Vegan
Take-out
Bakery
European
Israeli
Opened Jan 2020 this is an all-vegan Jewish deli that features vegan versions of Eastern European Jewish classics such as knishes, chopped liver, smoked whitefish salad, babka, bagel sandwiches, and latke. Operated by a husband/wife team. Suggested to check ahead on Instagram in case of any closures. Reported closed May 2024.
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1309 W Wilson Ave (at Uptown), Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60640
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Last update on 18 Jun 2024 by Degu
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Added by plumshine on 03 Jan 2020
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40 Reviews
First Review by keelan
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Points +19618
Sam & Gertie’s 🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯 - Edit
I’m so happy I stopped at this place during my trip! The Dexter bagel sandwich was extremely delicious and the chocolate donut was incredible (crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read moreGuest
wuski
Points +325
Y E S - Edit
If we’re in Chicago we always try our best to stop by. Their breads and baked goods always hit the spot, and I can eat hundreds of their latkes.
Read moreGuest
michrozen
Points +127
Soooo good!! - Edit
The food was fun and the portions were big. I came with my little kids, and all three of them got free cookies
Read morePros: The vealda chaya challa
Guest
shebazzle
Points +445
Nice place to visit, wouldn’t want to live here… - Edit
5 star concept. Growing up culturally Jewish, this place hits a lot of the right notes.
Read moreFood varies from 3-5 for me depending on the item.
Some of the baked goods are lit, huge and sometimes pricey. The black and white cookie is pretty perfect all around tho.
Nice they have gf bagels, but my gf daughter rejects them.
The regular bagels are from ny bagel and bialy and a great base
For the sandwiches.
Some of the sandwiches are too much tho? The portion of “salami” I recently had had good flavor. It was just way too thick and had a consistency I was not a fan of.
Bagel with cream cheese good. Etc.
Wish they had better coffee.
I’ll keep coming back and I know when I find my “things” they’ll be 5 stars.
Pros: Bagels and variety of cream cheese, Comfort foods, Variety and baked goods
Cons: Little pricey, The coffee :-(, Limited hours, and seating. Sidewalk great tho
Guest
VeronicaIsles
Points +96
Best ever!!!!! - Edit
I was confused because Yelp said it was temporarily closed but it's open. Glad I took a chance and went anyway!! It's become a new birthday tradition for me, and went last year too. They have some of the best vegan food I have ever eaten!! To be honest, I have no idea what a real Jewish deli is like as I was vegetarian as a child and then went vegan as an adult. I absolutely love the Yiddish Que and could eat them daily. It is enormous and so much flavor!!!! I also love the Shalom with the everything bagel and giardiniera cream cheese. I also bought a ton of stuff to go, as I live in the completely different side of the city and it's a bit of a hike to get there. Got a challah dog too. But, well worth the drive and no traffic on a Sunday morning. Love love love the chicken salads, potato salad, eggless salad, tuna salad... To die for. I also bought one of each of the deli meats. My fiance got the baykin on a plain bagel and chocolate donut with nuts. I plan on posting this review everywhere in hopes they stay open forever. I will also drive back the second I run out of food to get more!! I wish they still had the chopped liver as it was my favorite. But, I completely understand that there isn't much of a market for vegan chopped liver haha.
Read morePros: Unique food, Bold flavors, Generous servings
Guest
ohgeorgia
Points +599
We love Sam & Gertie's! - Edit
My non-vegan partner and I always visit when we're in town - omni approved!
Read moreI haven't had anything here I didn't like, but I especially love their cream cheese. I always have to bring home a tub or two when I come to visit! The Smoked Laks cream cheese is exceptional.
Pros: fast service, delicious food, fully vegan menu
Cons: pricey
Guest
Vegan Vagabond
Points +3280
Four stars for the food. - Edit
I love this place. I really enjoy the food. It’s not cheap, but I feel that it is worth it.
