Visited on 09/12/2022
An Honest Review:
Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen... new favorite alert! With a focus on vegan Asian cuisine, plant-based burgers/sandwiches, and house-made desserts, this restaurant is sure to entice your senses in every way. Alice and Friends' Vegan Kitchen is such a stellar experience- the food is a must try for all, and has nut-free options, as well as the option for nuts with many items. They also offer other diet-centered modifications as well. With a plethora of unique and classic items to indulge in, you are sure to have a heavenly time enjoying a delicious, high-quality vegan meal. The atmosphere of the restaurant was calm, and the staff were extremely kind and pleasant. We appreciated the thought and care that went into every aspect of the food, atmosphere, and experience. Truly, someone put a lot of love into this space and into this menu. Every ingredient was fresh and well-sourced, especially their mushrooms. Every dish was thoughtfully crafted, and cooked to perfection. What I like in particular is that their menu features a mindful balance of healthy vegan food, but adds the right flavors and textures to make you feel as if you are getting away with something kind of naughty. Truly, it is a treat, but you could eat this food every day (I wish I lived a bit closer so I could).
For our journey into this food wonderland, we began our meal with a wonderfully sweet Watermelon Iced Tea and, a warm, spicy Hazelnut Coffee with Oat Milk. Then, we ordered a few of their appetizers- Crab Rangoon, Dumplings, Drumsticks, and their Mush Love as well. These appetizers left us with our jaws dropping open. The Mush Love tasted like fried chicken, leaving my boyfriend and I speechlessly looking at each other in awe with mushrooms hanging out of our face. For our dinner entrees, we ordered the Kung Pao Ding and Roasted Sesame Miso Ramen. Both blew us away, especially the Kung Pao Ding, which was flavorful, sweet, tangy, and savory in the best of ways. The Roasted Sesame Miso Ramen was rich, thick, and tasted like I had ordered it out of an authentic ramen shop. Everything was so well-cooked, we could not resist dessert. To finish off our wonderful dinner, the Lemon Cake and Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Bar were added to the tab, and eaten on the spot. Wow... I don't know how they do it- the Lemon Cake and Peanut Butter Bar were incredibly moist, well-flavored, creamy, and tasted straight out of a fancy bakery shoppe. I was highly impressed by the presentation as well (see dessert photos in gallery for cute chocolate hearts). We are now huge fans of Alice and Friends'- for many reasons. I highly recommend a visit next time you are in the windy city.
What we tried:
Watermelon Iced Tea
Hazelnut Coffee with Oat Milk
Crab Rangoon
Dumplings
Drumsticks
Mush Love
Kung Pao Ding
Roasted Sesame Miso Ramen
Lemon Cake
Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Bar
What we plan on trying in the future: (Hint: Basically everything)
Blissful Joy
Crispy Spring Roll
Satay Skewers
Rainbow Roll
Popcorn Nuggets
Agedashi Tofu
Love Letter From The Earth
Homerun Ball Salad
Corn Bread
The Bao
Wonton Soup
Tomka Soup
Corn Chowder
Dol Sot Bim Bam Bop
Burmese Noodle Salad
Noble Burger
Walnut Shrimp
Bahn Mi
Chana Poke Bowl
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
Kingwich
Golden Yuba Fried Rice
Run Away Potato
Mushrooms Wonderland
Tom Ka Noodles
Grace's Teriyaki
Golden Breeze
Spicy B.B.Q
Korean B.B.Q
Laksa
Heavenly Curry
Mama's Love
Chow Mein
Royal Pho
Fruit Smoothie
Green Tea Shake
Banana Chocolate Shake
Mango Lassi
Tropical Iced Tea
Thai Iced Tea
Organic Teas
Cheesecake
Green-Tea Cheesecake
Chocolate Mousse Pie
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Cake
German Apple Pie
Zucchini Bread
Mocha Cake
Raw Key Lime Cheesecake
Raw Mixed Berry Cheesecake
Raw Tiramisu
Vanilla Soy Ice Cream
Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Green Tea Soy Ice Cream
Cookie Dough Soy Ice Cream
Go and have an adventure of your own!
https://aliceandfriendsvegankitchen.com/
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Visited on 09/24/2022
Second Visit:
For my 27th birthday dinner, I needed to come back to Alice and Friends' Vegan Kitchen for another delicious adventure into their food wonderland. My boyfriend and I came to celebrate a few days before my actual birthday, due to our planned trip to Michigan falling on my actual birth date. We were both super excited to come back after our first visit. Having absolutely loved every single item we ordered the first time, and were so stoked to see what else the chefs have up their sleeves! To start the birthday dinner, we ordered Crab Rangoon, Drumsticks, Popcorn Nuggets (made with King Trumpet Mushroom), and an order of Char Siu Bao (Chinese Steamed BBQ Pork Buns- this was the special of the day). I was particularly excited to try the Popcorn Nuggets and the Char Siu Bao- mostly because I had not tried them before, but I also had a feeling they would both be spectacular dishes.
