Alice & Friends’ Vegan Kitchen

the restaurant just switched owners and the food has changed a bit. but it is good vegan food regardless. if you are vegan or vegetarian and want a solid meat-​alternative-​meal head to Alice and Friends.

We love this place. We LOVE this place. The menu is fun, thoughtful, and delicious. It’s not exactly Korean food, but it’s close enough! The service was extremely friendly, the food was tasty, and although the ambiance wasn’t exactly warm, our lovely server more than made up for it. Also, they had an incredible carrot cake with cream «cheese» frosting that was dynamite.
If you like meat substitutes, you’ll definitely dig this place. My boyfriend and I aren’t into that sort of thing, but they have plenty of other options that are just as yummy. We went with the bibimbop and the gamja tang (not sure what they call that on the menu – it’s the potato dish). Both were so flavorful and satisfying. The Love Letter to Earth Salad was one of the best we’ve ever had. So beautiful, healthy, and delicious.
Definitely a «go to» for us!

My husband Kenn and I finally got around to trying this place after knowing about it from visiting Father & Sons Barber next door, and all the positive Unilocal reviews. The visit did not disappoint!
We arrived just after the place opened and got a seat right by the window. Service was prompt and helpful with any questions we might have. The menu is extensive. I would say it’s like a giant mix of Thai, Korean and Chinese influences with lots of other things mixed in. It was hard to decide on what to order since I LOVE Thai and everything sounded good.
We settled on a few things:
Appetizers: vegan shrimp and fried egg rolls — Both were tasty. It was hard to believe the shrimp wasn’t really shrimp! Many dishes are composed of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein, which is a soy derivative). I’m familiar with TVP, but have never seen it white like in the shrimp. I could have eaten more than one serving of that appetizer! The egg rolls were good, but not anything that stood out as unique as these are often vegetarian anyway.
Wonton Soup — This was a super tasty broth with a few broccoli florets and 3 wontons floating in it. The wontons didn’t have as much flavor as I expected compared to the rest of the dish. The soup did seem like it just came off the boil because it was so hot. You seriously had to be careful eating it.
Entre: Kung Pao — This mix of spicy sauce with cabbage, veggies, cashews and little fried balls of TVP was delicious! The brown rice served with it was a nice balance to the spice, though the spice wasn’t overpowering to the palette. My only complaint is the dish could have had more cashews in it. I only had a couple. Part of my love for dishes like this is the crunch the added nuts provide.
Kenn had the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bob and said it was really tasty. It was filled with vegetables, brown rice and TVP, served in a hot pot. I had a taste, and it was good, but I like spicier food and preferred my Kung Pao.
The only thing holding this review back from a 5-​star rating is that many things are stir fried, or battered and fried. This helps disguise the TVP, but limits your options if you don’t want something fried. We were fine with our dishes prepared as described with fried elements since we rarely eat any fried food anyway. But, I would explore other options on the menu next time.
Overall, this was a great experience that left us too full (and with leftovers) to try any of the desserts, which also sounded good. We left the restaurant with full bellies and I felt much lighter than when eating traditional Thai in non-​vegan restaurants.

Delicious food, nice friendly atmosphere. My husband and I ordered 3 dishes to share — loved all three.

We tried kung pao, Thai curry and khao soi. All three were good but I specifically liked the curries
They could have been much spicier/​hotter but not bad. Substitute chicken and beef was good as well. Chicken substitute tasted like chicken you find in chinese recipes. It has a small kitchen/​café feel to it but is very clean. I would visit again.

Went here to dine and had a poor experience. Taste of the food is average. My husband ordered some phở which was nasty. However, I ordered the khow suey which was kinda good.
Speaking abt the service and ambiance– it’s very nice. I would also say that they did an awesome job with fake meat… the taste n texture is just so real and perfect.

Pretty good. I eat here a lot. Sometimes can be bad depending on who is working but the price is right and it’s nearby.

