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Soul Vegetarian East
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Vegan Restaurants Soul Food Vegetarian, Vegan, Soul Food [Edit]
205 E 75th St(between Indiana Ave & Prairie Ave)
Chicago, IL 60619
Neighborhood: Greater Grand Crossing
(773) 224-0104
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 9 pm
Fri 11 am - 10 pm
Sat 8:30 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
194 reviews for Soul Vegetarian East
Review Highlights
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"The portion of protein tidbits is almost a meal in itself." In 21 reviews -
"I can't wait to try the bbq twist sandwich." In 11 reviews -
"Don't forget the vegan mac and cheese." In 26 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
194 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle A.
Chicago, IL
12/8/2011
soul vegetarian is great every time. tonight was no exception!
the place was packed for a thursday night at 8 o'clock and there was one server working, vincent, who did a great job juggling everyone. water was filled whenever needed and he was apologetic from the get go about how busy it was.
we had the cauliflower appetizer to begin with. my dining partner found it to be a little heavily fried for his choices, but i am a southern girl and loved every minute of it. we both had the BBQ twist platter for our entree. it came with so much food that we both have leftovers to make sandwiches out of it tomorrow! not only that but the texture of the protein is great. i'm a picky vegetarian and i can't stand things that are too rubbery and i didn't wince once with this.
over all this place is great and next time i want to make sure to try dessert. -
Review from In T.
Chicago, IL
3/24/2012
Greetings,
I've been going to soul veg for years and have always came back for more, until recently. Service and quality of food have decreased tremendously. I guess now their closed to give the decor a face lift... What about the food and service????? -
Review from Dhruv P.
12/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
A bit disappointing. Expected so much. Being on the south side, I though, this WAS the place to get some authentic and good soul (vegan) food. No pretentions, no frou frou, just a good home meal.
Sadly, I was mistaken. The place looked exactly how I expected, which is, don't expect much. But the sadness really is reserved for the food. Or lack of much taste.
We had the protein tidbits with bbq sauce. Subpar... the protein tidbits had no taste. All taste, which was monotonous, came from the BBQ sauce.
Now the carrot dish was amazing, we ordered it on the side, and I would order over and over again, just because it was healthy AND tasted good.
The veggie gyro... eh. Not sure why its highly rated. The fake meat didn't taste too good, and the dish itself was way too large of a portion. The sauce and veggies are ample and my first bite was great, however, every other bite I had came no where close to the first one... I couldn't finish it...
Most of the meal was too salty. The dishes here might be vegan, but don't expect it to be healthy. -
Review from Ali H.
12/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was sooooo looking forward to eating here and fully expecting to love it. I tried so hard to love it!
But I just couldn't! :(
We came on a Saturday for lunch, and had two smoothies (cashew craze and carrot nog), the protein tidbits, a sandwich (gyro, I think?), and a side of carrot salad.
The smoothies were delicious. But it was practically the end of the meal when we got them. Which brings me to my other point about the excruciatingly slow service. S. L. O. W. Like, does our waitress even still work here?
Anyway, the protein tidbits were ok. They had 50% a good flavor and 50% some sort of weird aftertaste. And the appetizer basket was enough fried anything to feed a major league football team. I'd happily pay 1/4 the price for 1/4 the tidbits!
The sandwich was also just ok. I did like the carrot salad quite a bit.
So, with great sadness, I must say that I would not make the trip back here. There are plenty of other good vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in chicago (urban vegan, anyone?) and the price, the food, and the service just didn't make the cut. -
Review from Scotty J.
Chicago, IL
5/6/2012 4 Check-ins Here
I've been coming to Soul Veg for a few years. If I'm ever in the area I always stop by. The BBQ twist sandwich is a must for first time visitors. In addition order some cornbread, yum! Unfortunately the service is friendly but not always speedy and on top of things. So far I have yet to find better priced soul food that is vegan and this delicious. Don't fret vegetarians and omnivores this food is great!
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Review from T M.
Hinsdale, IL
5/12/2012
After reading other reviews I feel like I need to set the record straight. Eating vegan is not synonymous with eating healthy. Although elimanated the animal fat and protein will benefit anyone. Do a blood test, eat vegan for a month and get it rechecked. You will see improvement. Anyway, The food at soul veg. is good and you can choose to eat healthy or not. I love their raw kale salad, cucumber salad, and carrot salad. All delicious! They have excellent soups too. When you want something more filing the garvey burger is great (and no guilt). Probably 1/2 the calories of your average fast food burger and nothing had to die. If you have a sweet tooth the lemon pie rocks. Cookies are pretty good too. As far as service......I always get take out.
