We stopped in here for lunch, and I was excited to see that they had pani puri on the menu as I'd happened to come across a TikTok video of someone trying it earlier this year, and I was eager to try it for myself. The server kindly asked us if we had tried this dish before, and we said no. Maybe I should have explained that I'd seen a video of someone trying it already so I had a fair idea of how to consume it. I thought she might briefly explain the consumption technique, but instead she demonstrated by eating some of our food! She brought a shell for herself, and then filled it with our food. She was intermittently coughing at this time, too. She explained that it was from the spices, but I think she should have excused herself after maybe just explaining how to eat this dish. Our naan came out a bit after our entrée. The Malai Kofta was kind of bland. We never saw that server again and eventually had to flag down someone else to get our check after idly sitting there for 20 minutes. It was very warm inside, which made it uncomfortable for dining. Unfortunately, there weren't any redeeming factors for this visit. We had been planning to order dessert, but nixed that idea and went elsewhere. read more

Arya Bhavan - Malai Kofta - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We ordered delivery of an assortment of vegetarian and gluten free Indian dishes. They were so patient and helpful in choosing the dishes over the phone. Everything was delicious! (This was over a year ago so we're late with our review but we plan to order again soon.) read more

Here is an Indian restaurant with a selection of all vegan items to choose from. If that's something anyone is looking for they can't do wrong coming here. Arya Bhavan is about as good as it can get. Big menu full of classics with plant based takes and you would hardly even know. The prices aren't bad as far as Indian food, plus they give big portions. Came here recently and we didn't know how good it would be. It certainly was better than expected. The place is pretty nice looking but it's still casual, and the owners and staff were very helpful in finding things for individual tastes. It's about $12 or so for an entree. That's about average for Indian food around here. It helps that the portions are big. We got a couple of the classic favorites and were pleased. I got the Organic Tofu Tikka Masala. This used sautéed smoked vegan cheese, and it definitely was a convincing substitute. For sure we need to come here again. It has tons more interesting things to get. The menu is conveniently all vegan so there's no need to ask about ingredients as far as what's acceptable, plus there's a lot that's gluten free as well. read more

Arya Bhavan - The Organic Tofu Tikka Masala - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food: 4/5, Atmosphere: 5/5 *Fully Vegan Indian Restaurant* Food: We came here for Chicago restaurant week and we had a great time! We tried an array of food and it was pretty good. The appetizers were delicious, especially the samosa. The Chana and lentils were pretty good but the flavor could've been richer and spicier. Atmosphere: The owner was very helpful and attentive. The restaurant is very nice and it's right in the heart of Devon Street. We felt very welcomed and that our service was truly appreciated. read more

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Amazing food! It was my first time here and I'm so happy I chose this restaurant! The staff is extremely friendly and helpful with any questions I had! The inside was decorated very nicely with lots of plants to freshen up the space. I will be back! read more

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Let's start off with the good news and why this place gets one star from me. Its nice to see an Indian dining spot trying to use less fatty oils and ingredients and trying to be gluten free and having healthier options and for this novel idea this place gets one star. Unfortunately who cares about this concept if it's poorly done and fails in its execution, Aka this food is waterlogged, flavorless and hardly edible. Note to the cook...If your restaurant is sitting in the middle of Indian Town with this much good Indian food all around you how dare you serve food this terrible...Vegan or not. And to add insult to injury we waited for food for over an hour....huh? You can go to any grocery store in Chicago and go to the frozen section and grab a frozen Indian meal and it would be better. I can promise I will never visit this spot again. read more

An amazing place we've enjoyed for over 20 years. Vegan and so delicious. Thank you Chef Kirti. read more

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Loved the healthier concept with delicious food and warm service by the owner. Their passion for good experience is evident in all the details. Highly recommend! The veg appetizer platter was the biggest hit! read more

We loved this place! Wonderful, attentive service by very kind owners in a welcoming, family-run business atmosphere. The food is terrific! We really appreciated that everything was not swimming in oil. The baked samosas are so good, no one would guess they aren't fried. The flavors of all the dishes we ordered were complex and delicious. This is now our go-to Indian restaurant. read more

