Vegan
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Korean
Vegan restaurant offering buddhist Korean cuisine menu with dishes like savory pancake, rice noodle soups, dumplings, kimchi, and its signature Dr. K's soup. For dessert, there's ginger tea with ice cream and maple cookies. Open Wed-Sun 12:00pm-9:00pm. Closed Mon-Tue.
114 Reviews
First Review by mollypitcher
earthgirl22
Points +24
Amitabul is wonderful. - Edit
Delicious tasty food!
Read morePros: peaceful comfortable little place. yummy veggies.
Guest
KimberlyNikolDodson
Points +157
Devine - Edit
This place has not only amazing food but a wonderfully calm atmosphere. Well priced yummy food. Left here feeling full and happy.
Read moreGuest
veggieseal
Points +63
Great! - Edit
It was so worth the *expensive* lyft ride I took to get ALL the way across town on my recent business trip to Chicago. The food was so yummy and the service was friendly and warm. I have never really eaten Korean food at a restaurant because it's usually so tricky to tell if things are vegan. Amitabul did not disappoint, though! I ordered too much food (both a kimchi-topped salad and a mixed rice dish) but I probably could've eaten it all - so delicious! I enjoy quite a bit of heat in my food so I added quite a bit to the rice, but the salad was perfectly spicy as it was. If I ever move to Chicago, I'll be looking for a place to live nearby. :-)
Read morePros: Great food, Nice servers, pleasant atmosphere
Cons: too far away from me!
Guest
VeganScientist
Points +847
fantastic and so interesting! - Edit
Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food. Amazing savory pancakes, pizza, veggieful dishes that are healthy and delicious.
Read morePros: cozy atmosphere, convenient parking, pleasant staf
Guest
Alysoun Mahoney
Points +921
Korean vegan is the best! - Edit
Had my first meal at Amitabul last night - I being the only vegan in a party of four with two vegetarians and one omnivore. We all absolutely loved the food!
Read moreWe started by sharing a plate of vegan dumplings.
For main course, I had the Buddha's 3 Luck with maple and wild sesame leaf sauce, chewy brown rice cakes and mystic Asian veggies served over brown rice. Absolutely delicious - and so healthy, cooked without oil.
Two of my friends ordered different Bi Bim Bops, and one ordered the Energy Pancakes - all big hits!
Chef Bill and his team are flexible about spiciness level, which is great - you can order spicy, medium or mild.
For many years, my favorite New York vegan restaurant has been a Korean place - and now I think Amitabul has become my favorite Chicago vegan restaurant for food quality.
Pros: Delicious, healthy food., Simple but attractive decor, Friendly service
Cons: Service a bit slow
Guest
StarshineM
Points +86
Lovely Food, Lovely Atmosphere - Edit
The restaurant itself was a great one. While somewhat small and easy to miss from the street, the interior decor made the restaurant really stick out! There was a lot of artwork from Asia and the music was very calming and ambient.
Read moreI ordered the tofu w/ veggies as an appetizer, which was good. The tofu was soft and a bit bland, but enjoyable nonetheless.
As an entree, I ordered the Hello Dolly and Bill. The curry sauce was very nice, and not too strong (comes in different levels of spice). This was mixed with tofu, veggies and a mound of white rice.
My compatriot had the mandu dumplings, and the spicy Kim Chi Tofu Bi Bim Bop. The dumplings had the texture of pirogies which were also wonderful, as was the Bi Bim Bop. For desert we shared a Giant Red Bean Cake, which I did not enjoy much, but my friend ate the rest.
Pros: Staff were very attentive, Music/atmosphere was very calming, Great food!
Cons: Didn't enjoy desert much, will try another
Guest
Ahrengirl
Points +24
Nice Saturday Lunch - Edit
We drove a 1/2 hour to try this place. It was good. We started with the Spicy Kimchi Maki. I had the High Tabetian spiced medium. It was really spicy but tasty. I plan to go back to try some of the other dishes.
Read moreGuest
LinnDaugherty
Points +618
delicious - Edit
Me and my non vegan bf loved this place and left full. Dr k's soup was the first thing that we ordered - one order was enough to feed and stuff both of us. HOWEVER we ordered another dish -no idea what we ordered - but it had rice cakes in it - SO GOOD!
Read moreGuest
ErikHayner
Points +16
Favorite Food in Chicago - Edit
I love Amitabul, and I really think it is the best vegan restaurant in Chicago. Every single thing I've ordered there has been super delicious and I also appreciate that it's specifically a whole foods, plant-based restaurant, so health is a priority. I would recommend the place to anyone. I wish I could eat there every day!
Read morePros: healthy , delicious , affordable with large portions
Guest
tobby54
Points +113
Yummy Korean vegan food - Edit
Amitabul has a very relaxing setting. The staff are very attentive and the food delicious. The dumplings are wonderful tried Dr. K's noodle soup and that was some of the best soup I've ever had. Spicy broth with plenty of veggies and noodles. Cleared my nasal passages.
