Abuelita Coco: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Abuelita Coco is a fully vegan Mexican café in Oak Lawn, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Every dish on the menu is plant-based, so you can order anything without checking for lard, cheese, or egg. The owner, Casandra Flores, says it was the first vegan café in Oak Lawn, and she named it for her grandmother, María del Socorro Serna, whom the family called Coco.

The kitchen runs on her grandmother’s recipes. Casandra’s mother, Sandra Serna Lopez, serves as executive chef, and she cooks the dishes Coco taught her. Shredded jackfruit in chile adobo stands in for birria. Oyster mushrooms take the place of asada and al pastor. A short note on the menu says the kitchen cooks only with avocado oil.

Start with the Tres Taco Dinner ($21). You pick the “meat” for each taco, and the plate comes with rice and beans. Birria is the one to try if you miss the original, because the jackfruit soaks up the chile adobo and shreds the way braised beef does. The Flautas de Papa ($18) are crisp corn tortillas filled with potatoes, mushrooms, and poblano, topped with cashew sour cream. The Enchiladas ($18) use guajillo salsa over a potato and carrot filling. Weekends bring pozole ($22), a jackfruit and chickpea version in a smoky red chile broth, and a mushroom menudo ($22).

Breakfast is worth a trip on its own. The Chilaquiles ($17) come in green or red salsa with vegan sour cream, and you can add a tofu “Huevos a la Mexicana” scramble for $4. The Breakfast Burrito ($16) packs that scramble into a handmade flour tortilla with rice and beans. The Cacao Amor Toast ($16) tops sourdough with a chocolate hazelnut spread, strawberries, banana, and hemp seeds.

The coconut “fish” tacos ($25) and the battered coconut “calamari” ($17) sit under a Vegan Catch heading. They’re the most unusual plates here, so order them when you’re curious as well as hungry. Smoothies run $13 and carry names from the family story, like Ojitos Verdes (spinach, mint, and spirulina) and Junio 1952 (coffee, cacao, and maca). Milkshakes cost $15, and the flan ($16) uses coconut milk and agar. A house-made ice cream and an affogato ($11) round out dessert.

The kitchen is fully vegan, so nothing animal-based touches your food. The menu does carry a warning that the staff can’t guarantee against cross-contamination from allergens, and it asks guests to mention any allergy when ordering. Many dishes carry gluten-free marks, so celiac diners should ask about the specific plate. The café adds a 3.5 percent fee to credit card payments.

Prices are moderate. Most plates run $16 to $25, and the coconut “fish” tacos top the list at $25. Smoothies add $13 and shakes add $15, so a full meal with a drink lands in the low $30s per person.

You’ll find Abuelita Coco at 4821 West 95th Street in Oak Lawn. Hours run 11am to 8pm Tuesday through Sunday, and the café closes on Mondays. Call 708-529-7691 before you drive out on a holiday. Bring a vegan-curious friend, order the Tres Taco Dinner, and split a flan.