Oh Native foods...Where were you when I was a vegetarian for years and years?
Even though I am no longer a vegetarian this place and their "meat substitute" stuff rocks!
Okay so ordering was a bit confusing because there were a lot of options and I didn't understand this native meat thing. Basically it is this vegetarian/vegan mixture that really tastes a bit like ground beef...but it is not I swear. I really don't know if it is soy based or tofu but it is delish!
I ordered a taco salad and WOW it was huge!! So at first I was like what is this brown stuff....but wow the native "meat" is really good. Everything was so fresh especially the avocado...yum. Not only is the food great but they have free refills on their really really yummy fruit drinks...no no not sugary fruit drinks but refreshing drinks...I had the watermelon fresca and well let's just say I got my refills worth! ;-)
Even though there are so many great places around the area...this place definitely sticks out...especially if you are a vegetarian or in an organic food frenzy.
I love Native Foods! Please start a chain in NYC - you won't regret it!
I hadn't been to Native Foods since a visit to LA nearly 8 years ago, so I was super happy to discover that Native Foods has since opened locations in Chicago. I really should have gotten one of their famous bowls, which are hearty, healthy, and tasty, but I just could not turn down the sandwich of the day - the Oklahoma burger. Huge burger with a free side for only $10 - deal! The burger came with deep fried pickles, which was a nice twist, and ranch dressing - which I found to be a big disappointment (very sweet, with an odd pureed tofu, chunky texture). I asked for some barbecue sauce instead but found that to also be weird - sweet, chunky, ketchup-like sauce not at all resembling BBQ sauce. Note to self: order Native Foods Burgers but bring own sauce from home. Given the enormity of this sandwich, I decided to go with the side of steamed kale to balance it out. Definitely steamed and healthy but totally lacking in flavor. I don't think there was any oil, salt, or sauce added.
My friend ordered the Moroccon bowl with quinoa, veggies, and vegan chicken, which was excellent. Huge bowl with lots of different textures, colors, and flavors. He's not even vegetarian but he loved it and told me he will be back regularly to eat there.
For dessert, I went with the chocolate brownie, which was incredible. I had a few bites there but saved the rest for the next day, when it was equally moist and tasty. I should have bought 4 of them!
What's not to love? Â I am by no means a vegetarian, but the chefs here make such heavenly concoctions from nuts, berries, twigs, and beans that I keep coming back. Â Several of us in the family follow a pretty strict Lenten observance and this restaurant makes it a little too easy to comply. Â In the last two visits we have enjoyed a vegan bacon cheeseburger, chicken wrap, nachos, mac and cheese, fries, cornbread and a variety of soft drinks. Â Truly amazing stuff. Â The service is excellent too. Â Everyone smiles and makes you feel welcome. Â The atmosphere is social but peaceful.
Review Source:I've dined in and I've done carry-out more times than I can count. Â They are consistently good. Â I literally just placed a carry-out order 15 min ago. Â I live nearby and I don't know who made my Oklahoma bacon burger, but it is AMAZING...absolutely STACKED and after a long day of work and 5 degree weather----I want to marry Native Foods Cafe. Â Being in the industry myself and being a pretty average yelper, I only review places that I like. Â If I don't like it, I don't yelp it. Â The negative reviews on here for this place seem unfounded and amateur. Â Service is SUPER NICE and food is SUPER DELICIOUS!
Review Source:Dude, I so wanted to order everything on the menu! Mouth watering deliciousness! I ordered the scorpion burger with sweet potato fries and had a watermelon fresca. My friend got the bacon cheeseburger and since I'm lactose intolerant, I hesitated to try her cheese. Then i remembered, it's not cheese and I scarfed it down happily. After finishing my food. I remembered since it was so healthy, I could go back for the apple pie without feeling so guilty and I'm glad I did. If I would have eaten a burger, fries, and apple pie at any other restaurant, my stomach would have been in gassy turmoil, but I felt completely awesome and happy. No tummy aches or farts. Just a drooling mouth wanting more. I will be back ASAP.
