Vegan Chicago highlights including Upton’s Breakroom, Chicago Diner, and Lyfe Kitchen. Plus sightseeing at Willis Tower, Cloud Gate, and the Pritzker Pavilion.
Hey, all! Itβs been a while since Iβve posted, because David and I have been traveling up a storm.
With two trips to Chicago, a visit to Minneapolis, and a wedding by the Mississippi, time has just flown by. So I have lots of travel stuff to share.
Iβm starting with our explorations of vegan Chicago.
Our good friends, Kristy & Chris, were on their way to Portugal for a vacation. They added a day-long layover in Chicago, so that we could meet up there.
Whenever we are together, itβs like no time has passed at all. Before long we were literally weeping from laughter.
Vegan Chicago
Chicago Diner
We got breakfast at Chicago Diner.Β I had the breakfast bowl. Potato hash was topped with tofu scramble, biscuits, and seitan sausage gravy.
Brown foods never photograph well, but you’ll have to trust me on this taste explosion. ItΒ was like my dream breakfast. I have been thinking about it ever since. So flipping good.
And the only thing that could have possibly beaten it in terms of flavor? One of their still-warm-from-the-oven, homemade cinnamon rolls!
People have always told me that I need to get one. Now I know what the fuss was about. It was seriously the best cinnamon roll Iβve ever had.
Cloud Gate & Willis Tower
Chris had never been to Chicago before. So we showed him some of the Windy City highlights like Cloud Gate and Willis Tower, which is the second tallest building in the United States.
We took the elevator ride to the top to experience the glass floor with views to the sidewalk below. And relived some movie magic.
After much walking and sightseeing, it started pouringΒ rain. We decided to stay cozy for the night and order in to our Airbnb.
Delivery options are meager where I live. So getting to choose from an array of choices in a vegan-friendly city was heavenly.
One delivery person brought us wine. Chris and Kristy ordered Mexican food. David and I had Ethiopian.
Victory’s Banner
The next morning, we had time for one more breakfast before taking Chris and Kristy to the airport.
We went to Victoryβs Banner, which Iβd never visited before. Itβs a vegetarian restaurantΒ with a smallΒ separate vegan menu.
(Update: Victory’s Banner has been sold. It’s now Lucy’s Cafe. It’s still a vegetarian restaurant, and there are some overlapping menu items.)
Iβd heard good things about the vegan French toast with raspberry puree on top. It was pretty tasty. Although, it was hard to beat my breakfast from the day before.
David ordered the tofu scramble and added avocado. He seemed underwhelmed by it and said that it was on the bland side.
At the end of breakfast, we all agreed that weβd go back to Victoryβs Banner again, but we wouldnβt be in a big hurry.
Upton’s Breakroom
This past Sunday, David and I were back in Chicago again for a Flight of the Conchords concert.
When we got in to town we stopped by Liberation Kitchen. I hadnβt been there in a fewΒ years. I knew theyβd greatly expanded their menu.
Their fried bacon mac and cheese pops up on my Instagram feed with some regularity. That was the number one draw of the visit.
The mac and cheese had me eagerly spearing forkful after forkful.Β There are so many vegan mac and cheeses out there. Upton’sΒ did something uniqueΒ that really fits their brand.
I also ordered the bacon ranch cheeseburger that uses their new burger. It was topped with their seitan bacon and the same cheese sauce that’s on the mac.
David had the diner deluxeΒ burger with a side of potatoes.
Picnic in Pritzker Pavilion
After freshening up in our hotelΒ room, we walked to the concert with lawn chairs in tow. The concert was at Millennium Park in the Pritzker Pavilion. The pavilion is an outdoor amphitheatre that was designed by architectΒ Frank Gehry.
The show had a great summery vibe, with picnic blankets all around. David and I brought in pickles, fruit, crackers, and some goodies from Herbivorous Butcher.
Bret and Jemaine put on a great show, and it was fun to hear their new stuff.
I only wish weβd been able to score better seats. From the lawn, we really could only see the screens with projections of the concert.
Lyfe Kitchen
The next morning, we got breakfast at nearby Lyfe Kitchen.
Lyfe Kitchen is non-vegan chain restaurant with designated vegan options. Itβs a casual, order at the counter kind of place.
David and IΒ both got the morning veggie wrap,Β which was stuffed with flavorful tofu scramble, avocado, and arugula. On the side, they had salsa.
I love the little flag in the wrapΒ with a V, so that you can rest assured that it’s the vegan mealΒ you ordered.
I also got a very satisfying soy latte.
The breakfast hit the spot, the price was right, and it was a good fast option before getting back on the road to Kitty Central.
Kris
Ahhh yes those cinnamon rolls are dangerously good! Your food porn is killing me I need a Chicago trip asap.
Cadry
Oh, I hope you’re able to squeeze in a trip there this summer!