Oh my god- this restaurant is amazing. The owner is so kind! I am sad I didn't find this restaurant sooner. They do low oil options, all vegan, and most of their menu is gluten free. We had gluten free samosas and they were awesome. The chutneys were some of the best I've had anywhere. We also had their malai kofta and it was awesome- really well spiced and creamy (from cashew cream!) and palak dal. The dal was awesome- tastes like the kind my husband's grandma makes! They even have gluten free roti made in the tandoor. We ended the meal with awesome chai made with soy milk. Absolutely a new favorite restuarant. If you are vegan, gluten free, or just looking for awesome healthy Indian food you have to check this place out. read more

We went a second time to try other dishes and were pleasantly surprised! Plus, everything is vegan and gluten-free, we will be back! Dosa: 5/5 Baingan Bartha: 4/5 Dal Makhani: 4/5 read more

We went to a buffet here this past week-- a special event since they have not been doing them since the pandemic. It was fantastic! Food prices have skyrocketed, so the fact that they did an all-you-can-eat buffet with samosas, rice, two salads, chutneys, naan, and five curries was amazing. Almost everyone had at least two plates (some had three!). Thank you for a fully vegan Indian restaurant in Chicago. I am sure it is hard to compete against vegetarian and omni places, but Arya Bhavan holds its own! Also, I have to add that I've gotten really sick at some veggie or omni places, because they sneak ghee or yogurt into things. Having a place free from animal cruelty is worth every bit of any drawbacks. read more

I'm actually quite confused how anyone could give this lovely restaurant anything below 5, let alone 3.8. I'm always a bit weary trying new vegan restaurants and especially any outside of the basic "american-style" ones, since I've personally had so many poor experiences. But never in my life have I had such deliciously flavorful food where you can just feel the love it was made with oozing out of every spoonful. I personally had just ordered takeout, but the mere minutes I spent waiting for them to finish wrapping up my food, not only were they welcoming and delightful to talk to, but made you feel at home. Highly recommend and can't wait to go back!! read more

Always welcome by a huge smile and offered a delicious healthy meal made with so much knowledge and care. read more

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Terrific vegan Indian cuisine. Highly recommend the roti bread and bhindi masala, baigan bartha, palaak paneer, and all of the dals.

can't understand why someone would give this place anything less than 5 stars. The food is fresh, with the right amount of spice and flavor, really outstanding. The owners are very welcoming, and the place itself is very nicely kept and clean. What's not to like here? read more

I have never had vegetarian Indian food, but my friend is vegan & has a gluten allergy so we decided to try this place. Their naan was amazing! I ordered the rice with fried cauliflower & broccoli which was delicious & spicy. I am not giving them 5 stars because my friend who is vegan & gluten free didn't enjoy any of the food. :( read more

We sought out Arya Bhavan because of their fully vegan menu. The environment was spacious and welcoming. The food was flavorful and delicious and just the right portions. I definitely recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning next time I'm in Chicago. read more

This was my first time to Arya Bhavan and I love this place! I signed up for an Intro to Indian Vegan cooking class and it was so much fun! I learned how to make two different types of soup, Uppma and coconut macaroons. Only $50 for the 2hr class, plus I received a Education on the different types of health benefits from spices. I also got to try their food as well! I highly recommend Arya Bhavan, for both their cooking classes and for their food!!! read more

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Best of all worlds, healthy, delicious, accommodating if food substitutions are needed, friendly, attentive service. What more could one ask for. read more

Excellent food and exceptional service ! Haven't eaten in since Covid but have ordered for pickup abd the food is packed up carefully and tastes just as good eating it at home as in the restaurant! read more

My bud and I were looking for an Indian buffet restaurant on Devon that we had been to a couple of times over the years (and I don't believe it is around anymore). Anyway we stumbled into Arya Bhavan as it had a familiar look to it, such as the buffet table near the entrance. This place served almost all vegan food, but we decided to give it a go as we were hungry. After the meal, I confess that I like to eat meat too much. I guess Arya Bhavan would be fine if you were on a vegan or vegetarian diet. However I really did miss the chicken and mutton choices that I would have been able to consume at a typical Indian buffet. read more

