Vegan
American
A sister restaurant to Karyn's Cooked and Karyn's Raw in Chicago, opened in January 2010. Brunch served on Sat 11:30am-3pm and Sun 10am-3pm. MAR 2015 REPORTED SHUT, WEB PAGE AND FB NO LONGER.
27 Reviews
First Review by clashbabi
lifekey777
Points +40
Good Food, Good Customer Service Except ....... - Edit
I visited Chi Town about 3 weeks ago, and went to this spot. I ordered a club sandwich, that was sooo good and the server was great as well, but I also ordered a mixed drink, and the bartender was interviewing someone for a job there, and I had to wait almost 30 minutes before I got my drink or food. The server went upstairs to tell him to help us, but he did not come down until he finished the interview. (I could see him from downstairs) The server apologized about 5 times and he was embarrassed. I loved the food, and topped the server well, because it was not his fault. I will support this place again when I am in Chi Town !!! Great food!!! I'm glad that this place exist.
Read morePros: good food, good customer service from server
Cons: that bartender, long wait for food
Guest
Vegan Vagabond
Points +2659
Pretty Good, but could be so much better - Edit
This is such a great place, as far as the decor, location, etc, Karyn sunk a great deal of money into building this place, but the menu just doesn't match the setting. This place should be on the scale of Candle 79, Millennium, Vedge, or at least Sublime, but it is not. Don't get me wrong, I like the place, but with things on the menu like the vegan drumsticks, with the wood sticks for "bones", that you can get in many vegan Chinese places or in the Asian markets, I just have to wonder what they are thinking. The menu really doesn't change that much, which is like your basic diner. I think what this place is lacking is a top level chef. Someone with some creativity and the skills to deliver. I've also found the service to be hit or miss.
Read moreYou will enjoy this place. Dress up and enjoy the setting. Try the crabless cakes. Just don't expect to be dazzled.
Pros: Great decor, Pretty good food
Cons: Underachieves
Guest
Technicality
Points +101
Karyn's - Edit
Good food. Friendly and helpful staff.
Read moreI had lunch. Got the soup, salad, and sandwich special. Good value and portions. Fresh ingredients were used.
Pros: all vegan, good variety on the menu, nice ambiance
Cons: parking is hard
Guest
MissAlanna
Points +61
Awesome! - Edit
I came here for brunch and was blown away with how great everything tasted! The presentation of the food was even amazing, it definitely gave it that fine dining element. The waiter I had was also super friendly. If you haven't already been to Karyn's on Green, you should definitely make the trip!
Read moreGuest
sglcklch
Points +2815
Fantastic! - Edit
I wasn't sure about this place at first because of the boring looking menu, but after dining here I have to say I'm completely sold. The two of us ordered two appetizers, one entrée, and two sides to share:
Read moreCrab sliders - very good, a great dish to start off our evening.
Acorn squash - didn't interest me at all at the beginning, but ended up ordering it out of our waiter's recommendation. It was beautifully presented and truly delicious. Definitely the highlight of our meal.
Roasted portobello - I know, I know... It does sound pretty ho-hum but was actually quite good. It was well prepared and hit all the right spots.
Quinoa hush puppies - reminded me of the south Indian fried snack "vada" (both texture- and taste-wise). Really good paired up with the coconut-curry aioli. A must-order!
Caramelized Brussels sprouts - doused in a mustard vinaigrette that lent these a piquant taste. I thought they were a little bit on the raw side and could have been cooked slightly longer. A decent side dish nonetheless.
Portions were surprisingly generous. Factoring in the food quality, the attentive service, and the clean, trendy décor, the prices couldn't be more reasonable. Overall I felt that the starters and the sides outshined the main dishes, so I would recommend focusing on those. Also, they serve Dr. Cow cheeses (aka world's best vegan cheeses!) on their cheese plate, so go for it if you want to.
Pros: great food, reasonable prices, nice service
Guest
jdestefanis
Points +41
A great place for a night out - Edit
Great food served with a nice presentation. Karyn's has a nice, trendy atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
MamaTalibah
Points +11
Date Night Spot - Edit
Very laidback ambiance and Karyn's never-fail delicious food. Although I would say I enjoy Karyn's Cooked slighty more.
