Everything I've had the food here I was in a happy food coma for hours. Â There mac & "cheeze" is by far my favorite! Â I just wish the food was more easily obtainable. Â Some dishes used to be available at my local Whole Foods, but lately whenever I went I've been disappointed that there are no Soul Food dishes. Â I hope they expand and soon! Â I'd say they are in demand!
Review Source:I must qualify my review since I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian but I am an adventurous eater. Â If you are a meat eater, don't do what I did.
Had the BBQ wings and mac 'n' cheese. Â Both were just too rich. Â
Wings - The downfall of the wings was not the lack of meat. Â They had the texture of semi-overcooked chicken, which I was fine with. Â They were cold and the sauce was just too sweet. Â I only ate 3 of the 6 wings that come in a $10 order. Maybe the sugar cane "bones" added to the sweetness.
Mac 'n' cheese - $5 for a medium tub and was pretty good.
I got the Chicago Cheesesteak ($10), made with seitan and Ste Martaen three cheese sauce. Â The sandwich looked a mess, but was truly delicious. Â The seitan was wonderful, juicy and peppery and flavorful, and seemed to have been grilled or seared before being sliced into strips. Â Honestly, it was some of the best seitan I've had anywhere. Â The cheese sauce was pretty darn good for a dairy-free vegan cheese, although I wouldn't necessarily call it saucy. Â It wasn't completely melted, but was soft, and had a mild flavor somewhere between American and cheddar cheese. Â Certainly not a replacement for the real thing, but it filled the role in the sandwich nicely. Â (Disclaimer: I am not vegan, and I love cheese more than most things in life.) Â The sandwich was missing the promised grilled pablano peppers and onions, which was disappointing, but other than that, it really was delicious. Â (And truly mammoth, as advertised.)
Steph opted to get the BBQ Chik'n Pita ($7). Â This was made with vegan soy protein "chicken" and topped with shredded Ste Martaen cheese. Â The chik'n was, like the seitan, wonderful. Â It was slightly crispy on the outside, and as Steph pointed out, the sweet and tangy barbeque sauce permeated perfectly throughout. Â This was not simply tossed in the sauce, it had clearly been cooked in it, making a moist and flavorful protein. Â As for the quality of the chicken substitute itself, after twelve years of vegetarianism I consider myself well-versed on the available vegetarian "meat" products on the market, and this is up there with the best of them. Â It had a nice texture, with the grain that you expect in chicken, with a nice chicken flavor. Â The cheese here I believe was meant to be cheddar, and was slightly sharper than that on the cheesesteak, and again certainly provided an impressive amount of cheesiness for a product made primarily of nuts. Â The pita was not nearly as enormous as the cheesesteak, but still made for a nice meal.
Both of these sandwiches were excellent. Â If you live in the Chicago area, I definitely recommend checking them out, but even if you don't, they seem to travel around a lot, so give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter and see when they'll be near you. Â My only real complaint was the lack of the veggies on my sandwich, but I'm going to give these guys the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was either a fluke, or that they ran out, which can happen to anyone. Â That said, I have no qualms giving this vegan meal on wheels top marks.
Full review: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmattreviewsstuff.com%2F2012%2F02%2F26%2Fste-martaen%2F&s=d619cd6ef212977444451943c7c1b6f9099640447885b489bda120fbe2ff62f9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://mattreviewsstuff.…</a>
I asked Laviyah to deliver lunch to Earth Pups a few times when we were out of the country. Â Julie and her staff were taking wonderful care of our chihuahuas for extended lengths of time, and we wanted to thank them with yummy lunches. Â
The ordering and transactions were very easily done through emails and PayPal. Â Laviyah would email the following day's menus, and I would choose the number and the types sandwiches, etc. Â Then she would email the link to the bill at PayPal. Â Very easy! Â
Everyone was very excited when the food truck showed up and loved the food! Â I would not hesitate to order from Laviyah again. Â Thanks!
I was already totally addicted to the buffalo wings, Milwaukee wings, and buffalo chik'n pita when Canary Confectionery joined the food truck with their amazing cupcakes and truffles. Now I can't wait for Wednesdays so I can stock up on the best vegan deliciousness  from the absolutely nicest people in Chicago. It is becoming a custom in my office  to celebrate special occasions with a custom cupcake order. They are artistically festive, super moist, tasty and extremely reasonably priced. Even my hard-core carnivore boss was licking the frosting off the paper and demanding more!  Thank you and a big Yay for Ste Martaen!!!
