Healthyums — Restaurant in Zion

My health conscious vegan friend recommended that we stop there for breakfast on a Saturday morning on our way to Wisconsin. He said there were lots of options and it was a cool place. Well, my mind was blown!

Parking was easy to find on the street. Zion is a quaint northeastern Illinois town. Very family friendly vibes. The owners which are a large family are not ashamed of their love for Christ, which we both appreciated. I was expecting a tiny little cafe but its not. There is a large, open dining and ordering area and the place feels homey and welcoming with its high ceiling, brick walls, knick knacks, and warm treatment. Went to the attached general store next door where a plethera of novelties were for sale, many of a spiritual nature (any kind of Bible version, handmade crafts, wooden put together model kits, neat stuff in general)... They even had non toxic toiletries brands that I love.

Then we ordered our food and drinks at the ordering counter next door where the goodies cases/to go items and miscellaneous items were located. Tons of treats that were gluten free, vegan, healthier made, along with stuff for meat, wheat and dairy lovers . My friend ordered from a separate vegan menu...a healthy wholesome breakfast skillet, fresh fruit plate and banana nut muffin with a coffee. He loved everything. I had a peanut butter choco chip cookie, mini lemon cashew cheezecake, and house made honey peanut butter. All absolutely wonderful and tasty. The people working there are super lovely too and engaged with us. I learned that tiger nut milk is good and a real thing that they make on location and I was gifted a little take home cup for my morning coffees since I never knew of it before and i live in a big foodie city🥴 .

We loved their food, drink and service so much that we bought bags of their special blend roasted house coffee to go, which is freshly roasted in Wisconsin. I will definitely be back again if ever near the area. Everything is made with love, attention, from scratch. No gimmicks, no garbage, no attitude, no pretentiousness.

God bless...

I have celiac disease and my husband is a vegetarian so finding places we can both eat at is very difficult. So being in the Zion area we looked and found this gem! So many gluten free and vegan options. Everything was so yummy and the staff is very friendly. I'm attaching photos of the gf cinnamon roll and french toast. Also pictures of the vegan cinnamon roll and french toast. I'm adding the menu as well so you can see for yourself all they have to offer. Also I emailed the restaurant before going in to ask about the safety of the gluten free food and this was the response "Hi, thanks for writing in! While we are not an exclusively gluten-free facility, we do take the utmost care in serving our customers - gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, or otherwise. Very little on our menu contains gluten besides our homemade bread. We do not use a grill or fryer; every single order is made in/on pans and/or trays that are washed thoroughly in between uses. We have two separate toasters (one exclusively for use with gluten-free products), and a separate oven where we bake all our gluten-free bakery items. We also have a dedicated gluten-free grain mill, mixer, and work station where our gluten-free bread and other bakery items are made. Our staff (100% family-run) is VERY knowledgeable about potential allergies, and very good at taking care about avoiding cross contamination. We have not experienced a single problem in the three years we have been open, and have quite a number of gluten-free, dairy-free, and other allergies that we work with on a daily basis. If you have any other questions, or need any further information, please feel free to stop by our business where we would be better able to show you anything you might still have questions about." so I felt safe going in to eat. They really care about their customers and it shows. Everyone needs to try this place at least once.

I went back again today and got the omelet oh my was it yummy I'm...

Food was so good. I had stir fry veggies n fruit from the vegan menu. The stir fry was not oily or salty.. was made just right.. fruit was really fresh n juicy.. Hubby had a waffel n scrambled eggs. He said halfway thru the waffel he was full...that never happens. So win. And he said it taste good. He ordered from the regular menu. We had coffee which was delicious and tasted like coffee and it was fresh brewed. I was impressed with the food. The place is quaint with ambiance. Our table was away from others and we could talk n laugh 😃 without issue. The staff was wonderful ..all smiles and about the business. Will go back for a lunch and dinner meal to be fair in my evaluation.

LUNCH: I ordered from vegan. Hubby from regular menu...we got the same thing. Veggie burger n unfries n coffee. It was amazingly good. Burger was nice and thick. My only issue was I got 1 slice of lettuce, a quarter tomatoe and a fraction of onion to put on my burger..that is not enough to dress a burger. Next time I will ask for more and see response. Burger was hefty for sure. Hubby ask for crispy fries and they were, not burnt but crispy. So all was great for lunch. We also indulged in dessert..a medley of mini cheesecakes. I was especially interested in the cashew lemon cheesecake..the plant based version. It was delish..not tasting like the real thing or as I remember but a good taste for sure. Hubby's comments were the same , he loved the burger and crispy unfries.. He is not vegan and it was his suggestion to come for lunch..so...