Arya Bhavan - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We loved this place! The quality and variety of the food is amazing. parking was easy and the tiramisu without sugar gluten and dairy was out of this world! It was a shame every table wasn't filled because it's such a great cultural experience to go into the restaurant! Parking at 5:15 was so easy. read more

Horrible! Ordered a takeout! We had ordered a paneer makhani Instead got a stale tofu curry! Dal bunzara -- was a barely tempered dal with no taste what so ever The garlic naan which is charged higher than the other restaurants was half baked which meant had to come home and grill it in the oven !!!! Never ordering again ! read more

My second visit here. Everything is VEGAN. I love Indian food! Pictured is aloo gobi and mango lassi. Nicely spicy, but doesn't cause me grief. Nice atmosphere. Polite staff. I highly recommend this place. read more

Arya Bhavan - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Go here. Go here always, go here forever. I don't care if you're vegetarian or not, it's worth the trip. Go on the weekend for the buffet. If you like indian food, they have it all, at a great value. It's not the biggest place but it's incredibly easy for parking and they are very friendly in terms of service. That should be it if you like indian food, shut and done. A few unique things is they take on a few traditionally meat dishes and make vegan/vegetarian versions. Also, they make a carrot halwa that must be tried. Seriously, it may look one way but if you haven't had that before - it tastes another. It was good enough that it kicked off a multi-month exploration at my home into making carrot halwa and carrot halwa oatmeal. This place is absolutely a gem, and people don't know just how amazing it is. This is absolutely my #1 favorite place to go for indian - and it's incredibly accommodating for my daughter as well. On that note, they do have highchairs. read more

Went here seeking some more of the best samosas I've ever experienced, based on the tastes I got for some tix at the Taste this year. My boyfriend and I went in on a Wednesday night around 7:45 pm, and the place was mostly empty, with two other occupied tables. The menu is overwhelming if you're not familiar with authentic North Indian and South Indian fare; it's four pages of ambiguous and non-descriptive translations that left my boyfriend and myself at a loss for what to order. We decided we would get a recommendation from our waiter... who never came. There was an old man busboy who wandered between the three tables, continually refilling the water carafes. This went on for probably close to a half hour before the owner-chef-manager-waitress came over and asked if we were ready. We asked her what she'd recommend, and she told us that everyone does and should order the appetizer sampler basket, which came with some of the samosas we were really after. Beyond that, she started listing the different headings on the menu, but without telling us what they were, or which ones were best. We settled on the Rava Masala Dosa. Our appetizers came out, and the samosas, as we remembered, were wonderful. The rest of the appetizer basket was just different kind of mashed veggie combos, with different batters, fried. It came with a couple of chutneys, one which was spicy and one which was sweeter, we enjoyed the sweet one quite a bit but there's really only so much deep-fried veggie mash you can eat. Trust me, we went to that point and back. Then the Rava Masala Dosa came out-- it was a GIANT crispy "crepe" almost like shredded hashbrowns in texture, with a tiny amount of spiced potatoes in the middle, and a cup of stewed sauce and vegetables, with some chutneys. Mostly, it was just crepe. Pretty disappointing. My boyfriend even accidentally took all of the potatoey filling when we were trying to split the dish. Maybe we would have been better off ordering something we knew we liked at other Indian restaurants, like Aloo Gobi or Chana Masala... But it seemed like we had so many unusual choices available to us, and we should take advantage. And nothing excuses the plates we asked for that were never delivered, or the fact that we actually did run out of water despite it being the "busboy"'s only duty, or the fact that we didn't finish our meal until after closing! read more

Don't order delivery. 2 hours late, tasteless. I have a joke that too many people sit down at a restaurant and immediately ask, "this isn't too spicy is it?" The sort of people who tell the waiter they have a gluten allergy when they don't, and the waiter breaks out in a panic because the customer just ate an appetizer full of gluten and nobody's dialing 911. Sigh. I was almost excited when I saw a stem in my curry- maybe it was a single pepper! Nope, just a bay leaf. This would be fine if I was ordering Chicken Noodle Soup. Not so fine in a curry. There's better vegan food everywhere in Chicago. Don't settle for tasteless mush. read more

