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    Beacon Doughnuts

    4.7 (307 reviews)
    InexpensiveDonuts, Vegan
    Closed 7:00 am - 2:30 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Beacon Doughnuts Photos

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    Wendy L.

    Not the easiest place to find as it's a window in an alleyway, but the crowd outside helps to give it away. Friendly and quick service. Delicious, fresh donuts and donut holes.

    Kaeli E.

    These are some of my favorite donuts ever! When visiting Chicago I'm always sure to stop here. My favorites are the vanilla bean cronut and Oreo old fashioned. It's a perfect glazed donut that's soft and chewy inside without being overly fried or too soft. The Oreo is unlike any other donut I've had. The middle is so soft yet fluffy. It's a deep chocolate, more like a dark chocolate and as someone who loves dark chocolate... I can't get enough! I preorder the night before and it makes it so easy to swing by, grab your order and get back on the road. The staff is friendly and quick. The blueberry pancake is also great, maybe a little too much filling for my liking but it's hard to go wrong here.

    Coco bits
    Gerry T.

    Beacon is in a class all by itself. Each donut is artistically and thoughtfully made and there are community favorites but they do have specialty donuts that appear for the season or a short period of time.. They operate out of an alley but don't be afraid, this is Lincoln Park and it's clean and families are frequent customers. No drug deals going on here!! As everyone else has suggested, order these online and pick them up at your desired time. By doing this, you get exactly what you want as they do sell out and when they're out, that's it for the day. :) Enjoy these in the car, whilst you're parked or weaving in and out of I-94 traffic, or better yet !!- at home, with a home made latte.. My favorites were, in no particular order: 1 guava cheese danish 2 vanilla bean cronut 3 blueberry pancake 4 apple fritter 5 chocolate ganache 6 Boston cream I guess I put them in order.. FYI, personally, I would pass on the banana bread and chocolate donut. I hope to be back as soon as possible as Beacon differentiates itself from the Big Boys (DoRite, Stan's, and Firecakes), as well as the family owned/neighborhood donut shops.

    Boston cream
    Lauren F.

    This was a really hard place to find! It's hidden in an alley (which I have to say is not a super appetizing place to order doughnuts from a window smell-wise). I tried the Boston cream because it was such a unique spin on that: a filled ring cake doughnut?! I thought it was a brilliant idea and the texture was great. I loved the cake doughnut itself. The cream didn't really hit for me - it's a vegan spot, so for something like custard you can tell, but if I'd had a non-custard doughnut I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed. I just thought the design was so unique that I had to know! I wish I had a second stomach to order a ton of doughnuts here but alas I'll just have to come back another time. Super fun, creative doughnuts, friendly service, just in a slightly questionable location! Curious to try their cronut too.

    Chocolate donut
    Sydney H.

    I loved beacon donuts!!!! We went around 11 or 12 on a saturday and they still had a good amount of donuts left and were not out of anything we wanted to try. Beacon donuts is out of a window in an alley, so not somewhere you can sit down or go inside of. My absolute favorite was the vanilla bean cronut. It was so soft and pillowy and perfectly glazed. The blueberry pancake was also great and filled with blueberry jelly. There was a line when we got there but it moved super quick. Can't wait to go back!

    Cronut
    Blue A.

    Lives up to the hype! Ordered online and came to pick up. Super easy to go right up and grab your order. Got the blueberry pancake cake donut. It was incredible. It is stuffed with pockets of blueberry jam. Topped with powdered sugar. The vanilla bean cronut was also spectacular. Fluffy, with a delicious glaze. Will certainly be back to try more things in the menu.

    People gathering to pick up donuts.
    Molly C.

    I was able to have the first apple fritter I have had since becoming vegan 15 years ago. So good! I appreciate the ability to pre order as I was in from out of town and would have been disappointed if they were sold out.

    chocolate glazed, vanilla bean cronut
    Shelby R.

