative comments posted, Bono's is simply a poorly-run operation that shows no sign of improvement and in fact seems to be headed in the other direction. This is hard to fathom. Given the area's rapid growth, the place should be packed. The food is generally pretty good, after all, with potential to be very good if someone would just pay attention. That rounded-up half-star is looking mighty shaky.

    (2)

  • David A.

    They could do so much with this space because right now there is no ambiance. The service was slow and the food was very average (chili-dog). It's too bad because they are in a great location.

    (1)

  • John C.

    I see most people have flocked to Bono's because they are personally familiar with actual Chicago food while living in the Chicagoland area. I'm not different; I grew up in the Chicagoland area and spent a total of 18 years there. I go out of my for authentic Chicago food; especially pizza. I've gone as far as to mail order Giordano's stuffed pizza. After finding out about Bono's, I was amped to no end. Today we ordered a stuffed Canadian Bacon and Pineapple pizza. I couldn't stop talking about how excited I was. When I saw our pizza was up, the excited look on my face was replaced with disappointment. This "stuffed pizza" was an epic fail in every sense. It felt and tasted like the pizza was made by taking a thin crust pizza, putting toppings, sauce and cheese on it and topping it off with another layer of thin crust pizza. The taste was decent for what it was but any true Chicagoan would be embarrassed to associate this pizza with Chicago. As for the service, the female that took our order was also delivering food to the tables. She seemed a bit out of it but she wasn't rude at all. I can sum up my visit in one line: If you are AT ALL familiar with true Chicago food, think twice and think hard about visiting Bono's. Though the food is decent, it can't hold a candle to authentic Chicago dining. EDIT: I'm sitting here having a cold piece of my "stuffed" pizza (because I'm hungry, not because I like it) and half way through, I'm overwhelmed with disappointment yet again. I REALLY wanted to like this place but I reckon I got what I paid for. I'm now going to throw away the remaining 50% of my pizza :(

    (1)

  • Brittney C.

    Atmosphere is amazing. The People are cool. If I had ordered something else my review may have been different. As it is, I ordered chicken strips. I asked if they were fresh and they weren't! What?! Why??? Use fresh ingredients, people! Couldn't finish the fries. Just not good. Also didn't finish the chicken strips. Underwhelmed over all. Hoping their meatball sandwich and pizza is better.

    (3)

  • Gene T.

    We decided to try them again, my wife likes the sandwiches here. She ordered this Italian beef sandwich, kind of like a French dip and oh man...it is actually really good. The person that helped us was very kind and helpful as well. I am improving my rating after this last visit.

    (4)

  • Jerry H.

    The Italian beef is amazing, when they have it. Seriously we drive in from Middleton and right at lunch they either have none or like today only enough for one. This place could be 4 stars if they could get it together. Last time they at least warned us when we ordered. To day we ordered and paid and sat down. 5 minutes later the girl comes over to inform us that they don't have enough beef ( ya know, the signature dish) so they have to do part beef and part sausage. I guess the ran out of the juice they dip it in too because we ordered "extra wet" and it was anything but. This is the last time for us.

    (1)

  • Rich L.

    Could anything be any slower? Slowest slow of all the slows. Ordered the special and it still took forever, its a simple chicken parm, its not rocket science. Sauce was tasteless, chicken was semi-done. Glad it was a Saturday so I gad all day, because thats what it took, all day, to get... the special.

    (1)

  • Braden F.

    I grew up in Chicago and was a weekly patron of Portillo's. I was hoping to capture that magic at Bono's. I found the menu to be more expensive and lower quality ingredients than what I experienced.

    (2)

  • John S.

    This isn't Gino's East, Giordano's, Uno or even Lou Malnati's. You can tell first off by the whitish deep dish pizza crust. The real deals in Chicago are yellow from the butter they infuse their dough with. The sauce was more like diced tomatoes with a few herbs sprinkled in than a complex sauce simmered for hours. That said, Bono's pizza isn't bad. It's just not what I expected from a place trumpeting "real Chicago food." I will return to try their Italian beef sandwiches and see how they stack up to Al's # 1, Johnnie's Beef and Portillo's. They have big shoes to fill there, too.

    (3)

  • Jason N.

    If I could give this place negative stars I would. Stopped in cause the kids just wanted a quick hot dog and some mozzarella sticks. Hot dogs are served with "skin on French fries". So we wait, and wait, and wait.. 30 minutes go by and I go to the counter to ask the only girl working what the delay was. She says, "we ran out of fries, but they went to get more". I ask, where did they go? "Next door to Fred Meyer" yes, they ran out of fries and they got more FROZEN FRIES to make for us. The hot dogs come out and honestly, they are pretty good.. The 5 mozzarella sticks are burnt to a crisp... So we send those back and ask for some new. A few minutes later they bring more and our fresh frozen fries. They tasted exactly like you might imagine... And now the 4 mozzarella sticks (original order was 5) are still cold or frozen in the middle. We get our money back on those. Bottom line the hot dogs were good, but not $30 good for a family of 4. The food is mediocre, the restaurant is dirty. I seriously wouldn't even chance going there again. Maybe if they get a great big "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" sign and even then I would be skeptical. You could get 15 hot dogs for $20 at a Wiernerschnitzel and it would be 1000% better!

    (1)

  • Kristen N.

    Owner is an ass. Was lucky enough to walk in as he was berating someone about his order-so I'm guessing it was his food purveyor. If that's how he treats people who are supposed to be partners I can only imagine how he treats customers. Pass. Heard just enough to know I didn't want to give this guy any of my hard earned money. Turned around and left. Thanks for helping me dodge a bullet, guy!

    (1)

  • Dave C.