Read morePros: Bar, Great choices
Cons: portions seem a bit small
Guest
PurpleSocialist
Points +32
Awesome & romantic! - Edit
I tried the raw spaghetti and it was absolutely delicious.
Read moreWhen I came to this restaurant I was new into my vegetarianism so I didn't want to go too far out of my comfort zone.
I came with a carnivore and sampled some of their crab cakes [I've never tasted crab cakes made from the animal]-it was very flavorful and even seemed to have a hint of that seafood taste.
The atmosphere is very romantic at night.
This is a great place for lunch or dinner-definitely an intimate atmosphere.
Pros: excellent food, fabulous decor
Guest
BanjoGirl
Points +227
Great for a special occasion - Edit
I really enjoy this restaurant. I have been here a handful of times, and each time was unique and great. The food presentation is excellent, and they are good about incorporating seasonal dishes. The sliders are a particular favorite of mine, but everything here is very nice. There is a good drink selection, and a sophisticated ambiance.
Read morePros: ambiance, food presentation, attentive wait staff
Cons: somewhat expensive
Guest
Carol Lee Murray
Points +44
Delicious, Definitely a repeat - Edit
We were visiting Chicago, so I was anxious to try an all vegan restaurant and was certainly not disappointed. The ambiance was wonderful, I loved the music in the background, and the food was delicious. We will be sure to visit there whenever we are in Chicago. October 16, 2012
Read moreGuest
Veggie46
Points +112
awesome! - Edit
One of my favorite vegan spots. Great place for brunch. Their drinks are really good too.
Read moreGuest
Vitxo
Points +414
Great place to eat!! - Edit
Simply superb!One of the best vegan restaurants we have ever been to!!
Read morePros: excellent food, friendly staff, food presentation
Guest
Caroline12345
Points +65
Good - Edit
The service here was great and our server was extremely friendly. The vegetable soup ordered was just ok. The sauteed vegetables I got were decent and the main meals were fine. Overall the food was vegan but nothing special. I was upset to learn that most of their desserts had sugar instead of agave or another sweetner. I probably would not come back but it was good for that one time.
Read morePros: great service, all vegan food
Cons: food was not great
Guest
MattyB
Points +94
Great food - Edit
Food is really good, and they have some creative options. It is a little expensive, but worth it. Get the brussel sprouts.
Read moreGuest
mollypitcher
Points +72
Fantastic! - Edit
This place is great! The menu is interesting and the food is really good--I'm not such a fan of the fake seafood, but that is just a personal preference. I haven't had a meal here I didn't like. I highly recommend the pizzas, the bbq seitan, and the brussels spouts! The atmosphere is lovely and the seating outside in the summer was a nice treat. And the drinks are well worth the price. It is nice to have a nicer vegan option in the city.
Read morePros: food, drinks, atmosphere
Guest
elles_belles
Points +1301
Good but a bit overrated - Edit
I love the ambiance of the place. I wasn't a fan of the drumsticks. The seitan seemed undercooked. I loved the brussels and the almond ice cream! I wasn't impressed by the shepard's pie.
Read moreGuest
veganmiss
Points +540
Love this place! - Edit
While Karyn's on Green can be very expensive, if you cut out the alcohol your bill will probably be about $60-70 for two people. With alcohol and desserts, you are looking at about $125 (they do have organic liquor which is nice). It is the place to go for a vegan who wants to splurge, take someone out on a very nice date, or show an omnivore the classy side to plant-based dining.
Read moreIt is one of my top five vegan restaurants in the city. The service can be spotty, though. I've had some really great waiters and some really snooty ones. I give the place a 4.5/5 because of this.
For a complete review, please see my blog here: http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2011/12/vegan-chicago-restaurant-review-of_05.html
Pros: excellent food, great atmosphere
Cons: snooty service sometimes
Guest
AnnFromIllinois
Points +760
A must go to restaurant - Edit
If you like fine dining, go here. Vegan or not you're going to love this place. The service is excellent, and the food is outstanding. I HIGHLY recommend the butternut squash soup. I don't know what Karyn did to it, but it is out of the world wonderful!
