Bonta Italian Deli and Wine Shop, Lincolnshire

Anyone else hip to this fantastic little deli nestled away in a strip mall near the intersection of Milwaukee and Halfday Rds in Lincolnshire? I guess it opened about a year ago (I searched the forum and could not find anything), and I go there at least once a week for lunch.

The sandwiches are fantastic, and huge. Amazing soup made daily; go on a Monday and try the Tomato Bisque!!

They also have an array of excellent Italian pastries. If you're nearby I highly recommend it.

Bonta wrote:Bontà is an authentic Italian market with a deli boasting fine imported and domestic meats and cheeses, fresh grilled vegetables, olives, salads, homemade soups, panini,calzone, arancini, and focaccia.
Come in and enjoy our lasagne,parmigiane or stuffed peppers at Bontà or take some home to bake for a delicious meal anytime. In our market you will find a variety of pasta, pesto, giardiniera, extra virgin olive oil, spices, spreads and breads.

Come and see our collection of fine wines, imported craft beers and spirits.
We are also excited to share with the community our passion for delicious gelato, pastries, espresso and more!

Bontà Italian Deli and Wine Shop
430 N. Milwaukee Ave
Lincolnshire, IL 60069

http://bontamarket.com/

So I guess no one else has tried this place.

Dugan wrote:So I guess no one else has tried this place.

I somehow missed this thread when you originally started it. I'll have to give it a shot the next time I work from home. Thanks, for the heads up.

=R=

I tried it for lunch about two weeks ago. Sandwich, one side and drink about $10 with tax. I had the meatball sandwich and it was OK,
I'd probably try one of the other specials next time. The real star was the Italian potato salad; it had more peppers than potatoes and
a light Italian style dressing. I liked it a lot. All in all worth another try at least.

Has anyone tried the cannoli at this place? I am looking for a place which has good cannoli.

shorty wrote:Has anyone tried the cannoli at this place? I am looking for a place which has good cannoli.

fwiw Yelp reviews seems to say the cannoli is good. i haven't had it, nor am i able to judge a good vs bad cannoli.

but given the lack of other italian options in the area (and how excellent their other items are) i'd give it a shot.

I live very close to it and been there a few times. Good sandwiches and soups, no complaints here.

Daughter found this place recently and tried it because of a lack of snarky remarks on Yelp. Wife & I sat down for lunch today at this interesting combination café'/wine bar/Italian grocery/coffee shop/restaurant.

Hard to believe there is anything in Lincolnshire that is 'funky', but Bonta is it. Although it's on well-traveled Milwaukee Ave., its location is hidden away and for a lesser place, the venue placement would be a death knell. Nevertheless, if they've been open four years and are still choogling along, they must be doing something right. I was in southern Italy earlier this year and saw many similar-type shops, although about half Bonta's size. It's cluttered but in a good way.

The food is authentic & pretty solid. Romaine salad with olive oil-marinated grilled zucchini, bell pepper slices & eggplant was very nice indeed. Wife loved the sweet marinara sauce with her eggplant parmigiana. I had the bresuola panini--a grilled soft roll with a capocollo-like prosciutto, sharp imported Parmigiano Reggiano, dressed with arugula and no dressing. Again, almost identical to what I experienced in Italy. The Cointreau-laced tiramisu was not overly sweet and offset the perfect espresso.

Although there was a steady stream of customers eating in & taking out on an early Friday afternoon, I suspect Bonta could use some pub to be known outside its tiny geographical sphere. Proprietors Antonella & Nunzio obviously focus on keeping the vibe very close to their hometown Salerno, and we are the better for it.

I agree that this place is a hidden gem. My wife and I have been many times and have never been disappointed. Very reasonable prices too.

They have the sandwiches that are on the menu board, but they'll also cook anything you see in the prepared section of the case. The arancini are great too.

Also, even though it's not on the menu, they'll prepare an antipasto platter to your liking (we never realized it was possible until someone else did it) and the price is outstanding. Just tell them what you like on it. We usually split an entree or sandwich and get a platter as well.