Shell
I’m such a huge breakfast fan – I love a post dedicated just to breakfast! The Lyfe Kitchen wraps looks amazing.
Cadry
Excellent! I aim to please. π
Laura VZ
The French toast at Victory’s Banner looks incredible!! And of course I agree with everyone about the Chicago Diner cinnamon rolls. I’m so happy you got to see FOTC, and thanks for letting HB be there in spirit. π
Cadry
It was really great to see FOTC after all of these years. They did some remixing of their classic songs to keep things fresh, and shared lots of new stuff too.
Jojo
Cadry there is far too much amazing looking food in this post! That plate of beige genuinely looks delightful to me – I would could kill for potatoes and gravy right now, and the Upton’s mac & cheese looks super perfect. The pic of you & Kristy by Cloud Gate is super adorable too, such cute dresses!
Cadry
Yes, beige foods are so delicious, even if they’re not the most eye catching. Thanks for the kind words! π
Susan
Chicago Diner definitely makes the best cinnamon rolls ever. I got one to go last year, and with all the other food I was eating didn’t eat it until three days later… after I had flown it to Seattle…. and it was still the best cinnamon roll in the world. Next time I have to make room to have one fresh and warm!
Cadry
I remember that! I can’t believe I’ve foolishly waited this many years to get one. I’m not letting that happen again. I’ve had some very good cinnamon rolls in my day, but that one was insane. It’s the kind of delicious that makes you not want to share.
Bianca
I love LYFE’s breakfast wrap!! The chain’s HQ is in Memphis, and the flagship store is just a few blocks from my office, which is so convenient! Also, that Chicago Diner meal β OMG!!! Only been there once and of course got the Radical Reuben (and the poutine fries!). But I really wanna go back and eat more!!! The picnic is so cute. I bet that was such an amazing show!!
Cadry
Oh, that’s terrific that it’s close to your office! It would be a great easy lunch option. Chicago Diner is ridiculously good. If they’d been open for breakfast earlier on weekdays, I would have happily gone there again. (They don’t open until 11 am on weekdays.)
The show was so good! They have a song called Bowie’s in Space, which is about David Bowie. They wrote it before he died, but listening to it now in the open air with stars above and lights flicking across the metal overhead felt magical.
Linda @ Veganosity
Darn! I wish I had known you were in my hood, I would have met up with you. Chicago Diner is great, but I always order the food I shouldn’t (chicken fried steak, Rueben, shakes) and have a stomach ache for the rest of the day. Next time you’re back in Chicago let me know, I’d love to meet you in person. π
Cadry
It’s a date! I’d love to get together the next time I’m in town. I gravitate towards the indulgent when I’m at Chicago Diner too. I figure, I make plenty of salads at home. So when I’m on vacation, I want to splurge on something I don’t usually have in my day to day life. π
Kristy
It was so much fun meeting up in Chicago with you both. We had such a great time- we can’t wait to go back (and we’ll have to stay at that same AirBnB!). And these pics are great! π
Cadry
Yes, I can’t wait to do it again sometime! That AirBnB was so nice. It made it easy to be homebodies while on vacation. π I’ll have to get the rest of my pics from the trip to you!
Kristina
Jason is from the midwest, and wants to take me to Chicago (I have only been through the airport, MANY times, ha!). I really want to visit now – everything looks SO good!
Cadry
Oh, it’s always such a bummer when you have a short layover in a cool vegan-friendly city. We’re flying through LAX next month, and it’s going to pain me to be so close but so far away from that much vegan goodness. Luckily, Seattle and Portland are on the other end, so that should help me salve my woes. π I hope that you and Jason are able to get to Chicago sometime!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
I visited Chicago 2 years ago and loved it. The Chicago Diner was amazing but I didn’t go for breakfast so I missed out on those cinnamon rolls!
I’m traveling back there next year so I’ll have to check out Victory’s Banner and Upton’s Breakroom. That food looks unbelievable! Love that there are so many vegan options in Chicago – my husband’s favorite was Native Foods. π
Cadry
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally get one of their cinnamon rolls. I won’t make that mistake again, even if it means taking one to go! You’ll have to make a point of grabbing one the next time you’re there.
Yes, it’s really great that there are so many vegan options in Chicago. It’s always hard to decide if I want to re-visit old favorites or try somewhere new. There’s just not enough room in the stomach to hit all of the places.
I am a big fan of Native Foods too, and it’s very unusual that we don’t get there at least once! Since they don’t open until 11 am, it wasn’t an option for breakfast on our last morning before we hit the road. Otherwise, we would have gone that day.
Caitlin
your food life is something that i very much covet. i absolutely love these posts. so much good food!
Cadry
What a great comment, Caitlin! Thank you! <3
Dianne
I’m jealous of all of your traveling! All of the food you ate looks so good!!
Cadry
Chicago is a fun food town, and there’s always some place new to explore. But I feel extra happy to be back home with my kitties after so much time away. π