Review Source:Absolutely incredible vegan restaurant that also has fantastic service, options, and quality. Basically this place shuts the door in the idea that vegetarian food can't be filling or just as awesome as non-veggie food. Whenever I come here, the people are so darn friendly and helpful I just can't wait to come back. Try the nachos (my favorite!) Â and you are really in for a treat. Even my omnivore friends love this place and it is always the number one restaurant I want to visit when I am in Chicago. They also have a rewards system which gets you free stuff.
Review Source:I'm a vegan, and this restaurant has actually been recommended to me by three meateaters over the course of the past couple of years. I wish I would have listened to them sooner, because this place was amazing! Â
Everyone that worked there was super friendly. I ordered the chicken wings app for me and the mac and cheese and chocolate cupcake for my daughter. The "chicken" was delicious and the closest thing I've had to real chicken since becoming vegan about 9 years ago. It came with three great sauces: ranch, cheese, and buffalo. I used and enjoyed all three.
My daughter wasn't really into eating when we were there, so we took hers home and shared it later. Even cold, the cheese sauce on the noodles was great, very creamy. Sadly, she did not get much of the cupcake, because I maybe ate a good portion of it. It was slightly too sweet for me, but the icing was thick and yummy, and I am not complaining.
I will return, maybe at a slower time (for better parking) or warmer night (and take the bus).
Awesome.
"WOW! I can't believe it's not Chicken!" I exclaimed as I scarfed down my salad and the rest of my friends food. Â Vegan Nachos? Completely possible and absolutely mouth watering. My husband who tends not to eat anything with out eyes was thrown into a fit of glory as he ate his scorpion burger (not containing scorpions of course) and sipped his lavender lemonade. I felt completely cleansed, body, mind and soul after eating here. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!
Review Source:I am not a vegan, or vegetarian...but I eat here 2-3 times per week. Everything is so amazing. My favorite is the chicken run ranch burger with avocado, also love the Yo Amigo Salad (a healthy veggie burrito salad), the Azteca Ensalada (super filling, fresh, and healthy) and the meatball pizza (slightly less healthy but so good). Wasn't a fan of the Twister Wrap, but they have great chili and coffee. Also great little outdoor patio when you want a glass of wine with dinner.
Review Source:I'm surprised to see so many positive reviews of this place. Â I had high expectations - I'm a vegetarian and my friend is a vegan, so we were really excited to try this place out. Â We were both really disappointed. Â First of all, the service was pretty rude - underwhelming at best. Â They were not very opening to answering questions. Â Secondly, there was the food. I ordered a sandwich. Â The bread was pretty tough and bland. Â The sandwich was definitely primarily lettuce and onions. Â Most of the menu options contained some kind of fake meat. Â That's great for some people, but I prefer food that's more focused on fresh vegetables and less on processed fake meat products. Â My dessert sounded exciting, but was similarly bland. Â Whatever dairy substitute they used for the "creme" on the side tasted awful to me- a bit grainy, a bit slimy. Â Overall, I was extremely disappointed - a very lackluster experience given all the hype.
I will say that the good things were - the drinks were great, and so was the sweet potato fries. Â
If you want good vegan food, don't go to a cheesy, corporate chain like this. Â Try somewhere like Chicago Diner or, even better Soul Vegetarian.
Holy crap. Never been so satisfied with food in my life. My friend got the watermelon fresca and chicken wings/tenders appetizer. (They are called wings but they look like tenders.) both were fantastic and my friend, and avid meat eater, actually said he would be back. The 'chicken' needed no sauce and the drink was super refreshing and not sweet.
I got the meatball sub and carrot cupcake. Sub was incredible. Looked an taste like a real meatball sub but was more awesome because it comes with an incredible pesto and medley of peppers. To be honest, I didn't like the cupcake. I think that's just a personal preference as it was very dense and I was looking for a lighter cake. After eating one bite, I pushed it aside. An hour later, with the expectation that it wasnt going to taste like carrot cake, I was able to eat it.