    Wow! I can't believe how good these donuts were. The vanilla bean cronut was my favorite, with the chocolate glazed coming in at a close second. The layers in the cronut were amazing, soft inside, slight crunch on the outside. I absolutely loved it. The chocolate glaze tasted like a ganache.. best chocolate glazed I've had in a while! It's hard to get the chocolate right but they did it. The blueberry pancake donut was good but I didn't love the cinnamon taste to it. All of the donuts were very fresh & soft. This place is in an alley but is super easy to find. We loved turning the corner & seeing all the bright colors! Service is good, you order online the night before for pick up so it was quick-make sure you have a plan for where to eat them as there's no tables or anything there. I think there's a park nearby, it snowed the day we got them so we went to a nearby coffee shop for drinks & to eat. We will be back in the summer when we're back in town!!

    Harrison I.

    Beacon has some of the best donuts I think I have ever had. Their flavors are fun and inventive, but they also have the classics. The blueberry donut was incredible, a clear favorite. the Boston crème was a really fun take on it, and the birthday cake was perfection. It is such a cute little window in an alleyway with great service and really kind workers.

    cronut
    Delanie M.

    these doughnuts are still amazing and a consistent stop every time we are in chicago. i am not a fan of jelly/jam in doughnuts but the way that beacon doughnuts does it has changed my opinion. the blueberry pancake doughnut is your traditional doughnut shape with a hole but they somehow filled it with jam still. magic i think. the doughnuts are decadent, delicious, to die for. the chocolate glazed brioche is a new favorite of mine. it's an airy yeast doughnut which i prefer over cake doughnuts. the chocolate frosting is rich and the sweetness of the glaze balances out the chocolate.

    Stephon H.

    Flavor!!!! These doughnuts are top tier variety. Tucked away in a alley you see a mural and a random window, (go towards the window), you find a entire bakery just working away. The service friendly and straightforward. Their menu changes so if you come late in the day or have a favorite. Be open to trying something new. Hard to go wrong here. P.S not a doughnut person, but these got me

    Boston crème
    Joan R.

    Amazing donuts! Tried 3 different types all delicious. Blueberry pancake was my favorite. This is a walk up counter and I have heard sometimes the line is long but it wasn't when we went. Service was great, very helpful and coffee was good too. A great spot!

    Box
    Tabitha W.

    I should try them one more time to be sure, but these may be my favorite donuts in the city! We stopped in their alley location and got 4 donuts to go with our coffees from La Colombe. Every one we tried was delicious. I have tried their donuts at other coffeeshops before. Love that they're all vegan as well! You can pre-order, but we chose to wait in line - there were several people waiting, but the line moved pretty quickly since they're just serving up donuts.

    1/2 Dozen: Glazed, Cake Batter, Oreo Old Fashioned, Raspberry Matcha, Blueberry Pancake, & Apple Fritter

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    8 months ago

    Easy to order ahead for pickup, and the donuts are always incredible. Don't be scared away by the back alley location! And get there early!

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    4 months ago

    These are the best cake donuts I've ever had and it's not close. Don't let the fact that they are vegan throw you off, they are unreal.

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    PLANTA Queen Chicago - Dragon roll

    PLANTA Queen Chicago

    4.3(665 reviews)
    2.2 miNear North Side
    $$

    Planta Queen Chicago is now one of my go-to spots. The food was excellent, but what made the night…read morewas our server Alejandro. He was attentive without hovering, food came out fast, and he genuinely added to the vibe. When I ordered the wrong dish, he caught it, swapped it for what I actually wanted, and comped it without making it a whole thing. That kind of service is rare. Great date spot, will absolutely be back.

