As too many Wicker Park restaurants rise out of my price range, and Starbucks replaces Filter, the Earwax Cafe remains refreshingly the same. Don’t be disgusted by the name, which came from the record store in the same location on Milwaukee Avenue, near the North/Milwaukee/Division intersection in the heart of Wicker Park. The café is now a delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee spot. The Earwax Café makes a perfect place to relax with friends before a show at the Subterranean or after hunting for second-hand treasure at Myopic Books or Reckless Records.
Groups of friends can sit in one of the high-backed gold and red booths by the old circus posters of Ostrich Boy and the knife thrower and the golden horned dragon head on the wall. You can talk for hours over the bottomless coffee ($3.75) and eat breakfast at any time of day. Vegetarian or vegan friends can dine well on the meatless burgers made from soy, or black beans, tempeh (soy, barley and spices) and even a seitan chorizo burrito. I was impressed by the Reuben with seitan (wheat gluten) seasoned exactly like corned beef. I would recommend the chocolate soy shake with ribbons of chocolate syrup to anyone. Carnivores can go straight for the pulled pork sandwich ($7.50) or Jamaican Jerk chicken ($8.95) with mashed sweet potatoes and rice. Crunchy, gingery sesame coleslaw and seasoned thin French fries make excellent sides and the vegan carrot cake lets you claim that your dessert is socially responsible. Get all your daily servings of produce at once in the Garbage Salad ($8.95) with romaine, spinach, carrot, bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and honey mustard dressing.
There’s no wine or beer here, but a good selection of espresso coffee drinks and loose leaf teas like oo long, sassafras and medicinal teas to fight off a cold. The Blue Velvet berry smoothie and Peanut Butter Chocolate smoothie are fun and filling. If your friends need a good meal before or after hitting the nearby bars, Earwax Café is ready for you.
Be warned, Earwax Café is cash only. The flyers for local art and music shows covering the wall and the litany of graffiti in the bathroom keep it real. This is the type of humble punk art place that made Wicker Park cool to begin with. Look for videos to rent and independent magazines in the back and downstairs.
Are you like me who have a real hankerin’ for good old fashioned fast food but, for one reason or another, want to cut out the bad stuff that makes it taste so good? Then you really need to pack up your buds and take a cruise down to the far south side to check out Veggie Bite! The guys who run this seemingly traditional fast food joint has found a way to make every single item on the menu completely vegan and taste absolutely incredible, to the point where no one would be the wiser!
The decor all blue and yellow like one would expect at any standard fast food joint to be, with traditional picnic tables and lit up menu boards. The food on the pictures look just like the real thing, too, from the gyros to the messy chili cheese fries and everything in between! They even serve soft serve ice cream and shakes, so those who are lactose intolerant can finally rejoice and indulge! Needless to say, this place sure ain’t all twigs and figs and nothing like one would expect to find at a vegan establishment!
There really isn’t a single item on the menu to focus on, since everything is sinfully divine. However, the chili cheese fries are a must do, as are the Italian beef melt and the hot dogs. I, for one, am a major hot dog snob, and somehow these guys seemed to have figured out how to make these really good!
There’s rumor these guys are going to be opening up a second location on the north side, and I for once certainly hope they do so! If and when they do, they are really going to need to take a nod from the big boys and hire up a whole lot of extra help, because the food here is really going to win over everyone who walks in the doors!
The one complaint I have is that these folks are obviously not from Chicago, since some of the items on the menu are not prepared the way they should be, but are dangerously delicious none the less. The hot dogs come with ketchup on them and the beef sammiches are not soggy from au jus and are topped with barbecue sauce. I know, blasphemy!, but like I said, they are really good anyway and really hit the spot!
One of Chicago's more recent additions to the vegetarian restaurant scene is Lakeside Cafe, up near the Evanston border. It's delicious, carcass free and organic twist on old favorites and contemporary flavors makes it a place everyone should try out at least once... and after that first bite, no doubt you'll be hooked! Who said healthy has to taste like leaves and twigs?
Two of the most popular entrees are the seitan gyros with vegan cucumber sauce and the Tao bowl, which is a full meal for only $6! Let me tell you, I know my gyros, and this is definitely it! Lots of oregano and thyme throughout – the look, taste and texture were all present and accounted for! All that was missing was all that grease, which isn't a bad thing.
Vegan and dairy based mozzarella cheese is available for ordering pizzas, and the Shepherd’s Pie is absolutely wonderful. Specials change nightly, along with monthlies thrown in for good measure. Lots of great juices are also available, as is fair trade coffee and tea. However, what makes Lakeside a solid standout is their absolutely sinful all vegan dessert menu. Blondies, brownies and cakes, oh my! Generous portions, made in house, with all the flavor you'd expect of a dessert item, and blessedly low on the density. What more could anyone else possibly ask for?
Now attached to this cozy little nook is the Inner Metamorphosis University (where that IMU sign comes from out front!). It features classes in meditation and dancing, along with vegetarian cooking, which the owner is more than happy to embellish upon. However, don't let that title fool you, as she's probably one of the most laid back individuals ever to grace a kitchen. Her overall personality really shows in the restaurant's overall decor, including the beautiful ivy draping the walls.
To be honest, the one “bad” thing about this place is the neighborhood it's based in. The eastern portion of Roger's Park can be downright scary for those outside the area, so it's best to keep your wits about you when going there after dark. Red line train riders should get off at Jarvis and not Howard, and drivers should circle until they find parking on Howard itself, making sure nothing of value is visible. With that one caveat in mind, making the trek out to Lakeside is well worth the little extra effort.