    We went there a few times in the first two months they were open. However it took so long to get your food even when the restaurant was nearly empty, that we haven't tried now for over a year. However, I thought we would give them another chance today and order pizza to go. I called ahead and she was very helpfuland assured me the pizza would be ready in no longer than 20 minutes. I showed up and the pizza was not ready until almost 30 minutes and when we got home it was also burnt. when I went in there there was only one table occupied in the entire place. How do you burn pizza when it's the only thing literally that you have to cook at the moment?

    (1)

  • Allen P.

    Waiting for pizza and hot dog for 45 minutes. Don't hear any "sorry for waiting" or any warning before placing the order to let us know that gonna be this long wait. Nobody here just a few people drinking. $26 for deep dish "mancave"and it's not good. Cannoli is good.

    (1)

  • Derek M.

    I really had high hopes for this place. I've really tried to like it because it's a good location and a cool little restaurant but the people who run it are totally brain dead. Worst service the gal at the cashier/counter was totally clueless like she was high. tonight they were out of corn dogs chicken strips coors light bud light hot sauce and out of to go containers. Learn how to run a business. This place is a joke don't know how it's still open.

    (1)

  • Andy H.

    First off I am born and raised in Chicago. I worked at a Beef stand in HS. I am an expert. The 4 stars are for the sandwiches not the pizza. The place is good for beef and a dog, however you need to get cucumbers on the dog menu. And when someone orders a tamale on a bun, know what they are talking about. The bread more than likely comes in frozen, nothing is better than the trucks dropping off the fresh bread in Chicago, but this is Boise, and they are doing what they can....may want to bake longer IMO. Are you a fast food or casual dining? A beef and dog should take minutes if not seconds to make, the efficiency needs to improve. The pizza....sorry but the crust is what makes Chicago Pizza Chicago Pizza...this is more of a chewy avg run of the mill doe...not PIE crust. Growing up with Home Run Inn, Palermo's....You need a pie crust that is almost flaky, like a pie. Sauce, not sweet enough for my liking, but that is personal taste....All in all it is just a avg run of the mill pizza. My Dad just moved here and he loved the Beef as well....It is great. Only complaint, the hot giardiniera is not to my liking, but then again I make my own. Plus I am spoiled having Parisi's and Duke's homemade on the south-side, where all the best Beef joints are located. Growing up in Chicago, we are spoiled at the culinary treasures we get to partake in daily. However these are minor complaints, the beef is great. Improve the pizza and speed the service please!

    (4)

  • Doug B.

    Pretty good food, but the service is authentic as well....and I don't think that's on purpose.

    (3)

  • Michael B.

    By far the worst service I've probably had. The lady at the register didn't say hello or even put a smile on our face. They didnt even have the hotdogs we ordered. Plus, she never gave us a number, so when our food was ready they had no idea who to give it to. The only reason I give two stars is because the food was good.

    (2)

  • Chris H.

    First I want to say I have tryed Bono's several times before doing this review. The decor is fun to look at and really makes you feel like your in Chicago or want to go there. The man cave is really cool and what a great idea having a chalkboard wall for the kidos! Great job.. Food, Well I am a big fan of a Chicago bog and the first time in that's what I got for lunch. Dog, fries, and a beer for lunch... So happy! The next trip in I got an order of the Italian beef sandwich to go. I would not recommend this. Got very soggy and was just not the best. On my next visit I was helped by the owner ( very nice lady I might add) and she asked why I wasn't eating the Italian beef. Told her the story and she insisted I try again. And it was much better but I'm just not an Italian beef. I'm sorry because it makes no sense to me. I should love it but it's just not my favorite. Now let's talk about the pizza. I ordered a thin crust cheese pizza for the kids and asked for the best and most popular recommendation. And the nice lady behind the register said without hesitation ( The man cave pizza)........ It's a beep dish pizza FULL of all the meats. So I said.. Oh were so doing that's pizza! Cheese pizza came out and it was a hit. Gone In a matter of minutes as we waited the 45 minutes for the MAN CAVE. She did say it would take longer thats why the chalkboard wall came in handy.... And then It came OMG it's something! If you like over the top meaty, cheesy, buttery rich pizza then this is for you. I ate almost two slices (not sure you call them slices) I will tell you non Chicago folks like me that it's not like any pizza you have ever had. And I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Oh and one more thing.. I ate it 3 days ago and I still have heartburn.. Or it could be from the leftovers I've been eating even day since. Glad it is gone and I hope the heartburn will finally go away.. Just try it.. Trust me... Service, This is not a complaint. Because I'm not a complainer. But the ordering is a bit awkward and cumbersome. People coming in are not always welcomed right away and seem a bit confused. And the food to table seems the same way. And the weird thing is that their is lots of friendly hard working employees. They just don't seem to be in sync with each other. So I just hope they can get this down a bit better because this is a great place to get a Chicago bog and heartburn! Which is a good thing!

    (3)

  • Michael M.

    Great Pizza! Great hot dog! The food was so good. We really liked this place. Really clean. Kids have their own table and the people are super friendly. Awesome!!

    (5)

  • natalie s.

    Been here a few times and previous visits food took quite awhile however tasted good. This review is on my most recent visit- not impressed! Placed my order on the phone and was told it would be ready for pick up in 45 min- when we got there to pick up our pizzas we were told it would be another 20 mins!! When we finally got our food and brought it home pizza it was cold and tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for awhile- and the "Chicago style" pizza was lacking in sauce- may give them one more chance

    (3)

  • Lavon W.

    Worst service I have had in my 48 years of dinning out. 1:35 min. To get a hamburger, hotdog, let alone they forgot to make our cheese pizza and calzone. We had to walk out with our food in a 2- go box. We complained to the owner. He said sorry, we are just really busy. Never will go here again.

    (1)

  • Karey M.

