I’m on a mission to check out all the vegan spots in Chicago! On my latest foodventure, I traveled to The Chicago Diner in the Lakeview/Boystown neighborhood on Halsted street before going to see the long awaited Black Panther movie ñ
The Chicago Diner has been around since 1983 despite the naysayers informing Mickey Hornick and "Chef Jo" Kaucher that a meat free restaurant would never work. The duo ignored the scoffers and decided to go for a vintage theme mirroring classic diners of past decades and the rest is history. The menu features meatless delights from seitan burgers to vegan pancakes and even has gluten free options on certain dishes.
Upon my visit, the place was packed! Definitely not a slept on restaurant. The wait was about 35 minutes, but honestly the food was definitely worth it (keep in mind this was a fairly warm Saturday night too).
The Truffle Mushroom Lentil Loaf plus a side of Sweet Potato Fries. Great meal and finely seasoned. I'm a big lover of mushrooms and since I've been on my vegetarian turned vegan journey, I've always wanted to have a bite of mushroom loaf in remembrance of my meatloaf eating days.
Chile. This dish broke the mold! When I was a meat eater, I never checked for steak like that, unless it was chopped into a taco. So with that stated, I definitely didn't care for Country Fried Steak. This beautiful dish here is Country Fried Steak made from seitan and my goodness, it was delicious! Drenched in gravy with a side of sauteed veggies and mashed potatoes, this has got to be one of the best vegan dishes (other than my own food!) that I've tasted in months.
I sat at the bar for my dinner, so it definitely gave me a genuine old school feel. Next time, and yes there will be a next time, I definitely want to try some of the desserts!
There are two TCD locations
Rating: 9.5/10
The Chicago Diner is located at 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657 in Lakeview open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-935-6695
The Chicago Diner is located at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 in Logan Square open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-252-3211
That mushroom lentil loaf looks so delicious, it kind of inspires me to look up some recipe so I can try and make a lentil loaf of some kind of my own.
ReplyDeleteJulia // The Sunday Mode