Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Mexican
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. A small Mexican restaurant in the South Loop with a full bar and a separate vegan menu. NOTE: Reported to cook vegan items in shared oil with non-vegan items. Open Mon-Thu 11:00am-11:00pm, Fri 11:00am-1:00am, Sat 12:00pm-1:00am, Sun 12:00pm-10:00pm.


Venue map for La Cantina
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30 Reviews

First Review by docpoet

gymvegano

Points +365

Vegan
14 Nov 2023

WOW - simply - WOW

A separate vegan menu with access to dozens of delicious options.
Tacos, chimichangas, burritos, quesadillas, and more.
We were so happy with the e food and the service.

Pros: Everything , Flavorful , Well-though vegan side menu

LEGirard

Points +137

Vegan
14 Oct 2023

Great Vegan Mexican Food

Wow! Wow! Wow! My wife an I are vegan and we have managed to find a few vegan Mexican restaurants and some that have some vegan options. This place blew our minds and pallets! They have vegan meats, beans, rice, and vegan cheese, as well as house made guacamole and salsa. We had chips, salsa, guac, “beef” enchilada, and “chorizo” chimichanga. Everything was very tasty and just like we remembered from before we were vegan. If we have time I’ll go back and order more so I can get pictures.

The place is a very small “hole in the wall” type restaurant that looks like more of a bar. It did serve meat and dairy dishes, but it was packed with people, the service was great, and the vegan food fantastic.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-10

Pros: Several vegan options and separate vegan menu, Very tasty (dare I say authentic), Good service

Cons: Very small, Gets crowded quick

Veggie46

Points +112

Vegan
08 Oct 2023

Delicious!

This place was great! Simple, delicious Mexican food. Service was super quick, even with the placed being packed. Wish they had better beer choices.

Ashvegan02

Points +148

Vegan
13 Sep 2023

Amazing food

Food is amazing here. It's a regular spot for me.

Jeremx

Points +40

Vegan
30 May 2023

Great vegan options for Mexican food

I got the "beef" chimichanga simply because I've never seen that as a vegan menu option anywhere and it didn't disappoint. Vegan beef, cheese, and sour cream. It came with a side of beans and rice which were both delicious. They had a whole sizeable portion of the menu dedicated to vegan options. Definitely recommended.

Pros: Food quality, Free chips and salsa, Hard to find vegan options

Tomn68

Points +11

Mostly Veg
30 Sep 2022

Lots of vegan choices

They have a full vegan menu alongside the regular menu. Nice local vibe. Good was great. One knock on it was I thought the margarita was a bit lite on the tequila which seemed odd since they have quite the list of cocktails. I’d try it again though. Might go back tonight.

Pros: Has a vegan/vegetarian menu, Food was very good, Staff super nice

Cons: Margarita was a bit on the weak side and sweet

Vegan Vagabond

Points +2715

Vegan
21 May 2022

Best vegan nachos in Chicago

YMMV, but I really like how this place makes their nachos. Most places just pile up a bunch of tortilla chips and then dump the cheese, sauce, etc on top and run them to your table. This place piles up their chips, layers on the refried beans and cheese, **bakes them in the oven** and then layers on the sauce, veggies, sour cream, etc. This is how nachos are supposed to be made!

Anyway, their vegan section of their menu is large and varied, with plenty of options. The people are nice, the service is friendly, and the food is very good.

alisonmarie2214

Points +18

Vegan
08 Aug 2020

Amazing options, great for delivery and mixed company

I love that they have a giant separate vegan menu including vegan cheese and sour cream, beef, and chorizo, along with veggie based options for tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, chimichangas, and even Chile rellenos. My favorite place to order as a treat-- try the stuffed quesadillas and mini chimichangas

Pros: Clearly labeled, separate vegan menu , Always deliver faster then estimated , Lots of options for everyone

Cons: A little pricey

SonjaBierschenk

Points +32

Vegan
26 Nov 2019

fast service and homey feel

I sat at the bar, the drinks and quesadilla were great!

Pros: lots of vegan options , large servings

Cons: crowded

KeithChavers

Points +46

Vegan
10 Nov 2019

Food was not very good. Horrible customer service by Luis.

My wife barely touched her food as she did not like it. She had gotten the vegan taco salad. The only thing that she pretty much had was half of the taco bowl taco shell. When it was time to pay, I asked for the taco bowl to not be charged as my wife didn’t like it and didn’t even touch it really. Luis then told us that it couldn’t be refunded and that he would be charged for the meal as we waited until we were done to tell him. The only reason that we waited to tell him was because he literally did not check on us during the entire time that we were eating at the restaurant. We then spoke with the manager who refunded us. I will not be revisiting this restaurant.

Pros: Cool that they had vegan options

Cons: Server did not check on us once we received food, Food was not very good.

krysteleal

Points +632

Vegan
27 Oct 2019

Awesome discovery!

I really liked thus restaurant. It’s a great place for a dinner with friends. A lot of vegan options... the quesadillas are delicious!

CLFORD

Points +80

Vegan
18 Oct 2019

I really enjoyed this!

This is a casual and Mexican restaurant and bar with a rustic feel. They have a separate Vegan menu. That vegan menu his a bit confusing because it lists “cheese, sour cream, ground beef and chorizo”, so I wondered if they were a bit confused on the definition of Vegan. Haha. 😂 The helpful waitress explained that everything on the vegan menu was really vegan and contained vegan alternatives. However those alternatives were soy based, and some people like me avoid soy.