    The best feature of this restaurant was the decor and ambiance. The food was mediocre at best. We waited 36 minutes for a hot dog and cheese sticks on a Tuesday night at 7:30. Staff was unapologetic. It's too bad. As I love to support local business, but we won't be back.

    (1)

  • Janelle G.

    Great pizza! I haven't had any of the other food besides the mozzarella sticks, which, I'll be honest, weren't my favorite, but I love the pizza and I love the ranch. Ranch is pretty important, people. The people there are super friendly and always deliver pretty quick. I'm glad they're so close to work. Very convenient for me.

    (4)

  • Darren G.

    Poor service and lousy food - not going back. I think we waited 15 mins for 2 sandwiches and the staff brought us plates for pizza - confused

    (1)

  • Jody T.

    Slow, slow, slow. 55 minutes for a deep dish pizza almost makes me think they forgot to put it in the oven. Food was ok but service was terrible. When our pizza was brought finally the waiter didn't bring plates (we had to ask) didn't bring a serving spatula and could barely be bothered to grunt at us beyond bringing the food. I had to go ask how much longer for the food as my kids were starving at that point I was looked at like I had just bothered them. Better idea, when you order they should tell you how long it takes to cook said pizza as we would have changed our mind on the order. Food was too expensive for what you get. Extremely under impressed. Won't go back. Ps, there were only 4 other patrons in the building so they weren't busy at all.

    (1)

  • Tyler L.

    I've been here 5 times now. I've tried something new 4 of the times. The pizza is good and the restaurant's casual atmosphere is nice. That said, I won't be going back for a 6th time. This place has HORRIBLE service, thus my poor rating. Aside from the fact they're super slow, the staff's attitude is awful. Last time I went I waited five minutes before even being greeted. Then the lady gave me an extremely poor greeting - "what do you want." I place a lot of value on service and wouldn't recommend the wait nor the service for the marginal food menu.

    (2)

  • Derek H.

    We drove from Twin Falls to get here. For some reason they do not cross train. We get here "our fry line person didn't show Up" WTF if someone don't show up manager should step in and do it. Not fuck it it's down we will 86 half the menu. Wish I could tell you what the food tasted like. Other than $50 in gas

    (1)

  • Paul J.

    Went to Bono's today craving their delicious beef sausage combo that only they know how to make it. Twenty minutes after ordering our food, I decided to check on our orders status. It took two times asking for our order until we were told with no apology that they were out of beef and sausage. I am talking noon folks. I can see that Bono's is on their last leg which is unfortunate. We told so many people about their once great food and service but that has truly passed.

    (3)

  • Christy L.

    My family and I were excited to try this restaurant. The decor is really nice. Very inviting and fun atmosphere. So we had high hopes. Unfortunately, the service was awful. I mean reeeaaallly bad! It took way too long and two of our dishes were incorrect. So they had to remake it which also took forever. Very forgettable food as well. We will not be back.

    (1)

  • ShekagoN8V W.

    Born and raised Chicagoan. I was super excited to come into today as a surprise from my hubs. Holy Hannah though...a wait for 2 beefs, fries and a plain dog?! There are a lot of authentic parts to the food but they lost me on the dry bread for the beef, the obviously not steamed poppy seed bun for the dog and the Idaho seasoned overlooked fries. Where are the true crinkle fries? I hope the beef and dog were Vienna brand and for cripe sake, train the staff about the food.

    (2)

  • Connor K.

    I came in with high hopes. Nice setting. The only reason it got one star was the layout of the restaurant. Open. And clean. Also nice. First started with me waiting five minutes to place my order. No one in the place and actually upon asking the cashier they said it was prepping time. They were too worried about getting prepped to take new customers. Bad sign. The food came out quick enough but I was immediately annoyed at how little seven dollars got me in food. Small messy six inch food. The meat was like ground beef and was soggy and wet. The layout of the sandwhich was bad also. It only had cheese and peppers on one side of the bun. But the bun was cut all the way through so that stuff fell out continually. I ate in two minutes and the entire time was disgusted. My uncle with me as well had the same feeling. Gross food. Too little for the money. Don't go here unless to get drunk and if so take a PB and J with you. You will be more satisfied with that.

    (1)

  • STANLEY K.

    The place was way too loud, service was slow and when I got home the dipping juice lid was not put on tight ,spilled all over car and the food was not worth going back for. Much better places to go in Meridian that this place.

    (1)

  • Jeff P.