The Char Siu Bao is also the first item I saw from Alice and Friends' Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/aliceandfriendsvegan/), and is the item that enticed me to check them out in the first place. Both were delicious- so delicious that I went home and tried to make my own bao buns (spoiler- they weren't as good as the ones pictured above). The Crab Rangoon and the Drumsticks were just as delicious as the first time we tried them. I could enjoy a meal consisting only of their appetizers and drinks, and be completely satisfied.
Speaking of drinks, I had a Thai Ice Tea with oat milk, and my partner enjoyed a Tropical Iced Tea. I won't lie- their Thai Ice Tea was impressive. There is something special about drinking a Thai Iced Tea in the first place, but knowing it is made to be vegan and it is made with love and care just takes it to a whole new level for me. Amazing! The tea was also delicious, fruity, and refreshing. For the main course, it was absolutely necessary to give their Chow Mein a try (it is so rare to find good vegan Chinese food), and my boyfriend had to order the Kung Pao Ding a second time- which I firmly agreed was a good idea. I was so impressed by the Chow Mein- wow. Honestly, it was the best Chow Mein I have ever had in my life. It's vegan, made with high-quality ingredients, and has a great fried taste that hits you in your soul. The Kung Pao Ding was fantastic and addictive- reminiscent of our first visit at Alice and Friends'. Dinner was so fantastic, we felt compelled to order dessert. We ordered the Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Bar and the Raw Key Lime Cheesecake, which were both heavily enjoyed. As we were leaving, we realized my car battery had died, and so as we were waiting for someone to come and jump my car, I decided to order some food to go from Alice and Friends'- since I had been staring at their sign for awhile. I ordered two orders of Crab Rangoon, an order of Popcorn Nuggets, an order of Blissful Joy (vegan fried shrimp), and two Mango Lassis (mango drink pictured above). The Blissful Joy were perfect- the mock shrimp they are using are absolutely delicious. Those vegan shrimp taste better than real shrimp, and there is no dirt vein to worry about! I have never had a Mango Lassi previously, and I am very happy that I ordered a few because they were delicious and made us feel so calm and peaceful while driving out of Chicago with our car recently electrified. The staff at Alice and Friends' Vegan Kitchen was also very accommodating when I let them know we were waiting for a jump. They made sure we had our food ASAP and were very kind and warm towards us.
I am a huge fan and am so excited for our third visit!
What we tried:
Thai Iced Tea (with oat milk)
Tropical Iced Tea
Popcorn Nuggets (made with King Trumpet Mushroom)
Char Siu Bao (special of the day)
Chow Mein
Kung Pao Ding
Raw Key Lime Cheesecake
What we plan on trying in the future:
Crispy Spring Roll
Satay Skewers
Rainbow Roll
Agedashi Tofu
Love Letter From The Earth
Homerun Ball Salad
Corn Bread
The Bao
Wonton Soup
Tomka Soup
Corn Chowder
Dol Sot Bim Bam Bop
Burmese Noodle Salad
Noble Burger
Walnut Shrimp
Bahn Mi
Chana Poke Bowl
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
Kingwich
Golden Yuba Fried Rice
Run Away Potato
Mushrooms Wonderland
Tom Ka Noodles
Grace's Teriyaki
Golden Breeze
Spicy B.B.Q
Korean B.B.Q
Laksa
Heavenly Curry
Mama's Love
Royal Pho
Fruit Smoothie
Green Tea Shake
Banana Chocolate Shake
Organic Teas
Cheesecake
Green-Tea Cheesecake
Chocolate Mousse Pie
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Cake
German Apple Pie
Zucchini Bread
Mocha Cake
Raw Mixed Berry Cheesecake
Raw Tiramisu
Vanilla Soy Ice Cream
Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Green Tea Soy Ice Cream
Cookie Dough Soy Ice Cream
Their menu is a must-view!
https://aliceandfriendsvegankitchen.com/appetizers/ - Appetizers
https://aliceandfriendsvegankitchen.com/drinksanddesserts/ - Drinks and Desserts
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Visited on 11/25/2022
Third Visit:
Alice was calling for us to have another food adventure. Thanksgiving came around- the spirit of gratitude called my partner and I to have a date night celebrating life, all of the amazing experiences that life has to offer, and each other. Alice & Friends' is one of our favorite spots- the food is always a treat, and there are always unique specials to captivate the mind and tastebuds. We tried a plethora of new items that had interested us for a few months, and we even got to try their Pumpkin Boa! Our vegan date of gratitude was wonderful, truly.