Update:
My second time I got the bacon cheeseburger with ranch on the side. Fabulous. Havent eaten real bacon in years but satisfied any need for it. Highly recommend. Ny friend got the greek gyro bowl. It wasn't repulsive, Â but it wasn't so amazing that I had to eat it all.
Chocolate cupcake and brownie for dessert. Â Cupcake was better but we used the extra icing to finish the brownie. Â
The service is akways awesome, as well. During my first time there I signed up for a rewards card before I even got my food cause it looked so appetizing and knew I'd be back.
Another friend recommended it to me and said every time he's been there, his food has also been good.
Legitimately may be my new favorite place to eat.
Oh my gosh, I feel terrible for giving Native Foods three stars (and I mean a low three) after looking at all of these positive reviews below me. My partner is a vegetarian, so he took me out to Native Foods for a quick dinner one night after looking at furniture off Milwaukee Ave.
Their food photography got me so excited. Straight up food porn. Anyway, we ordered and the girl at the front was super nice. We got our food really quickly and I just wasn't impressed. At all.
I got the Chicken Run Ranch. The patty itself was really awesome, but the sandwich as a whole was kind of lackluster. I would have liked some of their vegan cheese... but as I recall it only had some lettuce, wayyyy too many onions, and some carrots. Their vegan bread was also fairly bland and a little tough. After being to a place like Soul Vegetarian on the South Side, Native Foods was kind of lackluster in the flavor sector.
It's not that I won't be back... I'm sure we will be back numerous times. But I definitely was a little disappointed for my first time.
We need more vegan dining options like this in Chicago!
When I'm not destroying a meat-based dish, I am eating vegan. So difficult to do, and it's sad that in L.A. or NYC you are virtually bombarded by vegan cafes, yet in Chicago they are as hard to come by as the most coveted toy is around Christmas!
Its a travesty, but luckily there is Native Foods to save us.
Try the apple pie!
I really enjoy Native Foods Cafe and particularly this location.
First on the food - portions are big and very filling. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do appreciate a quality environmentally conscience meal. There are so many choices, and I have never gone wrong. I've been meaning to try their beer, but haven't gotten the chance to do so.
The location - This location has the friendliest staff, best noise level, and space. I think I've gone at relatively busy times, and it has never been overwhelming full/chaotic/noisy like other Chicago locations. Makes all the difference in being able to enjoy your meal.
I love this place! The go-to for vegan "junk" food (though everything is organic and made in-house). A little pricey but it's so good you don't think twice; great service, and it's great to not have to ask if everything in a dish is veg, cause everything at Native Foods is. Plus, they have beer. I've yet to give their desserts a shot but I'm guessing they're beyond delightful.
Must try: nachos, blackened tempeh tacos, seasoned fries, and native iced tea!
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place over Chicago Diner, honestly.
With locations in Boulder, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, and Chicago, this vegan sensation makes some fantastic dishes that make you say "Lacto-Ovo WHO?! Meat WHAT?" Â Instead of soda, they offer these tasty fountain options. I went for a little tea-lavender-lemonade combo with a bit of slapped mint. Sign up for their rewards program/email listserv, and your first fountain drink is FREE!
In addition to the INCREDIBLE sweet potato fries that I split with my buddy, I went with the Ensalada Azteca.Fresh avocado, cucumber, and jicama salsa with romaine, currants, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cilantro atop quinoa and served with Mango-Lime vinaigrette. So good. So, so good.
The bathroom is painted with elephants, and is beautiful. The prices aren't too steep, and the service is always with a smile and plenty of suggestions if you're not sure what to get. The sweet potato fries will keep me coming back for more (well, they would if I lived nearby.)