    Lived in Chi-town for a decade through my years of higher learning and the Chicago style Italian Beef sandwich was always a treat I've enjoyed. Portillo's, Buona Beef, the no name hole-in-the-wall beef joints are places I miss quite a bit... and... after I've had Bono's, I miss them even more. I REALLY, really, wanted to like this place. I was on their website every week before they launched, stoked about the prospect of satisfying my Italian beef cravings... but after a total of 4 visits since, I feel bad to say this but, I really wonder if these guys have a future here in the treasure valley. From the look of it, it seems pretty clear that they thought they were going to storm into authentic import food scene and have several locations in a couple years. Not a chance. And by the look of things, with each successive visit, the place has look more and more dreadful... and empty. Psst, it's not because Italian beef is an acquired taste. It's not. Location? Nah, though a first location in downtown Boise could have helped, with what they got wrong, it would have probably sunk them faster. Here's my list of their seven sins: 1) Their bread sucks. White and pasty looking. Would have passed for something sold at winco... Maybe (no offense, winco) But for an Italian beef? Fuhgettaboutit. 2) Fries please? You mean to tell me, I paid you nine bucks for a jumbo and you can't throw in a side of fries? Every joint I went to in Chicago did and they did it a dollar cheaper. You're in Meridian, low-rent, Idaho, and you mean to tell me fries don't come with a 9 dollar sandwich? 3) You call that a jumbo? My daughter got a regular and my wife got a jumbo (due to previous experience), no joke, the thing was barely an inch longer. Portillos had the beef exploding out of their regular size beef sandwiches for less than what these guys are charging. 4) Is it worth it? Unless they hid some caviar under the beef or slaughter only blemish free red heifers, that question is the single biggest dilemma, that despite my cravings, made me visit Bonos only 4 times since it opened. 30 bucks. 30 bucks for 3 pasty breaded, low beef, pathetically not-even-close-to-jumbo sandwiches with no sides.... & One drink. And the order was wrong EACH and EVERY time. Tell me why this is worth 10 bucks more than the more filling foot longs I can grab for my family down the block? They can't even convince a family that craves Italian beef, much less convince newcomers of it. 5) Poorly trained, poorly screened staff. Busy playing around, not once did they get the order 100% right. To their credit, the last time we went, our order came to us quicker... but maybe that was the case because it was dead. Take a page from Chick-fil-A, a chain with far more traffic to deal with, and learn what they do. 6) Let there be light! I get it, The mancave needed to be dark... Why are they so married to the mancave concept? It isn't even a Chicago exclusive thing. They have the whole front of the joint looking like they have a strip joint in the back. They spent so much money on the décor inside why make it look so dingy from the outside? 7) Listen to the feedback, skip the "come talk to Pamela and Ronnie." We've personally spoken to Pamela. We told her the same thing I'm laying out here. Either Pam or Ronnie or both have some humble pie to eat rather than scratch their heads and wonder if Boise folks just don't get Italian beef. Get this: You're competing for our money. If you want it, you'd better make it worth it.

    (1)

  • Nina S.

    Way over-priced. Way too slow. Out of ingredients. Staff standing around gabbing while we waited 40 minutes for chicken strips & a hot dog ($26). I thought you were out after 3 strikes!

    (1)

  • Stephanie D.

    I went in to Bono's on the Thursday of their opening week. Seemed to be a decent amount of people in line, mostly people on their lunch break. On this first visit, I pretty much just wanted to get a menu, but decided to get two cookies and a cannoli (I am a cannoli FIEND) to go. The cookies are ok - good if you like a lot of chocolate chips. As far as the cannoli...it was probably the worst I have ever had. The shell was really thin and crispy and it tasted like they used orange zest or something in it. I couldn't even really taste the filling, but maybe that was because I couldn't get past the grossness of the shell. In any case, I would have given them a 2/5 for that. HOWEVER, I did end up trying it again for the pizza. I do not eat meat, so I got a straight up cheese pizza. It was DELICIOUS. Totally a classic Chicago pizza, deep dish, not greasy, and tons of sauce on top. Definitely something I would get again, only I would probably get more adventurous and add some veggies, because no doubt it would be even more tasty. My family tried their meatball sandwich and sausage sandwich. I was told that they were both quite tasty and they would have them again. Based on that, I upped my rating to 4/5 stars. I would definitely go back for their pizza, sounds like the sandwiches are pretty good, and the atmosphere is ok (they have some booths which is nice, and a "man cave" with a television playing sports). Just be wary of the desserts they offer if you go, they're a complete miss.

    (4)

  • Shea M.

    Big thumbs up. My little family of six love this place. Always amazing counter service and they're always running out asking if we need anything. I love love their dogs. Best in town and the pizza is pretty darn good too. They've always got the best sports on so if you're looking for a place with a TV they're your man.

    (4)

  • Chris B.

    If I could give it zero stars I would. To start off they had a sign out front that said live music. A stereo was there version of live music. We then ordered our food. Food was ordered and paid for but we had to proceed to the bar for our drinks. Bazaar. Drinks were paid for and we went and sat down. Food came out but was wrong. My sandwich was real dry with nothing but meat and cheese. My wife sandwich did not come so we had to order and pay for another one cause they got it wrong. Went to the bar for a drink and the guy taking orders was at the bar drinking . No wonder our order was wrong. The inside of the place was very unclean. The lights were dusty and dirty. Cheesy Christmas lights hanging all over. Tip jars everywhere. That's probably why you have to order and pay for food the order and pay for drinks. Leave a tip at order counter leave a tip at bar and leave a tip at table????? If you want another drink you have to walk up and get it yourself even though servers are everywhere. Makes no sense. Server must have felt bad so he came out with two cookies and offered saying fresh baked cookies. They were frozen yes frozen and must have been a week old. He did not even try to nuke them. I don't get this place. I ask person at bar what beers were on tap. She looks at them and said I am not sure. She was trying to read the handles. There were only 5 and she only could tell me 3 of them. She said one is 208. I said what kind of beer is that and she said she did not know. Dang. Guy behind bar pours a glass for himself. No wonder this place is terrible. Walking around and drinking while working?????? When you are drinking while working you have a problem. How can you give good service buzzed?????? This place will go out of business soon.

    (1)

  • Familia C.

    I am rating this place 1 star and at that they don't deserve the cashier was rude and gave me no information to the special they had going on ask about straws for the drinks and was totaled need to use small ones due to we ordered the wrong ones I ordered Chicago style hot dog that took what worth over 45 minutes to get where it was not on a sesame bun it was not a Chicago hot dog at all if you are looking for Chicago style food then this place is not for you it seems like they are budgeting what they sell and are under poor management conditions completely disappointed

    (1)

  • R H.