Our meal was started with a Matcha Latte with Oat Milk, and a Banana Chocolate Shake. Me, being a matcha junkie, and my boyfriend, being a chocolate-banana junkie, were sipping away in bliss. Both of these drinks were so yummy, and had us buzzing in a great mood while we waited for our appetizers.
The appetizers here are always a huge hit with us- the authentic taste of the dishes was truly outstanding. We had to try some new appetizers, as well as order some favorites we had tried before- we ordered the Agedashi Tofu, Crispy Spring Roll, Pumpkin Bao (special), and we re-ordered the Mush Love and Drumsticks because they are very satisfying, and mimic meat so well- they blow our vegan minds! For years, I have eyed Tofu Agedashi on many menus across my food journeys- but, out of all of the vegan restaurants I have visited, I have never seen it listed. Having the opportunity of trying this dish, for the very first time, at Alice & Friends' was truly a treat. It was perfect. My boyfriend was highly impressed and was talking about it after we finished it for some time. That is quite the compliment! The spring rolls were so crispy, and the dipping sauce was so sweet and tangy. Those spring rolls can compete with any other non-vegan spring roll out there! So yummy, so crunchy, so many veggies. Now, the Pumpkin Bao is an item that I have been trying to catch at Alice & Friends. Frankly, I was afraid they may be out of season, but on the day we visited, they were serving them as a special. These bao buns are so phenomenal. I could eat twenty if you put them in front of me (yes, they are THAT dangerously good). They are soft, moist, and warm. The pumpkin filling was smooth, silky, sweet, and perfectly seasoned. Another wonderful thing about these bao buns is that they really can satisfy as a snack, appetizer, lunch, dinner, or dessert. For our other appetizers, the Mush Love and Drumsticks, they were also amazing, delicious, and made with love (we can taste it).
Moving on to our entrees, the Kingwich and the Tom Ka Noodles. We loved both of them, most notably, the Kingwich (we are really wild about fried mushrooms). That sandwich was perfectly cooked, the mushroom being perfected breaded and seasoned, and the toppings took the flavors over the edge. We were gushing with happiness upon each chew. The Tom Ka Noodles were so creamy and flavorful, and to my surprise, came with yummy vegan shrimp. Every time we try a new item here, we are always so fascinated by the culinary creativity, by the execution, and by the presentation. Alice & Friends' impressed us again! We left smiling, with our bellies full. We are so excited to go back, and take another dive into the menu.
What we tried:
Matcha Latte with Oat Milk
Banana Chocolate Shake
Agedashi Tofu
Crispy Spring Roll
Pumpkin Bao
Kingwich
Tom Ka Noodles
What we plan on trying in the future:
Satay Skewers
Rainbow Roll
Love Letter From The Earth
Homerun Ball Salad
Corn Bread
The Bao
Wonton Soup
Tomka Soup
Corn Chowder
Dol Sot Bim Bam Bop
Burmese Noodle Salad
Noble Burger
Walnut Shrimp
Bahn Mi
Chana Poke Bowl
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
Golden Yuba Fried Rice
Run Away Potato
Mushrooms Wonderland
Grace's Teriyaki
Golden Breeze
Spicy B.B.Q
Korean B.B.Q
Laksa
Heavenly Curry
Mama's Love
Royal Pho
Fruit Smoothie
Green Tea Shake
Organic Teas
Cheesecake
Green-Tea Cheesecake
Chocolate Mousse Pie
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Cake
German Apple Pie
Zucchini Bread
Mocha Cake
Raw Mixed Berry Cheesecake
Raw Tiramisu
Vanilla Soy Ice Cream
Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Soy Ice Cream
Green Tea Soy Ice Cream
Cookie Dough Soy Ice Cream
Take the dive!
https://aliceandfriendsvegankitchen.com/
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