Vegan in Chicago
Chicago is such a big city and the vegan options abound. I’ll visit again, certainly, so make sure to bookmark it or check it often to see what’s new!
Here are some of my favorite options, in alphabetical order:
Bien Me Sabe
Have you had arepas before? It’s a traditional Venezuelan dish but is also eaten in Colombia. Think of arepas as a middle ground between a taco and a calzone…
I have been on the lookout for arepas since my trip to Colombia in 2018, and I’m so happy I found this restaurant in Chicago.
The vegan arepas at Bien Me Sabe are delicious and very filling. There are a few vegan ones on the menu but you can also make your own: I made mine with plantains [which were quite big], black beans, mushrooms [which were cold, surprisingly, but I got used to it] and avocado.
There are two locations in Chicago, one close to downtown and one on the north side of town (near W. Montrose Ave and N. Ashland Ave). We tried the north side location and there is a decent size patio if you want to eat outdoor (the street this restaurant is on is not too busy) but there is plenty of space inside also.
Check out their menu to see all the options!
https://www.bienmesabechicago.com
Hot Woks Cool Sushi
If you’re busy exploring downtown Chicago (like I did in this video) and are looking for a place to eat near Millenium Park, I recommend Hot Woks Cool Sushi. They have several locations in town, including one right across from “The Bean” and isn’t very expensive considering the location! It’ll be easy to stop by as you explore the loop and then get back to it!
The place is bigger than it appears, and can be busy since it’s so central, so don’t expect service to be super fast and try to go slightly outside of regular meal times. The menu is pretty typical for a sushi place and they have several options for vegans, mostly in their maki selection.
Click here for a full menu and more info on their different locations.
Kale My Name
This 100% vegan restaurant located at 3300 W Montrose Ave was so good!
We Loved the mac and cheese balls as an appetizers, and really liked the Italian Seitan Wrap and the Jackfruit Wrap. Both came with crispy fries, but you can sub brocoli for a healthier choice.
A friend has the lentil soup and really liked it too.
They have funny names for their menu sections, and everything looks appetizing, so be prepared to spend some time reading the menu if it’s your first time visiting!
Click here for a full menu and more info.
Pick Me Up Cafe
One of the best vegan breakfast I’ve had in a long time! I had the Seitan Scram (with chorizo flavored seitan and melted vegan cheese on top of potatoes and veggies) and the Tofu Scram was very similar but without the melted vegan cheese on top. Both were good, but I prefered the seitan one.
The portions are huge so I wasn’t able to eat any of the bakery, but they had several vegan items in the bakery case.
Coffee was good and the place is very colorful and pretty! Despite the cafe being understaffed that morning, the service was good and we didn’t wait too long.
This cafe is located at 4882 N. Clark St. I highly recommend it! Check out their full menu and hours here.
Urban Vegan Thai
Located right at the other end of the block from Bien Me Sabe, this all vegan thai restaurant has lots of seating and a friendly staff. My stir fried veggies could have had a bit more flavor, but the hot sauce helped! The rice was delicious, and my husband was happy with his noodles.
We were both happily surprised by the dessert. They had several options and we chose to share an order of the banana spring rolls and it was delicious!
Check out their full menu here.
Have you been to any of these? Are there others you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments below!