    Uuuugh, this place is a hot mess. Over the past year we have eaten there twice and never again. The deep dish pizza was decent.. for a faux-Chicago restaurant in Idaho. I aslo ordered a meatball sandwich. I hadn't had an MBS in years. I brought it home with the intention of having it for lunch the following day. I immediately placed it in the refrigerator and dreamt about the hopeful delicious goodness as I counted down the hours until lunch. Finally, lunch time arrived the following day. I broke out the MBS and nuked the huge sandwich. I sunk my teeth into the end, right into a big, meaty meatball. That's when it happened. My teeth encountered a massive vein or artery in the middle of the ball of meat. I nearly gagged as I looked at the sandwich and saw the severed artery sticking out of the meat. The rest of the MBS was given to the dogs who thoroughly enjoyed it. Please tell me how in the world does this happen? We have never dined in, though the delay in picking up the food for a to-go order felt like we should have ordered in. Both times we have ordered to-go I ended up waiting at least 20-30 minuted past the quoted ready time. I think I ended up watching an entire quarter of Monday night football during one wait. We will not be returning to Bono's.

    (1)

  • Meagan K.

    Disclaimer: I lived in Chicago for 25 years.....and I am critical when it comes to pizza and dogs. First trip: hot dog was good...had the right ingredients. Italian beef was ok. It was a little cold and not as flavorful as it could be but I would order again for sure. There is nothing else even close around here. I did not like the giardinera....it was not enough pepper and too much celery, but maybe this is just personal taste. My dad loved the fries so much he ate all of ours! Second trip: Deep dish was lacking the buttery crust and was pretty thin on ingredients.... there should be twice the amount of filling.....I would pay more. Sauce was great! Thin crust was great! Not as good as my fave place in Chicago, but for Boise it is amazing. Service was great and they were nice considering I had a problem with expired groupon. I would go there more if it were closer to my house.

    (4)

  • Jackie E.

    I First went there in 2013, and saw some very bad cleanliness habits within the food area, prep time was extensive, and the quality and taste of the food varied so two times was enough. A friend of mine is here from Seattle and wanted to try it out. Ok....when we walked thru the doors the beverage cooler was 95% empty...interesting...the girl at the counter was coughing/hacking...i asked her if she was ok? she stated she was just "choking on her spit"...we continued to look at the menu, and felt safe with hamburgers...we did notice that it didn't come with fries, those extra, except with the dogs, but they did come with everything else...there were five dirty tables in the entire small place, and there had only been a man and his son in front of us. Our hamburgers and mozzarella sticks(4) got to us 30 minutes later...the hamburger bun was a 1/2 inch larger all the way around the burger, 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, large leaf of lettuce and TWO QUARTER SIZE PIECES of tomato, like from a Roma tomato, a very small piece of melted cheese, one slice of bacon cut in half, and the bun was greasy. We really were not sure what to make of it either, as we kept looking at each other, the taste of the meat was off...my friends opinion was that the bar was so small (4 chairs)that there was no reason to sit or even go there, and he didnt like their "man cave", but his concern was with the co-use dirty bathroom and the staff that were seriously in the rough. My friend was going to start cleaning the tables when one member of the staff began to do so as we were leaving. Needless to say our suggestion is...Money is better spent...the food is better...you are treated better....and it will ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE HARD to beat in every given way at "BIG ALS"...I would have not have felt so awful (we both got upset stomachs )....i would have felt proud to have taken him to Big Als..

    (2)

  • Michael B.

    I was excited when I first saw the signs for Bono's. I grew up in the Detroit area and have visited Chicago many times. I love Chicago style hot dogs. Bono's makes a very nice Chicago dog, the only problem is you could get one faster if you flew to Chicago. 17 minutes for two Chicago dogs and fries is ridiculous. I almost got a divorce after ordering carry out for my pregnant wife who was at home. By the time I drove there, ordered, waited, and then delivered the food home she was super h-angry. Oh well. I guess it's back to Costco for hot dogs in the future.

    (2)

  • Darcy B.

    Have to agree with most of the other reviews. Very slow...waited almost an hour for our food, service is far from stellar, no napkins on the tables...they treat it like self serve but hit you up for a tip. My sons burger didnt come with anything...no fries...nothing, and it wasnt cheap. This was my second time visiting...wont go back.

    (2)

  • Loren M.

    I hate to say it but subway's meatball sandwich is better than this. I asked of they had tea and the employee said yes. There was nothing but water when I poured a glass and when I asked to have it fixed they hooked it up to soda. I won't return.

    (1)

  • T R.

    Pizza was excellent! Over the last week I had a thin crust and also a deep dish pizza. Both of the pizzas had plenty of cheese, good crust and excellent sauce. I'm usually disappointed by cheap ingredients and hardly any sauce on most pizzas. This was not the case at Bono's. The sauce had great taste. The crust was crispy. The ricotta cheese on the windy city pizza was delicious. The deep dish takes a little longer to cook but I was not in a hurry. The service was great and the people were very friendly. Highly recommend their place for good pizza.

    (4)

  • R P.

    Pretty good pizza, friendly staff and tasty cannoli's Would definitely come back again

    (4)

  • Stuart C.

    We really enjoyed it. We just had hot dogs, so it was nothing particularly special. I had the Firecracker I believe it was called. And it was great. The kids had more basic hot dogs, and everybody enjoyed their. The quality of the meat was good. Service was average speed. We will go back.

    (4)

  • Rach G.

    Great atmosphere! The hot dogs are good but some of the staff seem rude and like they don't have time to help you. I've even seen two people who work there fight over who had to clean a table after a customer left.

    (3)

  • Kacey J.

    I feel horrible because this is the closest restaurant near my house and I don't want them to go under... But the food is awful I have gone 3 times hoping for a different result.

    (1)

  • Sean M.

    Needed my Bono's fix having grown up in Las Vegas (Trop & Eastern). Did not disappoint had the Chicago Dog and Fries, can't wait to come back and get the Italian Beef I love their Giardiniere.

    (4)

  • Doug D.

