Vegan
American
Chinese
Italian
Organic
Fast food
Juice bar
Mexican
Bakery
European
Fusion
Spanish
Latin
Offers a diversity of colorful plant-based, all-vegan empanadas with flavors from around the world wrapped in a naturally colored healthy crust. Relocated from 2566 N Clark St. Open Mon-Thu 8:00am-8:00pm, Fri-Sat 8:00am-9:00pm, Sun 8:00am-8:00pm.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
-
Loading...
-
- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
-
-
Last update on 22 Jan 2024 by Vegan Vagabond
Update business info -
Added by Fons on 03 Apr 2021
-
-
105 Reviews
First Review by peteycards
HappyMonkey35
Points +125
Depends on your taste - Edit
it’s located in a shared corner shop, so look out for the name so you don’t pass by it. We weren’t that impressed with the food as it wasn’t that tasty or special. Customer service was ok even though we came at 8pm they were already done for the day (you could see it on their faces) We took 2x2 empanadas with smoky mushroom and margharita plus a regular lemonade. Seating was short and wasn’t cleaned for a long time , you could tell. Lemonade was too sugary and blunt and honestly the worst we had ever drunk.
Read moreSeems to be popular in down town because people were coming in but they have to do better for that location and pricing.
Updated from previous review on 2024-07-21
Pros: Serves vegan food
Cons: Pricy, Service needs improvement
Guest
aubreyj27
Points +1668
colorful and fun empanadas! - Edit
i've been checking out their menu and seeing these cute empanadas everywhere for months so when i was downtown i thought it would be a good idea to stop by. the workers were very friendly and helped recommend flavors to choose! the store is small, but there are a few seats along the wall. i think it's ideal to take out, but i ended up eating at one of the seats along the side since i was hungry.
Read morei ordered one tinga, one sweet potato chili, one andean, and one smoky mushroom empanada. first of all, i loved the colors! the sweet potato chili had activated charcoal and i thought it was very interesting to see the colorful doughs. it was nice to know they were made with veggies too. they were EXTREMELY hot when they were fresh, so definitely something to look out for - i was too hungry and totally burned my mouth, although it was worth it! i think the sweet potato chili was my favorite. it had a nice kick to it that i really enjoyed. definitely get the garlic sauce too.. it's amazing and cools down the hot empanadas.
i do think that they gave me a margherita empanada instead of the andean, but that one was good too. i was a little disappointed because i had been excited to try it. not a big deal though!
overall i enjoyed the empanadas here and i was happy i finally tried them. definitely a worthwhile stop if you're downtown and looking for something good to eat!
Pros: cute colors, creative flavors
Cons: gave me the wrong one
Guest
IndyKaurus
Points +33
So good! - Edit
Great find, very tasty and you can see a lot of love has gone into making them.
Read morePros: Loads of great flavours, Fons stamp
Guest
sniko
Points +51
Pricey, but extremely delicious - Edit
As with most restaurants in this part of Chicago, there is not much space to sit and it's on the more expensive side.
Read moreHowever, it's worth the money. The empanadas are more filling than they look, and they are all vegan. Most of the drink options are vegan or easily veganized (I enjoy the green smoothie with no honey).
I ate here many times at the small bar area and never had any trouble. My favorite flavors were the Andean, Tinga, Ropa Vieja, and Smoky Mushroom. The Margherita is like a pizza pocket and is good with the garlic dip. There are sweet empanada options as well.
This location is conveniently located right by the rail line.
Pros: Delicious and nutritious, Staff very kind, Convenient for on-the-go meal or takeout
Cons: Pricey, Often missing flavors
Guest
·X·
Points +19618
Fons Empanadas - Edit
They were OK. I was only able to eat one of the two recommended to me by the staff, which was the tomato mozzarella empanada, which essentially tasted like an OK cheese pizza. The second one was the chorizo potato and it was actually horrible. I couldn’t eat it, who is frustrating when these are nearly $5 each.
Read moreGuest
ShaneMcDaniel
Points +1570
Pretty with a lot of variety - Edit
Great food you can walk around with.
Read moreNote that if they offer you garlic sauce it's an up sell. it's good but not free.
Guest
Dconstructivist
Points +87
It's ok - Edit
Expected more... I thought "meh". Tried 4 empanadas and only 1 was interesting. Ordered a latte too, which was really watery and tasteless. I want to be supportive of a plant based business, but overall quite bland and mediocre service, the employees were quite inexperienced.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-04-09
Pros: I like bready things, Location
Cons: Avoid the coffee, Flavors were not memorable
Guest
veggie_straw
Points +29
Great food - Edit
Very tasty food, it’s a little pricy and has almost no space to eat. But the food was very good.
Read moreGuest
HannaBanana
Points +664
Nice find - Edit
We tried four different empanadas, pulled bbq, margarita, chorizo & chocolate banana. All of them were flavorful and tasty!
Read moreDough was also perfect.
Pros: Friendly staff, Good location
Cons: A bit pricey
Guest
jadaruss
Points +1811
Bad sanitary practices - Edit
I watched this man drop an empanada and pick it up with tongs. He then used the tongs to serve other empanadas!! YUCK
Read moreGuest
VeganLens
Points +1351
OBSESSED - Edit
I first had Fons at Vegandale in Chicago a few years back, and now it's one of my must stops when I'm in Chicago. They also have Fons in NYC now, too! Fons has the most incredible empanadas. Everything is vegan and made from natural whole foods. They use no artificial dyes or colors to achieve their beautiful empanada dough. They have so many different flavors to choose from, and it's so fun to try them all. They have mostly savory empanadas, but they also have dessert ones as well. My favorite is the Tinga and Asian Lumpa. They also have a delicious BBQ empanada as well. The price is pretty fair and the empanadas are large in size.