    It's rare that a dining experience causes me to pause, sit back in my chair, close my eyes, and…read moresavor. This happenedat PLANTA Queen, self-described as plant-based dining, reimagined. Truly - eating at PLANTA is an experience. We weren't sure how busy it would be on a Saturday evening so made a reservation, which turned out to be the right move. We were seated promptly and our server thoughtfully offered descriptions and suggestions that guided us to the following assortment of mind-blowing items: -Bang Bang Broccoli: if you order nothing else, get this. Perfectly cooked, beautifully seasoned, with just the right amount of crispiness and a magical peanut chili sauce. -Firecracker maki roll: filled with sweet potato and avocado, topped with a monstrous pile of potato straws, unagi, and glorious sauce. -Udon noodles with truffle mushroom cream: the description is deceptively understated. This dish is magic - thick chewy noodles generously coated in an unbelievably creamy sauce and SO MANY mushrooms. Pricing is fine - more than I'd like to pay for a routine weeknight dinner, but justified by the flavors and the experience of elevated plant-based cuisine. It's a good (but also terrible) thing that I live far away, otherwise all my time and money would likely be spent at PLANTA.

    Photos
    PLANTA Queen Chicago - Mint lemonade

    Mint lemonade

    PLANTA Queen Chicago - SPICY CRAB HAND ROLL  SPICY TUNA HAND ROLL CRISPY MUSHROOM HAND ROLL SWEET POTATO HAND ROLL

    SPICY CRAB HAND ROLL SPICY TUNA HAND ROLL CRISPY MUSHROOM HAND ROLL SWEET POTATO HAND ROLL

    PLANTA Queen Chicago - 1,000 LAYER CRISPY POTATOES

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    1,000 LAYER CRISPY POTATOES

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Guacamole

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria

    4.5(243 reviews)
    1.6 miRiver North, Near North Side

    TLDR; go here it is great!!!!…read more My family and I were in Chicago for a short trip. A couple of us are vegan so I wanted to go to a vegan spot. We actually got the rec for Penelope's from a doorman lol. I am so glad we came here. Everything was DELICIOUS. Honestly, maybe some of the best tacos I've ever had. We ordered the quesadilla grande (which was good, but I think there's only so much you can do with vegan cheese), a taco platter, and 3 tacos. We tried to order one of each taco to try everything. The tacos were amazing -- we loved all of them. My favorites were the mushroom chimichurri and the soyrizo. They also have a spicy salsa that is AMAZING, but is super spicy. Service was good - the waitress we had was very attentive. We went on the earlier side for dinner so it was quiet, but did start picking up by the time we left. If I was local I'd definitely come back to hang out and take advantage of the deals they have on Tuesdays (if I remember correctly). I wish we had one in Minneapolis!

    I honestly was so surprised by how good the food was. The plant based Asada tacos were seasoned…read morewell, the Asada fries came topped with a delicious fresh guacamole, and the star of the show (the Baja tacos) were just phenomenal. I loved that they kept the flavors consistent with how I remember non-vegan food being. And it was such a good concept for the Baja taco to fire avocados as a substitute for the fish. Definitely recommend trying the red salsa to top off the tacos and the sangria to pair with your meal. As far as the ambiance goes, the music was fun , the windows were open, and the vibes were summery and fun. Decor could be slightly more up to date but it didn't take away from the experience. The waitresses were pretty nice , but when it hits closing time they will definitely let you know!!

    Photos
    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Interior

    Interior

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Nachos

    Nachos

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Pineapple drink

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    Pineapple drink

    Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen - The Special

    Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen

    4.5(549 reviews)
    4.8 miEdgewater
    $$

    It's not often that I would consider moving to a new city just for the food, but Alice & Friends'…read moremade me carefully weigh the pros and cons. The entirely plant based menu is varied, whimsical, and intentional, and the staff are just glorious. Once seated our server inquired whether we had had the pleasure of dining at Alice & Friends' before, and upon discovering it was our first visit delightedly offered suggestions for our optimal enjoyment. The outcome: -Laksa: Malaysian noodle soup with a coconut curry broth, served with a variety of vegetables, tofu, and vegan shrimp. What? Yes. So good. -Heavenly curry: magical curry base (coconut milk, coriander, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, turmeric), chickpeas, and lots of hearty veggies including sweet potato, served over perfectly chewy brown rice. -Raw tiramisu: I can't even. Espresso, chocolate, cream, crust. Just get it. The decor (like the restaurant) is based on Alice in Wonderland, with lots of anthropomorphized friends to appreciate. Pricing is reasonable for the quality and the quantity. If ever I move to Chicago just know it's entirely to be closer to Alice and her friends.