The oil they use to cook with is canola, which I generally avoid. Also the oil they cook in is also used with non vegan items which is a turn off for some.

The food tasted amazing and the potions were good.

Pros: Lots of Vegan options, Separate Vegan Menu, Helpful staff

Cons: The Vegan menu lists cheese, sour cream, beef etc, But those are actually vegan alternatives..., And those alternatives are mostly soy based..

JD1234

Points +108

Vegan
11 Oct 2019

Excellent

I had a Chimichanga with Chorizo and absolutely loved it. I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing cheese, sour cream and “meat” in my Mexican until I had this. You can only have so many veggie fajitas and guacamole before it gets old!

Pros: Vegan cheese, sour cream, chorizo and beef, Rice and Beans are vegan, Large portions

Cons: Cheese wasn’t melted (but still tasted great)

Chelsea724

Points +1110

Vegan
02 Sep 2019

really big meals!!!!

Friendly staff, vegan menu on the last page, staff knowledgeable about vegan items. The menu looks a little pricy but the portions are massive. It looked like three meals!!! I wish I had know and we would have shared a meal.

hellstothellama

Points +34

Vegan
07 May 2019

Best Mexican food ever

The food was amazing !!! I was shocked on how good it was !!!

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Friendly staff, Fast

GlobalTravelingvegan

Points +154

Vegan
30 Apr 2019

The best vegan options ever

I have to admit their menu has greatly improved when it comes to vegan options. They actually have vegan tue to taste Mexican food. When I want good Mexican food being vegan this is my place to go, plus the sangria is good too.

allhess

Points +5269

Vegan
30 Dec 2018

So Many Vegan Options!

Wonderful. Can’t wait to go back the next time I am in Chicago!!

Pros: Delicious, Separate, full vegan menu, Friendly, knowledgeable staff

martint

Points +7560

Vegan
15 Aug 2018

Huge, HUGE portions

I would not call this place "mexican", rather "american" or "tex-mex". It has some mexican dishes, but its mostly burritos and guacamole, and due to the deco, for me, it lacks a truly mexican vibe.

As to the food, they have a whole vegan page in their menu. The meals are almost the same as the non-vegan ones, but with swaps such as faux meat and vegan cheese (checked: not very good and it does not melt, as some other person commented here). The courses are okay, nothing extraordinary tasty but fair. Its huge advantage is the portion size. I had a taco salad (shared) and a burrito and it was the first time ever I was not able to finish my plate. It was way too big!

Pros: cheap for the size of the food, vegan menu, nice staff

Cons: not very creative food, far from center

PolkaDot

Points +44

Vegan
21 Jul 2018

AWFUL vegan cheese

A loud little restaurant with very nice service. Extensive vegan menu, although everything is pretty much the same fillings in different presentations. The ground beef was good, but cheese was awful; skip it at all costs

Pros: vegan menu

PaulShapiro

Points +230

Vegan
15 Jul 2018

Good vegan menu with plant-based meats and cheeses

I liked that you don’t have to ask for a separate menu. The vegan menu is part of the normal menu. I do wish the vegan options were spread throughout the menu rather than consolidated in the back page, but the food was quite good.

CaitlinJulia

Points +271

Vegan
06 Jun 2018

Full Vegan Menu - Lots of options!

I was really impressed by the selection available for vegans here. I had enchiladas with mole sauce with the beefless beef. Yum! I'd definitely come back here. Solid option in an area with few vegan options.

LeesaOlson

Points +62

Vegan
24 Feb 2018

Nachos

I had the nachos. It was good but they were skimpy on the vegan cheese. It took forever for them to ask is for our drink order.

Tamika

Points +40

Vegan
16 Nov 2017

Full Menu Vegan Options

Cute but small restaurant. Good service, my margarita was just ok. Wasn't a fan of the (soy) chroriso, but would definitely go back.

dmgriffin

Points +45

Vegan
08 Oct 2017

All Vegan Menu!

It's easy to miss the all vegan menu at La Cantina Grill, found on the back side of the regular menu. It includes vegan meats and cheeses in quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas, salads and fajitas. My favorite is the vegan beef quesadillas. So good! Even the sour cream is vegan! Although this isn't an exclusively vegan restaurant, I eat here often and have never had any issue with the staff accommodating for vegans.

Pros: All vegan menu with plant-based meats and cheeses

Cons: Must be sure to clearly tell staff you want the ve

Thatgirlallie

Points +52

Vegan
02 Sep 2017

FIVE STARSSSS

This place is so amazing we've had it twice in a week and have considered moving to Chicago.

I came the first time after a pretty rowdy Chicago fire game so I thought perhaps it was a drunken fluke that I enjoyed the vegan mini chimichangas so much.

I've come back and happy to report just as amazing. Do not miss this place!!

They have an entire vegan menu - meats, cheeses, sour cream... it's vegan heaven.

amwhite91

Points +508

Vegan
24 Jun 2017

Pretty good

Had a vegan quesadilla there. Nothing to write home about, but it was good, and there was an excellent portion size for the price.

RebeccaKD

Points +15

Vegetarian
07 Jun 2016

well worth the walk from my hotel

I arrived in Chicago exhausted from work and travel sand in search of something delicious. The salsa has a nice kick and the vegan chorizo mini-chimichangas were delicious. I'm tempted to come back here again during my stay.

Pros: fast, delicious




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