Lake Side Cafe
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice
Profile
$$ - average
Eclectic (Varied)
Chicago's First Vegetarian Relax Cafe
Lake Side Cafe is an organic vegetarian cafe/restaurant on Chicago's north side. The menu so far features a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, juices, coffees, and other drinks.
All of the items are vegetarian, and many are vegan. Almost all of the ingredients used are *certified* organic. They also feature regular educational classes and other events.
The Lake Side Cafe wants "to become known for affordable, vegetarian cuisine, a place where we would like to eat and relax ourselves."
At Howard and Sheridan Road (about 4 long blocks east from the Howard L stop)
- (Mostly) Organic
- Brunch
- Buffet
Added by Jonathon Cihlar on Apr 16 06 (updated Feb 26 07)
Reviews
I have visited this restaurant many times, with small parties, for regular meals and for buffet events. The food is always tasty, high-quality and reasonably priced. The staff is friendly and helpful and the restaurant is clean. They have a good selection of desserts, too.
I'm hoping to actually join one of their cooking classes soon.
Pretty nice place, especially if you only eat or are in the mood for healthy food. When I went it was late and there were very few vegan options. I got the Tao-wrap, which was much better than I had supposed, and which also came at a great price. The vegan baker there is stupendous. I had a chocolate cake and the very nice waiter gave me an extra large piece with a complementary glass of soy milk.
I was really quite pleased to finally check out the Lake Side Cafe. The relaxing ambiance complemented the excellent food. All of the food is vegetarian and organic, and the majority is vegan or can be made vegan.
I had a vegan Chicago Polish, which was scarily close to what I remember hot dogs/polishes tasting like. My lunch partner also had the delicious Tao Bowl made of tempeh, kale, and black beans that I was robbing every 5 seconds. The vegan bakery is also something to try -- I sampled the coconut cream cake: the flavor was good though the texture was a bit strange. Overall, it's one of my new favorite places, and I can't wait to get back.
When we lived in this neighborhood, we came here a few times. It reminds me of what the Blind Faith Cafe was probably like when it first opened--not pretentious at all and just a small storefront diner with a great bakery. The Tao bowls are generously portioned, healthy, tasty, and are variable with the change in vegetables. As someone who really likes spices, I think there could be some more interesting flavors in their main menu items and some more options for hot drinks, like plain, fair-trade/organic coffee, although they may have since added that (it's been a few months). Highly recommended for those of you living in or visiting the North of Howard "nugget" of Chicago.