Read moreThis is a classy place with many interesting choices. The portions are large and the prices very reasonable. I can't wait to return!
Pros: Fine dining, Helpful, approachable servers, Reasonable prices
Guest
jaclark00
Points +27
Very Good - Edit
Karyn's on Green is a very good vegan restaurant. The menu is a little limited & a tad pricey, but the food is delicious. Very clean & open environment. Nice atmosphere, expecially for dinner with the special someone.
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Great Atmosphere, Friendly Staff
Cons: Limited Menu, Price
Guest
als chicago
Points +36
Fabulous upscale vegan - Edit
Karyn's has finally provided Chicago with a great upscale location and menu for vegans. The food was very good and the atmosphere outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will be back for sure.
Read morePros: fabulous staff, gorgeous environment, fabulous and creative food
Guest
BritLange
Points +22
Karyn's on Green! - Edit
My fiance and I went to Chicago Veganmania 2010, and searched some vegan places to go in Chicago (we live 3hrs from Chicago.) One was Karyn's on Green. High class and very aesthetically pleasing. The food was amazing, and the people were very friendly. We went in street clothes- but this is a very classy environment, and the waiters don't hesitate to present you with that attitude. Somewhat snooty, but overall reliable service, Good prices, Great food!!
Read morePros: Great food, Large variety of dishes, Aesthetically pleasing
Cons: customer service
Guest
TexasVegan
Points +87
Fantastic - Edit
On a recent trip to Chicago I was fortunate enough to have dinner at Karyn's on Green with a couple friends. I'm not going to go in detail about what all we had because it's completely unnecessary. EVERYTHING was delicious. Further, for a gourmet restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere, it has REALLY reasonable prices. It's the most affordable true vegan gourmet restaurant I've ever been to - though the others were in San Francisco and New York where everything is more expensive. On top of that, our waitress was friendl, helpful and knowledgeable.
Read moreI literally only had one complaint. They were rocking some weird easy listening/contemporary jazz type mix just a little too hard. Nonetheless, next time in Chicago visiting Karyn's on Green will be at the top of my to do list.
Pros: amazing food and atmosphere, great service, reasonable prices
Cons: terrible music
Guest
happycowgirl
Points +5631
Fantastic - Edit
The decor is amazing, the staff is exceptionally helpful and friendly and the food is fantastic. You are virtually assured you will have a wonderful evening. A great place to celebrate a special occasion. There was a table of about 25 people there when we went and all left smiling and happy. Seems like a good sign to me. I'll be back!
Read morePros: atmosphere, gourmet vegan food!, the best staff on the planet
Guest
Keith_Thode
Points +712
My New Favorite - Edit
I don't think that I can say enough good things about Karyn's on Green - or Karyn - or Jerry.
Read moreI first ate at Karyn's Raw, and the waitress suggested that I try Karyn's Cooked as well as the new Karyn's on Green. As I later discovered, all 3 are terrific, but "Green" is unbelievable. At first glance, you might think that you need to dress up for the experience, but once you enter, you immediately feel relaxed in any dress code you choose.
The waitstaff and others are extremely helpful and friendly. They give you the impression that they really love the place and love working there.
Karyn was there when I was there, which was not much of a coincidence, since she visits all 3 of her restaurants every day. She will come over to talk to every customer - an unequaled personal touch. You are made to feel very much at home here.
When I informed the waitress of my likes and dislikes regarding food, she made several suggestions. The first one was the Potato Leek soup, even though I said that I don't like leeks. Upon placing the first spoonful of the soup in my mouth, I never wanted it to leave. I hesitated to swallow, but I knew there was more in the bowl. Very soon though, it was gone, and I was disappointed. That is, until the waitress's second suggestion arrived. It was a lentil salad that wasn't yet on the menu. I won't bother to try to describe it. I couldn't do it justice.
Next, came the waitress's third suggestion - the barbecue "chicken legs." They were in keeping with the precedence set with the soup and the salad.
