Vegetarian and vegan dining in Chicago

This guide is for vegans, vegetarians and anyone feeding one. It covers restaurants where nothing on the menu came from an animal, regular restaurants that put real effort into meatless cooking, vegan ice cream, the Ethiopian and Indian kitchens where plant-based eating is simply part of the cuisine, and a suburban pick for the North Shore.

Chicago’s meat reputation is earned, but the city has had a meat-free diner since 1983 and now has vegan soul food, vegan Thai and vegan soft serve spread across the North, West and South sides. Each entry below includes the neighborhood, the L or Metra stop, and the catch, if there is one.

Fully vegan restaurants

The Chicago Diner, Lakeview

Start with The Chicago Diner, 3411 N. Halsted St. in Lakeview, which has billed itself as meat free since 1983. The menu is diner food rebuilt without meat: a Radical Reuben made with house seitan, biscuits and gravy, vegan milkshakes and cakes. Strictly speaking the diner is vegetarian with a heavy vegan lean, and a few plates, such as the kids’ breakfast, come with an egg option, so ask if that matters to you. Brunch runs daily until 3 p.m. alongside the regular menu, and the diner runs an online waitlist, which helps on weekend mornings.

The diner closed its Logan Square location in December 2025, so Halsted is now the only one. The Addison and Belmont L stops are both a walk away, and the #8 Halsted bus stops close by. The diner’s site says free parking is available in the area on the north side of the building after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. Do not park at the 7-Eleven.

Soul Veg City, Chatham

On the South Side, Soul Veg City at 203 E. 75th St. has been cooking only with plants for more than 40 years, first as Original Soul Vegetarian. Go for vegan soul food and Chicago standards: Block Club Chicago’s 2025 roundup of vegan comfort food singled out the soy-free, plant-based Chicago-style frank. A renovation added a deli and carryout counter. The #75 bus runs along 75th Street; the nearest Red Line stops are 69th and 79th, both a longer walk.

Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat, Hyde Park

For Chicago sandwiches without the meat, Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat at 1368 1/2 E. 53rd St. in Hyde Park has an Italian Not Beef with house jus and giardiniera, vegan hot links, a vegan pizza puff and boneless wings with mild sauce. The restaurant says everything on the menu can be made vegan. Watch the schedule: the Hyde Park shop closes at 7 p.m. on Fridays and opens at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The Metra Electric stop at 53rd Street is a short walk east, and parking on 53rd Street is metered.

Urban Vegan, Ravenswood

For a Thai night, Urban Vegan at 1601 W. Montrose Ave. in Ravenswood is an all-vegan Thai restaurant. Readers who answered a Block Club Chicago survey in February 2026 named Urban Vegan as a first-date spot, and Block Club noted pad Thai and yellow curry as favorites among Yelp reviewers. The restaurant is closed Wednesdays. The Montrose Brown Line stop is about two blocks west.

Best vegetarian menus at regular restaurants

Handlebar, Wicker Park

Since 2003, Handlebar at 2311 W. North Ave. has made vegetarian and vegan comfort food from scratch, with a full bar and a beer garden. There are a few seafood dishes, such as a shrimp po’ boy the menu itself flags as not vegan or vegetarian, which is why Handlebar lands here and not in the fully vegan section. Daily specials rotate: Tuesday is mushroom “chicken” and waffles, and there is a house-made vegan cheesecake. Handlebar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and is open until midnight. The Damen Blue Line stop is under half a mile east, the #72 North Avenue bus runs out front, and The 606 trail is two blocks north. Street parking on North Avenue is metered.

Lula Cafe, Logan Square

Among omnivore kitchens, Lula Cafe at 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd. keeps a meat-free option at every meal, including a tofu and vegetable scramble with ginger miso sauce at brunch, and its menu notes that many items can be made vegan or vegetarian on request. The restaurant is closed Tuesdays and adds a 20% service fee to every check. Lula describes its brunch as especially popular, so expect a wait on weekends. The Logan Square Blue Line stop is about a block away.

Vegan bakeries and ice cream

Runaway Cow, Bridgeport

The South Side vegan dessert stop is Runaway Cow, 608 W. 31st St. in Bridgeport, an all-vegan ice cream shop from Alison Eichhorn and Aaron Gutierrez. When the shop opened in 2024, Block Club Chicago reported the shop was using oat milk soft serve and vegan candy for its shakes and “snowstorms.” The menu also has sundaes, floats and ice cream cakes. Runaway Cow is seasonal: the shop’s site says fall hours are noon to 10 p.m. daily, with the season ending October 25, 2026. The #8 Halsted bus is closer than any L stop.

Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Logan Square

Not everything is vegan at Pretty Cool Ice Cream, 2353 N. California Ave., but the freezer case includes vegan pops next to the dairy bars and ice cream sandwiches. Pastry chef Dana Cree and Michael Ciapciak opened the shop in Logan Square in 2018, and the shop stays open year-round. The California Blue Line stop is a short walk.

Logan Vegan, Logan Square

On the same block as Lula Cafe, Logan Vegan sells vegan ice cream and baked goods from the Logan Square Auditorium building at 2535 N. Kedzie Blvd., according to Block Club Chicago’s 2026 ice cream guide. The shop does not have its own website, so check its social accounts for hours. For cake, The Chicago Diner’s bakery also makes vegan cakes without eggs or dairy, but the diner warns that its kitchen shares equipment with nuts and other allergens.

Ethiopian, Indian and naturally plant-forward cuisines

Demera, Uptown

Ethiopian food is one of the easiest ways to eat vegan in Chicago, and Demera at 4801 N. Broadway is a good place to start. The menu has its own vegan section: misir wot (spicy red lentils), shiro, gomen, mushroom tibs and more. A vegetarian messob for two is $43, and the Vegetable Bayanetu platter samples the first nine vegetarian dishes. A few starters use Ethiopian farmer’s cheese, so vegans should ask. Dinner starts at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with lunch hours Friday through Sunday. The Lawrence Red Line stop is steps away.

Uru Swati, West Ridge

On Devon Avenue, Uru Swati at 2629 W. Devon Ave. is a vegetarian Indian restaurant, so the whole menu is open to vegetarians. Vegans should ask which dishes use ghee, butter or paneer. Online hours show the restaurant closed on Tuesdays. Plan for the trip: Devon is not near an L station, side-street parking is limited, and Block Club Chicago reported in September 2026 that the parking garage at Rockwell Street and Devon reopened in October 2025. The #155 Devon bus runs the length of the strip.

Suburban options

This section is short because few suburban places could be confirmed as open for this guide. The best-documented one is Elephant + Vine at 719 Church St. in Evanston, a fast-casual, fully plant-based counter the owners call a zero animal restaurant. Order the Eleburger, cauliflower wings or a grain bowl. The Evanston shop is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and is a few minutes from Northwestern University. The Davis Purple Line and Metra Union Pacific North stops are a short walk away. Downtown Evanston street parking is metered.

Good to know

• Checked September 28, 2026.
• Runaway Cow closes for the season October 25, 2026.
• The Chicago Vegan Farmers Market ran Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. in Skinner Park, 1331 W. Monroe St., through September 25, 2026. Watch for news on next season.
• The Chicago Diner’s Logan Square location closed in December 2025. Several older vegan guides still list that location, along with a few other spots that have since closed or paused service.
• The Chicago Diner holds sensory-friendly nights, with lower lights and music, on the third Wednesday of each month from 5 p.m. to close.
• Most places here have seasonal menus. Hours change, so check before a long trip.

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