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CLOSED: Kramer's Health Foods & Cafe
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10
Closed
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Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Juice bar
Delivery
Take-out
Downstairs health food store with an upstairs cafe & juice bar. Cafe's menu was orginally all-veg but changed to include a few non-veg items, however it is reported all veggie again July 2017. Wheelchair accessible ground floor only. Confirmed closed, Sep 2017.
18 Reviews
First Review by Absolutroyalt
suds
Points +32
Good workday choice - Edit
I have been eating lunch here for about 15 years. It is better under the new management that took over a few years ago. The cooks have been here for years. It is a handy, affordable, busy place for lunch on workdays. The Marrakesh Stew is very popular. The salads and juices are very fresh and good. The juices are better-tasting and more reasonably-priced than elsewhere. The soups are hearty. My only criticism is that in some of the dishes (the bean burrito filling and one of their otherwise very good stews), they feel compelled to put in these little chunks of veggie dogs that aren't that good and don't work. There is also a refrigerated takeout case and frozen items that can be brought back to the office. Busy at lunchtime with a diverse crowd of loyal, health-conscious customers.
Read morePros: good value, friendly staff
Guest
timruddell
Points +27
Outstanding option in Chicago Loop - Edit
Wide menu of juices, smoothies, salads, entrees and desserts. Located in the back of the Kramer's health food store.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-07-10
Pros: Fully vegetarian, many vegan options, convenient l
Cons: Can be busy during weekday lunch hours.
Guest
Ging
Points +46
Awesome - Edit
I went to this cafe for lunch. The cafe is above the health food store. I had tabouli, chili and a Zevia. The food was excellent and the staff were great!
Read morePros: convenient location , yummy food, health food store downstairs
Cons: menu a limited, cafe was not open on a Saturday
Guest
monisonfire
Points +5523
great little shop! - Edit
shop with a huge variety in vegan food & drinks! look closely though, sometimes vegan and non vegan things are put very close together (i found some non vegan protein bars in the vegan boxes...)!
Read morethe soy milk is insanely expensive (>5 dollar), unsure if that's a usual price in chicago though...
bought an all veg soap and some protein bars (some of them are less than 2 dollars, some more than 3).
all in all a great shop right in the city centre!
Pros: huge sections
Guest
AnaVEGANA
Points +85
Downtown hidden vegan gem - Edit
This place is pretty fantastic for cheap and delicious vegan lunch. They have a permanent menu and seasonal specials. They prepare everything for you when you order but also offer prepackaged food from external vendors downstairs. If you're hungry, get their daily special combo which includes soup, entree and juice for just $10. Can't beat that price in the loop!
Read moreThey also have juices, smoothies, elixirs (shots), salads, paninis, burger, burrito, ratatouille, tabbuleh, lentil dal. For $2.50 you can add soup AND juice to any of these.
Order and eat upstairs, pay downstairs. Relatively short wait, even during peak hours. Staff are friendly.
Pros: fresh, price, variety
Cons: they close kitchen earlier than store, they run out of daily special
Guest
ekg1234
Points +286
Great store and cafe! - Edit
This is a hidden gem in Chicago. A cool store with lots of great vegan products. There is a cooler near the entrance of prepared food so you can grab something on the go. I also stopped upstairs to get a juice from the café and it was very good. The staff was very nice.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan products/cafe menu options, Great location, Nice staff
Guest
Veg_Meg
Points +61
Fully Veg - Edit
It states that Kramer's serves meat, but they went fully veg last year. They offer a daily special Mon-Fri. When I worked at the Chicago Symphony I would always try to go on Friday for tofu taco day, which is their best item by far! Otherwise all the sandwiches can be made vegan. They are not the best I've ever had, but for a small veg deli it certainly hit the spot. If you get the combo you get a juice, which is great for a mid-day pick me up. The Farmer's salad with tempeh bacon and vegan dressing is a fantastic. If you're in the loop Mon-Fri I highly recommend.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Fresh juice with meal, Mostly vegan
Cons: Small seating, Moderately expensive, Line forms at lunch time
Guest
weblybowles
Points +188
cheap and healthy lunch! - Edit
Burger, soup, and juice for $7.50?! Totally worth it.
Read morePros: cheap, healthy
Cons: small, hot upstairs
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
Small health food store with cafe up stairs - Edit
If you work in the area and need to grab a kombuca or a bite to eat this is the place. The prices are way too low for the area! I'd have lunch and pick up snacks here every day if I worked nearby! As a tourist its a great spot to stop and check your map, get a cold drink and a bite to eat! If you don't have time for the cafe they have a selection of premade vegan food items in the refrigerated section.
Read morePros: cafe, cold drinks, prepared foods
Guest
A.Z.P.
Points +639
Impressive and Homey - Edit
In context this place is fantastic. It does not purport to be a first class dining experience, but it is not pretentious and serves it role as a good, wholesome,affordable and convenient vegetairan cafe. I was only here once but was quite pleased with the food and service. The Cafe has about 15 tables and is the in the back of the heath food store upstairs. While I saw that they had a great lunch special, I decided to order ala carte. My decision was made easier by the delightfullady behind the counter who let me try things to see what I liked.
Read moreI ended up ordering the Teriyaki Seitan Stirfry and the Watermelon Gazpacho Soup. I could not have been more pleased with the stirfy. It was a special that day, and i feel it really ecompassed the place. While I would not say it had a definitive Teriyaki flavor, it did have a wonderful sweet and sour sauce, which tasted very home made, and I could practically taste my moms home cooking it, I couldnt even picture the ingredients they were using. The plate came overflowing with both rice, seitan, veges and sauce and was a meal in itself.