I too was lured in by the reviews posted on the window (I was on my way to Mysore Woodlands). I came in around 5 or 6 and they were just switching over to dinner, so the buffet wasn't stocked yet. In fact I'd already had my first helpings before the nan came out; I'd wondered if there would be any. They feature some interesting selections I haven't seen elsewhere (carrot halvah; savory farina, and a soupy yellow curry vegetable dish). The nan was flavorless and not really that good; I usually love it but not here. The dal was overly salty. And while I usually love Indian rice pudding, it was merely OK as well. It was nice having an all-vegetarian buffet to choose from, but usually it's not that big a problem ignoring the meat entrees, and I've had better food elsewhere. Dinner for one with a mango lassi was $18.50 including a 15% tip. The people running it were really nice and when I asked "you're all vegetarian, right?" they even knew what veganism was. read more

I have been to this restaurant 3 times now within the last 5 years. I have had a terrible experience each time. The first two times were regular dining experiences and the most recent was a buffet. Every time the food has been over priced for the smallest serving size, and the quality of the food has been lackluster as well. Very bland, and feels almost like some items were frozen food warmed up and served. More on my most recent experience, I called the restaurant 2 hours prior to buffet hours for this one time special buffet that they were having for our facebook vegan group (& open to the public as well which was good) I asked them what will be the offerings at this buffet as online there were no details about it and the owner she was being very vague about it. I asked several times to clarify and she said that it wasn't decided yet but it will have all the items whatever that meant. So when we are at the restaurant I see that none of the offerings include any of the vegan paneer dishes which are usually the star of the show at any indian buffet and guaranteed to at least have 1 if not 2-3 of those, none of the entrees on the website were even to be found in the buffet. Let me clarify: exactly 0 out of 11 entrees listed on the website were even there at all. The only saving grace was they had samosas and a good variety of chutneys(cashew cream, and avocado chutney with the classics tamarind and green chutneys). Aside from that they served stale naan, salad, chocolate macaroons which had no chocolate in them (they were date with shredded coconut balls), regular dal(lentil curry), and jasmine rice, uppma (rice porridge), kabuli channa (chickpea curry), dudhi channa (Calabash with lentils), a lettuce stir fry, and a tindora (Ivy gourd) with potato dish. To people not accustomed to indian food this might seem really exotic and fancy but these are common household dishes that are very cheap and simple to whip up which is why none of these are even on their regular menu. Also drinks weren't included and a small container of mango lassi was nearly $8 and the buffet ticket itself was $25. For that sort of price range one should at least be able to expect not stale naan and at least 1 of their regular entrée curries available but they failed to do even that. When I asked the owner politely how come there were no paneer dishes, she snappily said we are vegan, I said I understand as am I, I'm referring to the dishes on your menu that have paneer in the title, we both understand that it is a vegan version likely tofu, and she said rushedly that is different, this is for buffet so dishes are different and left. Even if you consider the high price being vegan tax tofu is actually cheaper than paneer, and a lot of indian dishes are already almost vegan or vegan and likely most times it's a matter of omitting butter or using a vegan butter or oil, or using plant milk instead of real milk. I will definitely not be coming back here as this is the third strike for me. I hope that there are more fully vegan places so that perhaps they may feel some incentive to do better. Through and through it just felt like a cash grab trying to sucker in vegans who may not know just how short the short end of the stick they're getting. read more

** 1,100th review ** Arya Bhavan is one of those places I miss most about Devon in Chicago. The veggie options are vast, and the service is solid. I would travel all the way from Hyde Park just for this place... read more