This food isn't just great, it's a religious experience.
Now for the desert. We come down to Earth. The Banana's Foster was very imaginative, but too sweet for my taste. That's not a failing, it's just not for me. Then came the second desert (compliments of Karyn, because I told her that I thought of myself as a connoisseur of Vegan cheesecake and wasn't crazy about the one that I had at Karyn's store). It had a coconut taste, which doesn't work for me. I like Vegan cheesecake without coconut. Again, that's not a failing. It's just my taste.
I have eaten at other vegetarian restaurants in the Chicago area, and I planned on going back to them, as well as try new ones, but Karyn's on Green and her other restaurants have made it impossible with my short visits to Chicago, to try other restaurants.
Guest
RachelLouise
Points +543
Great food in an overly fancy atmosphere - Edit
I went here last night with my boyfriend. We like Karyn's other restaurants and we were excited to try this one.
Read moreWe really enjoyed our food. We got the Chorizo Sliders as an appetizer, and they were excellent. The Chicken Legs were very good, and had a great texture. The Shepherd's Pie was also very good. For dessert we had the Chocolate Terrine. It was good and very rich, but I don't think it was worth $9.
The staff were very friendly. The only thing we didn't like was that there were so many excess staff that we felt a bit uncomfortable. For example, there is someone whose job it is to stand in the coat check room all night, and someone who stands outside opening the door. We felt sorry for them, and it made the evening somewhat awkward.
Pros: Fancy, good food, good service
Cons: Too much service
Guest
·X·
Points +17394
BEST NEW VEGAN RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO!!! - Edit
Hands down best new Vegan spot in Chicago to this day!
Read moreSo my friend and I decided to try Karyn's on Green last night, but when we drove by we weren't sure we were dressed up enough. Well we decided to go in anyway and as it turns out, it doesn't matter how you're dressed - all of the employees were so friendly when we walked in too.
The decor is amazing and the location is huge...shall I say the decor is amazing again? Because it is! This is a GREAT spot to take anyone on a date or a friend to a nice diner without the terribly high prices. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the prices, although they're not super cheap, the main courses averaged around $14.
The food was amazing and presented nicely (and fancy-like), here's what we got::
"Crab Cakes" (appetizer): These were amazing and that's coming from someone that doesn't like crab or imitation crab. You get two crab cakes, sauteed spinach, and mustard sauce with this appetizer.
"Fried Chicken Legs" (my meal): This entree is like vegan heaven; the "chicken" legs have a consistency that closely resembles the real deal (mind you I haven't had chicken in over 20 years, but I'd like to think I remember the consistency). This dish is served with sweet potato hash (I substituted this for the "Baked Mac & Cheese"), Swiss chard (with little sausage bits), and Kentucky Bourbon barbecue sauce.
"Baked Mac & Cheese" (my side): This was good, but I thought it was bland overall. It tasted much better when I added a lot of salt to it. The thing that differentiated this dish from other vegan mac & cheese dishes it that it had cheese that melts on it, nice.
"BBQ Bacon Meatloaf" (my non-vegan friend's meal): This is served with horseradish roasted fingerlings, escarole, and Kansas City BBQ sauce. My friend absolutely loved this dish and proceeded to talked about it the whole ride home. I had a taste of this at the restaurant and agree that it was very good.
"Chocolate Terrine" (dessert): This comes with compressed pear, salted cashew mousse, raspberry sorbet, and cocoa nibs. Needless to say, this dish was mind blowing. The sorbet tasted homemade too, it was so good!
Overall this place gets an A+ in my book; I will surely bring all of my friends here, vegan or not. :)
Guest
clashbabi
Points +80
my new hot spot - Edit
Karyns Cooked & Karyns Raw are AH-MAZING, but Karyns On The Green is her best yet.
Read moreSwanky atmosphere, cool music, delicious food, amazing service, and a hott crowd.
Anyone -vegan or not- should check this place out.
No doubt, this is my new hangout spot -- whether it be girls night out, family time, or a hot date.
I'll see you there, friends.
Pros: atmosphere
Guest
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