CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A longtime Chicago restaurant owner has given Chicagoans a fresh reason to check out a quiet, residential stretch of Uptown: Bojono’s Express.
Bojono’s itself isn’t new to the neighborhood. Craig Rutherford opened the place in 1996, but in 2023, still feeling the effects of the pandemic, Rutherford decided to reinvent the restaurant. After a brief closure, they reopened in November with a new, smaller menu built around Rutherford’s home recipes — and headlined by a savory, dipped pot roast sandwich.
“The things I sell now … I put my name on it,” he said. “I can drag you in off the street, and I have enough confidence to say, ‘You’re hooked once I get you in the door.’”
That last part, Rutherford said, has been “unbelievably challenging.” Bojono’s, located on Clarendon Avenue between Irving Park Road and Montrose Avenue, is almost entirely surrounded by homes, and the 52-year-old said the days of leaving flyers or menus in the mailboxes of nearby residents are long gone.
That’s why, when Rutherford mentioned dragging people in off of the street, he sort of meant it – literally.
“I don’t want to say I beg them to come in, but I kind of do it, and I say, ‘You won’t regret it. If you come in and try something, I have enough confidence to say that I don’t think you’ll regret it,’” he said. “That seems to be what works the most.”
When it comes to the pot roast sandwich, Rutherford said it all starts with a 30-pound chuck roll, which he cuts down to bite-sized pieces. From there, time is the key. The beef cooks for about four to five hours alongside vegetables, garlic, and a few other ingredients that Rutherford is keeping secret. Beef and carrots go on a sub roll before the whole sandwich is dipped in gravy, wrapped in foil and ready to go. Giardinera is optional, but as Rutherford said, “Hot peppers go on everything.” This dish is no exception.
The result: a sandwich that Rutherford argued has more depth than the massively popular Italian beef, which he said many places fail to do properly.
“[Italian beefs] are dry; you’ve got to dunk it in all kinds of juice in order for it to taste good,” he said. “They’re good, don’t get me wrong, but you can get an Italian beef sandwich anywhere. Where can you get a pot roast sandwich that’s arguably way better than an Italian beef.”
It’s not all about the pot roast sandwich, though. Rutherford’s regular menu includes chicken wings, a meatball sub, and several other sandwiches, salads and soups. They also sell 14-inch pizzas — a holdover from the original menu — but he said the idea behind the more narrowly focused menu was to evoke the best of what people think of when it comes to home-cooked meals.
As for the response from his customers, Rutherford said his favorite reaction is surprise.
“[People] either say ‘God d---’ or ‘holy s---,’ and I know I’m not supposed to say that on the radio, but those are the two best responses because then you know you made an impact,” he said. “They weren’t expecting it to be that good.”
Bojono’s also sells a handful of desserts, but those offerings — made locally at JR Dessert Bakery on Howard Street — are the only items not made in-house.
For now, Bojono’s Express is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Rutherford said he plans to expand those hours over the summer to stay open until 9 p.m., and he said he’s currently waiting on his permit to have patio seating in front of the restaurant.
The goal, he said, is to stay in the Clarendon Avenue location for at least the next 10 years.
Bojono’s Express is located at 4187 N. Clarendon Ave.
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