Review Source:This is a review of the pedicab. The food is good for vegan options, or if you are feeling like eating fake meat. Often the sandwiches are too startchy, and the bread is not great quality. But again, good if you are looking for some fake meat.
Follow them on twitter for real time access if you can't find him on the street.
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I'm not some yuppie loop asshole, and that I really really REALLY want to like and support this place. Â I'm veggie, a cyclist, environmental scientist...I "get it"! Â I'm giving this place two stars for now, but WILL be trying one more time for the aforementioned reasons. Â
Now - unfortunately, all the wanting in the world isn't going to make up for the burrito I just had. Â It was "OK". Â The yelp definition of two stars is "Meh, I've experienced better." Â Well...I have. Â And for cheaper. Â
My fajita burrito did not have grilled poblano peppers, nor any red onions that it was advertised as coming with. Â It was just seitan, rice, and sauce. Â It was OK - but let's face it, it was cold, it was wrapped really shitty, and at $8, it was kind of a total rip off - especially when it didn't have all of its ingredients. Â I make homemade seitan regularly, so I know what I'm talking about. Â I've also made vegan cheeses on a semi-regular basis. Â The seitan was pretty good, though very very salty. Â The rice was the best part of the wrap.
Also, tell  the pedicab driver to slap a sign on that thing.  We waited for the "truck" yesterday for half an hour, only to discover later-on that this guy IS the truck.  Cool concept, but I would never have picked him out if I didn't know wtf was going on.
Oh hell ya! Â This experience rocked. Â Tracking down this food truck was kind of exciting in & of itself. Â I was at the proper street corner at the exact time it said on their website, but no food truck. Â I was expecting a truck. Â Then I saw a dude in a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpetfinder.com&s=d3dc5ce17d73dd855f393979d2fadfa1f8a6421f0a83152bcf4f4552007c71e7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://petfinder.com</a> t-shirt and I thought, "hu". Â He was riding a rickshaw bicyle. Â So that was damn cool. Â Then I noticed on the back of the rickshaw there was a bumper sticker that said "Go Vegan". Â Yes! Â I'd found the food truck....err, rickshaw. Â How many people can say they've eaten from a rickshaw? This was awesome.
The dude was totally helpful, friendly and efficient. Â He wanted to explain to me what everything was but since it was all vegan, I didn't care. Â Plus it's fun to play "culinary grab bag" and take whatever rolled up sandwich he gives me. Â I don't know what it was called, but it was fantastic. Â I also had a slice of pecan pie. Â It was a beat up slice that looked like it'd been tossed to and fro in that rickshaw all day. Â Not easy on the eyes, but a delight to the belly! Â Wow, I couldn't believe how good it was. Â Easily the best slice of pie I've had in my life.
I've since learned that they deliver food one of 3 ways: food-truck, rickshaw or minivan. Â Maybe you'll be lucky enough to get the rickshaw!
I moved from Brooklyn to Milwaukee a few months ago. Â My vegan friends back in NY have been keeping me up to date on the new vegan/vegetarian/raw food restaurants that seem to be opening in NYC on a daily basis. Â While I have have fallen in love with the Midwest - all the trees, fresh farm produce, and all the friendly folks here, I get a little a sad missing NYC's vegan culture.
After joining Vegan Milwaukee on Facebook, I caught one of there status updates that the Ste Martaen Vegan Truck was scheduled to roll into town. What? Â A vegan food truck in Dairyland? Â I checked out their itinerary and saw that they would be hitting my neighborhood. Despite my anticipation, I accidentally missed their window of time by a few minutes and, after commenting my disappointment on their Facebook page, they swung back on their way out of town! Â Super nice folks. Â Since it was the end of the day, the menu items I wanted to try - the Milwaukee chic'n wings and the Carolina BBQ - were sold out. Â (From the description, the wings sounded like vegan wings I used to LOVE served at Red Bamboo in New York.) Â I tried the BBQ chik'n sandwich and the mac and cheese. Â Steller. Â So so good. Â Can't wait til they return to Milwaukee next month!
I took the train downtown from Arlington Hts to go to the food truck. I missed his first stop according to his schedule so I walked to the next one. I made it there in plenty of time-and he wasn't there. I text him and he said "sorry, I ran out of food and left".
I don't blame him for leaving if he had no food left, but I have heard this from several people-that he runs out. So I don't recommend making a special trip to get his food-you may not get it!
So I'm definitely hooked!
I am enjoying the thrill of the vegan food truck hunt
Today I had a slice of  pecan pie and a buffalo chicken wrap. Who knew eating vegan could be so tasty! I have to watch it though because vegan/vegetarian is not synonymous with low-calorie-ya heard me?! Makes me wonder if there's some hidden meat in there somewhere...
