Lacto
Ovo
American
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Kitchen and bar with a few branches serving diner & brunch food. Menu includes a vegan section listing pancakes, french toast, a wrap, tofu scramble, and few others. Open Mon-Thu 7:00am-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 7:00am-10:30pm, Sun 7:00am-10:00pm.
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Last update on 17 Apr 2017 by Guest
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19 Reviews
First Review by dzgarcia
Mstonecipher
Points +20
Nice Brunch for Vegans - Edit
I always appreciate a restaurant that has more options than just avocado toast for breakfast/brunch, and Meli Cafe has a few vegan items! We went during their busy time on a Saturday, and only waited about 25 minutes for a table. Staff was very attentive, and our food came out within 10 minutes of ordering. I had the Vegan pancakes which were good! They get a little dry, so I suggest ordering with extra syrup. This restaurant is great for an omni family of tourists needing a nice breakfast or brunch to squeeze into a busy schedule.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-06-16
Pros: A few vegan options, Quick service
Guest
EricSheeder
Points +18
Vegan pancakes came with non-vegan butter - Edit
Ordered the vegan pancakes to go, got home and they came with non-vegan butter packs. Really? Never again
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-01-06
Guest
Vegan Vagabond
Points +3280
Not really that great and questionable adherence to vegan ingredients - Edit
I’ve tried to like this place, but there are so many other better places to go, I’ve given up. There really aren’t that many vegan options, some of the items they list as vegan really aren’t vegan (such as the rolls for the vegan sliders), and what they do make vegan is just not that fabulous.
Read moreGuest
MariiaStepaniuk
Points +65
Not bad for brunch - Edit
It's good to have a place to go for brunch, especially with non-vegan friends. Has a vegan menu section - tango stacker was pretty good, french toast was ok, though the sliders were not so good (dry and lacking flavor).
Read morePros: Nice diner atmosphere
Cons: Sometimes have to wait for a table on weekends
Guest
·X·
Points +19618
Meli Cafe - Edit
I was drawn to Meli because of their vegan and vegetarian friendly menu. I ordered the vegan French toast. I'll honestly say that the vegan French toast was a little too healthy tasting, as it was loaded with fruits (raspberries, blueberries, and bananas - yum!) but the bread was reminiscent of a dense grain bread, which does not make for good French toast. The syrup was also agave nectar rather than maple syrup, again something I'm not used to with French toast. There are many other vegan things on the menu worth trying instead of tis one.
Read moreGuest
annieeatingstuff
Points +161
WARNING almost all vegan menu not vegan - Edit
Speaking to the waitress, the only thing that’s vegan is the vegan pancakes and the scramble (which has awful reviews) is only vegan without bread/toast on the side. EVERYTHING else listed vegan on the in-house menu and online is NOT VEGAN. Yes, even the vegan patty slides.
Read morePros: Nothing
Cons: Everything
Degu
Can you elaborate further as to why they are not despite the name.
Read moreannieeatingstuff
I don’t remember specifics about items as it was a while ago but the main concerns were dairy, egg, and honey in things labeled as vegan
Read moreGuest
Lidija91
Points +87
Nice place - Edit
They work every day not utill 10:30pm - only till 3pm!
Read moreSmall vegan menu options. Vegan pancakes with maple syrup were tasty! But not recommend to take veggie wrap - too oily outside. They have a wide options of fresh juices and shots!
Cons: Pricey
annieeatingstuff
Just FYI they told me the wrap is actually not vegan today
Read moreGuest
EmilyRogan
Points +330
Small Vegan Section - Edit
Appreciate the fact that they had some vegan options (pancakes, avocado toast, beyond burger, etc). Pancakes were decent - came with organic agave syrup which was a plus! Place is a popular and busy breakfast spot
Read moreGuest
greentea35
Points +58
They don't know what tofu scramble is - Edit
I made the mistake of ordering tofu scramble. It turned out to be cubed tofu with steamed veggies, no flavor. I asked the waitress if they normally served it like that, and she said yes. Pricey and quality not great.
Read morePros: A few dedicated vegan options
Cons: Expensive, tasteless
Guest
Abbatosaurus
Points +350
Don’t get the tofu scramble - Edit
their pancakes are good but the tofu scramble was flavorless! Only three options were on the menu.. do not go out of your way for this one haha
Read moreCons: Three vegan options and one sucked
Guest
EC5
Points +2204
Good place for brunch - Edit
The menu has a small veg/ vegan section which includes pancakes with fruit. They were very nice and the service in the cafe was lovely.
Read morePros: Nice atmosphere
Guest
veganxo
Points +48
Vegan Pancakes - Edit
Love going here for vegan pancakes! Whether dining in or delivering, there food is always correct and delicious. The portion is huge too. The fries are delicious and a huge portion as well.
Read moreGuest
wft
Points +79
Menu is wrong about what is vegan - Edit
There are a number of items on the menu which are marked vegan and are definitely not (“Egg white omelet”). There are some items which seem like they surely must be, but aren’t marked as so. Got the “vegan pancakes,” and when there waitress brought out the food she mentioned that they don’t have vegan butter.
Read moreBasically, you can eat there if you’re stranded in the south loop, but be careful and it’s not worth going out of your way to eat there.
Guest
AngelaFlatland
Points +174
Great place for vegan to go with non-veg friends - Edit
It has decent vegan breakfast options.
Read moreGuest
KarenG
Points +185
Great pancakes, tofu scrambler is just ok - Edit
The vegan pancakes are delicious. The tofu scrambler is cooked well, but lacks flavor.
Read moreGuest
stacy100
Points +366
Really Disappointed - Edit
I had planned on eating here every morning while I was in Chicago, but after the first visit, I had no desire to return. Their tofu scramble is not a tofu scramble but rather a plate of steamed vegetables with a few cubes of tofu mixed in. If you liked high priced steamed vegetables with no flavor to speak of, this is the dish for you. Otherwise, don't bother.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-09-26
Guest
katthevegan
Points +42
Pleasantly surprised - Edit
I went here with my dad for brunch and we both split the 3 grain sliders and the vegan pancakes. Everything tasted fresh and carefully put together. The waitress even split the food for us so we didn't have to share the same plates. They make their own ketchup which was delicious. The ambience is very nice and they make fresh smoothies and orange juice. Overall a great experience and I will hope to be back soon
Read morePros: Specific vegan menu, gluten free options, fresh fo
Cons: Somewhat expensive
Guest
GlobalTravelingvegan
Points +158
love their vegan breakfast - Edit
I'm so happy there is a restaurant that understands vegans like to go out for breakfast with our non-vegan friends. This is the only place I know of where my meat eating friends and my vegan friends can all go together and we all can get satisfying food. Thank you I wish more restaurants got it.
Read moreGuest
dzgarcia
Points +135
Underwhelmed - Edit
There are 6-8 vegan options and nothing inspired or even interesting. I ordered the vegan french toast, it was fine, but not excellent and a sad portion size for the price charged.
Read morePros: clearly marked veg/vgn options
Cons: portion size, variety, price
Guest
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