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Review from S P.
Chicago, IL
2/26/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Here, Vegan is NOT synonymous with healthy so don't expect to eat healthy, if its not fried it's boiled (and there's nothing worse than flavorless boiled veggies, so do not get the Buddha bowl? I can't even remember the name of the dish but it has tasteless fried tofu where the breading doesn't even stay on!)
The sautéed greens should actually be called sautéed onions with some kale...way too many onions in my greens! But I did like the corn bread it came with.
BBQ tibits were fine, but what doesn't taste good fried and dipped in BBQ sauce? The twist sandwich was basically BBQ tidbits in sandwich form.
To make things worse, the service is not good. Our waitress was not attentive, she walked by our table 10 times and it was still hard to flag her down. And when we went up to pay, we waited a good 10 minutes at the cash register for someone to ring us up only to realize the staff was sitting 15 feet away from us chatting away. Overall it was not a pleasant experience and the meal felt heavy with all the fried food. This is not good vegan food, go to Native foods cafe if you want the real deal. -
Review from Rahshonda K.
Chicago, IL
3/19/2012
My mom had been talking about this place for a while so when Groupon came with a deal I had to get it! We went through the week so we were able to walk in and get a seat immediately. However service was not so immediate. Service was SLOW AS HELL!! However the food was tasty. The Lima beans were delish but the Kale was so bombarded with onions and garlic that it was just inedible to me. My mom ordered the special of the day which was the smothered "steak" the little bit I ate was sooooo good. I thought for this place to be healthy the portion sizes were unbelievably huge. I definitely am going to go back they have a juice bar that I am dying to try.
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Review from Meriel C.
Chicago, IL
3/3/2012
This place has the world's slowest service. Think about what you consider to be slow service and multiply it by ten. I enjoyed my meal more than my friend, but she is kind of veggie shy. I had stir fried veggies and brown rice with an Almond Malt. While it was not amazing, it was decent. We had onion rings which were pretty good. The seasoned fries were over cooked and lacked flavor. It took forever for things to arrive to our table because as I said slow, slow, slow. Won't be rushing back.
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Review from Herman B.
Chicago, IL
3/14/2012
Been there a few times and the food was good. However, the last time made me give it one star. We went there, and were completely ignored for one hour, not even menus or water, IGNORED. Oh, when I went looking for a high chair for my son, a waiter showed me where it was at but insisted on carrying it to the table, so they knew we were there. Anyway there are two rooms where people sit, I can only assume we were in a room where they forgot we were at, I had to go into the other room to get the menus myself, if I didn't have a Groupon I still needed to use, I wouldn't go back.
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Review from Jenn H.
McHenry, IL
3/15/2012
We love the food here! The fresh juices, the non-egg salad, the soy cheese, the salads with the Princes Dressing! We always just order the daily special too, no matter what we get it is always good! Don't forget to save room for the desserts, they are incredible, you will not miss the dairy or eggs!
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Review from Drumn M.
Oak Park, IL
3/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food is great. We used a groupon and was not dissapoint. We got the bbq protein bits, buffalo chicken dinner & the bbq twist platter. My hat goes off to the bbq twist platter. It was the perfect bit of crunchy and had a great texture. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch. Yes, the service is slow but it's cheap and delicious. worth the wait.
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Review from A K.
Chicago, IL
11/30/2011
Awesome food!
Excellent deli food and service
I'm especially fond of the Combo Basket and Stir Fried Rice dishes. -
Review from Dylan M.
Oklahoma City, OK
2/15/2012
This is the best vegan restaurant on the planet period. The protein tidbits are amazing. Eat here, it's delicious. Even if you are a meat eater.
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Review from Strea T.
Dayton, OH
9/26/2011
This vegan food is awesome! I absolutely loved the mac and cheese, the bbq chicken-like wings, and their pecan pie (which had a sweet potato - maple bottom)! I wouldn't change a thing. The cheesesteak was alright but the cheese wasn't melty, which is something modern vegans have gotten to cherish. Sorry Ste. Martaens. It was still good. I wish I had gotten a bbq chicken pita instead because everyone raves about it and it is cheaper. The wings really do taste like real meat -- chewy, stringy, savory, but definitely veg.