So glad I tried the truck again.
First time around, I had the Fire Banger because it's what was left, and bleh, I wasn't a huge fan. But then, I'm rarely a fan of breaded tofu, and especially not of tartar sauce. Just goes to show, you can't order something you don't like and be upset when, um, you don't like it.
On the second go-round, I got the Carolina BBQ and mac & cheese. Now *that's* what I'm talking about. My friends raved about the wings, too, both Milwaukee and Buffalo style. All the time, I flirt with going back to being a vegetarian, and it's this kind of food that makes it seem so easy. Granted, just like the Chicago Diner, much of their best food is junk food, but even the healthiest vegan needs a break from the bark and twigs.
Bonus, the truck man is super nice. Here's hoping I see him 'round the Aon Center more often.
My demise is imminent as I just tasted the Mac & Cheese from this truck and was forced to smack my mama it was so good!
Sir Vegan, as I call the truck man, rode the pedicab to my way and bestowed this new lover upon my hands as I gave him money in exchange for eternal life for my taste buds.
I just have to say, I'm getting effen tired of being deceived by this so called vegan places. I'm clearly eating dairy, and meat, and No, don't say it, YES! PORK! I adore thee vegan eats. I ADORE THEE!
Chicago needs SO many more places like this!
I found out about the vegan food truck from my sweet friends who wanted to treat my fiance and I to dinner at home one night. All they told us was that it's all vegan and it will be at your door in an hour. Sounded good to us.
Little did we know just how good it all was going to be. Our favorite, hands down, of any vegan or non vegan we've had, is their mac and cheese. I don't know what they do to it but it's unreal. I also loved their wings, pretty cute how they stuck a piece of jicama (I think?) in the end like a bone. Except it wasn't a bone, it was a vegetable, which is so much cooler.
Just started getting Facebook updates on their whereabouts...they may have a new stalker on their hands.
The vegan food truck is like a dream come true.
I work at Clark and Kinzie and the area is notoriously not vegan friendly. Steak places galore. My prayers were somehow answered and now every Tuesday and Wednesday I go to Clark and Lake or the Merchandise Mart to get me some traveling vegan goodness.
So far I've tried the chicken tacos and buffalo chicken wrap. Both were good but the buffalo chicken wrap tasted nothing like buffalo chicken imho. It wasn't spicy, saucy or vinegary. Still good though. I enjoyed the dressing a lot.
What I'm excited about is trying everything on their menu. It rotates and they change things up so I feel like it'll be awhile before I run out of things to try and by that time I'll have found a few favorites that I'll return to.
Shredded Chik'n Tacos - I don't think a lot of people would like the taste of these tacos. It's very peculiar and the texture of the "chicken" is like swished flat layers of tofu (don't know what it is but there's a Chinese dish that uses the same thing). Â One thing though, I wasn't fond of the tortilla used.
The Bernstein Shebazzle - None of my coworkers got this so I'll probably get this next time!
Buffalo Chik'n Pita - If you were uneasy about the texture of the Chik'n tacos, try this!!! It's got a more "meat"-like texture and the sauce they put in with the pita is just absolutely delicious. I HIGHLY recommend this.
BBQ Chik'n Pita - Same meat-like texture as the Buffalo Chik'n pita. It depends on what flavor you like, but I personally prefer the buffalo.
Soul Vegetarian Sides - The Mac & Cheese was DELICIOUS!!! The BBQ Delights were good but this was also a dish I don't think most people would like by itself. I think what would have made this dish really good is if it were served with semi-sticky rice.
Desserts - Luckily my coworkers ordered both flavors so I got to try and they were both yummy. The peanut butter mousse is a bit too rich for my taste and the chocolate mousse was light and had a little darker chocolate taste to it that was mouth-watering.
! ! ! WARNING ! ! !
This food truck has many "trucks." First, they have a little green truck, then they have a small one man carriage-type thing and then they have a grey van with some animals on the side. If you don't know what you're looking for, they're very hard to spot. (Note to the business: I'd recommend making your vehicles look more representative to the brand to avoid any confusion.) Furthermore, the drivers change often so where they park along each intersection ALSO varies. Very confusing, I know.
I really should have reviewed the truck months ago, when I first started following them on Twitter.
This shit is amazing.
Also, dude will go around the block, around the neighborhood, out of his way, whatever for you. Â He will come back for you. Â He leaves no vegan behind. Â Please give them all of your money.