Delicious food. Very Friendly service. The interior is very relaxing and cozy. The portions are generous. We had the wonton soup and spring rolls as appetizers. The soup was notably good and the wontons looked and tasted like they were out of a Miyazaki film. For entrees we had (on recommendation from the woman who waited in us) the chow mein and bi bim bob. The portions were generous and the bi bim bob came out in a playful (but very hot) stone bowl making the meal very fresh and fun to share. For desert we had the cookie dough soy ice cream, carrot cake, and a matcha latte. The carrot cake came out first. It was sweet and the icing was great. Then the ice cream came which was very good. It wasn’t too soy-​y and was a great palate cleanser. It would have been a smidge better if there were more cookie dough chunks but I just love cookie dough. The left overs were packaged up for us which is always a nice touch of extra hospitality. Definitely an instant staple if you like vegan food (or just fresh food, in general).

I *love* this place. The staff is friendly, and the food is fun and delicious. I always get the mangolash to drink – it’s delicious! Thick mango-​y goodness. I also always get the drumsticks… it’s fun to be able to bite into one of those as a peace loving vegan! The curry is delicious, and I’ve never gotten anything here that I don’t like. I highly recommend Alice & Friends’.

Intentionally searched Vegan on GrubHub and Alice’s came up in the neighborhood. Ordered Heavenly Curry and Crispy Spring Rolls. The restaurant called within minutes to tell me the last order of Heavenly Curry had been served and that, if I waited over an hour, they could make more. She offered an alternate — the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bob — so I took it. Both the Bi Bim Bob and the Crispy Spring Rolls were excellent. I will definitely be back.
1 star off 5 for not having more entrée options without texturized vegetable protein — which is a highly processed food made by Archer Daniels Midland. With all the good natural protein options available, it’s surprising they would choose to build so many of their recipes around it.

Just as good as they say!!! The food was delicious. I’ve never had such a well prepared veg. Hot dog and seasoned Total Vegetarian Protein (TPV) with Kung Phở. Their desserts were amazing. Loved the food and service A+. We will be back to try other items.

The Korean Bbq lacked flavor. The love letter salad though is very good! :)

There is tvp and then there is delicious tvp turned out by Mun. Her restaurant uses ingredients untouched by genetic modification. Expect to find a wide variety of asian dishes like Korean B.B.Q., Bi Bim Bob and Chow mein with vegan ham, seasonal veggies and house made chow mein sauce. If nothing else, check out there house made wonton with tofu, aka the house special soup.

Great food, great prices. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The green tea shake is a wonderful treat!

Second time at Alice’s the foods is top notch. Had Grace’s Teriyaki. .best teriyaki ever! Bibimbop on par with most traditional korean preparation.. Over all great food!

Reminded me of Loving Heart in Uptown. Delicious, delicious food! If you go in the winter be sure to bring a sweater, lot’s of windows so it’s a little chilly.

Let me start by saying I am not Vegan — but im just simply addicted to this place that I though of it many times. I recently moved to Edgewater and on one of my moving days I decided to stop in because the place looked so cozy from the outside.
Clueless on to what to try I began with the appetizers and WOW!!! there spring rolls are AMAZINGLY good the warm filling is so delicious and the outside crunch is like mouth watering! I also tried their Blissful Joy (fried soy shrimp?) these were my favorite the breading was perfectly seasoned and the inside you would never guess its not shrimp!
I also had the Green Tea smoothie and that was so good I now get one everyday =)
For entrée I ordered their Chow Mein and for not being Vegan/​Vegetarian I can say this was better than any other Chow Mein I have ever tried! Im actually really happy living so close to this place I can eat healthy and clean and save some animals! There inexpensive prices will definitely have me there more than once a week!

