Recently, I visited Amitabul Simply Vegan, an all-vegan Korean restaurant in Chicago, Illinois.
From the outside, it looked like it would be on the small side. However, once inside, it was surprisingly spacious with ample seating and a casual vibe.
To start, we ordered the dumplings.
The dumplings came twelve to a plate. They tasted fresh, and were served with two different sauces for dipping.
The filling was a bit sparse and a tad waterlogged inside. I prefer more vegetables inside of my dumplings. But the overall flavor was good.
As we looked over the menu to decide on entrees, my husband and I were delighted by the colorful descriptions of the food.
Take Steveโs Super Shiitake Wonder Noodle Soup, for example. The menu description says, โMushroom base mild broth with sliced brown rice cake with seaweed, shiitake mushroom and veggies that will turn your days to a higher fantasy.โ
I can safely say no other menu has ever made me such an offer.
After checking out my options, I went with Amitabul Energy Nut.
The menu description about it is, โThick whole-wheat noodles, steamed with wonderfully flavored veggies and various tasting nuts that will provide energy for your body.โ
I wasnโt sure which wonderfully flavored veggies or nuts would arrive, but was completely satisfied with green beans, bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes, cashews, and almonds.
I ordered the dish medium spicy, and the noodles had a tempting, saucy kick to them.
My husband ordered the Tibetan High Noon.
Itโs described as, โSpicy Tibetan curry and Chef Billโs special seasoning creates excellent tasting noodles tumbled all over with special Asian veggies that will kick you higher of High Noon in your inner heart.โ
The dish looked basically the same as mine when it arrived. But the flavors were completely different.
Of the three options โ mild, medium, or spicy โ David ordered it spicy. It definitely was that.
As he ate the hot noodle dish with the warming flavors of curry, David was sweating profusely. He said it was actually very energizing and woke him up after a long day of travel.
Another important thing to note about the entrees โ the portions are enormous. Not only could we very easily have shared, we could have asked one or two more people to join us for that single dish!
Itโs hard to tell from the pictures, but those dinner plates are actually platters. I ate and ate. And it still didnโt even look like Iโd touched it. It reminded me of that psychology experiment, in which they kept refilling dinersโ dishes with tomato soup.
Unless youโre a big fan of leftovers, I recommend sharing.
In short, the service was warm and welcoming, the portions extremely generous, and the flavors popped. Iโll be back to Amitabul Simply Vegan! (But not on Mondays. They’re closed that day!)
Kristy
I love a menu with extremely promising descriptions. ๐ Looks like a wonderful find out there in Chicago- and lucky you for having two quick trips in such a shrot period!
Cadry
Yes, those descriptions promise a lot! ๐ It was a lot of fun getting to go to Chicago twice in such quick succession. It’s always a joy to be in a city with so many tasty vegan options!
theurbanvegan (@theurbanvegan)
I love vegan Korean food–looks marry. Have you ever been to Hangawi in NYC?
Cadry
No, I haven’t. Actually, I haven’t been to NYC at all since going vegan, but I’m very eager to do so! My husband just went recently for business, and he had a marvelous time eating all over New York. When I make it there, do you recommend Hangawi?
Joey
That Korean food looks so good! I’m a sucker for dumplings – pity those ones weren’t as good as they looked. The menu made me chuckle too!
Cadry
Yes, I love a good batch of dumplings too. Plus, it’s always a treat when vegan dumplings are on proffer since they’re so often made with egg in the dough.
Somer
Oh wow, trying to do a green smoothie challenge right now to kick a cold that I’ve had for 2 weeks and all that lovely spice looks awfully warm and comforting!
Cadry
What does the smoothie challenge entail? Are you just including green smoothies in your diet or eating them exclusively for two weeks? Maybe a big hit of spices is just what your sinuses need! I think all of David’s pores were cleared after that wallop of heat! ๐
Kittee-Bee Berns
so jealous!!!! i love korean food. yum!
Cadry
Yes, it was very tasty!
Andrea
My husband is in Chicago and I just sent him a message to go eat at Amitabul. We briefly had a vegan Korean restaurant in Madison opened by a man who owned a similar restaurant in Chicago. A family member was supposed to manage it once it was up and running, but he backed out, and the Madison restaurant closed. I wonder if this is the restaurant owned by the Chicago man.
Cadry
Probably! I haven’t heard of any other vegan Korean restaurants in Chicago. If your husband goes, I hope he enjoys it! He certainly won’t have any problem finding amazing vegan fare while he’s there. Chicago is positively blessed with options!