My only gripe is the price. 6 wings for $10, pie slice for $5, a meager helping of mac and cheese for $5, cheesesteak for $10. However, it meets my "$20 before tip" rule (because I'm a bit broke), so it was worth it for me. This was without drinks or tip, because it was the food truck. Share the pie with someone if you don't want to splurge alone. It's worth it! -
Review from A.J. S.
Driving through south Chicago hunger struck. Reaching for my phone I looked up the closest vegetarian food place around...
Soul Vegetarian? To my guild my only real exposure to Soul Food despite living in Detroit was watching the "Itis" on the Boondocks. However, the reviews intrigued me and I went in. The place is in what some might call a rough neighborhood. Unless of course you just came fresh Detroit, then it's just like being in any neighborhood. The interior wasn't anything too special, however looking at the vegetarian menu and listening to the special I knew it was totally worth stopping and eating at.
The service was good, the person was nice enough. Looking up "Soul Food" on wiki at the time I found that the definition was "Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans". I'm not sure what part of Africa had the "Chicken Fried tofu with mashed potatoes and corn", but who am I to complain it was delicious. The fried Tofu was awesome, and altogether I loved the place. The prices for lnsh were so cheap, 2 at for 1 dollars.
This restaurant actually made me wish I lived in Chicago. -
Review from Gerri H.
Chicago, IL
1/17/2011
Soul Vegetarian is a very unique restaurant that does a vegan take on traditional soul food. I am well versed in soul food, so I was quite surprised by how good their vegan macaroni and cheese and greens are at Whole Foods (I am not a vegan). As a result, I had to try their other selections at their actual restaurant. I've been there about four times, and I have found a number of dishes that are really good. My husband and I always order their fries w/ bbq sauce. The sauce is one of the best bbq sauces I have tasted. We have also enjoyed their falafel (soul food?) and vegan gyros. The only criticism is that the falafel was the best we ever had on the first occasion and then just average the next week. But we crave those fries..... I can't wait to try the bbq twist sandwich!
Side (soap box) note: To all those who think 75th & King is the edge of the earth, get over yourselves! It's the MID-south side; Chicago goes well into the 100's. For those who are unaware, people actually live their lives south of Roosevelt. And they don't all live in Hyde Park! -
Review from Jade T.
12/27/2010
Since I've moved to Chicago, I have longed to visit Soul Vegetarian. I've had their food back in Washington, DC (although I'm not sure if they are affiliated with each other). When compared to the likes of Karyn's, Chicago Diner, and more, Soul Vegetarian is more affordable and the most gratifying. Your eyes will roll and you will moan when you take a bite of their BBQ sandwiches.
To be honest, the neighborhood is a little intimidating to some of us. However, the food is so damn good that it may be worth trekking down here.
Most of their main dishes are made from tofu, not seitan (I think). I normally dislike tofu, but theirs is out of this world. It's not gelatinous at all nor bland. Dare I say it's "meaty"? Don't forget the vegan mac and cheese. It's utterly divine. Their sandwiches and wraps are flavorful, but the portions (in general) are on the smaller side. I must say though, as a teeny girl with a small appetite, I will f*cking hork down SV's food like a fat kid on Thanksgiving. Order a couple of meals to-go while you're here. You'll be glad you did.
Rent a Zipcar, beg a friend with any motor vehicle to drive you, or take the Red Line (allllllll the way) down here. As a vegetarian/vegan living in Chicago, consider it one of your responsibilities.
PS: If you don't like soul food, then move to Winnetka or Greenland or something. -
Review from Valery S.
11/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
No wonder so many vegans are more than plump. If I ate nothing but vegan food (the way most vegans eat, not the David Wolfe type vegan, but your regular tofu downing vegan), I would a nutricional deficiency in about 3-5 years. I must applaud this restaurant for being what it it, where it is. I realize that if you go from real fried chicken and BBQ ribs to their fake versions, you health may actually improve, just because you;d be killing yourself so much slower. But good gawd! This is NOT healthy food. Heavy, sweet, salty, so rich in gluten. No thanks.
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Review from John S.
San Francisco, CA
11/21/2010
I'm having some serious vegetarian guilt about giving Soul Vegetarian East only three stars. It deserves three stars, truly, but that doesn't make doing my job any easier.