The vegan food truck is definitely a GREAT addition to the Chicago area.  Currently it runs Tuesday through Saturday - generally they offer lunch during the week and offer dinner on the weekend.  The best way to find when and where they are serving food is by looking at the schedule (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fstemartaen.com%2Ffood-truck%2Fschedule%2F&s=46c720ef3d1f4423abf26827b9c97f8f61ec2ef241a1eb4bde70f8455fa5da25" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://stemartaen.com/fo…</a>) and to follow them on Facebook (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSteMartaen&s=f900ac95bb3cec75359f339da7782daf36930d04019c48d3f8cce5c23d9ddfce" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/…</a>) - they send updates via Facebook during their route.  You can also text message them and request they come to you - their motto is "Have Truck, Will Travel (312) 857-4393".
Now for the food - the vegan food truck is a collaborative effort between Soul Vegetarian (a local vegan restaurant) and Ste. Martaen (a local vegan cheese company). Â Soul Veg is like vegan junk food (not entirely healthy), but its good food for the soul! Â That combined with Ste. Martaen's tasty nut cheeses makes for some tasty vegan meals! Â With that being said, I was instantly interested in trying the Chicago Cheese Steak. Â I give the sandwich a 3.5-4, it was really tasty and I really enjoyed most of the ingredients (seitan and cheese) although I wasn't entirely fond of the bread. Â This seems to be a popular item, as I've seen others talk about it on their Facebook and in other reviews. Â I will likely try something else next time, though I would get the cheese steak again. Â
If you haven't tried the food truck yet, I encourage you to do so! Â It's definitely good and it's pretty great that they're mobile and can come to you!
OH HELL YEAH!!
I just learned about the vegan food truck!! Â When I first looked at the menu I didn't know how to decide what to pick...finally I decided to go with the vegan cheese steak sandwich. Â Now, I work on the southside was so bummed that the schedule is always for the downtown area...I messaged them on facebook and walah...they responded back and offered to get this...DROP IT OFF TO ME AT WORK BEFORE LUNCH! Â WHATTTT!? Â Ohhh yes please! Â
The sandwich came to me, hand delivered at 11:30am and Laviyah was the nicest person ever, communicating with me via email!
Now..the sandwich was soooo yummy..initially  I was planning on eating only half..and saving the other half for later...um yeah right.  I devoured the entire thing in 5 minutes...and the Peanut Butter Mousse...are u kidding me...THIS is vegan???  WOW!!! Â
This is soo awesome...love that they have a rotating menu, that they are a dedicated VEGAN truck..and they have the best service I've dealt with in the Chi! Â I will for sure be telling all my friends (vegan or not) about this truck..and will be eating here again shorty!!!
I just had my first experience with the truck about 15 minutes ago...and it has been a blissful 15 minutes! I got the Carolina BBQ sandwich and side of Mac 'n Cheese....this is such a wonderful comfort food combination! I almost feel guilty for wolfing it all down!
Love the system - I just sent a text to the driver and he pulled up about 15 minutes later. Thank you so so much for introducing some new options to the Loop lunch scene for vegans and vegetarians!
Ste Martaen cheese is so good. I used to pick up tubs at Delicious Cafe but now a truck DELIVERS TO MY HOUSE. Not just cheese, but full fledged meals if I so choose. Vegan meals! Intricate and imaginative sandwiches, mac and cheese, desserts. New menus are posted daily on the website, and the truck location is updated on facebook.
Chicag has now tipped the scale of vegan awesomeness. I love food and I love this city and the vegan food truck makes me happy.
A vegan food truck? that will deliver food to my door? yes please.
I track them via twitter, and found one night they were in my neighborhood, so i messaged them and sure enough they showed up right when they said they would. The only downside is they didn't have much left when they arrived. Good for them, not so good for me.
But the food was great. I like the variety that they serve up, and the driver was so friendly and absolutely adorable in his bow tie!
So I was home for about three weeks and knew i HAD to hunt down the vegan food truck before i left, so the night before i had to head back to school my mom and I met them at one of the stops and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I had the "flavor banger" sandwhich which was amazing, and my mom and I both had slices of pie.
Will definitely have to find them next time im home!
I LOVE this service. Â Since discovering them, I've managed to catch them a few times and everything I have had has been terrific.
My only problem comes in when I want to buy two items to save one for a later meal....that later meal usually comes earlier than I planned.
My favorite was probably the buffalo Chckn Pita. Â It was spicy, with a great texture and was very filling. Â I kind of want another one now.
The driver is friendly and remembers his customers. Â Follow them on Twitter or Facebook....you really won't regret it!