    First, I'm an idiot. I've lived near this restaurant OVER 20 years, but have never come here. Happy…read moreto report, no longer an idiot. I came here with a vegan friend and an omnivore friend. Typically, I reject these dietary labels, as what we all eat is food. Simply food. However, I'm also not someone who is all "OH EW, VEGAN STUFF, NO." I will not only never say that, but I will ALWAYS try something new. You should too. ON TO THE FOOD. I had heard talk of their Ramen, so I immediately ordered that. OH MY GAWD. It is so good. It tastes like "regular" ramen, but is 100% vegan. There was a strip of stuff (it was seitan) that looked like the pork belly that typically comes in Tonkatsu ramen. How is this not meat?! It was SO GOOD and had the texture of meat. But it wasn't meat. The broth is silky smoove, savory and . . . my gawd, I drank every single drop. The noodles and veg things that typically come in ramen were there, and just delicious. Writing this review, I am now craving this ramen. I took home an additional order of this ramen for my BF and he became obsessed as well! We had a couple other appetizers that were fantastic too! Some breaded mushroom app that was super tasty. I'm typically not a breaded food fan, but this was light and crispy and really tasty. The interior is spare, uncluttered, full of light and spotlessly clean. The staff is so helpful, friendly, and earnest with answering any questions. No booze, it's BYOB, but they have a lot of Kombuchas to try! A neighborhood gem that I will now keep in rotation when dining out.

    Photos
    Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen - The New Look.

    The New Look.

    Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen - The special

    The special

    Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen - Vegan Hot dog

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    Vegan Hot dog

    Kitchen 17 - Asian Burger with potato salad

    Kitchen 17

    4.1(644 reviews)
    2.4 miLogan Square, Avondale
    $$

    Totally 100% vegan, but I heard they were closing before the end of November…read more We came here on a Friday night around 5pm. They do allow children and have live shows at night. I got a beer, Maplewood IPA, and vegan nachos with "beef". They were very wet, they also had mixed greens on top which were nice but weird. For my main meal I got a fried chicken sandwich which had tempeh as the protein. It was very thick and dense but tasty. It came with French fries. My partner got a sour beer, and a chicken parm sandwich with French fries. He reported his was also very thick / dense.

    7/4/2026,They are permanently closed for a reason. See owner's comments. Customers are always…read moreright. Update from 4/28/2025 review, The Geo ?? had the most piss poor attitude from the beginning of my 1st transaction to this one. He started to gaslighting me that i was arguing(trying to make a scene)when I attempted to educate him on the reward program. I really kinda like a few things I On my 1st visit before I left the drink, I forgot to alert him that I wanted light ice so My drink, he mumbled that all he could do was pour out some of the ice. So that was very cold of him. He was rushing for no reason. I also witnessed the same crappy service without another young lady, maybe some woman hurt him, and he's taking it out on us women :( The service is a concern it makes the entire experience extremely cold and not worth the overpriced items. The only dessert they have is the cookie Everything else tastes like big ass globs of peanut butter. Yuck. Not sure how you're still open. People must be really desperate. I am retiring from this place. I would prefer Visiting "My Pie" Visit date 4/26/25 Saturday

    Photos
    Kitchen 17 - Vegan desserts!

    Vegan desserts!

    Kitchen 17 - So many choices!

    So many choices!

    Kitchen 17 - Best Philly cheesesteak ever.

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    Best Philly cheesesteak ever.

    Elephant + Vine - Mammoth Burger Meal

    Elephant + Vine

    4.4(93 reviews)
    0.4 miLincoln Park

    First time here. Very pleased with the vegan menu that had lots of delicious meat substitutes!…read moreLow-key indoor and outdoor seating in a lively neighborhood. Helpful server explained the menu options. Where else can you get a $5 veggie burger? Nowhere. Loved the tangy Korean chik'n burger. Fast service. Casual spot. Would come again. Thank you for the inspired vegetarian food!