As i was tempted by the name i decided to order the Gazpacho soup. Overall it was a good gazpach, with the flavor right on. My issue was more the watermelon, it did not add anything at all to the soup, and I guess I was hoping that it would be more of a cold summer fruit soup and it just turned out to be gazpacho with watermelon pieces in it. I would have liked a bit more creativity.
As of now Im already looking forward to coming back and trying some of their sanwiches which looked beautiful. I walked out feeling like i had good home cooked meal. Nothing I ate there or saw there left me wondering "wow how did they make that" but you know what, who cares? it all tasted great! and while nothing particularly wowwed me, I walked out smiling and my stomach did too!
Pros: Smack in the Center of Town, Great Home Cooked Food, Great selection and prices
Cons: Could be a little more Creative, Not Eleagant or romantic
Guest
cute_as_a_button
Points +37
great local cafe and health food store - Edit
I love this place. The cafe is delicious, and they have rotating specials, and the staff is super friendly.
Read moreThe cafe serves hot, homemade meals daily during lunch, and if you get there late or you're in a rush, they have chilled take-away lunches available with their own menu items as well as Soul Vegan brand dishes.
The juice bar is great too, and with the health food store downstairs there's something for everybody! I always had a hard time finding veggie jerky (I crave the stuff!), until I found Kramers - they have 3 different brands, and flavors I'd never tried before!
Pros: Good food, Local, Convenient
Cons: Small-ish menu
Guest
evZENy
Points +183
I need more! - Edit
I like this place so much, I wish they think of branching it to more locations! I live in the suburbs and every time I go to Chicago I stop by at Kramer's for a bite. Very friendly, relaxed atmosphere (and good music), the stuff is nice and helpful. Always a good choice of vegetarian and vegan options. The food is very rich, filling and pleasing. And the prices are great too.
Read moreWill be great to have a copy of it somewhere else, possibly with outdoor patio.
Pros: tasty, cheap, convenient
Cons: only 1 location
Guest
JulieV
Points +110
Super Good - Edit
I went to Kramer's for the first time this week. What a great place! Besides being a health food store, they have a cafe upstairs! So delcious! They have some great lunch specials, I want to go back and try them all. My fiancé and I ordered way more food than we needed just because so much looked sooo good!
Read morePros: excellent food, healthy cuisine, good value
Cons: small
Guest
jayanthp
Points +48
Fantastic Cafe - Edit
A fantastic vegan cafe in downtown. Was my first day in downtown Chicago and came across this cafe as I was strolling down. To my surprise, it exceeded my expectation. They have a cafe upstairs that serves hot food like veggie burger, burritos and soups. They also have great fresh juices at really down to earth prices. There is also a selection of cold salads downstairs by the cash till which are great! I am glad I found this place on the first day of my week's stay in Chicago. Will definitely go back there!
Read morePros: Cheap, Quick, Centrally located
Guest
·X·
Points +28489
Nice Store. - Edit
I really like this place! They have a wide variety of Vegan options including packaged goods, Vegan items from local businesses, vitamins, snacks, etc. If I forget my lunch during work, I'll walk over here and buy a few things to back to the office to last a few days. The employees are so nice here too.
Read moreGuest
Sophie
Points +376
Great lunch place in the loop! - Edit
I had no idea there was a lil vegan cafe upstairs to this health store...And the daily special on Tuesday, this stew, is sooo good and one order was enough for two. You should definitely give it a try. Get there a lil before 12pm to beat the lunch crowd.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Excellent Food, Large portions
Guest
CupcakesMessyFace
Points +1308
DELISH! (and cheap!) - Edit
i'm a flight attendant and am always looking for new places to try. kramers is two blocks from where we stay in chicago so i decided to see what it was like. yeah!!! its a good sized store with a TON of vegan choices. they have bars bars bars galore, which i love since i can only find limited brands where i live. they have a juice bar upstairs (i didnt get a chance to try it) and a lot of fresh vegan and raw food chices in there refridgerated section. the first night i went i got their seitan curry salad (made on site) which was amazing!!! it has walnuts, carrots, seitan, curry, raisins, peppers, and more. it was so flavorful and crunchy- i could live on it. i also tried a small round packaged date cake which was yummy. the next day i was going to be flying all day so i went back in the morning and again got the curry salad, but also got a cactus salad a prepackaged blondie and vegan jalapeno cheese spread. i was nervous about the salad because my mother in-law grows her own cactus and makes the salad, but this was (dare i say) even better! it was so fresh and spicy. yummy. cactus, tomatoes and jalapenos. i havent tried the vegan cheese yet but its really high in fiber and low in fat which im excited about. the two salads were $3.99 each (one is pretty filling) and the cheese was $4.99. i wanted the vegan mole but they were out. they also had vegan taco salad, carrot salad, quiche, sunflower pate, chick'n sandwiches, etc. great place! i cant wait for a nother layover n chicago so i can go.
Read morePros: fresh, cheap, lots of choices
Cons: not open very late
Guest
Absolutroyalt
Points +21
Meets ALL your Needs - Edit
THis is a health store as well as restaurant and they have shelves upon shelves of vegetarian foods and "green"" household products! The location is extremely convienient right off E Jackson.
Read morePros: LOCATION and CHilli
Cons: nadda
Guest
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