Hi, everyone. I hope you guys don't mind answering this type of question all the time. :)

I live in VA and am coming to Chicago next week for a conference. My fiance and I are both vegan and hoping to try out some of the many vegan restaurants there. I downloaded a list off of Happy Cow but need help figuring out which ones may be close to our hotel or easy to get to from the "L".

We are staying at the Palmer House Hilton which I read is in "the Loop" section of the city. Anyone know anything close by or easy to get to from there?

I appreciate your help!!!!!

This thread might be of interest:

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=84897

I work a half block from the Palmer House (it's kitty-cornered from the building I'm in), and there are a few places I frequent for lunch:

Spa Cafe: 112 W. Monroe (about 3 blocks from the Palmer House). They have a dedicated vegan grill and several options. Open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Oasis Cafe: 21 N. Wabash Ave. (about 2 blocks north of the Palmer House). This place is located in the back of a jeweler's mall, so it feels a little weird when you first walk into the building. You can get lentil soup, a veggie combo (hummus, baba ghanouj, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel), eggplant sandwich, and tabouleh. Open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Macy's: About a half block north of Oasis Cafe (on the other side of the street). There's a food court in the lower level, and there's a nice salad bar, along with a deli where sometimes you can get a tasty cold pasta salad. In addition, there's vegan sushi and edamame salad at the sushi bar. Not sure of the hours, but I think the food court opens at least by 10:30 a.m. until ?

Kramer's Health Food Store: A couple of blocks south of the Palmer House. There's a small cafe upstairs where you can get fresh juices, and they usually have a few vegetarian/vegan options. They also have a refrigerated section on the main floor as you come in with sandwiches, dips, and a lot of other stuff (the watermelon gazpacho is a fave of mine!). They also have a freezer section where they have Tofutti Cuties, and they also sell Temptation ice cream by the scoop.

Sopraffina: 10 N. Dearborn (a couple of blocks west of the P.H.) You can get a vegetarian or vegan pizza (the vegan will just be without the cheese)...the whole wheat crust is pretty good.

Hope this helps! :)

P.S. I don't want to infringe on your time here, but I'm happy to pop out/over to say "Hey!" :D

This is EXACTLY the kind of info I needed. Thank you sooooo very much. I'll pm you with my info and maybe we can meet up!

I'm late to reply, but I know of some rather good vegan/vegetarian restaurants on the south side of Chicago.

Soul Vegetarian East is one of the most popular vegan restaurants in Chicago. The only exception is that Soul Veg does use honey in some of its dishes.

Another great place is A Natural Harvest. In addition to being a health food store, it also has a deli with vegan and vegetarian options.

Perhaps this will be useful to others also looking for vegan options in Chicago.