Alice & Friends is back open! I want to give it five stars, because I really am happy about it being back/​not closing down (this was Loving Hut). Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about our meal there.
Pros:
–Food is pretty inexpensive and good. The new curry soup is great. The runaway potato is still delicious. The vegan desserts are great. Really, if the issues below were corrected, I’d be happy to say it’s a five based on the food.
–They now have table service, so you don’t have to go up to the counter.
Cons:
–It is FREEZING inside. It was a really unpleasant dining experience because we were so cold.
–The waitress hasn’t tried any of the food. Any questions we asked were answered with «a lot of people order it.» But she admitted she hadn’t actually tried anything. I really think anyone who works in a restaurant has to try the food and be able to answer questions.
–Here is what knocked if from a 4 to a 3 for me, because the food is good. In the teeny tiny women’s bathroom is a chair that almost touches the toilet. It is marked for breastfeeding. So they somehow felt the need to designate a breastfeeding spot in the bathroom! A woman and her baby should have to eat in the toilet? Seriously? Get rid of the chair. There are chairs at every table, and someone can choose to breastfeed there. Or, if they don’t want to, they can sit behind the partition or move a chair to the bathroom. But to designate the tiny, gross bathroom as where you should feed your baby is insulting and totally inappropriate. I can’t go above a 3 star as long as that chair remains in the toilet.

Loved it as Alice and Friends and looking forward to the new menu tonight. I called and got the new web address…

Don’t come here expecting Alice and Friends. Alice and Friends was cozy, dimly lit, and had religious-​cult programming on 24 – 7. I came back tonight with an out-​of-​town girlfriend to find a spacious, sterile, bright, quiet «Loving Hut.» Maybe the rest of the menu is the same, but all I ever ordered here was the «duck» and that is gone and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. Instead of table service, it’s cafeteria style. The service is sweet and the food was okay (the steamed dumplings and egg rolls were great, but the California rolls fell apart. I had the Almond Joy which was a little salty), but I came expecting to impress my friend with its intimacy, charm, and innovative menu and left feeling embarrassed that I selected this place for her short time here.
For the record, it isn’t a bad place, just know what you’re getting into.

Came here once for a date with an out of town girl friend. The food was great, some of the best fake meat I’ve ever had, period. The chai tea was great too.
The atmosphere is another reason to come to this place it’s a story in itself. When you go make sure to check out the video on the «supreme master»… yeah!

Yummy food, super friendly staff, and for the most part, no animals were harmed in the making of the food, so how can ya go wrong? :) The deserts are amazing — especially the cheezecake! — and the slices aren’t too large and overpriced, like they are at other veg restaurants — they are just right.
5 stars when they drop the remaining casein and honey from their menu :).

The Supreme Master gives good veggie food.
So apparently this Asian lady with dyed blond hair is God, or an agent of God, or something like that, and she’s decided the best way to spread her message of love and oneness with the whole damned universe is to sell you tofu. Whatever – the food’s awesome, so you can either let her teachings (which plaster the walls around you) wash over you and give you a peaceful, enlightened feeling while you nosh, you can laugh at the broken English of the posters and her questionable fashion sense, or you can eat.
I’ve been here a number of times, and I’ve had the dumpling appetizers (tasty), be bim bab (awesome), and the seitan Korean BBQ (fabulous). It sucks that there are relatively few vegetarian restaurants in the city, but I’m glad this one exists – I’m entertained and charmed by the «Supreme Master» and her message of love/​respect for all living things, and I’m bowled over by the food.

Pretty decent vegan food. I’ve wanted to come here for awhile and finally did today with my friend. Dining area is rather small but the tables aren’t crammed together. I have heard about the cult religious stuff at this place but didn’t really read into it. There was some video playing on a TV when we came in but we didn’t pay much attention as we were promptly seated.
We ordered the steamed dumplings as our appetizer which were pretty good. For the main course I ordered the Almond Unchicken which the sauce, spices and vegetables mixed with the rice were amazing, but my friend and I agreed that the Unchicken was just too tough. My friend had the Lemon Tofu and she really liked it. I had a little taste and the sauce was amazing as well. I would like to try the unchicken again but hopefully it won’t be as tough.
Overall it is a nice chill spot to spend and afternoon talking and enjoying decent vegan food. I will definitely try them out again.