So I'm sitting in my office super hungry, but not wanting to eat anything Hyde Park has to offer. Â I had some amazing vegan fare the day before at the Handlebar in Wicker Park, and was craving more. Â I started playing with my Yelp app on my Blackberry and this came up. I like the idea of a food truck and the idea of not having to eat the same Hyde Park staples/not having to cook. Â I saw that they took requests and thought I was taking a long shot in requesting Hyde Park. A minute later someone responded saying they'd be there in the next couple hours.
Eventually I braved the winter cold and traveled to where they promised they'd be at 6pm. At exactly 6pm they showed up - thank goodness because it was cold and it was my first winter after moving up from Miami. Â I got the BBQ loaf, mac & cheese, and greens meal ($10) and the buffalo "chicken" wrap ($7). The amount of food I got was good if you're not a big eater (i.e. if you eat how much you're supposed to eat vs how much most Americans, including myself oftentimes, eat) - I imagine most people who would be attracted to this type of thing will be plenty satisfied. I walked home and decided I would have the wrap now and the meal the next day at work.
I take the wrap out and it looks so good... then my boyfriend accidentally calls, then my mom calls, and then my boyfriend calls again to make up for the accident (UGH I WANT TO EAT, but I love you, sweetie!). Finally....but wait [RING... RING... or really my Beyonce ring tone]... who else could call before I take my first bite?! Â UGH boyfriend (still love you!) forgot to tell me something since I rushed him off the phone so I could eat. Â Whatever, finally I get to eat... bite down and at first I'm pleasantly surprised. Â Lots of flavor and great texture, but then.... HOLY SHIT is it spicy! So spicy that I actually ran to the fridge and took out a container of milk that I was sure was spoiled that I had bought for baking a month (or two) prior and never got around to throwing out. Thankfully it wasn't spoiled or maybe my mouth was burning so badly that I didn't care. Either way, totally not nice to not to warn a person... most people in the food service industry would warn someone that something is REALLY spicy (Not that I asked, but still). However, I went through all the trouble, so I saved the insides to mix with some brown rice later on hoping that this will make the spice manageable for me. Â Now, if you like spicy this is great... like I said, it had a good flavor to it (before the fire in my mouth) and the texture was good. The BBQ loaf dinner was also very tasty... the mac n cheese wasn't very pretty, but it tasted good. Â
Cheap enough that I would have again, but not so cheap that I would have it often. Â Also, I am NOT a vegan or even a vegetarian, but an open minded eater who occasionally likes to do something good for her body and planet.
Four Easy Steps to (Vegan) Soul Food Heaven:
1. Â Add Ste Martaen as your friend on Facebook.
2. Â Tell them where you are.
3. Â Walk outside (and bring cash - no plastic).
4. Â Ingest the delicious (vegan) delights issuing forth from their magical food truck.
The menu rotates but on my visit they had a BBQ mock meat sub, chick'n tacos, pepper steak sandwich, and a lunch platter with chick'n parmesan, greens, mac n cheese and carrots. Everything was between $6 and $10 and the portions are on the large side. They also had a few kinds of desserts.
The lunch platter was amazing. Way too much food for one meal but it is easy to refridgerate for later. Somehow the mac n cheese was creamier than the kinds I've had that use dairy products.
I was really impressed that they made it out to Merch Mart even though I requested a stop just hours before. Not sure how it works if you are off the beaten path, but I've noticed that they seem to stop in the Loop, River North, Hyde Park, Logan Square Pilsen and Rogers Park a lot. Seems like they are willing to go where ever on a moment's notice.
Chicago is lucky to have this, and I'm going to miss it when/if I ever leave.
Every time I see this, it makes my day a billion times better. It is indeed the vegan food fairy of deliciousness. Ste Martaen makes the best vegan cheese I've ever had and Soul Veg is my favorite vegan restaurant in the city. It's a winning combination every time. And I must add that not only are they delicious, they're super friendly too!  Follow Ste Martaen  on twitter or facebook and you'll always know where they are and you can request that they come to you. No one will regret asking them to come to an intersection near you! Just remember, it's cash only, so stop by the ATM before being tempted by the yummies!
Review Source:The SteMartaen / Soul Veg Food Truck is like a magic vegan food fairy who shows up and blesses you with yummy vegan noms. You never know when it will be around but eventually it will be and you better catch it when you can. A bird tweeted that it would be near so I biked on over and caught them just a bit before they appeared. I ordered one of everything and ate for days. The tacos I snarfed up immediately, cheesy fresh goodness (those won't keep well). The BBQ sandwich was killer, the soul veg meal is a no brainer. *bliss*
Review Source:
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