I compare the experience to when I was a TA at UC Berkeley. Many of my students were extremely intelligent, thoughtful, and good writers to boot. Others may not have thought through their assignments as much, but they could write, so it was easy to settle on either an A- or a B+. Then there were the teeming hordes who didn't really care about the class and/or decided to get working on the assignment the night before because, well, it's only college, right? Why should I care about my GPA when my boyfriend-of-the-week is inviting me to a nice dinner out in the city? (Never mind the fact that you won't be on speaking terms with this guy in a month and that he won't be able to help you get into grad school.) Again, I had no problem with a B or B- for these folks.
But then there were others.
The students who weren't the best writers but who clearly had good, if disorganized, ideas. The absolute hardest to deal with were the students who had equal loves of learning and office hours. In general, I was an inquisitive student, and I kind of regret the fact that I spoke with my professors outside of class so rarely, so even if I got the same person every week, I liked talking to her. (And it was usually a her--er, she.) But after you've gone over seven drafts of a pretty simple assignment with someone, and her paper still isn't very good? Well, it's difficult to go with that B. The B+ is the magical elixir for troubled TA consciences, but it's also unfair sometimes.
What does this have to do with Soul Vegetarian East? Well, it's OK. Some of the food is excellent, while other menu items are bland and not terribly different from one another. Fortunately, what I ordered (and I don't remember what it was) was very good, but I also tried some of my dining companion's, and it wasn't as good. I would definitely come back.
The service was hit or miss, and that was odd considering that it was after lunchtime on a Friday and not too many other people were eating at the restaurant. I love how busy the place is, especially for takeout, and I really got the sense that regulars are treated well. The food probably isn't that good for you overall, but it's soul food, and it's probably not as bad for you as its non-vegetarian counterparts, so you're doing your health a relative favor. -
Review from Liz J.
Chicago, IL
4/25/2011
I'd only ever had Soul Veg's food in it's ready-to-go incarnations at Whole Foods or some spots around Hyde Park, so I was excited when the Groupon came out. Of course, then I promptly forgot about the Groupon until right before its expiration date. So off to 75th street we headed on a rainy evening.
Apparently others also forgot about their Groupon til the last minute, because I saw at least two other tables with Groupon printouts lying in the corner. Apparently, the restaurant wasn't really prepared for the flood of people. The place was packed. We were seated at one end of a long table already occupied by a single diner.
We arrived around 6:30. We left at 8:30. And this wasn't one of those leisurely, enjoy-your-food two-hour meals. I love those. The bulk of the 2 hours was us sitting around waiting for someone to notice us ... waiting for menus - 15 minutes; waiting for someone to take our order - 30 minutes, waiting for our food 20-30 minutes ... since it didn't all come out at once, waiting for someone to notice we were done so we could ask for our check - 15 minutes.
Which brings me to the final issue. I fully understand the problems with Groupon customers not tipping the full amount. And I fully support restaurants deciding to add the gratuity on to Groupon customers' bills. But you need to tell people that you're doing that. When our change came back with two measley dollars ... when we were expecting 8 and change ... we were bewildered. Did the adding up and conveniently the omitted change added up to 20 percent. By that time we were sick and tired of trying to get the attention of anyone who worked there, so we decided to call it even and just leave.
Oh, the food? The food was awesome. It could have been hotter. And it could have been faster, but I've been thinking about the greens for a week now. -
Review from Brittany Y.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2011
The food is substandard and the staff are ridiculously rude. I will never eat here again.
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Review from Claudia D.
Chicago, IL
5/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
April is a very nice server! But to her credit, it's difficult when there are only 2 servers for so many customers Today the restaurant did not open til 2 & the Groupon was extended to 4/20!
The husband and I came here for lunch, but the restaurant didn't open til 2 PM so we ordered the dinner special.
It was very good, but seitan is not my favorite thing. The greens were terrific.
This is a small place with several rooms. We sat in the second room. Many of our fellow customers appeared to be regulars.
Lots of people come for take out.
I want to revisit this place to try more things. -
Review from Rachel H.
1/29/2011
The boyfriend is a vegetarian and a big fan of Soul Veg, so when the Groupon came along, I thought it would be a nice treat for him and an excuse for me to give it a shot.
Perhaps Friday night at dinner time isn't the best time to go if you're in a hurry, but we weren't and our server made sure that we knew he hadn't forgotten about us, even if things were backed up in the kitchen a bit.
