Chicago · More to explore

Best Vegan Restaurants in Chicago (2026)

Ranked by overall rating, signature dish strength, and how much reviewers praise the food. If you only have a weekend, start here.

Runaway Cow, ice_cream in Chicago #1 MUST GO

Runaway Cow

6.7 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Ice Cream, Fully Vegan, Soft Serve

“Try the seasonal special flavors like blueberry and lemon sundae”

#1 FOR SOFT SERVE IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedIce Cream soft servesnowstorm
Liberation Kitchen, restaurant in Chicago #2 MUST GO

Liberation Kitchen

1.6 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
American Fast Food, Vegan Menu, Donuts

“Try the fried bacon mac & cheese”

#1 FOR DONUT IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedAmerican donutcake
Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria, restaurant in Chicago #3 MUST GO

Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria

2.1 km from centre · $$$
★ 5.0 A
Mexican Tacos, Vegan Menu, Horchata

“Try the chimichanga and al pastor tacos”

#2 FOR TACO IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedMexican tacohorchata
#4 MUST GO

Pie Pie My Darling

2.7 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Bakery, Fully Vegan, Cakes

“Try the chocolate hazelnut and carrot cakes, highly recommended specialties”

#1 FOR CAKE IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedBakery cakecupcake
Bartleby's Ice Cream, ice_cream in Chicago #5 MUST GO

Bartleby's Ice Cream

6.3 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Ice Cream, Vegan Flavors

“Try the vegan ice cream cake for celebrations”

#1 FOR ICE CREAM IN CHICAGO Bakery ice creamice cream cake
#6 MUST GO

Beacon Doughnuts

2.6 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Donuts, Fully Vegan, Bakery

“Try the Boston Cream and vanilla bean cronut”

#2 FOR DONUT IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedBakery donutblueberry pancake doughnut
La Esperanza, restaurant in Chicago #8 MUST GO

La Esperanza

4.5 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Mexican, Vegan Menu, Handmade

“Ask for the separate vegan menu to see all plant-based options”

Mexican enchiladatacos
Yvolina's Tamales, restaurant in Chicago #9 MUST GO

Yvolina's Tamales

4.4 km from centre · $$
★ 4.9 D
Tamales, Vegan Options, Mole

“Don’t miss the award-winning mole sauces”

#1 FOR TAMALE IN CHICAGO Mexican tamalemole
Fry Like An Eagle, restaurant in Chicago #10 MUST GO

Fry Like An Eagle

3.9 km from centre · $$
★ 4.9 A
American Hot Dogs, Fully Vegan

“Try the corn dog and hush puppies for standout flavors”

#3 FOR BURGER IN CHICAGO Fully plant-basedAmerican burgerhush puppies
#11 MUST GO

Majani

16.7 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Soul Food, Vegan Menu, Mac & Cheese

“Try the jerk tofu and fried grits”

Fully plant-basedAmerican mac and cheesefried grits
Delicious Pho, restaurant in Chicago #12 MUST GO

Delicious Pho

11.0 km from centre · $$
★ 4.9 A
Pho, Vegan Menu, Vietnamese

“Try the vegan pho and egg rolls for a filling meal”

#1 FOR PHO IN CHICAGO Vietnamese phospring rolls
Indienne, restaurant in Chicago #13 MUST GO

Indienne

2.1 km from centre · $$$$
★ 5.0 A
Indian, Vegan Tasting Menu

“Book the vegan tasting menu in advance by email to ensure availability”

Indian coconut payasamtikka masala
Lula Cafe, cafe in Chicago #14 MUST GO

Lula Cafe

5.1 km from centre · $$$
★ 5.0 A
Cafe, Vegan Menu, Tofu Scramble

“Ask staff to mark up the menu for veganizable items”

New American tofu scramblebreakfast burrito
Awash Ethiopian, restaurant in Chicago #15 MUST GO

Awash Ethiopian

11.2 km from centre · $$
★ 5.0 A
Ethiopian Vegetarian, Vegan Menu

“Try the vegetarian combination platter to experience a variety of vegan-friendly dishes.”

Ethiopian atkilt wotinjera
spinach · Vegan Food Guide

Take the the 15 essential list with you.

All 15 the 15 essential spots in Chicago — filter by hours, save the ones you want to try, get walking directions on the day.

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Spinach app — venues mapped with ratings, filters, and one-tap directions

Questions about vegan the 15 essential in Chicago

What are the best vegan the 15 essential in Chicago?

1. Runaway Cow (5.0★, Ice Cream). 2. Liberation Kitchen (5.0★, American). 3. Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria (5.0★, Mexican). 4. Pie Pie My Darling (5.0★, Bakery). 5. Bartleby's Ice Cream (5.0★, Bakery).

Which is the #1 pick for the 15 essential in Chicago?

Runaway Cow — Ice Cream, Fully Vegan, Soft Serve.

How does Spinach rank these?

Composite = Spinach rating × 0.6 + signature dish strength × 0.25 + reviewer food rating × 0.15. We cap at 15 and dedupe brand chains.

All 15 venues refreshed 2026-05-05. Photos via Google Maps.

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