Legit! Obviously great for vegans but pretty tasty for non vegans as well. You won't be disappointed. We tried the new Jamaican Jerk Kale Salad, Greek Gyro bowl and the Twister Wrap. All delicious and you don't feel like you over ate afterwards. A generous portion given for an extremely fair price. Staff is friendly, can't go wrong. Just try it!
Review Source:Love this restaurant! The people who work here are much nicer than the Belmont location and there is free street parking if you don't mind walking a bit. Except that there seems to be a problem making the cornbread that was phenomenal but hasn't been good sense, but everything that I have gotten here is delicious. The Bangkok bowl, the twisterwrap, the white bean chili and the rueben are what I have had so far.
I am more of a vegetable person and less of a setian/tofu/faux meat person so I tend to stick to the veggie dishes, as does my husband.
But the rueben was awesome and I had the onion soup with it and it reminded me of when I used to eat beef and had french dip sandwhiches lol! But my hubby had the crispy chicken and it was a huge hunk of faux meat that he didn't enjoy.
My advice is that if you are a 24/7 vegan most of it will be fantastic, but if you tend to eat chicken a few times a month the way we do then it is difficult to eat large amounts of faux chicken.
But I am still going to buy her cook book. YOLO :)
I love all Native Foods Cafe. I have been to almost all of them in the Chicago area :) As a vegan it's always satisfying to see that big yellow and red sign because I know it's a guaranteed I'll be able to eat here, worry free from potentially cross-food contamination or any hidden animal product ingredients.
Their Noodle Salad bowl is amazing! If you're a fan of Vietnamese bun cari, get this! Delicious and vegan friendly :)
Come on a Saturday so you can experience my favorite of all vegetarian sandwiches, the portobello 'sausage'.
I'm a hardcore carnivore, but this place knocks my socks off every time! I love love love the portobello sausage burger with it's amazing pesto topping, abundant garlic, and healthy portion of savory goodness.
Side salad with shaved beet curlicues and sweet potato fries are my other favorite. My husband and I come here any time we need a delicious and healthy vacation from our meat-centric routine.
Lunch or dinner for 2 is ~$20. Bam!
Location - convenient to both blue line train and 56 milwaukee bus.
Visited NFC on New Years Eve with the hubby as a Dinner Date. Â It was our very first Vegan restaurant and we LOVED it.
I had the Ensalada Azteca Salad and the Lavender Lemonade. YUMMMM.
Totally delicious and flavorful.
My hubby ordered their "chicken sandwich. We ended up switching meals.
We loved NFC and cantwait to rack up points on their reward card!
I'm a huge fan of Native Foods but had only been to the one in Lakeview - I really like how big this Native Foods is. Â The service here is great as well. Â I ordered the nachos here and they were fresh and flavorful. Â The guacamole on them was my favorite.
My friend ordered the taquitos and was obsessed with them. Â Of course we had about 3 glasses of the lavender lemonade each! Yum!
Will definitely be back!
So far, so good.
Let me preface this review by stating I absolutely ADORE meat. Â I know how that sounds, but lemme tell ya, my food pyramid looks like this...
                         Apple
                      Cheesesteak
                    A  l   c  o   h  o  l
                 C    h    e    e   s   e
                P  o  r  k  B  y  p  r  o  d  u  c  t  s
             P  O  R  K    S  H  O  U  L  D  E  R
I don't have time to really tweak the pyramid to more accurately represent my food pyramid, so in list form allow me to add all seafoods, medium rare steak, gyros, sushi, whole milk, Grade D beef from Taco Hell, deviled eggs, sausages, this list could literally be it's own review, it could end up using that many characters.