Very good food, I was surprised. I ordered the Don Ka Su and the sweet sauce was super delicious, and it didn’t even taste like an «unMeat». The food was prepared great, and the service was okay.
The asian food here was really delicious, but apart from that, nothing really stands out. Okay, sure, it’s a little kooky and is open at weird times (and not to mention that «Alice» takes a lot of vacations), but when you get there, be prepared for some good but unconventional vegan/​vegetarian food.

It took me 301 days to get my butt in to Alice & Friends after our fabulously famous Unilocal Ambassadora Colleen recommended it!
I got to tell ya that it was well worth the wait because now I can officially confirm that:
1) I have been able to discover my inner child and love for purple;
2) Vegetarian/​Un-​Meat can be quite tasty without being chewy;
3) Alice is hands-​down a new friend of mine and would be added to my Facebook buddies asap (if only she had an account…)
I’m hoping that Alice & Friends is purposefully themed to be like everyone’s favorite cartoon, Alice in Wonderland. You would think with all that purple décor and the two obnoxious girls at the neighboring table who conversed non-​stop like the March Hare and Mad Hatter. What turns my hypothesis upside down is the Asian cuisine served and no mushrooms being in my entrée.
I had the unChicken Home Run Ball (whether this refers to the Cubs, I have no idea… Do I read too much into things or what?!). It’s like sweet and sour chicken but way healthier and tangier. My friend who I coerced into joining me for dinner had the Thai Curry. WOW! It was better than a lot of Thai restaurant’s curries I’ve had. Any delicious flavor you could name could be found in it and lots of veggies is a plus.
I loved the short Asian man (possibly the owner, or Dormouse?) who was quiet spoken and super friendly. Whether it was intentional or not (I like the think that it was), he gave me my slice of Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie for free. Even if it weren’t free, the prices of everything is very reasonable. It was simply delectable with tons of chocolate flavor but no heaviness factor.
I’ll be back Alice and hopefully you don’t tell me my company is stupid and then shrink yourself to fit into the beautiful garden!

Thai Curry! Yum. Bi Bim Bop! Yum.
Calming purple walls, fun people watching, nice waitstaff.
I’m not a vegetarian but I would eat at this place at least once a week for the rest of my life and be very happy!

I am not vegetarian, but I could well be if I lived off of the food they serve at Alice & Friends.
I have been here multiple times I cannot say one entrée is better than the other because I have enjoyed them all. I’ve tried their specials, as well as standard menu items such as their Don Ka Su and Almond unChicken. Even my most carnivorous of friends enjoy the menu that shows how important sauces and seasoning are making something like tofu or wheat germ taste like true Korean BBQ or other meat-​infused Asian food.
As for desserts, the green tea cheesecake is a must, but the ginger milkshake is a hit or miss.
Some other reviewers have negatively commented on the inspirational videos that play in the background, lilac-​colored walls, white Christmas lights, and poetry lines adorning the tables and walls. However, I like the way the restaurant looks! The atmosphere is relaxing and it’s a nice quiet place to have an intimate and healthy dinner with friends.

This is my new favorite restaurant. The almond unchicken is amazing. The homerun balls are also great, they are like fake fried chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce, rice and thin slices of orchard apple on the side. Best vegan food I’ve had since moving to Chicago.
Also, I’m pretty sure its run by some animal loving, very cheerful, pastel color worshiping Asian cult. And sometimes that’s fun.

Check out the crazies!

Check out the crazies! They follow this peddler of jewelry and force you to watch it if you eat in the restaurant.

