A friend brought me here for my birthday. It is a bit loud inside, but it is neat and clean with nice decor, lots of plants. :) the menu is all vegan, and has a variety of food styles. The appetizers are generous and good to share. While the entree portions are small, we did not leave hungry. The little dessert sampler they brought for my birthday was a perfect way to taste the sweets.Dietary restrictions: All veganKid-friendliness: Kids menu
We had a reservation before the orchid show at botanical gardens. Upon our entry we were amazed at all the greenery. Simply beautiful, especially against the industrial looking shelving and loft like space. The plants made it very warm and welcoming. My date and I were seated at a very cozy booth across from the bar behind a wall of plants. Mildly romantic on a Grey gloomy day. As an appetizer we ordered the calamari fritta and they were very good alongside the spicy arrabiata. My date ordered the BBQ burger and garlic fries. I asked for some truffle aioli as well. I highly recommend the pairing. As for me, I ordered the penne Ala vodka. It was not only vibrant and colorful but delicious too. The penne was a perfect al dente, sauce was creamy& slightly acidic. I loved the mushrooms and blistered cherry tomatoes. Overall 5 stars. Our server was also upbeat, friendly and attentive enough as they were actually looking to close for their mid day break.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari Fritti
John Roth
Service was good but could have been a little more attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Carrot Cake, Pad Thai
Ivana Milano
Excellent vegan menu and many creative plant based options to choose from. Everything we tried was delicious and couldn't stop eating it ?
Before a visit to the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, we had brunch here. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable experience from the service to the food. French press coffee brought to the table, mimosa's with fresh squeezed OJ.and a giant cinnamon roll was what we were enjoying while waiting for our main dishes. Breakfast taco's, breakfast burrito, avocado toast and a breakfast bowl were all so delicious! And those breakfast potatoes were pretty addictive:) Can't wait to come back
Spirit Elephant is an amazing vegan experience overall. The cuisines were flavored well, and the presentations were superb. The service was extremely friendly and professional. I recommend this restaurant to all who are looking to experience vegan cuisines and for the fellow vegan community. I definitely plan on coming back to Spirit Elephant again.Vegetarian options: The menu is completely vegan; therefore, it is suitable for the vegetarian community as well.Dietary restrictions: There are gluten-free options. The menu is completely vegan.Parking: This is free parking within a reasonable distance (within two blocks) from the restaurant. Several free time limited parking and some paid parking in closet to the resturant. The parking can be limited depending on the time of day | overall activities.
One of my favourite vegan restaurants in and around Chicago. Their menu is well thought out and unique and the food is excellent. Their wine selection and cocktails are pretty good too. Overall a lovely experience everytime we go there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Will O'Connor
The food and cocktails are always good, but never amazing. After Bad Hunter closed downtown this is one of the next best options for sit-down plant based/dietary restrictions diets.As served, I've always wanted to tweak the dishes just slightly, like the miso eggplant dish lacked flavor cause there was so little sauce and so much rice or the gnocchi's predominant flavor was merely sweet when it should've been more complex and savory.That being said I come here often and will continue to. Just want them to bring their A-game.Vegetarian options: All plant basedDietary restrictions: All plant based and ingredients clearly listedGluten free dishes clearly labeled, subs for GF options also listed and available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cauliflower Wings
RobinC
First time but we'll be back! I had the Black and Blue Salad with tofu because the steak had sold out. Boy am I glad - it was easily the best tofu I have ever had and I would order it rather than steak next time. Cinnamon roll for dessert was not too sugary but had a wonderful vanilla taste in the icing. Loved the french press tea, too.
Sometimes, it's tricky to find decent vegan food, and also something my omni girlfriend likes too. Spirit Elephant has succeeded hugely, so this is our special occasion restaurant. Last night was our first anniversary (and the server made it extra special!) The food is always amazing - I only wish it was more. Then again, we wouldn't have room for the amazing desserts. We both appreciate how talented the chef is, by creating real plant based recipes. Once again, AMAZING!
Really nice experience, excellent wait, serve, and bus staff. Food was as exceptional as we had heard. Enjoyable all around, will be back. Great spot to stop pre or post a visit to the botanical garden, less than 10 min away or so.
Appu
Celebrating a birthday. The service was very slow, and at times, we couldn't find our waitress. The coffee was cold and the “milk or cream” broke apart into particulates in the coffee, so not very attractive. Our entrees were excellent.
Foodie
The best two parts of our dining experience were the waitstaff and our beverages. The French Press coffee and tea were delicious and one of us had a cocktail presentation that was super fun and the drink itself went down smoothly. As far as the food, the calamari was ok ~ heavily breaded and lacking pizazz, the vodka pasta was palate pleasing but was not hot out of the kitchen. The fries were the same way. Salad and soup looked fresh and good but all of the food lacked bite-savoring moments. We appreciated the live plants, the recyclable and environmentally friendly details. The room is rather austere and felt noisy. The bathrooms are clean.
Kevin
Our waitress was awful, very poor service at any moment she didn't smiled at us and present herself with her name. She didn't give us any recommendations. She acted like she didn't want to be there. It was the first time that we had awful services but the food was great and the place was very nice. It is our favorite restaurant to go. But if we experience something like that We would talk the manager and request different waitress.