But I digress. Â
So anyway, one day in Wicker, me and my wife developed quite the appetite after trading at Buffalo. Â We always walk past the doors to Native Foods and I always stop and point things out on the menu and say things like, "Oooh, that sounds interesting. Â I think I might like that." Or "That ACTUALLY sounds good." Â We had recently watched the documentary "Vegucated" so I decided this might be a good place to eat on this particular day. Â So we walked in and stopped at the menu holder to peruse. Â After deciding , I sidled up to the counter and met Faith, their faithful employee. Â
She asked if we'd ever dined there, and when I told her no, she went through the menu with me to allow me to ask any questions I had, and had me sign up for the frequent diner card, which allowed me to get our Chai for free. Â Awesome! Â Every item on the menu can be ordered with fries on the side, which saved us some scratch since I wanted regular fries with my Super Italian Meatball Sub and Mel wanted the sweet potato fries with her Crunchy Kale Salad. Â She gave me my drink and my number and I went back to the table. Â Just as I sat down, one of the runners had a bowl of Moroccan lentil soup that had been accidentally brought out and was offering it to us. Â I don't turn down too many free things, and I actually love lentils, so I'm loving it at this point Â
vAnd then the food came out. Â I took a bite out of my sandwich and I really couldn't tell that what I was eating wasn't made of meat, it was as good as any meat-containing meatball sandwich I've ever had, considering the hellish amount of toppings that I would never put on a meatball sandwich myself. Â Marinara, ranch, pesto, sweet peppers? Â That sounds like a complete Bag Lady weirdo request. Â Surprisingly excellent in the taste department. Â The flavors somehow go together like Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Â Fries were dusted with a smoky combo of paprika, cumin, salt and other things. Â The sweet potato fries had an interesting topping that I couldn't place, so I asked Faith what it was. Â That's when she pulled out the magic ingredient book for every recipe in house, and she gladly allowed me to look at it. Â There are no secrets at Native Foods. Â I love that about them. Â That interesting something was tarragon.
I got to eat the scraps of my wife's salad, and it also had a plethora of dressing on it, maple orange dressing along with tahini drizzle. Â And it was great. Â The sweet potato fries were also good. Â Crispy, ungreasy feeling and with that interesting blend of seasoning. Â Every last bit of food was eaten, and we were genuinely full without feeling gross and in need of our spare wheelbarrow that we keep in the trunk. Â
When something is good, you know how good it is based on how much you lament the fact that you didn't try the place earlier, and also by the future plans to eat through the menu like Atilla the Hun pillaging Smalltown U.S.A. Â I'm not saying I have plans to convert, but if meat processing decided it didn't want to work anymore, I could eat this place like Adrian Peterson. Â All Day. Â Get it? Â It's all good, you can boo my joke.
We will be back to destroy the menu. Â
All your base are belong to us.
Siiiiiigh...... I want so badly to love vegetarian eateries, even as a committed meat eater. Â Yet, time and time again I am disappointed that the foods served are merely palatable and just not quite worthy of eyes rolled back yum noise.
My theory is that the mistake comes in trying to replicate familiar dishes with faux meat. No matter which way you slice it, deep fried and battered pulverized textured bulgar wheat soy crumbs, or whatever, are not going to be nearly as good as a proper chicken strip. Â I continue to cling steadfast to the belief that one can create amazing vegetarian cuisine that is original, delicious and has nothing to do with pretend meat. But enough ranting....
Native Foods. It was OK. I went for the Thai curry thing which had tofu in it. The tofu was actually kinda tough. But overall the flavors were quite nice, the portion was massive, and it was absolutely PACKED with super veggies like kale. My dinner date had something with mushrooms and some sort of faux meat that wasn't quite as spectacular. Â The lavender lemonade was to die for! Â And, surprisingly, I loved the vegan ranch and chipotle sauces that came with my fries. Whenever I cut meat and double down on the veggies at the grocery, it ends up being cheaper. That was NOT the case at Native Foods. It was a bit pricy, but like I said before, at least the portions were huge.
So call me stupid or call me naive that day but I stumbled into this place without knowing it was vegan food.
The woman I ordered from could probably tell by the wuestions I asked on the chicken, or maybe the size of my stomach, that I obviously was not vegan. I thought it was cool that she warned me. I figured what the hell and decided to give it a try.