    Tried a couple of times and just have to say it is just OK. I don't think I get the deep dish pizza, but I did like the meatball and stringed meat sandwich.

    (3)

  • Lisa T.

    Excellent food. Pizza is the best around, although a bit greasy. Crispy thin one time, a little chewy the next. Meatballs are true Italian, and delicious. Awesome custard. Service is very slow, even when they aren't packed. Delicious, so calling ahead might be the ticket.

    (3)

  • Greg B.

    We called to order 5 sandwiches delivered. 1st we were told out of pork, so switched to beef on restaurant owner's recommendation. Also ordered hot dog with sour krout & onions but no bun due to gluten intolerance. Two Bono burgers & frys, onion rings, plus a meatball sandwich completed the order. We were told 30 minutes. 50 minutes later; Just about to call about lack of food when the order arrived. Paid and sat down to eat. First found the beef sandwich had soggy bread and not much flavor. The hot dog was in a bun- not as ordered. It had almost no krout. The meatball sandwich was not good enough to finish. The hamburgers did not have lettuce & tomatoe as ordered and promissed. They did have a too- bright green relish that did not taste like relish! They forgot the onion rings (we were not billed for them either.) Over all poor order accuracy & just OK food.

    (2)

  • S L.

    We were excited when this place was going to open as its near our home, now its a complete disappointment and we won't be back. Ordered 1 deep dish pizza, a house salad and two beers. Weird that you have to walk around to the bar to order your beers. No salad came within 30 minutes, they forgot it and we had to go get it. No forks or napkins came with the salad, wrong dressing, and it was poorly prepared, lots of big chunks, and of course no knives. It took and hour and 10 minutes to get the pizza, and when it finally arrived we got attitude from the staff saying "we've been busy with take out". How about serving the patrons that are in your restaurant? Frankly if you can't manage take out and in store service at 6pm on a Friday night then you don't deserve to be in the pizza business. Your prices are ridiculous for what is served. And like many other reviewers, your Chicago deep dish is not true deep dish. It's a regular pizza with a thicker outer crust, that was baked to long and not manageable without a knife. To the owners, you may be able to get away with poor service and poor food quality in the big city, but not here.

    (1)

  • Deanna R.

    My husband, daughter and I tried this place after church. It wasn't very busy but the service was terrible. My daughter asked for a calzone and the girl at the register shot her a dirty look and said, "You realize that will take thirty minutes?" And then stared my daughter down. We were taken a back so she ordered something that would be quicker to cook. It still took FOREVER for our food to arrive and when it did the fries and mozzarella sticks came ten minutes before the sandwiches and burger. The mozzarella sticks were burnt. When the burger came it was burnt. The cheese was literally black, hard and crusty, and resembled charcoal. We were done eating and still waiting for wings and a sandwich we ordered for our sons who were home not feeling well. The person bringing the food to our table looked shocked when she asked when we wanted our to go food, and we said now. We were all done eating, and had been for ten minutes....and ready to leave. It took another ten minutes for the to go food to make it to the table and when it did after we got home we found the wings were not in the bag. Terrible food, terrible service. We will not return or recommend this place.

    (1)

  • Don N Amber S.

    Went here the other day with my husband for lunch. We don't eat out much and had really high hopes for this place. Upon entering the restaurant, I will say it was beautiful inside, clean, and smelled delicious. We were just going to get a burger but the lady told us the Italian beef is what they are known for so we figured why not. I've had a good Italian beef before being from NY and visiting Chicago..this was not even comparable. The photo on the menu had giardiniera on it. Since we were sharing, she convinced us to get the $8.50 jumbo version of the sandwich because "3" wouldn't be enough" and I am pretty sure the sandwich we got was 3 inches long! It was so pathetic and tiny looking and only had green peppers and shredded provolone on it (which we were charged $1 for even though it should only be $.50). And who uses shredded provolone?! Blasphemy. If I am paying $9.50 for a sandwich, it better have more than the basics on it. The beef tasted great so they are doing something right, but the sandwich wasn't enough to fill my 2 year old. It was a total waste of our time and money (neither of which we have a lot of). Coming from an Italian, this is an all-around bad representation of Italian beef and Chicago style food. Go elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Holly C.

    I have had two so terrible experiences here that I'm compelled to write a review. First, I must say the owner seems like a friendly well-meaning person. Secondly, I think their choice in employees is terrible. Mostly teenagers or young adults with little to no knowledge of the menu, and who just don't care about doing a good job. But most disappointing is the food. The Italian beef is entirely bland and the buns are reminiscent of store brand hoagies. Soggy in seconds and no crispy outside, the way an Italian beef sammie should be. The au jus is terrible. In my mind, it is herb water, not even au jus. The pizza is also less than worthy. No flavor except tomato. This last time, I ordered a tamale, and for $2.25, I got something as wide as my thumb and as long as my pointer finger. It had absolutely no flavor. I legitimately wonder if the chefs have dead taste buds. I don't think this place is worth a dime, and it is not cheap. I wish I had better things to say. I think unless this place makes some really drastic changes to recipes and staff, it simply won't survive.

    (1)

  • Jennifer R.

    Pretty much the same as all the other reviews: slow service that was mostly unfriendly (aside from one guy), soggy, forgettable food that was way too expensive and skimpy on the portions, awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere. How is this place still open?

    (2)

  • Beauford W.

    I returned for the last time to Bono's to try the legendary deep dish pizza. I found that it's a legend of overpriced, underwhelming, tiny pizza. The owners should be ashamed to call this "authentic" Chicago deep dish. Almost $20 for a tiny pizza that barely feeds 3 people. My family almost laughed when I brought the boxes home. The crust is slightly deeper than Pizza Hut and their idea of authentic simply means the sauce is on top. What a joke! I've had real Chicago deep dish pizza and this isn't even close. I feel like I've given Bono's a fair shake. I've been 3 times now. I won't be going back. Boise remains a barren waste land when it comes to authentic deep dish Chicago style pizza.

