Penelope's Vegan Taqueria Andersonville

Title says it all. This has got to be the best mexican food in chicago. I tried one of each taco, a burrito, and elote. Finished every bite. I’ll definitely come back next time i’m in Chicago

We tried the chimichanga and the fried tacos. Both were very good but not quite 5 star. Not sure how they fried the chimichanga but it was a bit peculiar. The filling was great and my daughter enjoyed the tacos. Definitely worth a return visit to try other options.

Affordable, awesome vegan meats & cheese. Great place to take a non-vegan who is curious about but wary of vegan food.

Clean cute place with that “New Mexican” decor style complete with an interior neon wall sign.

I thought this place was sooo cute. Tables are close together so it’s both fun and easy to eavesdrop, which I love in a “dinner and a show way.”

The food was a little mixed, I loved the nachos, they were delightful. Really big portion and very colorful. Not skimpy on the guacamole.

The burrito, I was less crazy about. I think the ratio of beans to rice was a little off and it was not super flavorful.

Servers were sweet, vibes were nice.

Overall 4.5/5, you should give this place a try.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Loaded Nachos

I've eaten here a few times now and every time is better than the next. Took my young sons in for the special SpongeBob collab that's running through October. The presentation was adorable and the food was delicious! Also ordered a spicy pineapple margarita that was out of this world. Do not miss the elotes or the several horchata varieties. The service is always warm, fast, and attentive and the atmosphere is fun and cheerful. Would never turn down a chance to eat here and I'm not even vegan!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was fabulous, as well as my server. Unique restaurant with nice atmosphere. Although it caters to a niche clientele, it never entered my mind that the food was “vegan,” just it’s own interpretation of a popular ethnic cuisine. Maybe a little too pink, but I can get over that.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Taco Dinner

the enchiladas were really disappointing, it’s possible to do vegan enchiladas delicious and these were so underwhelming and bland! Overpriced for how mid the food is

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

The food was great! We ordered Chilequiles, Nachos, and Pancakes. Everything came out delicious and the portions were huge!
On the flip side, our server basically ignored our table the whole time. She took our water pitcher and never returned it with more water, forgot to take our orders at the beginning, was on her phone the whole time and we had to call her over multiple times to either order or pay. Also, I ordered the brunch chilequiles and I received the dinner service chilequiles instead. Not a huge problem as the only difference is the addition of an egg, but just not what I ordered.
At the end of the meal when paying, the tip options were 18%, 20%, or 25%. We could not put in our own tip amount.
The atmosphere was nice but the music was a bit loud which made it difficult to hear our server.
All in all, I would return as the food was great, the service was just disappointing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 2

We really enjoy Penelope’s! The menu has an abundance of choices, the restaurant is always clean, and the food is tasty. I really enjoy the onion rings and salad, but everything I’ve tried has been solid.

This place was great! We went the other day (October 2024), I didn't realize we'd need a reservation and we were initially told it would be an hour wait. But when we sat outside at one of their tables trying to figure out what to do, the host came out and said we could start outside and move in once they found somewhere to seat us?Very kind. The service was wonderful, and almost everything was delicious, especially the chimichanga and quesedilla grande! The elote (street corn) was really not- way too much mayo and there was no grill flavor and no galric/onion, cilantro or lime, or at least not enough for the flavors to come through. The onion rings were top-notch. My parents really liked the pozole, I think it needed more flsvor personally. Neither of them are vegan and they were super happy with everything. Overall 4.7/5. Updated from previous review on 2024-10-15

I'm so sorry for this review and the one star.
Place was clean staff was sitting location had 1 customer. Problem was when we went to place the order and the waitress came over. I shared my concerns about the guacamole having jalapeños and asked if it was already made or if one could be made without the jalapeños. The response I got was what took us out the door. The young lady said the guacamole is made fresh everyday. And yes for an additional charge they can remove the jalapeños. I was floored wait a moment did I hear you correct I'll be charged extra for removing something I don't want. I again was told yes. I quickly stopped my guest from ordering and excused myself saying. This is when we exit and find another location.
1st of all how are you going to charge extra for removing something a client doesn't want in there food extra charges are charged when it's extra added. We left and went a few blocks down by Jewels enjoyed our meal and no was not charged EXTRA for not having jalapeños on my guacamole.
2nd Retraining my be needed if this information shared by your waitress is incorrect.

Service: 1

Vegan tacos and Burritos!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chimichanga, Soy Al Pastor

Cute place! I came in the middle of the day, but it seems like a great place for the beginning and end of an evening out

I had the Al pastor, jackfruit barbacoa, and chunky quesa tacos. I had wanted to try the asada but they were out that day. The tacos were generally excellent and really filling. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vegan cheese they use.

I am a carnivore. Big fan of meat. This was absolutely delicious. Unreal kinda.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Taco Dinner, Baja Taco