Seward Co-op
Coffee/Tea/Juice, Grocery/Bakery/Deli
Hours
Daily
- 8am - 10pm
Profile
American, Deli, Eclectic (Varied)
Natural foods co-op in the Seward neighborhood
Good selection of vegan, vegetarian, natural, and organic food. Reported to have the best vegan muffins in town.
- (Mostly) Organic
- Wireless (free)
Added by Matt Mackall on Feb 25 03 (updated Aug 3)
Reviews
While I shop at The Wedge more often (entirely due to its proximity to my home), Seward Co-op's prices have me reconsidering things.
The prices on produce of all types seems consistently and significantly lower at Seward than at The Wedge (today, for example, Seward is selling avocados for $0.89 a piece, whereas The Wedge is selling them for $1.49 a piece).
Similarly, prices on other items such as Field Roast mockmeats and Seeds of Change pasta sauce, are on average 10-20% lower than at The Wedge.
So, price-wise, Seward wins hands down. But in terms of selection, The Wedge offers many more varieties of non-dairy milk brands, yogurts, ice creams and bulk dry produce (such as nuts, grains and rice). Also, The Wedge has better vegan baked goods and hot cooked foods and sandwiches, in addition to a larger selection.
But I like that Seward has a little cafe/dine-in area to sit and eat or chat, which is something that The Wedge sorely lacks. The community aspect of The Wedge is missing.
In summary, Seward is definitely cheaper, edgier and less corporate than The Wedge. But in terms of selection and (sometimes) quality and variety, The Wedge wins. We'll see what happens when Seward moves to its new, larger location.
Great selections of groceries and to-go deli items. Sure to please.
I'll have to admit that I'm an out-of-towner with no knowledge of behind-the-scenes events. I actually thought this co-op offered a great selection of all my favorite veg items with a healthy bulk section as well. I find myself having to go to a couple of different places in Chicago to get everything I found here.
The best for juices By far If you know the difference in cherries you'll love this place.
Muffins are so good that its a fight every morning to get one before they are all gone. So yes the reports are correct!!!!!
As far a vegan choices you may have seen more choices at larger venues however the distinct choices o fruit's and veggies will invigorate the creativity in eating wherever you are on your path of healthy and morally obligatory choices.
While I am not completely vegan I choose to buy "unmentionable" Items elsewhere. I find that in most cases coops don't do those items very well which is jewel, i get it.
Most importantly every one is AWESOME! If i ever do choose to reap the benefits of membership I would choose this place over some others because I am never made to feel wrong for not currently being one. ;)
By popular demand, the Seward Coop is now carrying the Tofutti Pan Crust pizzas! They taste great and have wonderful melty vegan cheese on them. Also look out for the Madwoman frozen pizza which is locally made. One of the pizzas is vegan and has a soy cheese on it, but it is quite expensive for the portion size and very high in fat.
Nothin' special about this place. It's about what you'd expect for a natural foods store trying to be more Whole Foodsy. It should feel privileged to be next door to the Seward Cafe. A strike against them: they no longer offer soft serve oatscream! For shame.
Lots of vegan choices in a hot deli and a few sandwich choices too--one of the best selections of the natural foods stores in town. The prices are reasonable and well-labeled too. As a grocery store, it's standard and big enough to have all the usual vegan items.
The Seward is a great place to get desserts- there's almost always good vegan baked goods in thier case and they have a splendiforous selection of vegan chocolates as well!
Oh yeah, they're a co-op and have real foodstuffs and a decent health & beauty section too.
Happened upon this place whilst circumnavigating the city by bike on Saturday. We couldn't agree on the perfect late breakfast, so my girlfriend happily settled on every vegan's fallback, avocado on fresh french bread, with packets of dijon mustard. Sure, the place had a ton to choose from, and great looking produce, but this just worked at the time. A fresh squeezed OJ topped it off for me and we were back on the bikes. A quick perusal of the bakery case, showed a lot of vegan baked goods. We both thought they looked a little dry. My g/f is a vegan baker by trade an opined that tofu in place of egg replacer would have cured the dryness, but alas, we opted for another route. We'll try them next time to be sure.