Read moreThere is some controversy around this place. The owner is not vegan. He’s more of an entrepreneur arguably cashing in on a gap in the vegan restaurant business in Chicago. I’m OK with this. Many vegan/vegetarian places around the country are not owned by vegans. This guy has opened several all vegan restaurants. However, where the controversy has come to a head, is where he converted one of the vegan restaurants into a fried chicken place. Kind of a stick in the eye to the vegan community. While I am certainly not thrilled by this, it does not keep me from eating at this place. First, the food is very good and second, I would love for more entrepreneurs to see vegan as a viable business option.
p.s. The chicken place has since closed down.😄
Guest
sconroy
Points +300
Great breakfast spot! - Edit
Wonderful, unique options. Highly recommend!
Read moreGuest
devonwithano
Points +5913
finally made it to sam & gertie’s! - Edit
i spent some time living in chicago in the past and while there were vegan options - none of them were that great.
Read morethen i moved back east and found out about this gem (i wasn’t using HC at the time). several chi-town visits later and i finally got to experience this phenomenal place.
the food was excellent, even as my husband and i ordered takeaway. staff was awesome. i could easily see them being able to open multiple locations in the city.
Pros: everything
Guest
DavidBrewster
Points +250
Unique Brunch spot in Uptown - Edit
Certainly was an interesting experience. The food is good here.
Read moreGuest
lssf
Points +121
Pretty good - Edit
We were lucky to be able to check them out on the weekend. Having such limited hours is frustrating. Their black and white cookies are very good and generously sized. The donuts are humongous! The yeast texture is spot on but that’s about it. It’s just too big to get the flavor of the topping. I’d rather have it be smaller and a buck or two less. We had the Vegan Vegan sandwich and it was a little too much on the oily side with both hummus and a tahini sauce. It’s served in a brown box. If you’re into fake meats this is probably your place. I don’t understand the bag of Lay’s potato chips either. They give you a 1 oz. cup of potato salad. I’d rather have more of that than some crummy potato chips.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-10-02
Pros: Great bread and bagel selection
Cons: Really pricey
Guest
Ludwick
Points +107
Amazing and unique Jewish deli in chicago - Edit
Loved this place, sad it's only open on the weekends, but I would recommend everyone try it out. Highly recommend the Challah Dog
Read morePros: Vegan Jewish deli, Friendly staff, Cheap
Cons: Owner is not vegan
Guest
kale_queen
Points +474
AMAZING - Edit
Kind staff, really good food. I’m so glad I got to go here! Wish I lived closer!
Read moreGuest
squirrelboy
Points +315
Incredible - Edit
The Vilde Chaya was one of the best sandwiches I've had in my life.
Read moreGuest
rjmarciniak
Points +689
Perfect place for breakfast - Edit
Simply the best place for a vegan breakfast in the city. Everything is delicious and reasonably priced. Worth the trip!
Read moreGuest
jadaruss
Points +1811
Weird - Edit
Every time I eat here I get sick. Plus they let dogs inside and let them put their paws all over the counter it’s disgusting.
Read moreGuest
pinkcatmints
Points +194
Simply the BEST - Edit
The menu looks deceivingly small. There's so much on it! Plus tons of salads, sides, and sweet goodies in the display. I once had the Reuben. It was incredible. I had to return! I had the Baykin (bagel sandwich) with a coffee ($1 plus oat milk can be added). I took a knish (potato and onion) and jelly doughnut home. Absolutely delicious. The portions are good and everything is very filling. Also the staff are sweet and very helpful. Someone was even passing out free soft serve.
Read morePros: Delicious , Housemade, Filling
Guest
ulysses75
Points +58
Best Jewish Deli in Chicago (vegan or not) - Edit
The Levin was incredible tasting and was a huge portion of food. We tried the Klasish latkes and the potato and onion knishes as well. The food was well worth the wait. The service staff was very helpful and nice. We split a black and white cookie for dessert. Thank you!