I sort of made the mistake of pounding down a pineapple coconut drink from the juice bar, which filled me up way too much and made our waiter laugh at me, but it was delicious. Besides, it allowed me to have leftovers for tonight's smorgasbord of leftovers dinner. This is key.
Fried mushrooms were good, and the breading was very flavorful as was the batter on the fries, though the mushroom breading did fall off a bit when dipped. I had the falafel which as others have said was a bit dry, but it was spiced well and I, in a turn of usual character, actually enjoyed the sauce. Boyfriend liked his BBQ twist sandwich.
Don't fill up on the juice unless you want leftovers though, go for a bottle of Reed's Ginger Beer instead. Your belly will thank me. -
Review from Karyn R.
1/7/2011 6 Check-ins Here
My love for Soul Veg can be summed up in two words: protein tidbits. I want them now. I want them tomorrow. I want to defy the time-space continuum and have them before I ever even tried them. If I were at all religious I would start my own cult in honor of them. Don't believe me? Try them.
And it isn't just the protein tidbits, people--although I could happily eat nothing but--the bbq twist sandwich, the Prince Elkannon (Garvey) Burger, the gyro, the collard greens, and mac n' cheese...it's enough to make me overlook the water glass that is rarely refilled and the less-than-enthusiastic service.
I know there are a number of vegan options in the city. Many with better service and a fancier spread, but Soul Veg is what it is: no apologies, no excuses--and I dig that. -
Review from Erica W.
2/2/2012
Eh...Just ok. I wasn't in love. I am a meat eater, but I partake in vegetarian foods on occasion. I went to Soul Vegetarian East because I tried their fake chicken salad at Whole Foods and I liked the flavor. When I saw the Groupon, I scooped it up. The service is painfully slow. Waited 15 min just to get a menu. The poor waiter had a hard time remembering things. Asked for ketchup, took 15 minutes. The food was ok. I had the BBQ twists, fries and nibbled off of my friend's "country fried steak", greens and corn. I'm not sure what the BBQ twists are made of, but they make it look like BBQ ribs. The fries were soggy, and many of the dishes needed more salt. The best part of the meal for me was the coconut cake. Yum. I have some left over for tomorrow. If you truly enjoy vegetarian/vegan food, it's worth a try, but I probably won't go back. There is something weird about the fake meat that I don't like.
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Review from TA W.
Chicago, IL
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not a vegetarian, but I rely on them for fresh juices and wheatgrass. They come thru every time. Convo is great as drink is prepared. Fall thru...
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Review from Gemma K.
Lombard, IL
4/19/2011
I haven't been here in ages so I was glad when a friend from work suggested we go and besides it is always beneficial to eat soul food, of any kind, when the weather is without soul.
After pushing our way in, I remembered how lunch time here could be. But it is definitely worth it. My colleague had a taste for tang so he got the Down South BBQ, which is always great. It came with fries that have such a wonderful nutty flavor to them; whatever they do to the skins of those spuds; mm-mm. The sauce left him drooling. It's got a wonderful bite to it.
I decided on the Jerkfu Spinach Wrap; I love toferky and the spin they take with the onion and coconut flavors says one thing loud and clear: day light come and me won go home to the Caribbean. It was great.
We split an order of the greens and cornbread. And needless to say we pretty much had to heave ourselves out of the place.
It's hard to blame them for getting crowded, their food is that wonderful, and the place was clean, despite all the folks clammering. So, if you truly enjoy vegetarian/vegan cuisine, or you want to see how good good can be, this is the place for you. -
Review from T S.
Chicago, IL
1/26/2012
Unfortunately, I have to agree with the majority of the posts. The service is more than lacking and the food isn't healthy. The only way I would come here again is for an order I placed ahead of time for pick-up.
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Review from Ada L.
Chicago, IL
4/16/2011
I finally used my Groupon I purchased months ago that exp in a few days for breakfast this morning. There was not any breakfast menu, the server just let us know of a couple of options.
I liked that everything did not taste salty like many restaurants do. The OJ was also fresh and refreshing. Very friendly service.
Place is big and open, can def tell it's a very old building with their original molding and whatnot.
I would be interested to go back and try their dinner menu. -
Review from Trice A.
