Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
International
Western
Beer/Wine
Contemporary vegetarian food with seasonal menus. Vegan items are marked. Jan 2013 no longer offering Sunday brunch. The second floor is available for private functions. Reported closed, Jan 2018.
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1460 W Chicago Ave (at Ashland), Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60622
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Last update on 15 Jan 2018 by Vegan Vagabond
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26 Reviews
First Review by steve dumperth
xxxx
Points +267
Overpriced OK food - Edit
The food here is nice, but uninspired and won't amaze you. The mushroom risotto was good, but not amazing. The beet poke was boring and mediocre. My dining companions were equally unimpressed.
Read moreThe portions here are really small. A reasonable diner will have to order 3 courses to be full, which means spending $30-$45 per person (not including drinks or desserts). The quality of food does not justify these prices.
Many of the items on the menu cannot be made vagan
Pros: Nice food
Cons: overpriced, uninspired, boring food, many items cannot be veganized
Guest
JJones315
Points +2018
Upscale vegan dining - Edit
Visited recently on a trip to Chicago and was happy we discovered Green Zebra. Vegan fine dining at its best. The menu is varied and creative - real cuisine. Well worth the trip outside the usual tourist area.
Read morePros: Fine dining experience, Hip atmosphere
Guest
CMSDE
Points +126
Special occasion vegetarian - Edit
Green Zebra is toward the high end of restaurants we can afford, so for us it is a special occasion restaurant. The staff are pleasant, and the restaurant has a neighborhood feel without being too casual.
Read moreI'm never good with putting together my own selection of small plates into a satisfying meal, so I like to get the tasting menu (currently $38 for four courses). I don't think I've ever had an experience where every course amazed me, but I've always been happy with them overall. In fact, one of the things I like about Green Zebra is that it's a restaurant that doesn't try to upstage your dinner companions with its food; instead, it fills in part of a pleasant background.
That said, the soups are usually excellent, and the chefs create dishes intended to showcase vegetables rather than trying to copy non-vegetarian dishes.
Pros: Vegetable-focused
Guest
sfio
Points +2886
Veggie and vegan dishes with a twist - Edit
We visited as Green Zebra had been recommended to us. It's an upscale restaurant and worth booking ahead of time - we left it to the same day and couldn't get the time we would have liked to eat at.
Read moreThe menu features a range of dishes all served as small plates and it's best to order 2-3 per person. Some dishes come as vegan option, so we picked 5 vegan ones and 1 vegetarian risotto.
All dishes have a twist to them like our chosen dessert, which was an upside down peach sponge cake with basil ice cream and a whiskey caramel sauce. We found the basil ice cream to be a bit overpowering but still very nice.
Guest
Mcarlsonlane
Points +165
Really Beautiful Experience - Edit
Green Zebra is a lovely space with top notch food. My partner and I went for Valentine's Day and chose all vegan items (we chose maybe 6 items). Each item was fantastic. The staff were very attentive and very professional. All in all, we were very pleased with the experience.
Read moreAlso, it seems that they are becoming increasingly more vegan friendly. For example, I remember checking them out for Restaurant Week a few years ago and they only had vegetarian offerings for their prix-fixe menu. This year, however, they had both vegetarian and vegan options for their prix-fixe menu! Nice!
Guest
mmeghani
Points +552
Good food, service & ambiance - Edit
This is a very good vegetarian restaurant. The service was very good. They have unique drinks & unique food items. The food quantity is small, so it is best to order several items & share them. The ambiance is nice & upscale here. I gave this a 4 instead of 5 as I did not enjoy the food as much as some other vegetarian restaurants such as Millenium in San Francisco or Hiltl in Zurich. Having said that, the food is still very good & the experience is good, & I do recommend coming here, whether you are vegetarian or not.
Read morePros: service, ambiance, non alcoholic drinks
Cons: expensive, very very small portions, could use more taste
Guest
Vegan Vagabond
Points +3137
Meh! - Edit
I tried Green Zebra 8 years ago and was so turned off by the experience, I just never went back, even though it is one of the closest places to my house in Chicago. A friend encouraged me to go, telling me that they are now a fully vegetarian restaurant, no longer serving chicken and fish and that they increased their portion sizes. I went with a client, who was open to trying vegan, so we went. I have to tell you, I am just not that impressed. Perhaps because I am a vegan. I find the place irritatingly vegan unfriendly. It's like vegan is an afterthought to this place. Almost like something they are doing because they have to. In most vegetarian places, vegan options dominate the menu. Either they are vegan or they can be made vegan. Green Zebra strikes me as being the opposite. On the night I was there, the tasting menu was all vegetarian, not one item on it was vegan or could even be made vegan. All of the items on the menu are small, but the vegan items seem more like the side dishes of the menu. Even my non veg client quipped, "This mushroom pate is good, but why isn't it vegan? Butter? Can't they easily have made this vegan?" The only dessert they had that was vegan, out of 5 items, was sorbet, which puts them as vegan dessert friendly as Smith and Wollenski's. I didn't find the service to be overly attentive, let alone helpful and friendly. $120 later, I left hungry and disappointed. I am just not a Green Zebra fan.