Boy was I impressed! The food was delicious. I couldn't believe it was tofu and not chicken. It tasted amazing. The ingredients used were great. I was thoroughly impressed.
The service was amazing too. My favorite thing was that they had a watermelon juice / water to drink. It tasted delicious.
I would definitely try this place again. There was so much more stuff that I wanted to try.
This place is not recommended for ANYONE who is allergic to nuts.
They may be all friendly gluten-free and veggie friendly, but honestly, most of it is a marketing scheme. Unless the ingredients are fully written out of what is made in these dishes. I do not trust them. I brought my bf who is anaphylaxis with nuts. I told the server who took our order to have nothing with nuts contaminated in the entree and she "took note of it". Also notes in their menu, to let the server know about the nut allergy, as I did. Â Next thing I know, he's having a reaction and puking up blood.
Clearly, the staff are not intelligent enough to understand why people have allergies, get upset stomachs and puke up blood. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Plus the food isn't even good. It's boring and plain.
As a vegetarian who occasionally misses meat, I sometimes find myself in the mood for things like fake burgers and chicken. I've been to the Wicker Park and downtown locations several times, and I'm always left put off by one thing or another. Here are my experiences:
1. The staff can be strange. Sometimes they're super nice. Other times I've been treated like a leper. Once, the table runner forgot to bring me my soup, so I caught the eye of the manager to let her know. Apparently that pissed her off and she walked away never to return. I ended up getting my own soup from the window.
2. The cashier is more interested in getting your email address than your order. They're obsessed with this stupid email promotion and demand that you give them your address every time you come in. I have yet to benefit from it. I think you might get a free drink after spending craptons of money there. Speaking of drinks.
3. The drink options are disgusting. I like black, unsweetened iced tea. Most places have it because it's cheap, easy, healthy, and popular. All the drinks at NF are sweetened. Yes, agave is still a sweetener. Diabetic? Don't want to drink your calories? Hyperactive? Then NF wants you to fuck off! The tea is loaded with gunk and the lemonade has lavender in it. Yes, I've read all the Yelpers' rave reviews about how amazing the lemonade is and I don't care. It tastes like grandma. A tall glass of grandma.
4. I love Rubens. You know what makes a Reuben a Reuben? Sauerkraut. NF serves theirs with grilled onions. That's deceptive advertising. They should call it a wuss reuben, or an American Roobin, or a crap sandwich, because it's not a fucking Reuben. Seriously, they've pissed off the wrong cabbage enthusiast. Plus, the ratio of fake meat to cheese to sauce to bread is way off. If they're going to pile that much tempeh on there it better be tasty. Instead it was bland and dry. And, the whole thing fell apart. Sandwiches that fall apart piss me the fuck off. Also, the thing gave me a stomach ache that stuck around until the following day when it exited my body in a fireworks display of diarrhea. I'm less pissed about the poop and more upset by the lack of kraut.
5. The scorpion burger fell apart. It's dead to me.
6. The chicken ranch sandwich is good and eerily realistic. And by realistic I mean I have no idea what I'm talking about. I haven't eaten chicken in over 20 years. I could eat my slipper and think it tastes "chickeny". But the sandwich is yummy. The sweet potato fries, regular fries and soup are all good. I've had a couple other things there but I remember nothing about them.
7. Yeah, I'll probably be back to try the rest of the menu. I'm a sucker for punishment.
Oh Native, I can't count how many times I've gone out of my way to get my hands on a delicious vegan meal.
I go here....a lot. I have one of those fabulous rewards cards, that has gotten me a cooking class at Whole Foods (worth 60 bucks!) and ten bucks to use on my next meal. The first time you dine at Native, just sign up for the card....cause you get a free drink, which is worth about $2.50. The lavendar lemondae is my fav, but I only get it occasionally, because even if it's coming from cane sugar...it's still sugar!!
