Flat Top Grill
$$ - average
A fun build-your-own stir-fry spot.
The Flat Top Grill is an all-you-can-eat Mongolian barbecue-style restaurant. The ingredient bar includes a wide variety of vegetables plus noodles, rice, and tofu. A large blackboard indicates which of the many sauces are vegan (almost all of them are). Special markers are available to let the cooks know they should prepare your food in a separate wok. If you're in doubt about anything, a full ingredient listing is readily available upon request. The place can get really packed on weekends, so call ahead and make a reservation.
Added by Dave Rolsky on Aug 27 03 (updated Jan 28 04)
Reviews
This restaurant is great because you can see exactly what goes into your food. They label all of the sauces that are vegan and also give nutritional info (calories, fat grams) for the sauces. You can put a special stick on your bowl that tells them know you are vegetarian or have food allergies and they will cook it on a separate grill. It's all-you-can-eat and a great bargain - especially at lunch time.
This is probably my favorite place to eat in Chicago. It's great for groups, because there are so many options that everyone can get something they like. My omnivorous boyfriend and I eat here all the time. We bring all our out-of-town guests here when they visit, and everyone loves it. The decor and atmosphere are fun, and the waitstaff is always helpful and friendly. It's not fancy, but it's a great place for a casual, everyday dinner out.
This is the perfect place to go if you have a group of friends with mixed eating preferences. I also enjoy how everything is clearly labeled in addition to the fact that they have seitan as an ingredient.
One of the servers also informed me once that the Indian rotis (use a blue stick to have one added to your dish) are completely vegan.