    (2)

  • Saturn Z.

    Beef Sandwich!!! So tasty! Can't wait to have another. Also the staff was very friendly and they had a great kids area that made the meal even easier to enjoy. They have tasty local brews on tap. Overall can't wait to try again! Oh and I had a thin crust Alfredo sauce with sausage, onions, and spinach...not only was it cut right, true Chicago box cut, but it is superb!! Great job Bonos on bringing Chicago a little closer!

    (5)

  • Brian H.

    Inexuseable business practices. Poor service. Slow! Better than average food. Beware of gift certificate nonsense! My takeout orders have been incorrect in some way, 4 out of the 6 times I've ordered to go. Hold times and order times on a busy day can be extreme. Staff is consistently frazzled, rushed, nonchalant and sometimes rude. They employ so many people on any given night that I am repeatedly stunned at how long it takes orders to come out of the kitchen, or the fact that they appear to be untrained in the processes or the system. Perhaps the turnover is high. But you can never say they are understaffed! Kudos to the owners for employing so many local students, but shame that it's an inaccurate first work experience for them - potentially making them feel they can behave this way at a "real job" someday and get away with it. Possibly, they don't have time to train them. Gift certificate: We attempted to use a $50 gift certificate with limited success. First, they said they do not accept gift certificates (I promise it is a legit one given by a friend and not a fake one made in Photoshop). Then when pressured, they said they accept it but I am required to use the entire amount now. They would not give a cash or even a CREDIT refund on the balance. They suggested we order a pizza to go that we can eat another night. What kind of business is this? And BTW it took over 90 minutes for our order (hot dogs and sandwiches, no pizza) to arrive, all while there are only two other tables of customers in the entire restaurant. If this is their form of punishment for using a gift certificate, that's upsetting. The food is usually good - pizzas very good. Decent variety on the menu. Reasonable prices. Delivery too. But their other consistent and inexcusable failings take my review down from a 4-star to a 2-star.

    (2)

  • Jeff M.

    My group thought it was awsome. A pre-teen who won't eat beef LOVED the Italian beef. A teenager with bottomless stomach complained he was too full. Staff couldn't have been nicer. And the peanut butter pie was. ...incredible! Four 1/2 stars cuz it's a long way from home.

    (4)

  • Chad R.

    My wife and I had two hamburgers, onion rings, and a salad. The burgers were DRIPPING with oil, the salad had been made, uh, a while ago - it was not fresh! The burgers were obviously frozen, and served on "ciabatta" bread (actually some sort of baguette) which left awkward half-circles of meat protruding from the sides. The relish looks like some sort of neon-green chemistry project. I will say, the onion rings were EXCELLENT! But not good enough to rescue our abysmal gut-bomb lunch. We won't be going back.

    (1)

  • Jen J.

    Food was ok but the wait was forever. Not like the typical pizza place but after the long wait it wasn't really worth it. It was also privy for what we got. All in all surprised they are still open.

    (2)

  • S L B.

    No, this certainly isn't true authentic Chicago pizza. Having been to Chicago this fall and dining at Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, etc...I was a bit disappointed. The pizza looks authentic, but the taste just isn't there. Crust was missing the buttery goodness of a traditional deep dish. The sauce had an okay flavor, but there was TONS of it coating my cheese pizza. Our food took about 35 min to arrive at the table, but the odd thing to note on our visit was the young waitress we had. Most everything there is counter service...ordering, drinks and silverware. The waitress dropped by to ask if we needed anything and awkwardly stood at our table for a few minutes. Then, about 5 minutes later, she comes by to tell us that our pizza is still cooking. A few minutes later, she brings us the pizza pan riser and two plates. While she was very nice, it just seemed odd to us and our conversations kept getting interrupted by her dropping by every few minutes. Since my first visit was with a friend's Groupon, I will be back to spend mine another day.

    (3)

  • Jodi C.

    First time and not impressed, upon arrival, the two girls that were working taking orders were out in the parking lot chatting. Made order of sausage/meatball sandwich and a polish dog. There was only 1 person preparing food and handling the bar while all the rest were just visiting with friends. Waited 15 min. for a plain polish dog and finally asked for money back. Felt like a hangout for high school kids (and their friends that don't work there). First time I've experienced total non-professional people in an establishment in Boise/Meridian!

    (1)

  • GARY B.

    We stopped in for lunch. I was disappointed. The sandwiches, while reasonably priced, were small. I ordered a hamburger. It had quite a bit of gristle in it. I kept chewing on stuff in the meat that I don't like. My wife ordered a Polish sausage sandwich. It too was small. The fries were very good. We both ordered coffee. Wow! We each got a 6 oz cup which was delicious, but definitely not enough. I kept thinking that maybe someone would come by and ask how we liked our lunch, but that did not happen. I was going to ask for more coffee if someone came by, but like I said, that did not happen. The music was a little too loud which made it had to carry on a conversation. I went to the Men's Room to wash up and it was dirty. Oh, and the table was dirty when we sat down. There weren't many customer's there, so I don't understand why the tables weren't cleaned. So in summary, I would not bother to stop at this place, unless you had absolutely no other choice.

    (1)

  • Julie K.