My FAVS are the portobella and sausage burger, native nachos, and the Oklahoma burger.
I've tried the pizza too...and find it to be just okay. I love real pizza, so I think I just naturally make the comparison in my head.
I don't know where the chili cheese fries went on the menu, but they were fabulous too!!
There are specials everyday, which means you'll get a free side if you order that specific dish.
If you have the rewards card, then they send you emails about their tasting demos which are about once a month. I attended this once and watch the chef cook up some dishes while reading the recipe, and getting to try samples...all for free! They start in the morning, so by the time you're finished, you most likely will stick around for an early lunch, but you don't have to!
The only thing that makes me knock this from 5 to 4 stars....is that this is probably one of the only places I don't mind eating by myself to get some "me" time. The servers always stop by and ask me how the food is, which I appreciate...but then they'll stop by again and ask again, or try to be friendly and have a conversation, usually when my mouth is full. I think they think I'm really lonely and need someone to talk to...but in fact I'm there for just the opposite!
Sigh.
Anyhoo, you can pick up from here by calling or just ordering online, which means you get to skip to the front and just pick your food up!
I have been here twice.... LOVE the Watermelon Fresca and the Lavender Lemonade drinks. They are light and easy to drink. Perfect for summers!
The first time I was here they had a special - Veggie Po Boy (mmm delicious!). In our group of 4 we ordered: Italian meatball sub, veggie pizza, veggie po boy and roasted corn chile trio tacos. We loved the taco's and the meatball sub that we ordered it again on our second visit.
Also tried the Chilli and the Bangkok curry. The Chilli was a little bland I wanted something that was spicy but this was like a bean soup....It comes with cornbread that was like a corn cake...not authentic southern corn bread but still tasted good. The Curry was really yummy loved the ginger coconut sauce.
Can't wait to come back and try other stuff.
This review is based on carry-out only. Let me start by saying I really like this place (I am not vegan or vegetarian either)! It's my go-to place for healthy carry-out. What's also nice is that they are open until 10pm...I have found this to be a rarity among healthy restaurants.
I have never actually sat down to eat here, but they do have free wi-fi and I would feel comfortable bringing my laptop and sitting for awhile. There aren't really servers here, its more an order at the counter and someone will bring your food to you type place. I would definitely still leave a tip though.
As far as the food goes there are many many great options. Its also nice that they indicate 'gluten-free' or 'vegan' next to menu items. All of there soups are fabulous. And the watermelon fresco drink is also amazing...I put tons of basil in mine. The only item that I have not been 100% on board with is their rueben. The bread was soggy and there wasn't enough sauerkraut . Other then that everything is delicious. The burgers are another favorite of mine as well.
I really like this place! I am not vegan or vegetarian but I do limit the amount of meat I eat. My boyfriend, however, loves meat and was a chef and loves food in general so he was a bit more weary.
To my surprise, we both loved it! The food tasted fresh, it wasn't dry, the sides were good and the portions were nice. It was a bit on the expensive side for sure but I didn't feel like garbage after I ate there, which was worth it to me.
Since we moved to Wicker we often find ourselves craving this place and will go get take-out every so often. AND if you get the rewards card it will give you free items every so often, which is really nice.
I would definitely recommend that anyone try this place, vegan or carnivore and everything in between!
I will be back because I really want to like this place and I think there's much more to the one experience I've had. Â For now though, two stars.
My friend and I have been talking about wanting to eat healthier so we went to Native Foods. Â We ate outside and although it is nice to partake in the sunshine at a sidewalk cafe, there are two unpleasant factors: 1. The blue line train will pause your conversation every few minutes and 2. There are a bunch of vagabonds who like to walk up and down North, Milwaukee and Division and will ask if you're done eating your food and if they can have the leftovers. Â Listen homies, I'm currently unemployed so you need to step off my leftovers.
