Alice and Friends’ Vegan Kitchen: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Alice and Friends’ Vegan Kitchen is a fully vegan restaurant on North Broadway in Edgewater, and the menu answers the question for you. Every item is plant-based, so vegetarians and vegans can order anything. The restaurant’s FAQ answers the question with “Yes! our menu is 100% vegan.” The restaurant also invites everyone else in, and its site says you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy the food.

Start with the appetizers. The Crab Rangoon stuffs wontons with soy cream cheese and vegan crab. Blissful Joy gives you five breaded vegan shrimp with house tartar sauce. Mush Love fries King Trumpet mushroom and tosses it in a sweet and spicy Korean sauce, and the Popcorn Nuggets borrow the Taiwanese salt-and-pepper chicken idea using soy protein or mushroom. The Satay Skewers, Agedashi Tofu, and Rainbow Roll round out the list.

Entrees cover Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and the American South. The Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap comes in a hot stone bowl with smoked tofu and gochujang. The Roasted Sesame Miso Ramen uses a house-made dashi, and the Tonkotsu Ramen builds a plant-based broth with vegan bacon and bok choy. The Kung Pao Ding lets you pick fried tofu, King Trumpet mushroom, or soy protein. Noodle soups include Laksa, Tom Ka Noodles, and Royal Pho. For something closer to a sandwich, try the Banh Mi, the Kingwich, or the Noble Burger with its oat and brown rice patty.

The kitchen makes desserts in house. Choices include cheesecake, green tea cheesecake, chocolate mousse pie, carrot cake, German apple cake, and raw key lime and mixed berry cheesecakes, plus a raw tiramisu. Soy ice cream comes in vanilla, chocolate, mint chocolate, and cookie dough. Drinks include a Mango Lassi made with coconut milk, a Green Tea Shake, and Thai iced tea with soy, oat, or almond milk.

Gluten-free eaters have options. The Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap, Mushrooms Wonderland, and Heavenly Curry are gluten-free as written, and the kitchen can adapt the Chow Mein, Laksa, and Golden Yuba Fried Rice on request. The restaurant states that it isn’t an allergen-free environment, so call ahead if you have a serious allergy. The menu also marks nut-free dishes.

Alice Lee opened the restaurant in 2001. She later handed it to family and friends so she could pursue her vegan dream in Europe, and the restaurant became Loving Hut. Her parents decided to sell in 2015, and the current team took over in 2016 and restored the Alice and Friends name. The brand now runs three Illinois locations: Edgewater, Glenview, and Oak Park. The Oak Park kitchen has no fryer, so its menu differs from the other two. The restaurant displays a Chicago Reader Best of Chicago 2023 badge for best vegan restaurant, along with a V-Kind verified badge.

Plan around the rules. Edgewater doesn’t take reservations, so arrive early on weekends. The restaurant is BYOB, which means you can bring wine or beer. Last seating happens 30 minutes before closing. Edgewater opens Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4pm to 9pm, Friday from 4pm to 9:30pm, Saturday from noon to 9:30pm, and Sunday from noon to 9pm. It closes on Tuesdays.

HappyCow shows visitor reviews through October 9, 2026, and the owner replied to the newest one on October 14. Bring a bottle, grab a seat early, and order the Kung Pao Ding.