This place is amazing and so fresh! I have to say this is the freshest vegan food I have ever tasted. The tastes are so colorful and wild. The chef is wonderful. She is so sweet. The ambiance was so inviting and wait staff tended to our every need. Not to mention the owner is the chef and she is just so pleasant. She actually let us test "raw roles" which was for an event she was having. Talk about courtesy. This is hands down one of the best places I have had the pleasure to sit down in in Chicago. We will be coming back again and again for sure! It was worth the 17 miles we rode so far on our bikes today to get here. Now 13 miles to get back home:) read more

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT today! I walked in excited to try the vegan and gluten free items. I check out the buffet and notice there is barely any food in the trays. There was about 2 other tables with guests so the place was not packed. But there was only 1 server. She seemed nice, but provided poor customer service. When I told her I do not want the buffet and would like to order off the menu, she said that most of the menu items are in the buffet and sat me at my table. I found this to be a lie as there were too many items on the menu to be a part of that small buffet. Seemed like she knew the cook probably wouldn't want to cook additional foods outside the buffet items. I ordered an appetizer (gluten free samosas), which came out within 15-20 minutes. As she brought out my appetizer, I ordered a cup of tea. You'd think a cup of tea would come out quickly, but NOPE! That took about 15 minutes too. Even worse, I waited for my entree for at least 30 minutes. During this wait, she did not check on me once or inform on how long my food would take. I decided to get up and pay for just the appetizer. As soon as the server saw me stand up, she walked right to me with a cup of tea and said, "here's your tea, your food is coming right out." So I only got your attention as soon as you saw me stand up with jacket in hand?? I immediately told her I waited 30 minutes. She quickly responds on how they are really busy cooking the buffet items. I told her that I was not warned about such a lengthy wait time. I told her that I'm skipping the tea and entree, and I'm only paying for what I received (appetizer). She apologized as I was paying, but I was honestly so irritated with such bad customer service. I simply told her that customers should be made aware if food will take that long to come out. If I would've known this, I wouldn't have wasted my time sitting there. I should've read these reviews before I went in. Please avoid this restaurant. There are so many other great Indian eateries in the area. I'd totally skip this one. read more

Wow! Such flavorful, fresh and healthy food. Every dish satisfied and impressed us. This is a go-to Indian place for vegetarians and vegans. The owner is so personable and sweet. She was hauling a** making her business work during the COVID pandemic....a truly wonderful soul. Go here! read more

Amazing food!! Couldn't believe it's vegan Loves the naan Malai kofta was phenomenal Tofu makhani was good, salt was a little less but that's ok The lilva kachori was the best!!! We will order from here all the time now read more

