Report Abuse

Yummy

5 Posted on 10 / 29 / 2012

We've been going to his restaurant since it opened. Everything on the menu is delicious. All dishes are super healthy with a great mix of veggies. They have dishes containing all parts of plants (roots, tuber, greens). The varying sauces are all excellent. The tea I drink contains actual chunks of ginger (yum); no prepackaged tea bag.

Bill (owner) is super nice and welcoming.

The environment is very calming & clean.

You'll leave here stuffed but a good kind of stuffed, feeling super healthy and energized. We've been looking for an alternative "go to" veggie restaurant as an option to this, but have yet to locate another that's enticing as a mainstay for us. Amitabul- nothing compares.

Pros: Tremendous tasting, healthy food., Welcoming atmosphere
Cons: None

Report Abuse

My ultimate healthy vegan mecca

5 Posted on 07 / 19 / 2012

I read about Amitabul years ago and never managed to get to it while in Chicago, finally on a trip in over the weekend I made it to my mecca a TOTALLY OIL FREE vegan restaurant (they do use sesame oils for flavor, but not cooking and you can omit) I started with a plate full of vegan dumplings, don't forget the spicy sauce and plum sauce to kick them up, its so nice when you break them open not to see globs of oil oozing out! I had the kim chi noodle bowl. Bill the owner was so nice and took our order and they kept the delicious purified water glasses full (HUGE to combat the spicy food) I thought I could eat the entire menu, but half way through and drinking gobs of water to combat the spice (heaven to me!) I was physically full!!! I boxed it up and ate it later before bed, it was just as good!!! I've never had kim chi cooked into a dish before and it was just beyond delicious, I didn't want to stop eating!!! I can't believe its taken me so long to make it to Amitabul. I looked at the news articles and clippings on the wall from the 1990s and am just sad it took me so long to find a place that is so congruent with my way of healthy eating. Korean food is my favorite food on the planet and to find healthy korean vegan just seems like dream. Amitabul just hits it out of the park on flavor/inventiveness/great menu / portion size / friendliness and service. Its one of the few restaurants that you leave healthier than you came in! It lived up to every expectation I had and I can't wait to go back!

Pros: oil-free, kim chi, huge portions

Report Abuse

Great food!

5 Posted on 06 / 30 / 2012

It was a nice small quiet restaurant. The food was very healthy and tasty. ALl our meals were very spicy even with the mild sauces. If you cannot eat spicy food make sure to say not spicy. The portions were very large and filling. It was delicious and I would come back again!

Pros: great food, all vegan
Cons: slow service, large portions

Report Abuse

Simply Fantastic!

5 Posted on 06 / 30 / 2012

Plenty of great reviews, but I'll add a quick 5 cower myself. Best I've ever had!

Pros: Delicious, Fresh, Friendly
Cons: 220 mils from home

Report Abuse

Very delicious and healthy Korean cousin

5 Posted on 01 / 21 / 2012

Very delicious and healthy Korean cousin. Completely vegan and has a feel as a macrobiotic cooking (recommend!) Unfortunately the place is not good for large group but perfect to have a healthy dinner with a few friends.

Report Abuse

Kim Chee Noodle Soup

5 Posted on 11 / 18 / 2011

Ditto to all of the above. I had the Kim Chee Noodle Soup. WOW! Delicious....packed with fresh vegetables and the best kim chee I've ever tasted. It's spicey and the portion size is HUGE but I couldn't put my spoon/fork down. Just one more bite....

Pros: fresh, delicious, generous

Report Abuse

Healthy Vegan

4 Posted on 07 / 25 / 2011

Don't believe the others claims of having the healthiest food around. This place will leave you feeling good. No it is not RAW and yes it is all VEGAN. The food served here is a type of Korean/Healthy-Vegan fusion. I've had the bibim bop and some of the boochingae. Very well made and the tastes are excellent.

Pros: Healthy , all vegan, awesome service

Report Abuse

Welcome, but some surprises...

3 Posted on 04 / 25 / 2011

Good friendly homely restaurant. Our only experience with Buddhist cuisine was Chinese Vegetarian restaurants in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, London, Florida, etc... and one reason we sometimes eat there is because they don't use onions and garlic, which we strictly avoid too (these are foods that bind us strongly like ropes to materialistic life)... so we just say "no mushrooms no fungus no eggs please" (these are foods in the mode of darkness)... here the dishes were full of onions and garlic. The chef prepared a meal without, but it wasn't quite the same after the shock of that heavy taste in the mouth in the first bite. We paid though, because honestly there is no strict definition of "Buddhist" cuisine, almost anything goes, many buddhists eat meat as a matter of course.

So, anyone else going there, if you don't want onions and garlic, please say so upfront.

Report Abuse

Awesome in every way

5 Posted on 01 / 15 / 2011

I can't add much except to confirm the other excellent reviews on this site. Warm, welcoming feeling when you walk in. Friendly, kind staff. The food is fantastic.

I would especially recommend this restaurant to someone who is vegetarian trying to go vegan or to those who have friends or relatives who are skeptics of vegan cuisine. This restaurant is a showcase of just how flavorful vegan cuisine can be.

Report Abuse

High expectations blown out of the water

5 Posted on 08 / 04 / 2010

I recently went to Amitabul with a couple of friends, expecting to satisfy my needs for a good vegan meal and my other friends' desires for good, authentic Korean food. I have heard rave reviews about this place, so I was expecting a lot. I was blown away with how amazing this place was.

I ordered the Bim bop kimchi or something along those lines, and tried the Tibetan curry and another noodle dish, and then the spiciest soup on the menu. all of these dishes had such distinctive and amazing flavors. Even though it was so spicy, you could really taste the unique aspects of each dish.

The service was excellent--both people working were so kind and attentive and seemed to really enjoy providing the food to their patrons.

It has been only 5 days since I sat down at Amitabul, and I have craved it every hour since then. I can't WAIT to go there and explore every dish on the menu.

this is my FAVORITE restaurant, vegan, in chicago, or otherwise, EVER.

I can NOT recommend this place more: go there, feel amazing, and feel as if you just indulged in something you should regret (but can't! it's too healthy)!

Pros: authenticity, health, taste--to die for.
Cons: distance from inner city

Report Abuse

Excellent healthy restaurant!

5 Posted on 09 / 25 / 2009

I was in Chicago on business & found this restaurant here on www.happycow.net. It was only 3 miles from my hotel so I took a cab over & I am so glad I did! It was fantastic! I ordered the Cure All Soup. It was served in an enormous bowl. There was no way I could finish it all. I wish I hadn't been in a hotel so I could take the rest back with me & enjoy it for a couple more days. It was so flavorful (and spicy hot) and full of yummy veggies. It was also very spicy, so if you like it milder this probably isn't the soup for you. I also ordered the green juice, and it was equally good. A delightfully sweet complement to the spicy soup. The staff was friendly, even called a cab for me when I was finished. I hope I have a chance to go to Amitabul if I'm ever in Chicago again. Next time, I want to try the vegan dumplings!

Pros: healthy, friendly staff, huge portions

Report Abuse

Authentically Korean and delicious

5 Posted on 09 / 03 / 2009

I'm Korean so I should know how good Korean food can be. Often, Korean food in the States is "Americanized" by adding meats and more sugar than necessary. This is not the case at Amitabul. It was my third time in Chicago, but my first time at Amitabul. It's about a 25 minute cab ride from downtown, but it was well worth the $20. It's difficult to catch a cab back, so we had to call a cab service to come pick us up. When we first walked in there were only two other people in the medium sized dining area, but after we were seated, the place quickly filled to 3/4 capacity. The owner/chef? greeted many of the guests by name. I guess it's a neighborhood mainstay. We started out with the dumplings, which were soft, tender, and perfectly seasoned. I had spicy mixed veggies with rice cakes which were super spicy - but I loved it. It cleared up my sinuses in minutes! Extra napkins, please! I didn't know how large the portions would be so I ordered the kimchee soup on the side. Big mistake. Both dishes were big, and I struggled to finish both. Couldn't do it, but I had fun trying! The Korean food here is authentic, delicious, and yes, vegan. I would love it if the restaurant served bahn-jan with the meals, but the portions are so big, you don't really miss it. This is healthy Korean cuisine at its best!

Pros: Authentic Korean food, Large portions, Nice menu selection
Cons: A little out of the way

Report Abuse

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

5 Posted on 03 / 18 / 2009

I absolutely love Amitabul!! Everything I have tried became my new favorite meal. I love it so much that I force myself to order something diffrent every time...and I still can't decide which my favorite. Everything is healthy, featuring great combinations & flavors. Dr. K's Cure All Soup is my favorite thing to eat if I am sick, or might be getting sick. It knocks whatever out of you & kills whatever is making my throat sore. :)

Pros: delicious food, healthy, unique
Cons: there is only 1, I don't live next door, closed on sun or mon& i forget sometimes

Report Abuse

One of my new favorite places in the Chicago area!

5 Posted on 03 / 12 / 2009

Oh my goodness this is definitely a find! I ate here for the first time last week and I was more than impressed. Not only is this place Vegan and health conscious, but the food tastes amazing (especially for being so healthy!). So I tried many things from here and I highly recommend all of them. I started with the green juice (can't remember the name but it had fruits as well as spinach and cucumber in it) and I was very impressed...my Vegan dining counterpart enjoyed their protein juice as well. The appetizer we chose, Vegan dumplings, was my favorite part of the meal! I can't believe they're Vegan and healthy!!! Finally for my meal I got the The Dark Side of the Moon (with rice noodles)...spectacular! My friend's dish was quite tasty as well and the rice cakes in their dish were so good! I will be here often and Amitabul is one of my new favorites here!

Pros: Everything, **VERY** friendlly staff!

Report Abuse

Fantastic & healthy

5 Posted on 03 / 03 / 2009

This place is great! I eat hear pretty regularly and have always had good meals. The dumplings are wonderful, as is most everything on the menu. This food will warm you from the inside out.

Pros: excellent food, healthy, friendly staff

Report Abuse

Pretty Good

3 Posted on 03 / 08 / 2008

Amitabul is not only vegan, but also very health-focused. To me, this is an excellent feature and I will sacrifice a little bit of taste for that. In fact, I expect to, because fat, sugar, and salt lend a lot of spice to a dish. There are more subtle flavors in natural foods to attend to that I also enjoy. The problem being, the food is so healthy that I can't get anyone to eat there with me. If you are a person who enjoys eating health food, you'll love it. If you are a "meat and potatos" vegan, you'll likely hate it.

Pros: Healthy, Large Menu, Good Portion Size
Cons: Bland, Subpar service, Can't get non-health nuts to eat there

Report Abuse

Wonderful!

5 Posted on 06 / 18 / 2007

This small Korean, vegan, restaurant is a hidden gem. Located only 6.5 miles from O'Hare Intl. Airport, this delicious haven is a great place to take visitors. I recommend the Wolfman's Dream Treats "Super energy pumping dish with large chunks of chestnut, sweet potato, potato, and radish with touch of mixed nut and many healthy veggies (Mild, Medium, or Spicy)" for $9.95. It was very hearty and tasty. I also enjoyed the Sunset Smoothie (Tofu, Apple, Strawberry, Mango, & Orange). It was fun to see the oragami (sp?) birds. There is a photo of the owner with none other than Richard Gere and the Dalla Lama (sp?) Carry out available until 30 min. of closing. Cooking classes available.

Pros: Delicious!!, Open Tue-Sat. 12-10 p.m., Nonvegan won't miss a thi
Cons: Closed Sunday and Monday, Easy to miss from outside, Street prkg; busy street