I ordered the Greek gyro Earth bowl and it was pretty bland. Â Maybe that's because I like to squirt that white sauce all over my truck purchased gyros in NYC but I sure missed that flavor. Â I felt like I couldn't get to the bottom of the bowl, no matter how many sliced carrots I ate. Â I ended up taking home my leftovers (of course) and the next morning I fried up an egg and added salt and the dish took on a life of it's own. Â Next time, I'll be sure to introduce salt to my order much earlier. Â More importantly, I will be back.
I went to Native Foods for the first time a few months ago, and loved it despite my high expectations from reading all the Yelp reviews. Â I used to live in Wicker Park, and became wary of these vegan/vegetarian fast food type restaurants that promise to be great but just end up being sort of falling flat. Â This was a great surprise, though. Â
The "meat" tastes better than meat, and the burgers all had very strong, solid flavors. Â I had the chicken burger and sweet potato fries. Â The atmosphere is nice, casual, and sunny, with big windows and a helpful staff. Â This is one of the best vegetarian places in Chicago (I like it much more than Handlebar of Chicago Diner).
Officially obsessed. I've eaten here too many times to count. I'm not a vegetarian - in fact there are few things I love more than a great piece of pork, beef, lamb, goat, you name it. But this place is just that amazing. It's very casual and in fact on my first trip I got confused by how you order but now that I'm a seasoned vet, no biggie. I have tried quite a few things but ever since I discovered the Rockin' Moroccan bowl, I have a very difficult time ordering anything else. With tofu. Mmmm. Anytime my husband suggests take out this is where I want to order from. We always get the native chicken wings to start which are so delicious.
Also a big plus for this place is they always have dog bowls out front. It's right on our way to Wicker Park and our bulldogs love to get their water fix every time we walk by. We've dined alfresco on their patio several times too, which is dog friendly. I always go out of my way to support places that let me bring my dogs, but luckily in this case I don't have to go far.
I was SUPER excited to try this place. After reading tons of glowing reviews and begging to go multiple times, I FINALLY got to go yesterday.
The girl at the counter warmly welcomed us, cheerfully explained their food, and walked us through ordering. I got the Ruben special, glass of watermelon juice, lentil soup, and a peach cake dessert. The juice and dessert were both free for me (I think the dessert may have been included in my meal and the drink was for signing up for their free reward program). My buddy got some sort of wrap, lentil soup, and watermelon juice. Even with all of those deductions, our bill was a little more than $25.
We went and sat at a table by the window with our drinks and waited for our food. The juice was good (I had two glasses of it), but it did not scream watermelon flavor. In fact, it wasn't even the typical transparent red color of watermelon. My buddy didn't get through his glass and chose to pass on the other drink options as well.
Next, my buddy's soup came and we waited and waited for mine. After several minutes, he tried to get the attention of a server. After multiple hand gestures and polite "Sirs?" The server still did not acknowledge us (and he was about two feet from me). Eventually, my friend said "SIR?" in a loud and irritable tone that snapped the server's attention our way. The server brought me a bowl of soup instead of the cup that I was probably supposed to get.
The soup was okay. I like lentils a lot, so I probably liked it more than it deserved. I got the impression that my friend only ate the soup because he did not like the wrap thing he got. His wrap was cut into pinwheels and laid in a circle around the edge of his plate. There were about eight pinwheels and he only ate two of them. It was so sad because he's a vegetarian, he hadn't eaten all day, and he wasn't a fan of the food.
My Ruben sandwich was okay too. I thought it was tasty, but it was difficult to eat. The guts of the sandwich kept falling out onto my plate. It did not taste like a Ruben, but it was good. I gave half my sandwich to my friend. I also gave him my peach dessert for later.
Considering the overall experience at Native Foods, I would have to say that I've DEFINITELY experienced better lunch places. Munch in Oak Park is vegan, delicious, and has consistently good customer service. The customer service at Native Foods seemed hit-or-miss and the food was not impressive for me (an omnivore) and disappointing for my friend (an herbivore).
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