Read moreGuest
Sleepybulldog
Points +101
Good for grab and go in a pinch - Edit
I tried 3 savory and 1 sweet empanada. The fillings are a redemption because the crust it dry as dust and hard as a rock. I have had vegan empanadas in Spain before and they managed the crust very well so it is possible.
Read morePros: Fillings!!
Cons: Crust
Guest
Theolodis
Points +428
warm and crunchy - Edit
Really nice during the cold months, we enjoyed the spicy empanadas.
Read morePros: spicy options, crispy
Cons: expensive
Guest
andyjng
Points +4991
Empanadas and Acai in One - Edit
Holy empanadas! What an amazing find here in Downtown Chicago for some of the most amazing packed dumplings.
Read moreThey offer a huge selection of empanadas - all are about $5 and vegan. Jackfruit is a common ingredient in all of their shredded meat varieties, and this ingredient really makes the empanadas stand out.
My favorite ones include their Tinga and Mushroom Empanadas. Ordered a box of six for $23 but didn't get the garlic sauce since it wasn't included, but you don't need it to really enjoy these fantastic flavors.
Even after the empanadas, I was ready for one of their acai bowls and wow - what a great decision. This location also contains a Deep Purpl, a local acai staple. You select from four different sizes and have unlimited toppings that are listed at the cashier. I think I went through and added 10-12 of these toppings including shaved coconut, almond butter, fruit, chia seeds, granola, and more! The bowl was excellent with great texture and taste.
Looking forward to returning here the next time I'm in the city.
Guest
StephenLee
Points +72
Slow - Edit
Very slow. One small oven for heating all orders. And they lie to you about how long the wait will be. Most empanadas offered have minimal or no protein. They are tasty & crunchy usually.
Read morePros: Vegan, Crunchy, Choices
Cons: Slow, No protein
Guest
Nieve
Points +3969
Salvation snack - Edit
I went to a family dinner at the restaurant in the Macy's across the street - it was horribly mediocre, sad food. I came out and there was this magical little shop calling to me, luring me in. Fully vegan empanadas! It saved my evening. I was able to fill up on these hot tasty delights. 5/5, great snack. The empanadas get cheaper the more you buy so bring a friend or come hungry.
Read moreGuest
Bissonomy
Points +119
Fun Surprise - Edit
Stumbled upon this and the staff was awesome at helping us build a big sample box to take. All were great but the garlic sauce is beyond delicious. Get extra.
Read morePros: Good flavor variety, Sampler packs, Great staff
Cons: Limited space
Guest
ADMac
Points +150
Fun option! - Edit
Picked up a variety (under their B3G1 offer). Very much enjoyed the savory options (mushroom, margherita, Tinga jackfruit). They were out of the apple, so I tried the chocolate, which was overdone, very dry, and light on filling. The also offer acai bowls (actually, cups) and interesting matcha "lattes" which I may try for breakfast at some point.
Read moreGuest
khoekzema
Points +16
Fabulous Empanadas - Edit
This place is amazing! I have not had such good empanadas in years! And to top it off they are baked, not fried!!! They have a nice variety of flavors and they also have smoothies and acai bowls.
Read morePros: Empanadas!, Empanadas!, Empanadas!
Guest
Kinetic_Ken
Points +63
Might have overhyped it in my head. - Edit
I wanted to love this place, if only because this is probably the most adorable looking food there is. But what I got was thoroughly underwhelming. It’s vegan so if you want something vegan that’s also different you have this as an option. But as it stands, I wouldn’t recommend this place. There’s so many 5-star reviews so maybe at some point I’ll give it another try and see if I was just unlucky that day.
Read moreGuest
Veggierunner13
Points +40
Delicious- be sure to ask for the sauce. - Edit
Friendly staff, easy to find - great location, seating area limited
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Tasty, Original
Cons: Somewhat Expensive
Guest
amarcial021
Points +118
So many delicious choices!! - Edit
Recommend the Chocolate banana, chorizo w cheese and potatoes, and Apple Cinnamon empanada!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-09-17
Guest
Ashvegan02
Points +172
Great food - Edit
Empanadas are great, loved it. But it's too expensive.
Read moreGuest
immallama
Points +277
Food was good, but… - Edit
I am not 100% we got what we ordered.
Read moreThey were good tho. Worth going to.
Guest
GuacDoctor
Points +695
Tasty - Edit
I did the buy 3 get 1 free deal. To my surprise I was happy with all 4 of them! They were all unique and tasty. The 4 is good enough for a lunch. Would go again.
Read moreGuest
gopugyourself
Points +119
Delicious ! - Edit
the empanadas are pretty big and filing and they have a bunch of different types. worth the buy 3 get 1 ! my favorite were the ropa veija and smoky mushroom!
Read moreGuest
microfauna
Points +1886
Great Snack, High Price - Edit
Fons is centrally located in the Loop. Stop by a small shop and choose from an assortment of flavors. The best value is to purchase 4-5 at a time which gets pricey.
Read moreMany of them tasted similar because a significant portion is the wheat crust. Some were really tasty, others tasted like a botched recipe. When you finish, you may still be hungry.
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 8766 times.