Read moreAnd to add to my dislike:
Jack Nugent: (edited for length) The Foie Gras Ban came into effect. I was excited about the progressive city that I had chosen and was passed by a 41 to 6 majority of city aldermen. They were educated on the issues and solidly against having restaurants serve this cruel dish. Then the Foie Gras Ban was repealed through some underhanded tricks by Ald Tom Tunney and then Mayor Daley, (as documented in the book Foie Gras Wars by Marc Caro) and the first Chicago restaurant to put the cruel diseased goose liver paste back on the menu? You guessed it. The Green Zebra owner's 2nd restaurant located on Congress Ave in the Loop called Custom House. I had the opportunity to speak with Sue while protesting outside the Custom House and she has absolutely zero empathy for sentient life.
Pros: Trendy decor
Cons: Pricey, Not very vegan friendly
Guest
sglcklch
Points +2875
Avoid this place! - Edit
Unfortunately we had the same experience as many of the fellow reviewers here-food was mediocre at best and grossly overpriced, and the atmosphere was pretty drab. Small portions aside, if the food had been good, the prices would have been more justifiable, but it wasn't. Everything-even those that looked slightly interesting on the menu-came out really really bleh. We shared 5-6 dishes and left hungry (My boyfriend had to look for something else to eat after and luckily found this taco joint a few blocks down the street). Trust me, your money would be MUCH better spent elsewhere.
Read moreCons: boring food, pricey, dull atmosphere
Guest
jbglidd
Points +71
Expensive But Good - Edit
This is a very romantic restaurant with good interesting vegetarian options but is on the pricey side.
Read morePros: Good food, Good Service
Cons: Pricey
Guest
BanjoGirl
Points +227
Great for an upscale evening - Edit
This is a great restaurant, with really delicious food. I have been here a few times for semi-special occasions, and have never been disappointed. They put together some interesting dishes and present them well. There is a good wine selection as well.
Read morePros: Nice ambiance
Cons: expensive
Guest
KDD
Points +18
Wished it was better. - Edit
I was really looking forward to my dining experience at the Green Zebra. I ordered the chef's tasting menu, It was okay, but I found myself underwhelmed. The service was very good. I also enjoyed the soup I had. I won't go back.
Read morePros: Service
Guest
jekter
Points +24
Best Brunch - Edit
Black Bean Plantain hash with Mole sauce. YUM!
Read moreGuest
antgirl
Points +285
Not worth the hype - Edit
The food is not that great and the atmosphere is a bit boring. Too pricey for not delivering. I like the idea of Green Zebra, but it is certainly no Millennium (in SF).
Read morePros: Vegan options
Cons: Food is only okay, Boring atmoshere, Pricey
Guest
kibber2004
Points +49
Best vegetarian meal ever! - Edit
Whenever, I go to a new town, I always check out the vegetarian restaurants. Will not forget my visit to the green Zebra, amazing food, good service and nice atmosphere.
Read moreWould easily give it 5 stars, but not allowed because of the one fish dish apparently.
Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere
Cons: Busy on peak times
Guest
rhymeswithtwee
Points +95
mediocre eats - Edit
I still ponder the mediocrity of this place. It was the most expensive meal my bf and I have ever had and one of the least memorable. The portion sizes were hilariously small for the prices. Why not go full on vegetarian? Seems silly to cater to the masses when there are soooooo many restaurants that cater to non- vegetarians. I should note that I only went here once and it was 4 years ago, but the mediocrity is the only thing I remember.
Read moreCons: high prices, mediocre food, annoying yuppie crowd
Guest
Mikemotorbike
Points +143
it's a fancy restaurant for us! - Edit
I really liked this place. When I was there, the entire menu was vegan/vegetarian except one dish, which I think was scallops. They said they did that for omnis who come with veggies. I don't know, it didn't turn me off. I had a great time here and the food was incredible.
Read morePros: top knotch food, variety with the tapas style
Cons: pricey, meat options unnecessary
Guest
kennyp353
Points +1622
Exceptional food and service - Edit
Just got back from a second trip here, a year after the first. The first was the best meal I had last year. The second is the best meal I had this year. Each time I took the same non-vegetarian friends and they loved it each time.
Read moreService last year was great but not exceptional. Tonight it was the best I've seen since Napa's French Laundry in 2002. Food last year was exceptional. Tonight food was very good. Both times we had tasting menu with wine selections. I've never understood the point of wine selections except here - San Francisco's Millenium uses it as a revenue stream; here they use it as a way of truly complementing every course perfectly.
Just call them, if you can't get a table try opentable.com, and get there as soon as you can.
The biggest 5* ever, except they serve one fish dish for the diehard carnivores and therefore I'm not allowed to give them higher than 4*. This patronising nonsense is the same reason I'm not allowing myself to pay happycow.net either.