Bicycle enthusiasts have a place to call home in Chicago, and it is located just a minute ride west of the Doubledoor. Handlebar's extends free plates of fries and drink specials to bike messengers on Monday nights and are hotspots for bike rider organizations like the monthly Critical Mass. While not entirely vegetarian, veggie folks also frequently patronize Handlebar's , due to their wide variety of vegan and vegetarian selections, as well as their "no farm, no fowl" menu policy. A few fish selections however are present.
For veggie novices, choosing items featuring seitan verses tofu is probably a safer bet, as that wheat meat tends to take on more of a familiar flavor than its soy based counterpart. The Barbecued Seitan sandwich is an easy choice, and the Apple Celery Slaw it’s paired with is especially unique and delicious. Add on a plate of home made Fries or their awesome Garlic Mashed Potatoes, along with a good pint for the perfect, guilt free and peddle powering meal.
While they are now serving breakfast, the menu is somewhat lacking. However, its location and the somewhat easy parking in the area allows those without bikes to make it over and possibly convert. The patio out back is a nice brunch spot in summer, too.
The overall "come as you are" vibe present really knocks the wind out of any first night jitters, making Handlebar's a great place to just hang when the bike's on the rack. The ambiance is anything short of whimsical, fusing old bike parts for the furniture. Take it all in and chill out with one of their interesting beer and wine selections or try one of the micro soda brews available. Intelligentsia coffee and a nice selection of teas are also available, which is a nice touch.
The only real issue at Handlebar's is the overall inconsistency. Sometimes the service can be outstanding, and at other times it can be a little too casual. Therefore, those who expect this place to have hired the wait staff from a pricey joint downtown are seriously out of luck. Roll with it and just chill!
What can be said about Jane's Restaurant that hasn’t been already? Is it the charming, country exterior? How about the beautiful White Room inside? Or, can it simply be the wide selection of fresh, healthy entrees? Answer: it’s all the above, and then some!
Even from Jane’s unassuming exterior, something nudges you to go on in and give it a try. More than anything else, it resonates a bygone era, more akin to Grandma’s house out in the country than a restaurant in the pulsating Buck town / Wicker Park neighborhood. As you walk in, you again are sent traveling back in time, this time to a Victorian-era bakery or ice cream parlor. The glue that binds the two together is the use of white and cream tones, covering just about every inch of the establishment. What would normally seem to be a bit institutional or even sanitary actually works in Jane’s favor, creating a gentle calm and peace, allowing you to just be.
The wait staff is prompt but not quick or hurried, intuitively knowing just when you’re ready to begin ordering. The selections they go over with you have that American contemporary theme, but seem to touch upon a nice hodge podge of everything perfectly, from the Pepper Encrusted New York Strip streak to the Creole Blackened Grouper and right on down to the Mustard Glazed Chicken breast. A nice selection of domestic and international wines are kept cool in their cellar, complimenting their wonderful, home style dishes. Also, vegetarians seem to have found a new haunt in town, as almost half of their choices cater to them.
What has truly made Jane’s stand out though is their wonderful breakfasts. The eggs Benedict are simply superb and the pancakes include apples or apricots sprinkled with powdered sugar and complimented with warm syrup. Even the coffee is a couple grades higher: Intelligentsia roasts replace the standard food service beans other restaurants push off on their patrons. Plenty of other choices are also available, each prepared tastefully yet just like you’d expect at Grandma’s. And yes, go for their Sunday brunch! While brunch has become the new standard for most restaurants these days, Jane’s has taken this notion to a whole new level, adding just a touch of Grandma’s love to every item.
So when you find yourselves in Bucktown, be sure to give Jane’s a try, morning, noon or night! She’s saving a table just for you.
Located near the northern Chicago border of Rogers Park, this local institution serves up a wide selection of organic vegetarian and free range fare, with a peace lovin’ hippie vibe no other restaurant can compare.
Founded back around the time of that infamous Democratic Convention, the Heartland Cafe has been a place where activists can meet and post bulletins, folk musicians can sing about the events of the day, and strict vegetarians can bring their carnivorous friends to dine together on variants of traditional and contemporary favorites. Tie dyes, cut offs and sandals aren’t necessary, since the Heartland makes a point of welcoming each and every person, no matter what path they may follow.
A vegetarian’s dream come true, the Heartland offers a large selection of meat-free entrees, sandwiches and appetizers, like their Seitan Barbecue sandwich, the Macro Plate and their ever so Spicy Black Bean burger. Decadent desserts like the Mixed Berry or Peach pie are so good, no one would be the wiser it’s vegan! Customers can also try out some of their various meat-based dishes, like their famous Buffalo burgers, Chipotle Shrimp, Chicken Chardonnay or the Farm Raised Catfish. Their Buffalo Sirloin steak is a real crowd-pleaser and comes complete with garlic mashed potatoes, bread, veggies and topped off with grilled onions.
A nice compliment to any meal is a good drink, and their famous Buffalo Bar serves people up right! Literally dozens of domestics, micro brews and imports are available, making it one of the best places in the entire city for finding those rare libations no one else carries. Grab a pint while checking out a performance!
Besides the restaurant and bar, a main attraction is the general store and gift shop guests walk through upon entering, taking them through a virtual time warp back to the Woodstock era. People far and wide enjoy exploring their vast display of periodicals and gifts, chatting with the owners about various causes, points of action or just shooting the breeze.
Overall, the Heartland Café is quite possibly one of the best places in the entire city for taking just about anyone, from the stuffy suits to the granola-munchers, and everyone in between.
Bicycle enthusiasts have a place to call home in Chicago, and it is located just a minute ride west of the Doubledoor. 
Located near the northern Chicago border of Rogers Park, this local institution serves up a wide selection of organic vegetarian and free range fare, with a peace lovin’ hippie vibe no other restaurant can compare.