Chicago, IL
9/28/2011
The rating is because I am a meat eater dang it ! This food is no where close to being a meal that could place my hunger for meat
My husband when vegan for about six month and dropped 30 + pounds and said he wanted to start up again so I said i will try. I also have a Groupon for 30 worth of food for 15.00 so it was a go . I went in will a clear palate to try and experience the worse food of my natural meat eating life! First i got the protein bites that the yelper suggested . The batter was good but as soon as i chewed i regretted it will all my heart. It is Tofu people why or why didnt someone warn me I tried one after the other until my gag reflex could not take another one , i hate to waste money but its was wasted on that ! Now one at my table liked them. So I ordered two Twist sandwich a side of macroni and somr kind of stir fry pasta. My sandwich after bite it several and hating was not thre Twist but a vegan kind of roast beef sandwich which I was choking down . upon sampling my daughters did i discover the different taste and textures. I did slightly enjoy the maccroni that all I will stay my meat eating self out of there . Vegans enjoy ! Oh on tuesday night one hour before closing the service was not bad
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Review from Rain T.
Chicago, IL
11/4/2011
I like Soul Veg. Definitely not as good as years ago when I first started going, but they have a consistency I can not argue with. You pretty much always know wht you are goin to get...
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Review from Josh S.
Chicago, IL
9/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Probably the only vegan restaurant that I could get fat by eating at regularly. This is some greasy, heavy food, the way it's made old school down south, but no meat. Not recommended for gluten free diets.
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Review from Octavia T.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 9/1/2010
Fried bean curds tastes just like catfish.
Service has gotten faster which is great!!
Can't go wrong with the prince dressing
FYI- Vegetarian doesn't always mean healthy, some of the selections are loaded in starch and sugar...be careful.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/18/2010
After 3 years in chicago, I finally went to soul veg and LOVED it. I went for breakfast and had the… Read more »
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Review from Laura D.
Chicago, IL
2/23/2011
This restaurant has changed my perception of fine dining vegetarian cuisine forever. I'm completely f-ing serious.
1. The salad - start with the prince dressing. It's delicious. I keep some on the side for the main meal.
2. The main meal - I usually just get the dinner special of the evening, which can vary depending on the day of the week and the availability of the food items. My favorite dinner special is probably going to be the fried "chicken," which is outstanding. I love the greens that they serve and especially love blending the greens with the prince dressing I got with the salad.
3. If you get the dinner special on Sunday, it also comes with a great vegan dessert! My favorite is the apple pie, but I have yet to try one that disappoints.
There are a few important details to note about this restaurant in general. It's generally very casual and low-key, not particularly uptight at all. It also serves as a community center, so everyone is very friendly and welcoming. However, the waitstaff are volunteers, so service can be slow. Be patient and appreciate the time it takes to prepare this outstandingly delicious food. Look around and take it all in. It's a great place to be with friends and family. -
Review from Harpreet K.
Chicago, IL
12/26/2007
I decided I was gonna move to Chicago's South Side when I first came out here from Cali. Not knowing any better, I set up camp in Hyde Park, because "this counts right?" It wasn't exactly what I envisioned, but I figured maybe I'd been listening to too many Common albums (where the f*ck is "the corner"?!) and seen "Save the Last Dance" one too many times (I love me some Julia Stiles!). I assumed the vibrant, robust, thriving South Side was confined to 53rd and 55th streets. Of course, I was WRONG, and all those mofos who led me astray, insisting there was nothing worth seeing on the South Side outside of the Hyde Park bubble, can shove their culture-of-fear/racist bullshit up their asses!!! Welcome to 75th street my friends!!
This is pulsating civic community, and Soul Veg is the epicenter; attracting everyone, from all corners, far and wide. Come here and finally "get it." Anything you order is gonna be tasty -- although I think some of the vegan meat has a slightly rubbery texture and interesting aftertaste -- the sides will blow your damn mind.Listed in: Bringin' it on the South…
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Review from Trinidad F.
Maywood, IL
7/2/2008 ROTD 1/9/2009
Im in love...mmm. So if i ever decide to get married Soul Vegetarian will have to cater my reception. The food here was amazing.
We started with the detoxification shake which was amazing. Strong citrus flavor. So good and refreshing. All natural. YUM!! I decided on the BBQ protein tidbits as an appetizer and they were so yummy. Covered in BBQ sauce..even better!!!! I've realized they're addictive. lol. I ordered the BBQ roast sandwich with a side or fresh greens. I have a BBQ thing..im a big fan.