Pros: Great food, Exceptional service, Good ambience
Cons: Expensive, A bit out of the way, Hard to get a table
Guest
PuppyGirl
Points +43
Very good - Edit
My friend and I chose the chef's menu, which consisted of items that were not on the menu (though the chef accomodated my friend who was not a cauliflower fan on one course). The food was innovative (especially for vegetarian food) and tasty. Our portions were appropriate for a multi-course meal and the wine list had several very affordable bottles listed. I would definitely return and recommend it to others.
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Affordable Wine, Good Value
Cons: Somewhat spacey staff
Guest
JulieV
Points +106
I want to like it more - Edit
I went there with my fiance about a year ago. It was definitely tasty but being vegan definitely shrank the menu down a bit and I left hungry. The flavors were great but for the money I would like to leave satisfied. Also as I read the reviews below, I didn't know the same owner owns another restaurant that serves frois grois, really disappointing. Will definitely make me think twice about ever eating there again.
Read morePros: excellent food, healthy, friendly staff
Cons: left hungry, pricey
Guest
jayanthp
Points +48
Good Fare in a nice setting - a tad overpriced - Edit
I went there last night on a friend's recommendation. The menu is quite exotic and it will take a bit of explanation from the staff to understand what you are ordering. The cheeses they served for the starter was fantastic. The Thai soup was a bit sour and was not served hot. But it had some great flavors. I ordered a smoked potato dish with a poached egg and it was not very good. But my friend ordered the Gnocchi which was delicious. The place is a bit overpriced and the portions are very small - an observation other reviewers have made as well. I would'nt pick this place when you are just going out to eat. But if its a special occasion and you would like to celebrate, this is a great place to get to.
Read morePros: Decor, Ambience, Exotic Menu
Cons: Pricey, Pricey, Pricey
Guest
·X·
Points +18517
Very pricey... - Edit
I finally ate here after numerous attempts; I will say that this place is VERY expensive so make sure you're well aware of that before going. The waitress said you should order at least 3 plates in order to feel full (those plates range from $8-15). My friend and I ordered a few things, but felt the amount and quality of food wasn't worth the price. I may go back again, but this would be a special occasion...like very special. On a side note, the decor of the place is of the nicest (Vegan places) in Chicago.
Read moreGuest
LizOmen
Points +56
For a nice occassion. - Edit
The restaurant is very classy and upscale. It was nice to try at least once or if i want to get dressed up. The portions are small because they assume you will order multiple dishes. The food was good. I like more casual places, but i'm glad i tried it. I probably will not go again... for no other reason than the whole other restaurant thing that someone mentioned. (But i am an ethical vegan.)
Read morePros: fancy veggie
Guest
lilmammal
Points +236
Fine Dining Experience - Edit
The food at the green zebra was excellent, though as vegans we were limited to a few selections. I would argue this was the finest vegetarian food I have ever eaten. The price was high, but the amazing flavors and modern, upscale atmosphere is worth it. So many vegetarian restaurants are informal and, let's be honest, smell like patchouli. This was a breath of fresh air for those of us craving an unusually upscale experience. You'll spend a lot of money but you will be impressed. Make a reservation in advance else you may be waiting for an hour or so.
Read morePros: excellent food, attentive staff, small portions
Cons: expensive, location not great
Guest
Ben K.
Points +25
okay - Edit
I was invited for my birthday. It was totally not what I expected. I thought it would be a quiet cozy kind of a place. It is definately not an intimate setting. You hear everyones conversations which is kind of irratating after a while especially if you are celebrating a bday and want to speak to the people at your very own table. The food was good, however, extremely overprice and expensive. Our waitress was nice at first, after we paid the bill her demenor changed and she did not want to be bothered anymore. I thought that was super rude we left her a $50 tip so I think she should of been somewhat nice. I also dont understand why they feel the need to have fish and chicken on the menu if they are vegan/vegetarian. Ovrall the GZ is one of those places you visit once maybe twice in your lifetime.
Read morePros: good food, good location, very clean
Cons: expensive, small portions , rude staff
Guest
mourn-me-in-skirt
Points +40
upscale vegetarian - Edit
this is the kind of place i can bring my dad when he is in town-- upscale, not lit like a cafeteria, great service, small plates of fantastic and creative food. a lot like millennium in san francisco.
Read morePros: fantastic menu, professional staff, parent-friendly
Cons: 90s indiepop soundtrack was cloying
Guest
steve dumperth
Points +32
Worth Every Penny - Edit
I have eaten vegan cuisine in about 45 states, and he Green Zebra is one of the best. Although it is not one of the cheapest, you get what you pay for. I've had about all the veggie burgers I can handle and Green Zebra offers a much needed upscale environment in the veg world.
Read morePros: you know the food is clean, explosions of flavor, no lip ring adorned waiters
Cons: higher prices, shorter menu, no lip ring adorned waiters
Guest
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