Great vegan
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A friend brought me here for my birthday. It is a bit loud inside, but it is neat and clean with nice decor, lots of plants. :) the menu is all vegan, and has a variety of food styles. The appetizers are generous and good to share. While the entree portions are small, we did not leave hungry. The little dessert sampler they brought for my birthday was a perfect way to taste the sweets.Dietary restrictions: All veganKid-friendliness: Kids menu
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cauliflower Wings, Warm Brownie Bliss
We had a reservation before the orchid show at botanical gardens. Upon our entry we were amazed at all the greenery. Simply beautiful, especially against the industrial looking shelving and loft like space. The plants made it very warm and welcoming. My date and I were seated at a very cozy booth across from the bar behind a wall of plants. Mildly romantic on a Grey gloomy day. As an appetizer we ordered the calamari fritta and they were very good alongside the spicy arrabiata. My date ordered the BBQ burger and garlic fries. I asked for some truffle aioli as well. I highly recommend the pairing. As for me, I ordered the penne Ala vodka. It was not only vibrant and colorful but delicious too. The penne was a perfect al dente, sauce was creamy& slightly acidic. I loved the mushrooms and blistered cherry tomatoes. Overall 5 stars. Our server was also upbeat, friendly and attentive enough as they were actually looking to close for their mid day break.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari Fritti
Service was good but could have been a little more attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Carrot Cake, Pad Thai
Excellent vegan menu and many creative plant based options to choose from. Everything we tried was delicious and couldn't stop eating it ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carrot Cake, Cauliflower Wings, Pad Thai, Calamari Fritti, Warm Brownie Bliss
Before a visit to the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, we had brunch here. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable experience from the service to the food. French press coffee brought to the table, mimosa's with fresh squeezed OJ.and a giant cinnamon roll was what we were enjoying while waiting for our main dishes. Breakfast taco's, breakfast burrito, avocado toast and a breakfast bowl were all so delicious! And those breakfast potatoes were pretty addictive:) Can't wait to come back
Recommended dishes: Homemade Mammoth Cinnamon Roll, Breakfast Tacos
Spirit Elephant is an amazing vegan experience overall. The cuisines were flavored well, and the presentations were superb. The service was extremely friendly and professional. I recommend this restaurant to all who are looking to experience vegan cuisines and for the fellow vegan community. I definitely plan on coming back to Spirit Elephant again.Vegetarian options: The menu is completely vegan; therefore, it is suitable for the vegetarian community as well.Dietary restrictions: There are gluten-free options. The menu is completely vegan.Parking: This is free parking within a reasonable distance (within two blocks) from the restaurant. Several free time limited parking and some paid parking in closet to the resturant. The parking can be limited depending on the time of day | overall activities.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carrot Cake, Cauliflower Wings, Meatless Loaf Bourguignon
One of my favourite vegan restaurants in and around Chicago. Their menu is well thought out and unique and the food is excellent. Their wine selection and cocktails are pretty good too. Overall a lovely experience everytime we go there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and cocktails are always good, but never amazing. After Bad Hunter closed downtown this is one of the next best options for sit-down plant based/dietary restrictions diets.As served, I've always wanted to tweak the dishes just slightly, like the miso eggplant dish lacked flavor cause there was so little sauce and so much rice or the gnocchi's predominant flavor was merely sweet when it should've been more complex and savory.That being said I come here often and will continue to. Just want them to bring their A-game.Vegetarian options: All plant basedDietary restrictions: All plant based and ingredients clearly listedGluten free dishes clearly labeled, subs for GF options also listed and available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cauliflower Wings
First time but we'll be back! I had the Black and Blue Salad with tofu because the steak had sold out. Boy am I glad - it was easily the best tofu I have ever had and I would order it rather than steak next time. Cinnamon roll for dessert was not too sugary but had a wonderful vanilla taste in the icing. Loved the french press tea, too.
Restaurantji Recommends
Sometimes, it's tricky to find decent vegan food, and also something my omni girlfriend likes too. Spirit Elephant has succeeded hugely, so this is our special occasion restaurant. Last night was our first anniversary (and the server made it extra special!) The food is always amazing - I only wish it was more. Then again, we wouldn't have room for the amazing desserts. We both appreciate how talented the chef is, by creating real plant based recipes. Once again, AMAZING!
Really nice experience, excellent wait, serve, and bus staff. Food was as exceptional as we had heard. Enjoyable all around, will be back. Great spot to stop pre or post a visit to the botanical garden, less than 10 min away or so.
Celebrating a birthday. The service was very slow, and at times, we couldn't find our waitress. The coffee was cold and the “milk or cream” broke apart into particulates in the coffee, so not very attractive. Our entrees were excellent.
The best two parts of our dining experience were the waitstaff and our beverages. The French Press coffee and tea were delicious and one of us had a cocktail presentation that was super fun and the drink itself went down smoothly. As far as the food, the calamari was ok ~ heavily breaded and lacking pizazz, the vodka pasta was palate pleasing but was not hot out of the kitchen. The fries were the same way. Salad and soup looked fresh and good but all of the food lacked bite-savoring moments. We appreciated the live plants, the recyclable and environmentally friendly details. The room is rather austere and felt noisy. The bathrooms are clean.
Our waitress was awful, very poor service at any moment she didn't smiled at us and present herself with her name. She didn't give us any recommendations. She acted like she didn't want to be there. It was the first time that we had awful services but the food was great and the place was very nice. It is our favorite restaurant to go. But if we experience something like that We would talk the manager and request different waitress.