    After a week of juicing and water only, I was more than ready for my first solid meal. I came…read moreacross Elephant + Vine, a vegan comfort/fast food spot at 2315 N. Lincoln Ave., and between the menu and the name (yes, the elephant caught my attention), I knew I had to check it out. There's plenty of street parking in the area, I went on a Sunday, so meters were free. The interior is bright, green, and inviting, with lots of seating and great natural light coming in from the front windows. There's also outdoor seating, but it was a bit too cold the day we went, so we stayed inside. Service is counter-style, and the staff was very knowledgeable about the menu. It's fairly simple, but still fun and satisfying. I ordered an Impossible burger, tater tots, and a strawberry almond milk smoothie. My friend got fries, so I was able to try both. After over 40 days without fried food, I was especially excited for the tots and they did not disappoint. Overall, the food was good and solid across the board. Nothing that completely blew me away, but definitely satisfying. If you're vegan or vegetarian and craving a classic burger experience, this is a great option. The smoothie was good as well, though I personally prefer fruit-forward smoothies with lighter juices, so the almond milk base wasn't quite my favorite, but it still complemented the meal nicely. Overall, if you're looking for a casual sit-down spot with a cute atmosphere and a solid Impossible burger at a reasonable price, Elephant + Vine is a great choice. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

    Photos
    Elephant + Vine
    Elephant + Vine - Buffalo Rice Bowl

    Buffalo Rice Bowl

    Elephant + Vine - Burrito

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    Burrito

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - taco

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria

    4.5(102 reviews)
    4.1 miAndersonville, Edgewater, Uptown
    $$

    I'm trying to think of something on which Penelope's could improve, I truly am, but nothing comes…read moreto mind. Decor - fabulous. Menu - varied with options for anyone, plant based or not. Pricing - quite reasonable for a niche vegan taqueria. Portion sizes - appropriate. Flavors - spot on. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients, and while hesitant to offer suggestions did share her favorites, which was just as helpful. I tried: -Street style elote: I nearly cried. I found out about the (potential) joys of elote after becoming plant based, and as such had not been able to try it until my visit to Penelope's. The corn itself is sweet and bursts delightfully between the teeth. The combination of mayo, cheese, tajin, and cilantro elevate the dish that much more. I could eat a bucket of just this for a meal and be entirely satisfied. -Soy al pastor taco: beautifully seasoned soy protein balanced by fresh veggies and pineapple, with just enough kick to make you pay attention. -Mushroom chimichurri taco: THAT SAUCE IS EVERYTHING. The veggies are also fabulous, but holy smokes - chimichurri perfection. Ah! I just found the problems, of which there are two. 1. There are so many options I wasn't able to try everything. 2. Penelope's is located entirely too far from my home. Fix these, and I will award a magical 6th star.

    I tried Penelope's for the first time this week, and it was actually really good! I'm not vegan, so…read moreit was a little different from what I'm used to when it comes to Mexican food, but I have to give them credit -- they did an amazing job with the seasoning and substitutions. The dishes were still filling and had textures that felt familiar while keeping the vegan twist. I ordered the enchiladas, and they were AMAZING! The sauce on the side was so good that I had to get some to-go. The pineapple margarita was also a highlight -- it was fresh, well-made, and honestly good enough that I'd come back just for the drinks. The inside is super cute and colorful, and it's in a great location. Definitely a fun spot to check out, whether you're vegan or just looking to try something different!

    Photos
    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria
    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Asado skillet, assorted tacos, butterfly pea pancakes

    Asado skillet, assorted tacos, butterfly pea pancakes

    Penelope's Vegan Taqueria - Soy alpastor taco

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    Soy alpastor taco

    Beacon Doughnuts - donuts - Updated September 2026

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