Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen — Restaurant in Lake View Township

🌱 Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen – Edgewater Gem! 🌱

If you're looking for vegan food that’s full of heart, flavor, and creativity—Alice & Friends is a must-visit! Tucked in the heart of Edgewater, this cozy and colorful spot serves up generous portions of plant-based comfort food that even non-vegans will crave.

✨ Some of our absolute favorites:

Popcorn Nuggets – crispy, savory, and super satisfying.

Steamed Dumplings – delicate and flavorful with a perfect dipping sauce.

Banh Mi Sandwich – packed with fresh herbs, marinated tofu, and a spicy kick!

Their Asian-inspired entrees, plant-based burgers, and housemade desserts (don’t miss the cheesecake!) are thoughtfully crafted to suit a variety of dietary needs—gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options are available too.

The staff is incredibly kind and attentive, making the whole experience feel like dining with family. The space is relaxed and welcoming, with a fun, vibrant vibe that reflects the joyful spirit of their menu.

Whether you’re vegan, curious, or just hungry for something delicious, Alice & Friends delivers with flavor, care, and soul. 💚

📍 5812 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 📸 #AliceAndFriendsVeganKitchen #ChicagoVeganEats #EdgewaterEats #PlantBasedChicago #VeganComfortFood #MeatlessMondayEveryday #SupportLocalChicago🌱 Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen – Edgewater Gem! 🌱

If you're looking for vegan food that’s full of heart, flavor, and creativity—Alice & Friends is a must-visit! Tucked in the heart of Edgewater, this cozy and colorful spot serves up generous portions of plant-based comfort food that even non-vegans will crave.

✨ Some of our absolute favorites:

Popcorn Nuggets – crispy, savory, and super satisfying.

Steamed Dumplings – delicate and flavorful with a perfect dipping sauce.

Banh Mi Sandwich – packed with fresh herbs, marinated tofu, and a spicy kick!

Their Asian-inspired entrees, plant-based burgers, and housemade desserts (don’t miss the cheesecake!) are thoughtfully crafted to suit a variety of dietary needs—gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options are available too.

The staff is incredibly kind and attentive, making the whole experience feel like dining with family. The space is relaxed and welcoming, with a fun, vibrant vibe that reflects the joyful spirit of their menu.

Whether you’re vegan, curious, or just hungry for something delicious, Alice & Friends delivers with flavor, care, and soul. 💚

📍 5812 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 📸 #AliceAndFriendsVeganKitchen #ChicagoVeganEats #EdgewaterEats #PlantBasedChicago #VeganComfortFood #MeatlessMondayEveryday...

My husband Kenn and I finally got around to trying this place after knowing about it from visiting Father & Sons Barber next door, and all the positive yelp reviews. The visit did not disappoint!

We arrived just after the place opened and got a seat right by the window. Service was prompt and helpful with any questions we might have. The menu is extensive. I would say it's like a giant mix of Thai, Korean and Chinese influences with lots of other things mixed in. It was hard to decide on what to order since I LOVE Thai and everything sounded good.

We settled on a few things: Appetizers: vegan shrimp and fried egg rolls - Both were tasty. It was hard to believe the shrimp wasn't really shrimp! Many dishes are composed of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein, which is a soy derivative). I'm familiar with TVP, but have never seen it white like in the shrimp. I could have eaten more than one serving of that appetizer! The egg rolls were good, but not anything that stood out as unique as these are often vegetarian anyway.

Wonton Soup - This was a super tasty broth with a few broccoli florets and 3 wontons floating in it. The wontons didn't have as much flavor as I expected compared to the rest of the dish. The soup did seem like it just came off the boil because it was so hot. You seriously had to be careful eating it.

Entre: Kung Pao - This mix of spicy sauce with cabbage, veggies, cashews and little fried balls of TVP was delicious! The brown rice served with it was a nice balance to the spice, though the spice wasn't overpowering to the palette. My only complaint is the dish could have had more cashews in it. I only had a couple. Part of my love for dishes like this is the crunch the added nuts provide.

Kenn had the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bob and said it was really tasty. It was filled with vegetables, brown rice and TVP, served in a hot pot. I had a taste, and it was good, but I like spicier food and preferred my Kung Pao.

The only thing holding this review back from a 5-star rating is that many things are stir fried, or battered and fried. This helps disguise the TVP, but limits your options if you don't want something fried. We were fine with our dishes prepared as described with fried elements since we rarely eat any fried food anyway. But, I would explore other options on the menu next time.

Overall, this was a great experience that left us too full (and with leftovers) to try any of the desserts, which also sounded good. We left the restaurant with full bellies and I felt much lighter than when eating traditional Thai in non-vegan...

We've been eating at Alice & Friends, now and then, since it opened more than 10 years ago. We absolutely love the food and it continues to get better, but we mourn the décor that's changed for the worse (the missing 5th star is entirely because of the décor). When the restaurant first opened it had a cozy, eclectic feel with old mismatched furniture similar to what you might find in a non-chain coffee shop. It was a bit like Kopi's in Andersonville. During those years the place was popular with lots of customers. Then, one day, it was sold to a franchise and changed it's name to "Loving Hut." The place was redesigned to look like a sterile cafeteria, with tiled floors, white plastic tables and matching chairs. In addition, the walls were plastered with trite sayings, like "Your the best doctor for yourself if you think positively" (that one's in the bathroom). During those years the restaurant was part of cult that followed "Supreme Master Ching Hai," who according to Wikipedia -- in addition to her love of peace and veganism has had "alleged fund-raising improprieties" and some illegal construction projects. The restaurant during those years featured a continuous video loop of Ching Hai. Then, a few years ago, the place came under new ownership and reverted to the name "Alice & Friends." The décor was improved a bit, but still feels somewhat sterile and incongruous with the cuisine. Some of the weird cult quotes are still up, like "Whatever we speak will give a vibration; and accordingly, what we say, good or bad will effect upon us again." ....However, the food really is wonderful. I think the business likely struggles to draw customers because it lacks charm. Many still come because the food is so terrific. If Alice & Friends went back to it's good-old homey look, and took down most of the slogans, it would once again became a destination for everyone looking for great veggie food and a warm setting. It would also be great if they brought back their delicious "lady fingers" appetizer....a...