Dear Kirti (the owner). If you're reading this, this is for you so that you can work upon the "deficiencies" your business suffers from. No hard feelings. What I'm about to say are true facts, and you are welcome to have me removed from Yelp if you think I'm lying. First off, during my first visit on July 22nd you lied to me and my daughter saying you sent your "servers" home because they requested time off for a party to attend. Maybe you were too embarrassed to explain the super slow service, your lack of interest in your guests and complete absence of attending them. I am a Gujarati Indian and what I witnessed was typical to experience if I actually were in India. It is unacceptable here. The tables were dirty, food trays were not refilled, the food itself looked stale (example, the avocado sauce had literally turned grey and was still sitting on the buffet table), there was literally no customer service available for the first 15 minutes of me and my daughter just sitting there and looking like fools. Her explanation to the un-refilled food trays, especially the raw items, was, "Ma'am you have to come early, around 1:00 p.m. next time." Agreed, it was 6:00 p.m. at that time. I ended up ordering a couple raw dishes off the menu for an overcharged price. I'm a raw vegan and don't usually find restaurants I can eat at. I told her I'll be back next Saturday around 1:00 specially for the raw items on the buffet. Today, July 29th, after calling a few times this week to confirm there will be raw food today, I reach at 1:00 p.m. on the dot. No host, no server, and no owner to be seen anywhere. Just like last time. A total of two tables were occupied in that huge space. I seat myself, waiting to be noticed. 15 minutes later the owner shows up, just as high strung as I had seen her the last time. After chatting up a storm with one of the tables she disappeared again into the kitchen. This was quite a surprising behavior for someone in the hospitality business. I wanted water. I wanted service. I wanted to be treated like a paying customer. I went ahead and helped myself to some sad looking salad from the buffet (the only thing I could eat). Another 20 minutes later I see her approaching me with a jug of water in her hands but decided to make another 10-minute stop at another table (occupied by white folks) to chat up another storm, my water jug still clasped in her hand. By now it was almost 45-minutes and yet no raw food on the buffet table. I assumed it was yet to be brought out so I ask, "When are you going to bring out the raw items?" She answers, "I'm sorry we're not going to put any raw dishes on the buffet because it's too expensive to make." My eyes widened. I explained, "Ma'am, I've been planning this trip for a week, called you three times earlier to confirm, and you're telling me no raw items are being served right now?" "Did you call today morning?," she says. I said no. That disqualified me from receiving raw food. She finally brought out a couple raw desserts, that she claimed were sweetened with "figs, dates or raisins." She wasn't even sure what was in them. It tasted like sugar. Can't believe I paid $15 (standard buffet price) for 3 tiny pieces of supposedly raw dessert and a bland cup of salad. The most interesting part was that during those 2.5 hours, she never got a single new guest other than whom she already had when I had walked in. In fact, about 2-3 couples walked in and immediately bolted after looking at her cooked buffet. After wasting 2.5 hours of my life that I'm never going to get back, I did some research and here are my findings: 1. The owner makes her money through catering to Gujarati families/parties. What is served on the buffet are leftovers from her catering orders. 2. She doesn't hire any outside people (Indian or white) with the fear they'll reveal how conveniently she lies about the ingredients used in her food. 3. Nothing is organic, she uses sugar as sweeteners, I even doubt it's vegan, and all the food she serves is stale/leftover. She makes nothing fresh. Hope you consider my comments as a chance to improve your ways. read more

Wonderful food, and stress free cause it's 100% vegan! Didn't expect to find this gem over here. We had the garlic naan, which was as delicious as ever, along with a smooth and creamy mango lassi, palak paneer (not the most wonderful, but certainly healthy), baingan bharta (excellent), and malai kofta (extraordinary). We also had gluten free samosas, which were good, but not that crispy. Anyway, a must-go for any vegan, or friend-of-vegan, and certain one to return to on saturday buffet day :). read more

Underappreciated gem in Chicago. They pay attention to ingredient quality- lots of organic ingredients. The food is vegan but not junk food vegan like most Chicago restaurants, actual healthy vegan. And they even have some raw food options too. The raw food cake is so good with a unique Indian flare. The dishes are mostly gluten free and they even have gluten free samosas. Awesome for shabbas dinner delivery and if you want meat just add kosher organic meat. read more

The first clue that this wouldn't go well was when there were only three tables of diners (including us) on a Saturday night at 7:30. Despite that, it took far too long to get our orders in and even longer to get served. Our dalvada was hard as a rock, dry and bland. My bhindi masala literally tasted like nothing--as if not even the hint of seasoning passed the general vicinity of the dish. My girlfriend also said her raw Indian pizza was bland. Mind you, it took over 30 minutes after taking our order for us to get food that looked and tasted like no thought went into cooking it. At a time when there were only two other parties in the restaurant. And to add insult to injury, the owner, after seeing how disappointed we were, still had the gall to ask which dish was our favorite. Not if we liked everything, but trying to fish for compliments on food that was prepared with little to no skill. Here's a hint: the dish that I only took two bites out of and didn't even bother to finish despite how hungry I was was not a favorite. There is literally no reason for this restaurant to exist. It shares a street with some of the best Indian restaurants in Chicago, and even though the all-vegan menu is an interesting gimmick, vegans deserve better than to settle for poor service, dirty silverware, lazy cooking and oblivious ownership. Fortunately, it seems like the word is already out. If you can't fill even half the room on Saturday night, there's nobody left to fool. read more

First Indian food I ever tried living in Chicago and it was delicious. The masala dosa was good and the appetizer platter was yummy! My friends enjoyed their food and chai. read more

Arya Bhavan - Masala dosa in the background, appetizer plate in the front. Yum! - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois