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Healthy and hearty!

5 Posted on 06 / 19 / 2013

Native Foods is definitely my favorite address in town. The plates and bowls are packed with goodness (generous portions): an explosion of flavors and colors, a nice balance of spices and exotism to tease and please your taste buds. Freshness and quality of the produces served give you a feel-good sensation. Prices are very reasonable and you can save some money thanks to the fidelity card. Friendly and layback atmosphere. Yes, I love the place!

My favorite: the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl, side of sweet potatoes with chipotle sauce.
Many delicious desserts: make sure you try the Peanut Butter Parfait: to die for!!! (and gluten free)

Pros: variety, very tasty dishes, great desserts

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Great place for casual eats

4 Posted on 06 / 06 / 2013

So nice to have an all vegan restaurant right in the Loop. My partner and I shared the fritters, the Azteca salad, and the Moroccan bowl with tofu. Everything was good. Portions were generous, service was fast, and prices were very reasonable. The staff was a team of really nice people that was just lovely. At the end of our meal, we couldn't help but get a slice of homemade apple pie for dessert, which was unfortunately not that good and a bit disappointing. However, it was still by and large a great spot that I would definitely recommend.

Pros: great food, nice staff, good value

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Meh.

2 Posted on 06 / 02 / 2013

I've eaten there twice. First time I had what was essentially a French dip type sandwich (not on the menu anymore) and the second time a had the Greek Gyro Earth Bowl. Both were wholly forgettable. I will say that the service is both fast and friendly but, ultimately, that's not what I'm there for. I won't be back but make your own judgment.

Pros: Friendliness of staff, Speed of service
Cons: Mediocre food, Price

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Quick and all vegetarian!

4 Posted on 11 / 03 / 2012

This is vegetarian/vegan fast food and delicious. A bit pricey but the right dish can offset the hole in your pocket. I love that everything on the menu I can eat (vegetarian)!

Pros: Fast, Many delicious options
Cons: Pricey

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Wonderful comfort food!

5 Posted on 10 / 19 / 2012

I LOVE this place. I actually crave it sometimes. Excellent comfort food. It is great to get a quick but relaxed bite with a glass of wine after work. I have loved everything that I have tried, from the Soul Bowl (my husband's go-to dish), the twister wrap, the Oklahoma burger (start hungry!), and a few of the salads. This is a great addition to the loop!

Pros: casual atmosphere, great comfort food, good value

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Tasty Food

4 Posted on 09 / 12 / 2012

I tried Native Foods- Loop Location today and was pleased. I have eaten at veg restaurant's with more flavorful food, but it was still quite tasty. I also think their menu is quite creative, the staff was really friendly, and the watermelon fresca was delicious.
I tried the Soul Bowl made with Native Chicken, and it was filling and tasted pretty good. I also had a cardamom rose cupcake loaded with icing that was good as well. It's really nice that there are 3 locations in Chicago as well. I hope this chain continues to expand to other cities!

Make sure you mention it's your first time in the store, because you get a free house made drink if you open up a rewards card (watermelon fresca, lavender lemonade, iced tea), with free refills.

Pros: Creative Menu, All Vegan (with lots of desserts), Friendly Staff
Cons: Slighly bland, but still good

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All the vegan travellers out there

5 Posted on 08 / 30 / 2012

SO happy a vegan place existed so close to the Amtrak station. Food was quick, filling, and really yummy, too. Try the Lavender Lemonade!

Pros: so yummy, friendly, available to go

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Great Place for Lunch

5 Posted on 07 / 29 / 2012

I ate lunch at Native Foods while I was on vacation. It's walking distance from the Art Institute of Chicago which I was visiting that day. We went at 11:30 a.m. and there was no line and the food came quickly. There was a long line of customers waiting to order when we left an hour later so if you are short on time I would recommend arriving early if possible. I ordered the seitan reuben sandwich and they accomodated my request to leave off the vegan cheese with no problem. The sandwich was very good, but could have had more Russian dressing which was supposed to be included. It didn't seem like there was much dressing, if any on my sandwich. The sandwich was good anyway. I signed up for their rewards card and got a free beverage. They gave me a glass that I could use to taste all 3 of their offerings. I liked the lavendar lemonade the best. I would definitely return to Native Foods when I return to Chicago or if I am in the area of any of their other locations

Pros: Vegan, Good Food, Friendly service
Cons: Pricey

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Way better than in California!!! Great lunch spot

5 Posted on 07 / 19 / 2012

I was a little skeptical of Native Foods expansion to the mid west. It started as a Southern California restaurant focusing on the So Cal Mex healthy food and blossomed into the #1 Vegan Chain in the USA. They were so lovely there, even with it being packed we felt like we were being waited on like a 5 star restaurant! Our drinks were refilled constantly, our order came out quickly and were asked if we needed any condiments, etc. I wish I had a watermelon lemonade right now and someone to refill it for me!!! The one thing that set this Native Foods out above and beyond SoCal was the way they handled our healthy vegan requests. We get the tacos minus everything with fat, which includes the fried shells. They cut their tortillas into tortilla shells for us, when they came out we were just BLOWN away! It was so inventive and wonderful and we constantly get friction from the SoCal locations for the tortilla substitution and they went and knocked it out of the ball park! Presentation @ Native Foods is never shabby and this was just beyond cool and tasty. I couldn't compliment their staff enough, Chicagoians know how to do it right!

Pros: healthy taco sub, refills, best staff ever!

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good food, big portions

4 Posted on 07 / 08 / 2012

The food was good, especially the desserts. The hamburger was more like shaved ham, but overall, I was pleased. The staff was nice, and it was counter service. The fries were excellent, and the peanut butter parfait was to die for (I bought three!), but I was not wowed by the chili fries. Overall I would go back again. I would give it 4 1/2 stars.

Pros: great desserts, decent prices, clean
Cons: a bit far from main area of loop

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Good Vegan Options

5 Posted on 06 / 17 / 2012

Nice to have vegan options in the downtown area. Love the variety and always fast and friendly service.

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nice variety of great food

4 Posted on 06 / 16 / 2012

good array of choices offered, but I usually tend to order the healthier choices (ones I can't easily make at home). a lot of their stuff isn't that healthy, so this is more of a rare reward (about once, to every other month). I enjoyed the non-healthy food too; sampling from friends' orders. this place will satisfy even non-vegans. I've been to all 3 in the chicago area. this review is consistent with each of them. their beverages taste great, and they have beer and wine, but no cider

Pros: decent, friendly service, good menu options, monthly promotions
Cons: a lot of high-caloric food, prices are slightly higher than average

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The Best

5 Posted on 06 / 07 / 2012

Consistently excellent food to suit all pallets, always fresh good food, Great cheese cake, Wonderful, friendly service. Mostly organic. Daily soups are great. Native Nachos are the best. Too many great menu items to mention all. Try anything and you will like it. Staff is efficient and can serve very quickly.

Pros: Great food, healthy, Friendly staff

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Lots of choice

4 Posted on 05 / 08 / 2012

The food here was really good, nice to have some healthy choices (Moroccan stew / Bangkok curry) as well as the usual burgers. Large portions, good value for money. Lavender lemonade was refreshing. Wish I had tried a cupcake, they looked YUM!

Pros: Lots of choice, Quick service, Lavender lemonade

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YUM!!!!!

5 Posted on 04 / 23 / 2012

What can I say? This place was ridiculously good. The Mushroom/Seitan burger was one of the very best vegan dishes I've ever eaten, with smoky mushroom flavour mixing with impeccably cooked tofu. I loved my kale side dish, and my wife's burger was also yummy. The free refills of watermelon juice and lemonade washed it all down. THe only non-perfect dish was the brownie, which was still above average. One of my new favourites....

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Excellent!

5 Posted on 04 / 14 / 2012

I went here for the first time today; the service was quick and the food tasty. If you're looking for a healthy meal this probably isn't the place for you. But the chips and burgers were good, and it was great to find a vegan place. Good value too.

Pros: Great staff, Cheap, Nice atmosphere
Cons: A bit junk-foody

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Very dissapointing

2 Posted on 04 / 10 / 2012

I was so excited for a new vegan option in downtown Chicago; unfortunately the food did not live up to my expectations. It was very artificial tasting and a little too junk-foodie for my tastes. And to top all that some friends and I went here for lunch and had a horrible experience, the costumer service was almost non-existent. So I wrote their headquarters to complain and received zero response. This tells you a little something about how they run their business. The food tastes like fast food and their complete disregard for the costumer's experience mimics the fast food industry. I'm sorry I don't have anything good to say about this place.

Cons: Customer Service, over-priced , noisy

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Amazing Comfort Food

5 Posted on 03 / 31 / 2012

This was my first Native Foods that I had ever been to. They have good comfort foods. I tried the chili cheese fries and the Native Chicken Wings. Both were really good, however, the Native Chicken Wings did freak me out a bit. Your first time at Native Foods, you can sign up for their card and you get a free drink. Their drinks also have free refills. They have three to choose from, Lavender Lemonade, Watermelon Fresca, and Native Iced Tea. I thought the Lavender Lemonade and the Native Iced Tea were the best! The best thing about Native Foods is that it is a vegan restaurant, so I could order anything on the menu!!!

Pros: Vegan Restaurant, Friendly Staff, Good Food

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Native Foods - The Loop

5 Posted on 01 / 07 / 2012

FINALLY open, hooray! Now I can stuff my face with vegan goodness during my lunch break.

I'll keep this short and sweet. I've had nearly everything on the menu, if you're looking for a burger, go with the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger (my absolute favorite) or the Chicken Run Ranch Burger. I also love the Chicago Dip Au Jus and the Italian Meatball sub. For a healthier option, go with the Yo Amigo Taco Salad or even the appetizer salad. My bf loves the chicken wings too...