Vegan
American
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Catering
Vegan cafe est. 2013 by Upton's Naturals. Menu features vegan comfort foods like fried bacon mac, croissant sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs, plus a full ice cream menu, vegan donuts, and items from other Chicago vegan businesses available in the cooler. Dog-friendly patio. Donuts available earlier on weekends starting at 9am Fri-Sun. Reported closed June 2025.
120 Reviews
First Review by ·X·
Kallday
Points +321
Best Vegan Hotdogs - Edit
I’ve seen Uptons products in my local grocery store for quite some time but never tried it. Let’s just say I’ve been missing out & will be loading up once I get back home haha! For hotdogs, I’m usually a ketchup & mustard type of guy, but the Chicago style opened me to a whole new hotdog experience!
Read moreI didn’t try the doughnuts because they looked over priced & not that appetizing. Everything was great.
Guest
Eric_Alexy
Points +52
Yum - Edit
I’m sure there was a salad or something healthier on the menu but this is what I ended up with: donuts and hot dogs.
Read moreGuest
MichellePecoraro
Points +160
Delicious - Edit
I had the breakfast sandwich which consisted of tofu, vegan bacon and vegan cheese, it was delicious. If you’re a breakfast-lover like me, definitely give it a try. The nachos are also very good.
Read moreGuest
ChinyereNnaji
Points +26
Amazing 👏 - Edit
The ppl here were so helpful and there are may options on type of food, breakfast lunch and product to take home to cook 👍
Read morePros: Helpful people , Delicious , Donuts 🍩
Guest
Olush
Points +75
Flavorful - Edit
Stopped here to refill before the Rage Against the Machine (who are also vegetarian) concert at the United Center.
Read moreBahn Mi was just right on money. Mac’n cheese a little on the burnt side but still really tasty. Pineapple donut desert sealed the deal.
Pros: Lots of options, 100% vegan
Guest
madoublethew
Points +380
Tasty options for a summer evening - Edit
The name is a bit of a misnomer: there is not a room to eat, but rather some tables outside on the pavement. We went on a nice July night, but you wouldn’t want to be going for dinner in winter unless you were going to take it away. Regardless, the mains were good-sized and really tasty. The kale salad is a winner, and the gochujang bowl is pretty good, too. Finish it off with some tasty donuts, and you’re golden. M
Read moreGuest
kladams89
Points +141
Loved it! - Edit
Staff was very friendly during my visit. The vegan croissant was amazing! I got the croissant sandwich and cheesy broccoli which were both great
Read morePros: Different vegan options, VEGAN CROISSANTS
Guest
AnnaNicoleSmiths
Points +44
Nothing to rave about - Edit
The food is mediocre, the staff are unfriendly, and it feels like eating in a cafeteria when dining in. The only thing good on the menu is their fried bacon mac . I stopped going here to get this though because the staff is so unfriendly and unwelcoming. Definitely would not go out of my way to go here to eat.
Read moreCons: Mediocre food, Unfriendly staff, Cafeteria-like
Guest
murphysm2342
Points +89
Great and unique donuts! - Edit
We got the dozen special ($25) and tried almost all of them. So good!
Read moreGuest
JenniferPooch
Points +245
Love - Edit
Love the variety of vegan options here, including vegan cake slices from Pie Pie My Darling, vegan ice cream, and vegan donuts from Liberation Donuts. Their "meat" alternatives are awesome and I cannot recommend the Bacon Mac n' Cheese enough. Had their Banh Mi sandwich, the Bacon Mac n' Cheese as a side, and two donuts from Liberation Donuts (the Liberation and For Greta). Everything was delicious and the service was wonderful.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, House other well-known Chicago vegan food brands, Delicious food
Cons: No indoor space to dine-in, Limited outdoor seating
Guest
woodlewis
Points +494
Best soft serve ever! - Edit
Nice menu, everything vegan! Uses a lot of their products that you can buy at the grocery store, and they have a small shelf of packaged items to take home, like their seitan and hotdogs. My bánh mì sandwich was decent, the roll was a bit soft, and the tofu a bit bland, but otherwise tasty. Soft serve cone, which I have tried everywhere I can get my hands on it across the country, was the best ever, chocolate on the day I went. We also loved the donut that they called an eclair, similar to Boston crème. Unfortunately no indoor seating with Covid, and it was freezing, though I did sit at the outdoor table.
