Vegan Dining in Chicago

While at HIMSS, you can munch on the usual gourmet convention center cuisine - Hamburgers, Cappuccino, Pretzels, or Jumbo dogs. Or you could a walk a mile or two and enjoy Vegan Chicago. Most folks think of Chicago as deep dish pizza, ribs or steaks. However, there are a remarkable array of Vegan friendly restaurants and delis.

I walked from the Convention Center to Opera at 1301 S. Wabash to sample their vegan specialties. On Friday night I had a starter of a Vegan Corn fritter, followed by Spicy Shitake Wontons surrounding an asparagus salad, and then an entree not on the menu but made by the chef for me as a experimental future addition to the vegan menu - Pressed Tofu Kung Pao style. However, a side of Bok Choy provided a cool counterpoint.

On Monday night, I dropped by for a reprise and had a starter of fresh vegetable Moo Shu in two spicy sauces followed by an entree of Mapo Tofu. Another remarkable meal.

Here are a few resources for Chicago Vegan dining:

The Chicago Diner

Vegan Living overview of dining in Chicago

EcoBusinessLinks overview of dining in Chicago

The Happy Cow overview of dining in Chicago

Next time you're at HIMSS, go for something vegan. It gives you the endurance to run through the HIMSS exhibits in record time!