They sell reasonably priced bottles of wine as part of their store/market. You can, uh, work with them on that too to enjoy some low key consumption with your meal.

The service is great and the family that owns it has always been super-personable and nice every time we've been in there.

Attention Bonta fans--this past Sunday, owner Nunzio Bottiglieri knocked down the wall to the south of his cafe in a beautiful expansion, and today for the first time fired up his brand spanking new wood-fired pizza oven. Maxing at 900-1000 degrees Fahrenheit, this thing of beauty should be churning out traditional Napolitan-style pizzas within a month or so.

The builder is from Naples and Nunzio hails from outside Salerno in Campania province, so one can hope that with the right ingredients the knowhow is there to produce excellent results not seen in these parts, maybe forever.

Will report back when they begin...ciao!

That's interesting news. I've stopped in to Bonita a couple of times now, and it's always been very good. Pizza will be a nice addition.

Has anyone tried the Italian Beef there? Could be a sleeper.

It's good, high-quality ingredients--but it's nothing like a traditional Chicago-style Italian beef like Al's/Taylor St., which has always been my litmus test.

Bonta has a great deal at lunch, a half-sandwich (pick any one of about 10 sandwiches, and it's sized more like 3/4) and one of their two soups for $6.99. Plenty of food--I just pour myself a cold water with lemon to drink, no charge, but then finish with a killer espresso and a pistachio biscotti, great for dunking.

Got a sneak preview today of Bonta's Napolitan-style pizza. The fire department inspector had just left after approving the works, leaving owner Nunzio and pizza guru Angelo from Naples to do their magic.

The raw dough was pliant, almost living. A spread of crushed San Marzano tomatoes, home-cut imported mozzarella, some basil leaves, simply finished with a squirt of extra-virgin olive oil. In the 680-degree oven for 2-3 minutes resulted in a wonderful Margherita pie. Near the end, I watched as Angelo held up my pizza near the fire to get the right bottom char, almost like toasting a marshmallow. Beautiful to see. Traditionally soft in the middle, chewier toward the crust, a great balance of ingredients. For $9.99 a fantastic value.

I'll have to sample more often as Nunzio and Angelo work out the inevitable kinks to come, but this has the potential of ranking with the highest strata of Napolitan-style pizza I've tried--Dar Poeta in Trastevere in Rome; Pizzeria Trianon in Salerno (also in Naples); Settebello (Green Valley location) in Las Vegas.

Pizza looks good, and a great value for sure for this style. Neapolitan has never been my favorite type of pizza (though I do enjoy it), I just grew up with Chicago tavern style thin and deep dish. I will definitely check out Bonta.

Hi,

Visited for the first time today with the LTH North lunch group. This place reminds me of the all the Italian deli's near my sister in New Jersey. She won't go, so I never get to try very much. Now I have a really great Italian deli relatively nearby.

I went with their prosciutto sandwich and a cup of tomato bisque soup. The sandwich had fresh mozzarella balls, a thick slice of a more than decent tomato on the sandwich. The soup was not blender smooth, there were some chunks of tomato and basil leaves.

I have a feeling they could do a wonderful rendition of the Will Special.

Will Special: Hot Sopressata; Hot Cappicola: Salame de Prosciutto; Prosciutto Ham; (Roast Beef on Fridays was added a few months later);fresh mozzarella, a just a bit of hot giardinera on a roll I picked myself from the bread bin.

They do fill their canolli to order, though I did not have any.

This is located very close to the Marriott Resort Theater. A very good option for a pre-theater dinner.

Regards,
Cathy2

I thought the quality and quantity of food were great, as was the friendly service. I had the pizza margherita ("with a nice chianti" ) and look forward to having it again.

I really enjoyed the single-serve eggplant parm I had yesterday. It was a little unusual in that the eggplant was not breaded. It was a very clean tasting version with lots of cheese.

Based on my scientific observation of the cars (including mine) lined up for curbside pickup - Bonta is doing well. No walk-ins allowed.

My lunch combo of an Italiano panini with a side of pasta salad really hit the spot, including on my shirt. There were painters working inside. Looks like they're getting ready to reopen soon. jnm123 - I'm looking at you!