Read morePros: Delicious food, The only all vegan Jewish deli that I have seen, Friendly staff
Guest
kylejpatrick
Points +42
Breakfast!! - Edit
This place was excellent! I found out today that I’m not a huge fan of corned beef, but I really respect the homemade aspect of the food here and the portions were plentiful. The breakfast sandwich was to die for and the bagels were excellent as well, Wish they were open more days of the week!
Read moreGuest
ECDLR
Points +654
Sandwich heaven - Edit
Jewish vegan deli with all the classics. The sandwiches come with a side or chips, the price is a bit high but the sandwiches come absolutely loaded. Coffee for $1! Service was great and they had samples! They even offered samples when I asked about different items.
Read moreGuest
kenny.cakes
Points +1601
Fantastic - Edit
Yet again another vegan place with wonderful employees. They heard we were on vacation and couldn't wait to try it and they gave us a free cookie. The knish was phenomenal. I would definitely would get a few next time. The lemon pound cake was amazing too.
Read moreGuest
ajaff
Points +216
Jewish deli - Edit
I’ve never seen a vegan Jewish deli so was very excited to try this place! Lots of good classic options and bagel sandwiches.
Read moreI tried to go back over the summer but unfortunately, they were closed for a while. Make sure to check their instagram to ensure they’re open
Pros: Matzo ball soup, Pastries!
Cons: Limited hours
Guest
fondducoeur
Points +1167
Amazing - Edit
I tried Sam and Gertie's for the first time recently and absolutely loved it. We went at lunch and got the Yiddish Melt and the Reuban, splitting an order of Goldie's latkes. Wow. Everything was delicious. The sandwiches were piled high with seitan. I could have used a little more sauce on mine, but it tasted great. And I was really blown away by the latke. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was the fried potato mound piled high with tomato "lox", capers, veggies and served with a side of dill cream cheese. It was amazing.
Read moreWe also got knishes to go, to eat for dinner the following day. They reheated well, and I ate mine (broccoli cheddar) with Tofutti sour cream. I think getting breakfast/lunch at Sam and Gertie's with a knish to eat the next day will become a tradition for me when in Chicago.
The service was great too...I got there towards the end of the day (they close at 2) and was given a coffee cake for free, which was super sweet of them and tasted great.
Pros: Excellent veganized traditional Jewish deli food, Big portions, Big selection
Guest
cayden416
Points +52
One of a kind Jewish deli - Edit
Amazing, amazing, AMAZING food! Everything was delicious and you could tell it was all made in house. The price is a bit higher but it’s worth it and it’s so filling. I was so happy to find classics like latkes, black & white cookies, bubka, and stuff like pastrami and salami all vegan and so yummy!
Read morePros: All vegan, Large menu with classic Jewish food
Cons: A bit pricey
Guest
annieeatingstuff
Points +161
Always delicious! - Edit
I love getting local bagels and cream cheese here. I generally get the Goldie laks (vegan lox) bagel but recently I’ve been hooked on the matzo ball soup! The cherry cheesecake cupcake is to die for as well.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-11-27
Pros: 100% vegan restaurant , Jewish deli, Comforting but healthy
Cons: Short hours and only open on weekends , On the more expensive side
Guest
Seatown_vegan
Points +7484
It could be better - Edit
True to prior reviews, these guys do pile on the meat! I ordered the Schwartz and a challah dog. The challah dog was fantastic and I wish I ordered more than one. The Schwartz, piled high with meat, just didn’t do it for me. Although filling there wasn’t really anything spectacular about it. Food arrived quick and they even walked around passing out samples.
Read moreGuest
BrandySchm07
Points +194
Pretty Good - Edit
I appreciate the creativity and the variety of vegan options offered. I went with my fiancé and the sandwiches were good, but missing a little something. The meat substitutes were good, but heavy and they made the bread really, really soggy. It would have been nice if there was more of the other toppings and less of the seitan. We both really enjoyed the black and white cookies though!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-07-15
Pros: Yummy cookies, Creative choices
Cons: Overpriced, Heavy, Soggy
Guest
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