Read moreGuest
edwardbc
Points +1035
Good alternative - Edit
Good alternative restaurant. Food is not salty, but it is tasty. Good service
Read moreGuest
LarisaValerievna
Points +35
My first vegetarian place! - Edit
Once I gave up eating meat about 3 years ago, I set myself on the journey to discover another world of food and lifestyle, cruelty free, tasty, nutritious and far more exciting! Amitabul was the very first meat free place that I found and I was amazed that such places exist. I was excited to see a whole variety of dishes and juices that they make. The juices and teas here are the best!! I tried a few hot dishes which were always large and filling. The one with shiitake mushrooms were my favorite! Love this place and atmosphere!
Read moreGuest
CMSDE
Points +126
A Great Neighborhood Restaurant - Edit
Amitabul is in a category of restaurants where care is obviously put into the food but whose mission is more about feeding people than impressing people. The food is good, the portions are large, and it's a vegetarian oasis in a part of the city that focuses more on meat and potatoes. I have been visiting Amitabul occasionally for about ten years. Things tend to change slowly on the Far Northwest Side, and fortunately Amitabul isn't an exception, because I always leave happy. The spicy dishes are particularly nice on cold, blustery days.
Read morePros: Tasty food, Neighborhood feel
Cons: Public transit isn't plentiful
Guest
rawlovenbeautie
Points +23
MY FAVORITE - Edit
I LOVE THIS PLACE. It's my favorite little vegan gem. All the food I've tried is amazing, but most especially Dr. Ks cure all soup. Just, yum!
Read moreGuest
BanjoGirl
Points +236
Left full! - Edit
My husband and toddler and I recently tried this restaurant. The food portions were HUGE and we ordered way too much. It is a BYOB, which is nice, and the owner was very friendly. It is very quiet, which is sometimes not great with a child. There were some carry-out orders when we were there, but, most of the tables were empty. The savory pancakes and Dr. K's soup were great. My husband ordered a spicy noodle dish (cannot recall which one) and loved it as well.
Read morePros: satisfying food, large portions
Cons: out-of-the-way location
Guest
KMR607
Points +410
yummy, healthy - Edit
Nice vegan Korean food. Huge serving of soup! Tasty wontons. Everything nicely seasoned, leaves you with a good feeling.
Read moreGuest
Sophie
Points +376
all time favorite - Edit
i have been vegan for five years in chicago and amitabul is my all time favorite, for sure. i cannot rave about it enough. i bring my friends and family there (not always all vegan) and they absolutely love this place too! if you are looking for suggestions on what to order, i get these items almost every time i go: ginger energy tea, steamed mandoo (dumplings, stir fried is also an optional), and the 9 ways to nirvana rice noodle soup (or dr k's cure all soup) followed by green tea and chocolate ice cream (or maple cookies). sometimes we love it so much, we have to go back the very next day. there is plenty of parking and service is excellent. they also have vegan kim chi, korean pancakes, and a variety of other noodle soups and non-soup dishes.
Read morePros: most delicious vegan food, huge selection, everything is good
Cons: wish it was closer to downtown!, wish it was open 24 hours! :)
Guest
mariec1
Points +125
Spot on good!! - Edit
Very tasty food and friendly atmosphere. A must go to place if I'm in the area. Their Dr. K's CURE ALL soup is the BEST, even if you're not sick but really helps when you are.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Street parking, Friendly staff
Guest
EverydayTastiness
Points +2744
Tasty - Edit
I'm not a huge fan of korean food, but this place was very good. Very friendly staff. We'd definitely go back next time we are in Chicago.
Read moreGuest
Keith_Thode
Points +717
Four and one half cows - Edit
A very peaceful and serene atmosphere. Very fine food and drink. Great service.
Read moreGuest
khhipps
Points +41
Our Favorite - Edit
We have been going to Amitabul for years (maybe 10 or so, can't really remember it has been that long) and it is by far our favorite. Never, ever, have we had a disappointing dish. The vegetables are cooked to perfection and amazingly flavorful. After going there for so long, my favoite dish is now "surprise me". This dish no matter what it is never fails to come to my delight and the more "surprise me's" we order the better. Don't get me wrong, we have favorites on the menu, but it is truly just a delightful experience and you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. You cannot leave this restaurant stressed and you certainly can't leave hungry as the portions are ample. ENjoy!
Read morePros: Fantastic food, Wonderful relaxing atmosphere, Good prices
Cons: None. This is as close to perfection as
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
My ultimate healthy vegan mecca - Edit
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!
Read morePros: oil-free, kim chi, huge portions
Guest
Caroline12345
Points +65
Great food! - Edit
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!
Read morePros: great food, all vegan
Cons: slow service, large portions
Guest
ChrisSanderson
Points +28
Simply Fantastic! - Edit
Plenty of great reviews, but I'll add a quick 5 cower myself. Best I've ever had!
Read morePros: Delicious, Fresh, Friendly
Cons: 220 mils from home
Guest
ChicagoVeg
Points +288
Very delicious and healthy Korean cousin - Edit
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.
Read moreGuest
promwall
Points +98
Kim Chee Noodle Soup - Edit
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....
Read morePros: fresh, delicious, generous
Guest
veganese
Points +40
Healthy Vegan - Edit
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.
Read morePros: Healthy , all vegan, awesome service
Guest
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