Read moreGuest
VeganbyChoice
Points +1763
Vegan To-Go - Edit
1st time here. Easy to find street parking. I was planning on eating in and realized, nice I was inside, they didn’t have any eat in options. I thought I was going to get the Chicago Style Updogs, but changed my mind. The employee said “everyone comes for our side of fried Bacon Mac. I wasn’t in the mood for that either. He shared that the Bhan Mi was his favorite. I was sold in it. This sandwich comes with baked tofu and Upton’s Naturals Bacon Seitan with pumpkin seed pate’, jalapeño, carrots, radish, cilantro and mayo on a crispy roll.
Read moreLet me start by saying that it looked and smelled delicious. I was disappointed because it definitely was NOT crispy and my sandwich was not on a roll, it was on a hogie bun. I would have preferred crispy. The sandwich was packed with flavor and a good portion size. The Seitan bacon was very crispy - loved it.
I would come back and try a different entree. He also suggested the Gouchijang bowl.
I couldn’t leave without trying one of their donuts. I selected the Cousin Frida - chocolate donut with cookie dough ball. It was good - not great. I would try a different one next time.
Pros: Great taste, Good portion size
Cons: No seating available, Item not as described in menu
Guest
KBBorg
Points +22
LOVE in baked good form - Edit
Every single donut I had was amazing. And I bought alllllll of them.
Read moreGuest
jewelsthemonkey
Points +116
Charged for something I canceled multiple times - Edit
I'm really sad to be posting a one-star review (though Happy Cow only lets you do a minimum of 2 stars for veggie places! Oi vey!) for something that should be great (vegan donuts--hooray!). Unfortunately, the customer service at Liberation Donuts was atrocious. I accidentally placed an order for a wrong delivery date and contacted Liberation Donuts for a cancelation (in line with their policy). I sent an email as instructed, though no one replied. I then phoned and spoke to a nice man, who told me that it wasn't a problem and I would get the cancelation request processed by the evening. This also did not happen. In the end, despite multiple emails and calls, the donuts were delivered to a hotel where I was no longer staying. (I was somewhere over the Atlantic by this point!) Despite writing to them again, they still never replied. I've now had to involve my credit card company in a chargeback process. So frustrating....
Read moreCons: No customer service
Guest
YourFriendJen
Points +105
Fully vegan donut shop to satisfy your sweet tooth - Edit
I've only seen them carry cake (not yeast) donuts, so if you're into that you'll like this! The cake donuts are tasty without being too sweet, the glazes (especially chocolate and maple) are great, and there are some unique toppings. Some of the donuts are a little small, but they are a good portion for a dessert. Some of my favorites have been Flapjack (plain cake donut, maple glaze, spiced chocolate crumble), Bolt Cutter (chocolate cake, chocolate glaze, and cocoa nibs), and Kindess (vanilla cake donut, vanilla/chocolate glaze, and sprinkles). But you really can't go wrong with any of them:)
Read moreI love that they donate profits to various sanctuaries/related causes. The staff have always been friendly. Just a lovely place overall. #Veganuary
Pros: Fully vegan, Classic and unique flavors , Donates profits to sanctuaries and related causes
Cons: Donuts are smaller than at other places, On the expensive side
Guest
veggie_htx
Points +2243
tasty cake donuts! - Edit
Four and a half stars. I deducted half a point because I personally prefer yeast-raised donuts, and they offer cake donuts. However, the flavors are so interesting, these cake donuts really rock!
Read moreLocated in Upton's, plan to take donuts to go!
Guest
quinntoit
Points +43
Deli Counter Style - Edit
I loved this place. It reminds me of a Bodega I used to frequent for breakfast in NYC. The Banh Mi is heckin' killer. Also, Liberation Donuts is the best vegan food in Chi.