This place is totally not as creepy as these other reviews say it is. I think that Alice & Friends is a wonderful restaurant with a comfortable, upbeat and inviting atmosphere.
I didn’t really get to see the religious video that was playing in the waiting area, since it was early on a Wednesday and we were the only people there. The décor is very unique– very bright colors, lots of photos, and some folk art. Lots to look at while waiting.
We ordered To Katsu and the dumplings for starters — The Katsu was crisp, hot, and surprisingly juicy for not being meat. The dumplings were delicious and had just enough ginger to be great but not taste like soap.
The service is beyond excellent — very friendly and attentive.
The Lemon Tofu was superb– wonderful flavors that I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but amazing. The Home Run Balls were a tasty fake meat version of something in between Orange Chicken and General Tso’s. The fake meat is unlike any others I have seen. Great texture.
I’ll definitely be back here often. I can’t wait to try the other dishes!

Hands down the best faux meat in the state.
There is a reason everyone overlooks the Supreme Master videotape on repeat. There’s logic to our madness of driving way up north to sit in the tiniest food stop that is usually so quiet that the details of your conversation is up for grabs. Its because the food is AMAZING.
The BBQ «beef» is thinly sliced but the texture is SO on, it scares me, and the Runaway Potato dish had «beef» cubes that actually felt so chewy and tender, I was taken back to the days of crock pot stews and pot roast!
And don’t get me started on the perfect Cheese Cake.
If this is the new way to recruit for cults, Im in. I love you supreme master!

Great vegan restaurant with a somewhat odd, but positive, vibe overall.
The people who run it follow some Asian Master woman (Ching Hai?) who’s apparently Vegan — so she rocks in my book. They play her videos sometimes in the front, but otherwise, I don’t feel like they cram her down your throat. She’s kinda hip… does all kinds o’ funky stuff with her hair & jewelry. She’s kinda like the Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan of Korea… but with a heart of compassionate gold.
The food is GREAT! Now, where else can you get VEGAN KOREAN BBQ??? And it’s really good!
Their salads are surprisingly good — not to mention their cheesecake, which is FANTASTIC! I like the plain one with the cherries — just like you’d imagine at a diner or something.
I really like this place and what it’s about. GO Vegan one day and try it! It feels good to eat a meal and walk away with the knowledge that nothing suffered or died as a result.
:)

Fake” smoked duck” has never been better than at Alice’s. It was superb, and was served with rice and a lovely salad too. The rice had some dark sauce drizzled on it and the salad had a light but very tasty dressing. Definitely the best meal I have had in a while. I also had the privilage of tasting the Almond Unchicken, and it was great too. This is faux meat done right!
The religious aspect of it with Supreme Master Ching Hai’s picture everywhere was interesting to say the least, but the food was mighty delicious.

When my friend suggested «this vegetarian place» near her house for an inexpensive dinner, I didn’t dare imagine that it was actually called a Vegetarian Café. How apropo!
You walk into a little counter-​top store front where there is 1 table and a foreign TV show playing, and you are aptly confused by the take-​out vibe; then you’re led us through a curtain to a room painted in pinks, purples and seafoam green. I had a hard time getting to the menu because the pastel of it all was deadening my retinas.
We both ordered Dol Sot Bi Bim Bob (mushroom, smoked tofu, royal fern, bean sprouts, spinach, zucchini, crumbled kom bu, carrots over jasmine rice in a stone bowl w/​special hot sauce) which is as fun to say as you think it is. If the «special hot sauce» on the menu piques your interest, *Spoiler Alert*, it’s tastes just like Sriracha.
It looks beautiful when you remove the lid from the cute stone bowl with all the shiny happy vegetables in piles on top of the jasmine rice. The veggies were steamed just the right amount of time making them either chewy or slightly crunchy but not overcooked. The smoked tofu was delish, and until last night, I’d never heard of royal fern, let alone eaten it (I couldn’t discern its taste, it was stringy like glass noodles but thinner).
The cute stone bowl did have its drawback however; it was so hot that the rice continued to cook after we were served, making a hard layer of burnt rice on the bottom. My companion added water to hers to steam it down a bit and it seemed to work.
When you want veggies, unMeat, and a meal containing every color of the rainbow, this is a good place to go. Next time I go, I’m ordering the Love Letter from the Earth salad.