    My sons (16 years old) and I stopped here one night as we were passing by. We were happily surprised! We ordered at the counter, and Pamela (the owner) helped guide my son in his first Italian Beef order (wet or dry, etc). My other son and I ordered deep dish pizza. We ordered and then looked around - the place was packed and it looked like everyone was having a blast. It was Friday night, and they were playing Music Bingo. I flagged down a passing waiter (Nick) and asked how to play. He ran and got us cards and daubers, and we played bingo while we waited for our food. It is so much fun...my kids and I had a great time and this might be our new regular Friday night family activity (and based on the regulars who were there, we won't be the only ones!. The food was great, Nick was a great waiter and seemed to really have fun doing his job. My boys were looking around and kept commenting on how they would love to work there - they loved the food, the atmosphere, the whole thing. We also got to try a cannoli when Pamela, the owner, stopped by the table with a free sample for us. It was very good, too! Give it a try for the food, and if you want to have some good family fun, go on Fridays for Music Bingo.

    (5)

  • Scott C.

    Very slow service and the meatball sub was lukewarm and nothing to brag about. Very disappointed was expecting more...

    (1)

  • Laura A.

    My son and I walk on into Bonos, before we order we are told there is no beef or chicken wings. As we order, the man is not sure what is in stock and what is not and goes to check 3 different times. We ordered a thin crust pizza, chicken caesar salad, and onion rings...they are out of Caesar dressing so they gave us cheap watery Italian dressing. I ordered iced tea and he then had to check if he had tea, come on! It took 20 minutes for our food to come when we were the only customers in the restaurant, normally I wouldn't think twice about food taking 20 minutes. There was another couple that left right as we sat down, it looked as if they got tired of waiting for their food because their number was still sitting on the table as if it never came. When the man comes to serve our food, he tells us that he almost dropped the pizza and that he was a train wreck! He tries to put the pizza on the table, drops our silverware, and picks it up and gives them to us off the floor without giving us clean silverware. As he is serving the Caesar salad he says that the cook is out back smoking and he just took the salad and the cook did not know if the food was delivered or not. The owner's office seems to be a booth underneath the TV, he has his computer and papers on the table in the main seating area of the restaurant, beside the booth there is an outlet where his phone is plugged in and laying on the floor. Several tables are covered in crumbs. This place has so much potential as the food they had in stock was decent and the atmosphere was pretty cool but the service was atrocious! Yikes! This place is going under if they don't make some serious changes!

    (1)

  • Laura A.

    My son and I walk on into Bonos, before we order we are told there is no beef or chicken wings. As we order, the man is not sure what is in stock and what is not and goes to check 3 different times. We ordered a thin crust pizza, chicken caesar salad, and onion rings...they are out of Caesar dressing so they gave us cheap watery Italian dressing. I ordered iced tea and he then had to check if he had tea, come on! It took 20 minutes for our food to come when we were the only customers in the restaurant, normally I wouldn't think twice about food taking 20 minutes. There was another couple that left right as we sat down, it looked as if they got tired of waiting for their food because their number was still sitting on the table as if it never came. When the man comes to serve our food, he tells us that he almost dropped the pizza and that he was a train wreck! He tries to put the pizza on the table, drops our silverware, and picks it up and gives them to us off the floor without giving us clean silverware. As he is serving the Caesar salad he says that the cook is out back smoking and he just took the salad and the cook did not know if the food was delivered or not. The owner's office seems to be a booth underneath the TV, he has his computer and papers on the table in the main seating area of the restaurant, beside the booth there is an outlet where his phone is plugged in and laying on the floor. Several tables are covered in crumbs. This place has so much potential as the food they had in stock was decent and the atmosphere was pretty cool but the service was atrocious! Yikes! This place is going under if they don't make some serious changes!

    (1)

  • John C.

    I see most people have flocked to Bono's because they are personally familiar with actual Chicago food while living in the Chicagoland area. I'm not different; I grew up in the Chicagoland area and spent a total of 18 years there. I go out of my for authentic Chicago food; especially pizza. I've gone as far as to mail order Giordano's stuffed pizza. After finding out about Bono's, I was amped to no end. Today we ordered a stuffed Canadian Bacon and Pineapple pizza. I couldn't stop talking about how excited I was. When I saw our pizza was up, the excited look on my face was replaced with disappointment. This "stuffed pizza" was an epic fail in every sense. It felt and tasted like the pizza was made by taking a thin crust pizza, putting toppings, sauce and cheese on it and topping it off with another layer of thin crust pizza. The taste was decent for what it was but any true Chicagoan would be embarrassed to associate this pizza with Chicago. As for the service, the female that took our order was also delivering food to the tables. She seemed a bit out of it but she wasn't rude at all. I can sum up my visit in one line: If you are AT ALL familiar with true Chicago food, think twice and think hard about visiting Bono's. Though the food is decent, it can't hold a candle to authentic Chicago dining. EDIT: I'm sitting here having a cold piece of my "stuffed" pizza (because I'm hungry, not because I like it) and half way through, I'm overwhelmed with disappointment yet again. I REALLY wanted to like this place but I reckon I got what I paid for. I'm now going to throw away the remaining 50% of my pizza :(

    (1)

  • Gene T.

    We decided to try them again, my wife likes the sandwiches here. She ordered this Italian beef sandwich, kind of like a French dip and oh man...it is actually really good. The person that helped us was very kind and helpful as well. I am improving my rating after this last visit.

    (4)

  • Jerry H.

    The Italian beef is amazing, when they have it. Seriously we drive in from Middleton and right at lunch they either have none or like today only enough for one. This place could be 4 stars if they could get it together. Last time they at least warned us when we ordered. To day we ordered and paid and sat down. 5 minutes later the girl comes over to inform us that they don't have enough beef ( ya know, the signature dish) so they have to do part beef and part sausage. I guess the ran out of the juice they dip it in too because we ordered "extra wet" and it was anything but. This is the last time for us.

    (1)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : Yes
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch, Dessert
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Categories

Italian Cuisine

The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.

Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.

If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.

Bono’s. Real Chicago Food.

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