Pig Minds Brewing is a 100% vegan brewery in Machesney Park, Illinois. Expect mouthwatering comfort foods like nachos, vegan wingz, sandwiches, and tacos. Worthy of a road trip stop!
In the last ten years or so, microbreweries have really taken off. It seems like you can’t go a mile or two in my town without happening upon another one.
I’m not a big beer fan. (I’ll have a glass of Malbec, thanks!) But one thing I really appreciate is that microbreweries tend to have pretty vegan-friendly menus. (Shout out to 30 Hop & Big Grove in Eastern Iowa!)
But you know what’s even better than a vegan-friendly brewery? A 100% vegan brewery!
Pig Minds Brewing is an all-vegan brewery in Machesney Park, Illinois.
Machesney Park is a couple of hours outside of Chicago. It’s also a convenient stop if you’re on your way to McHenry County, Illinois, Madison or Milwaukee, Wisconsin and have run out of road trip food.
I’ve had a chance to visit Pig Minds a couple of times recently. Today I’m sharing some of the new dishes I’ve tried, as well as highlighting items I’ve tried in the past that are still on their current menu.
Pig Minds is tucked away like a delicious secret, off of a main street in an industrial park.
The inside looks like a lot of microbreweries with metal finishes and wood tables. But they’ve made the space uniquely theirs with artwork featuring pigs, including signs on the bathrooms with Porky and Petunia.
Whenever I’m there, it’s clear that Pig Minds is doing good business. They are always bustling with an array of families, couples, grandparents, and kids.
Tantalizing vegan appetizers
Fried pickle rolls
I could happily make a meal of appetizers. And no place is that more true than at Pig Minds. If you love salty snacks as much as I do, prepare to be tempted!
I’m a huge fan of fried pickles. So I was really excited about this unique take on them – fried pickle rolls.
Briny pickles are rolled into vegan eggroll wraps with non-dairy cheese. It’s a satisfying mix of crispy, creamy, and crunchy. The fried pickle rolls are served with gochujang ranch for dipping.
Wingz
The wingz are a popular appetizer option and one of my favorites. They’re beer battered and panko breaded.
They come in a choice of flavors – mild, sweet & spicy chile, house BBQ, or hot, which is what I tend to choose. The wingz come with a ranch dressing that has a wonderful tangy zip.
Nachos
The heaping nacho platter is topped with chili, cashew queso, olives, jalapeños, onions, and more. The endless nachos just keep going & going.
Sandwiches, wraps, tacos, and bowls
Seitan gyro
The gyro is filled to the max with thinly sliced seitan, onion, and tomato in a warm pita. It’s topped with dairy-free tzatziki sauce.
I would have preferred a tangier or bolder tzatziki. But a few dashes of hot sauce on top fixed that.
I had it with broccolini on the side.
Fried avocado tacos
The fried avocado tacos are loaded with pico de gallo, lettuce, and lime sour cream on soft flour tortillas.
I didn’t grab a bite of the avocado tacos. But my friend, Laura, who ordered them said they were on the mild side. She added several dashes of hot sauce to finish them off.
Chickin’ sandwich
David’s favorite standing order is the chickin’ sandwich. The soy-based patty is beer battered and panko crusted in house. It’s topped with lettuce, tomato, and onion and comes with a choice of sides.
You can get it plain like David does, as well as buffalo, barbecue, or Nashville hot dipped.
Korean barbecue tacos
Two things I wouldn’t order again are the Korean barbecue tacos and buffalo mac & cheesy bowl. Both are made with Soy Curls.
I really like Soy Curls. But I’m very particular about the preparation. I like them to have a crusty chewiness about them like in my vegan barbecue Soy Curls or buffalo Soy Curls. The one exception is if I’m having them in something like meatless chili, where the crispiness isn’t relevant.
They keep the Soy Curls very squishy and wet at Pig Minds, without any browning on the outside.
I had them in the Korean Barbecue tacos, which were marinated in a smoky marinade and topped with Napa cabbage and lime sour cream.