Read moreGuest
meginbaker
Points +55
Great donuts! - Edit
I always go all out and get a ton of donuts here. There's a wide variety and they're all awesome. Also one of the only places I know of that has vegan shakes.
Read morePros: Great donuts
Guest
Seatown_vegan
Points +9005
Bacon mac - Edit
True to all the other reviews, the bacon mac is delicious. I also ordered the Chicago style Italian which was good as well. Would love to try some of the desserts next time. There is no indoor seating but there are tables and chairs right outside. Service was pretty quick.
Read moreGuest
ElissaBVegan
Points +3531
So yummy! - Edit
I will be thinking about and craving the delectable bahn mi sandwich I had at Upton's Breakroom for lunch today for a long time to come! My husband had the breakfast sandwich and loved it. We found the donuts from Liberation Donuts to be irresistible as well as the soft-serve ice cream. Absolutely delicious!!! A must-do when in Chicago!
Read morePros: 100 Vegan, Delicious and generous portions , Friendly staff, shady out-door seating.
Guest
Abbatosaurus
Points +350
Mac and Donuts - Edit
Their entrees here were so-so, but the bacon Mac and cheese and AMAZING vegan donuts saved their rating for me. Some of the best I’ve ever had. Entrees are quite small and expensive. Worth it if you’re visiting the city though as they sell some of their products here that are hard to find (excited to try my banana blossoms)
Read morePros: Interesting options, Delicious donuts and Mac and cheese
Cons: EXPENSIVE
Guest
kalavinka
Points +250
Good mac, bad bbq - Edit
Excited that I finally got to visit Upton's Breakroom since I don't live in the state and Upton's is one of the major brands in the veggie world. I got the bar-b-que plate and some donuts. The jackfruit sandwich was not good, which surprised me considering I've purchased their jackfruit in stores many times. The bacon mac was surprisingly good--I was expecting it not to be so my expectations were the opposite of what my tastebuds experienced. The portion was large though and I opted to not finish the sandwich (hard to do anyway given the taste) in order to try the donuts, which were very good. They have a small selection of items to buy that I don't see in the stores in my area so I grabbed some of those too.
Read morePros: large portions, also sell some shelf items
Cons: Food is hit or miss, no seating
Guest
BrandySchm07
Points +240
Never Disappoints - Edit
I’ve gone here many times while coming through the city and everything is always delicious, no complaints. I really enjoy their breakfast options and Mac n cheese. Now that Liberation Donuts is in there as well… oh Lordy. Best vegan donuts I’ve ever had. The staff is also always very friendly.
Read morePros: All vegan , Everything is delicious, Now they have donuts
Cons: Menu is relatively small
Guest
star_007
Points +45
Travel - Edit
Great customer service and my 1st time trying this restaurant. The food was good we both enjoyed are meal. The Togarashi Bowl and Bar-B-Que Plate.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-07-16
Pros: Quick turnaround good customer service
Cons: Malt and shakes are pricey
Guest
rhymeswithtwee
Points +104
Vegan Dream - Edit
Love the togarashi bowl and bacon mac. Always fantastic specials. Friendly staff. The soft serve is great, too.
Read morePros: All vegan deliciousness, Affordable , Large portions
Guest
AutumnTierra
Points +1552
Good but very pricey - Edit
The food was solid. We had mac n cheese, nachos, and tacos. I thought all were good, but somehow our bill was like $65 before tip. That seems crazy for an order at the counter place that has no real seating area (4 small tables outside) and everything is given to you in to go packaging. Likely would not go out of my way to go again, unless I was in the area. The donuts were great, but will write about those on the other listing.
Read morePros: Donuts are great, Food is good
Cons: Food is kinda slow, Very expensive, No real seating area
Guest
cchappee
Points +248
Incredible!! - Edit
Went yesterday for brunch. It was a gorgeous day to eat outside. We had the breakfast tacos, Italian beef, and a slice of carrot cake from Pie Pie My Darling. Everything was amazing. The cheeze sauce was to die for. Can’t wait to go back on our next trip to Chicago.
Read moreGuest
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