It did take a while for my sandwich to arrive but it was well worth the wait!! So good!!! Wheat bun with faux BBQ roast, lettuce and grilled onions!!!! Finger licking goodness...drools. After my sandwich and tidbits I was so full. I tried some of the greens and took the rest to go. The greens had a great flavor along with onions, tomatoes and some pepper.
I was completely satisfied with the food here and will definately return...soon. -
Review from Andrew C.
Chicago, IL
5/15/2007
Overall Soul Veg is OK, but it hardly merits the rave reviews it has on Yelp. It *is* affordable, filling, and 100% vegan. Unfortunately it has some serious problems:
1)
The service is terrible. All the staff are volunteers, and it shows. While a few of the employees (particularly Michael) are friendly, some others seem not to care at all. I have waited 20 minutes for food, then gotten the wrong thing.
2)
The food is unhealthy. Despite the New Hebrew Israelites' prohibition on added salt, the food tastes extremely salty, and most of it is deep fried.
3 (and the reason I don't go there)
The New Hebrew Israelites are an unsavory bunch of people. They are fiercely homophobic, and some are overtly racist. When a white acquaintance of mine asked what it would take to work there, the staff laughed and one replied "more melanin."
All of the money Soul Veg makes goes toward funding their religious organization. Clearly, no one would tolerate this crap from more mainstream religions. Much as I like to support vegan establishments, it is unacceptable to turn a blind eye to bigotry. -
Review from Nico M.
Chicago, IL
9/22/2008
I finally went to try Soul vegetarian East and absolutely loved it. I went on a Sunday afternoon with one of my close friends and they were just starting to become a bit busy. We were seated quickly and brought out water. The people that work there are so friendly and helpful.
The first Sunday of every month they offer a Sunday dinner. This particular Sunday was the first of the month and the dinner included collard greens, stuffing, yams, mac & cheese, a gluten based roast with gravy, a dinner roll, and apple pie. This was so filling and SO good! It was hard to tell that the mac n cheese was even vegan. I always chop up onions in my greens but they already had onions chopped up in them!
The dinner is $13 and well worth every penny. I even tried a sample of their sweet potato ice cream which was SO good.
The staff was great and never neglected us since we were sat in the larger room toward the back because they were crowded. We were checked on consistently for water and asking how our food was. The art and decor was awesome too with African paintings and carvings.
I don't like driving but am so happy that I have a car now and can get to Soul Veg more often. I will be going back for sure to try the other things on their menu. This is definitely my favorite veggie spot right now.. -
Review from Michael G.
Rockville, MD
5/5/2009
There really must be something in the food that causes me to forget how slow the service is every time I'm describing (hyping is probably a better term) SV to people (but not this time, oh no, I'm writing down how glacial the service is so as not to forget). Or maybe it's the company as whenever out of town vegetarian friends come to play, the long trip to Soul Vegetarian is in order.
And I think the restaurant exploits this fact. Every vegetarian in Chicago will end up taking their visiting herbivore friends here. No matter what the "service" is. It and Chicago Diner are seriously like magnets. Or, my sister has an alternate theory to the lack of hospitality: "they just don't care."
Now I understand the idea that they want a place that slows down time. A place to reflect, to gather with friends, to enjoy the moment. But there's a difference between bringing out the food out and not hovering and not bringing the salads until after the main course (because our table was given someone else's mains). It was alright on this particular time, however, as I'm pretty broke right now and the .67 cent total tip left by the table (to make the bill an even number) worked for my pocketbook. A bargain in this economy.
And that's the other thing. Soul Vegetarian has gotten expensive. The Sunday dinner (which starts serving at 1:00 p.m., we found out - before that it's breakfast) is now up to $13.95 pre-tax. But, hey, the food is worth every penny. Delicious seitan loaf, yams, vegetarian greens. It is really a feast. Though the vegan mac and cheese is sort of disappointing each time because it always looks amazing.
And the food does not only sticks to your ribs. The taste survived in my mouth through three teeth brushings. Seriously. Not that it's a bad thing since it is scrumptious - some of the best vegetarian (and possibly the best vegan) food in Chicago. I just hope the negative impression from the (especially) bad service last time doesn't stick in my mind. After all, I'm sure I'll be hypnotically back next time anyone meat free is in town. And will have bad service again.Listed in: Southside - Not The Wrong Side…