Then I had Soy Curls again in the buffalo mac & cheesy bowl. The Soy Curls were quite soft, and the mac and cheese was on the soupy side.
(You can see a picture of the mac and cheesy bowl by scrolling through these Instagram pictures. There’s also a chocolate espresso brownie & grapefruit basil cocktail.)
But what about the beer?
Like I said, I’m not a huge beer aficionado. But I’ve tasted HappiDaze, a refreshing blueberry California ale. They actually include a few fresh berries in the glass. I also enjoyed a raspberry beer they had once with a fruity edge that was perfect for my palate.
But probably my favorite drink I’ve tried at Pig Minds was a grapefruit juice & basil cocktail that was on the menu as a special this summer.
Plan a road trip stop on your next Midwest trek through Machesney Park, Illinois. Have some tasty vegan noshes, and see how Pig Minds is showing that vegan food is playful, unintimidating, and fun.
Originally posted August 2015. Content and photos updated October 2019 to revise, add new menu items, and omit items no longer on the menu.
Laura VZ
Thank you for the shout out. Your beautiful pictures are making me drool!!!
Cadry
Thanks, Laura! My pleasure. Next time I’m definitely leaving room for dessert!
Kylie @ FotV
There are few combinations I like more than beer & vegan food 🙂 This little brewery sounds awesome and I would be all over that chicken sandwich! I wish we had vegan brewery options in San Diego since it’s becoming one the biggest craft brewery cities in the country!
Cadry
I agree! It would be great if more brew pubs offered vegan options or even better, were fully vegan. I miss having Tony’s Darts Away around as a place to grab a beer & sausage with sauerkraut, and hang out with friends. There are a few places in my town to get a drink with vegan dinner, but none that have this kind of casual bar food.
ameyfm
how fun to visit an all-vegan spot for your birthday! I’m 100% with you on the soy curls – crispy / chewy is great, soft / spongy – not so great. I know you’re such a reuben girl at heart – you should have told them “It’s my birthday and I want a Reuben!!” ha ha. <3
Cadry
If I’d thought begging would have helped, I would have done it! 😉
Shell
Cad, I don’t drink beer at all, but beer with grapefruit or blueberries?!? I would be tempted to try that! Bummer about the Rueben!
Cadry
The fruit did make it a little lighter for summer. Have you ever tried a shandy? It’s a mixture of lemonade and beer. It’s more refreshing on a hot day. Although, I have a feeling you’d be happier with the lemonade alone! 🙂
Shell
I haven’t tried a shandy. Cad, I haven’t tried anything beer related…unless it is root beer!
Cadry
Oh, wow! You’ve never even tasted beer? I didn’t realize that!
Jenn
I have been wanting to try this place since I first heard about it. It’s only about 40 minutes from my house and I really don’t know what I’m waiting for. My brother (who is vegetarian…not that that matters) said he really liked it except that he felt everything was a bit too salty. I’d like to find out for myself though. That chik’n sandwich looks incredible!
Cadry
At only 40 minutes away, it’s definitely worth a visit! Honestly, if I were that close, I’d be visiting a couple times a month. Maybe it’s just what I ordered, but I didn’t think it was overly salty. However, it is bar food, and so there’s some fat/salt involved. If you go, let me know what you get!
Susan
That cauliflower looks amazing! Sad about the reuben not being available, but on the plus side you have something to look forward to on your next visit there. I look forward to hearing about it.
Cadry
The cauliflower was really good and very unique. I like that it wasn’t thickly coated in batter. I was told on my Facebook page that the reuben is no longer on the menu! Can we bow our heads and give a moment of silence for the reuben? 😉
Caitlin
This place sounds so cool! Unfortunately it’s in the wrong direction for me when I go home to visit.
Cadry
Bummer! I wish it was closer to me too or at least more directly in the direction of Chicago. It would be perfect for a road trip between Eastern Iowa and Madison or Milwaukee since it’s actually northeast (not straight east like Chicago).