Vegan Chicago… Chicago has become a “must visit” city in the US for vegan food! Of course there is much more to enjoy here as well like top notch museums, a poppin music scene, beautiful lake Michigan, and more! I was actually quite surprised by the amount of vegan food here. Why, I am not sure, but I can promise you that you won’t go hungry in Chicago!!
Chicago – A Vegan’s Paradise
As many of you may already know, my partner and I travel around the world via housesitting! A great way to save money while traveling, take care of adorable pets, have an entire home to yourself, AND you get to feel like a local! If you haven’t tried this yet I recommend. This particular house sit was located in Lincoln Park which was truly an IDEAL location! We rode city bikes almost everywhere! You can use these bikes to get around easily, enjoy some exercise, and you only need the LYFT app to do it!
We found a large density of vegan food between Lakeview (slightly north of Lincoln Park) and Millennium Park (where you can see the infamous “bean”). This is one of the best and safest areas of Chicago so I would definitely try to stay around here! We found everything we needed here and more! Donuts, smoothie bars, raw vegan food, asian food, pizza, burgers, great grocery stores…the list goes ON AND ON!
The Restaurants
There were way too many to choose from in the short time that we were there….but I think we definitely found some of the best!! Let’s start with my all time favorite.
Stand up burgers has some of the best vegan junk food you will ever find! They have a classic menu consisting of ALL VEGAN shakes, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and tots! My go-to order was the spicy chicken sandwich with tots and a chocolate milkshake! So good. They are also in a prime location, very close to an active and energetic part of the city. While you’re here, you should check out GoGrocer! A fantastic little grocery store across the street where you can find some great vegan snacks.
Stand Up Burger
Yet another PRIME location to indulge in some vegan deliciousness! They have a mostly vegan menu with some vegetarian options. Most of the vegetarian options can also be made vegan. We had the seitan wings as an appetizer…and they were DELICIOUS but they could be a meal on their own!! Super filling. I had the pierogi quesadilla as my entree which may sound crazy but it was quite delicious! Their milkshakes are also fantastic. I would recommend this spot as a top option for your visit.
We stopped here on our way to the Chicago House of Blues, which was the perfect idea! They have more of a limited vegan menu compared to the other two options BUT there is still plenty to choose from. I really loved my sesame noodles which is a special served for dinner every day. They also have a fried vegan chicken patty sandwich, cauliflower wings (certain days), Vegan chili macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, and more! I tried the vegan dream mac as a side, and it was amazing!!
Handlebar
Uptons Breakroom and Liberation Donuts
An AMAZING STOP for sure! Especially if you love donuts as much as I do! Here you can enjoy a lighter lunch featuring some of Upton’s meat replacement classics. If you are not familiar, Upton makes everything seitan! They have sandwiches, soup, hot dogs, and more! You can find a variety of ALL VEGAN donuts here that taste delightful. Also, you can order soft served vegan ice cream which is a rarity.
Upton’s Breakroom
UHHHHHH. These donuts are amazing and again, ALL VEGAN! Such a cute and colorful donut shop a little off a main road. Such a wonderful place to stop on the weekend. Usually, I don’t like filled donuts, but I tried one here and loved it! They are all good. If you don’t stop here you are missing out for sure.
Beacon Donuts
Others We Missed
There are of course some other spots we didn’t get the chance to go to. So here is a short list of some other great recommendations!
Athleta – Commonly known as a clothing brand, but they have the most AMAZING looking restaurant!
Truly, there are too many to list but these would be my top 3 next places to try out!
Grocery
There are a ton of resources to find vegan groceries in Chicago! We got all ours from Jewel Osco. Actually, this was our first time visiting this chain, but we loved it! They had loads of great vegan meat alternatives, ice creams, snacks, fresh fruits, and more!
You can also check out Whole Foods and Trader Joes!
If you want to see what groceries we bought, and what meals we prepped during our visit check out my Instagram!
Tips on Things To Do
We spent 1 week in Chicago and packed in A LOT between sit seeing, food blogging, working, and house sitting the fur babies. Here is what I would recommend.
- The Chicago Bean – A must see when you are a tourist
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- The Museum of Science and Industry – Even if your’e not a kid, it is still really fun!
- Checking out Lake Michigan beaches/boating/beach volleyball
- Going to the Chicago House of Blues to enjoy live music in a beautiful venue
- Bike around the city using Lyft – A great way to see a lot in a short amount of time!
- Try as much vegan food as you can! Of course…
House of Blues
Well my friends, that is all for VEGAN CHICAGO! But I would say it is quite a lot! Let me know when you go and what you check out. Even better, I hope you discover something NEW!
If you are looking for some simple meals to cook and help save money when you are away, check out my 15-Minute Meals E-book. I use many of these recipes on the road!