chicago diner

the chicago diner is an entirely vegetarian (and very, very vegan-friendly) restaurant in chicago’s lake view district. i ordered the radical reuben at the encouragement of my friend, who introduced me to this wonderful establishment, and i was not disappointed. it was delicious. if i could, i would return to chicago and eat the same sandwich all over again!

highlight of my trip!. unknowingly, i stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the chicago diner. i had read about this diner on the internet. upon checking in to the hotel, i was over the moon to discover i was only a few blocks away. i dragged my friend (he really had no choice) to c.d. for dinner.

a reuban sandwich and carrot cake later.....i was in heaven. my friend who is not vegan had the exact same thing as i and remarked that it was fantastic and wanted to know what they used for "meat".

i will return to this fun neighborhood and stay just so that i may eat here again!!!

please, please, please come to minneapolis!!

the chicago diner is a vegan food heaven! completely meat free since 1983. we tried their spicy crispy chick’n burger and it was phenomenal.. one of the tastiest vegan burgers we’ve had.
spicy breaded vegan chicken seitan (vegan meat analogue made from wheat gluten which is extremely rich in protein), lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion on a wheat bun with ranch and waffle fries on the side. it was very filling and satisfying. the waffle fries with cajun seasoning were to die for!

well they turned a skeptic into a believer. for vegetarians and vegans this place is a must eat. for everyone else, this place is no joke. you may not get real meat or dairy products, but the fantastic preparation carries their food. as someone who'd never had seitan before, i'm glad this is where i got to try it. i'm giving the chicago diner 4 out of 5 pearls.

the atmosphere and food are dynamite! there was a bit of a wait but it was truly worth it. the food selection is awesome in this byob eatery. our waiter (so sorry i didn't get his name) was very knowledgeable about the menu and specials and told us a joke or riddle every time he passed our table. he made it a lot of fun to go along with the delicious food. the menu is so enticing you could never get bored with eating here. i'll be returning very soon!

gluten free, dairy free and of course meat free options galore!! worth the wait if there is one, fun vibe in historical lakeview neighborhood, or logan square. buddha's karma burger is my favorite, other than the great sweet potato fries and milkshakes.

a friend told me about this place and i thought it was very cool that it’d been meat free for so long (ahead of its time really)! was expecting a light, heathy meal since it was vegan but it was the exact opposite - i ordered the country benedict with the tofu scramble which was very heavy and filling but suuuuper tasty! the gravy alone was probably double my daily intake in calories but you couldn’t tell the seitan sausage was vego and i think it’d satisfy any eager meat eater. the menu itself was full of regular diner offerings and overall it was such a fun experience eating here. it’s in a great location and the service was absolutely amazing - the girl who served me was so lovely and even let me try a cinnamon roll on the house!

if you have any stubborn friends that say that they could never give up meat, this is the place you should take them 🤪

this is an excellent place for gluten free or vegan eaters. everything from the bread to the salads are top notch and worth a visit. even my wife liked the food and she isn’t gluten free or vegan.

i was staying at a hotel close by, and i couldn't help but stop by twice in one week. i ordered take out on both times, but the staff was courteous, and super helpful for an undecided me.

i got the cajun black bean burger, the portobello truffle melt, and their peanut butter puck. everything was awesome. if you're a mushroom lover, you shouldn't miss the portobello truffle melt. it was more mushroom than i expected, but it was good nonetheless. as for the peanut butter puck, it was so worth the price and i loved how peanutty and chocolatty vegan desserts can be. of course, i ate the dessert first.

it's a busy place at the heart of boystown. but for a place so full, it wasn't noisy in an annoying way. while i waited for my order, i realised that it'd be a great place to share a conversation and a meal with friends. the only problem for me was that they close at 10. wish they stayed open late. even then, when i went in at 9:50 pm to order take out, they were cool about it. sure, it was too much to ask on my part, but the staff still got me my order without a cringe. and for just that, i'd recommend this place over and over.

a friend of mine and i have been doing road trips recently, and we went to chicago. we stopped for two days so we could relax and explore the city. my friend is a vegetarian and we had heard great things about the chicago diner so we stopped in. it was a very cool place, and it was very modernly decorated. i must admit, i was dreading coming here because i am not a vegetarian. i usually eat meat with my meals. after looking over the menu, we both ordered. i got a version of their burger, my friend got a vegan shake. i took a bite of my burger and i was completely amazed! it had so much flavor. it didn't taste like a true burger, like i wanted, but it still had great flavor. the salad that came with was so good too. my mood instantly perked up after i took a bite, because the food was that good! next time i'm in chicago, i'm going back there, hands down the next time i am in chicago. it's delicious!f

catching a flight home but looking for a light dinner and a drink.

so, lined up at harry caray's. only a 15 minute wait, as promised. martini for me, gin and tonic for her.

then ordered the italian beef sandwiches. she with sweet peppers, mine with hot. and boy were they hot. easy to decide on those amazing holy cow chips.

quick, friendly service. so quick that we had time for a second drink. (we weren't driving, after all!)

best choice at midway.

1. cramped? yes, here is the definition for you.
2. cold soups, when not ordered for are not a surprise. request to warm it up, just about worked.
3. salad was good but ratio of leaves to toppings was nothing great to talk about
4. potatoes with gravy were not good at all.
5. will not go again, too noisy, too compromised, too hyped.
6. not worth it.

i eat meet like it's going out of style but the food here is actually pretty good... service couldn't be worse. it took 20 minutes before our waitress came to even ask if we were ready to order.

i'm a meat eater, and i didn't pick our location for lunch, but my omelette was decent enough. however, our service was terrible and they refused to split our bill even though it says that you can 3 ways without a fee on their menu. the food took a long time as it was, so we didn't need the added 30+ minutes it took to get, and then pay for, our bill.

good milk shakes, and my coworker's pancakes were really good, but maybe hit this place up when a lengthy delay won't be an issue.

this is my second time at "the veggie diner." and like the last visit, i was thoroughly pleased. the servers are friendly, we received our meals in a timely manner, the food comes in hearty portions, and, of course, it's delicious.
as long as they remember to bring out silverware next time, this place is flawless.