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    Essence

    4.7 (11 reviews)

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    Restaurant chef.
    Anil P.

    The chef, Ojok greeted us as we arrived. We have many dietary restrictions and he was comfortable with all of them. He asked us few things and then prepared assortment of small dishes for us. Amazing experience. He is very good human. Must visit.

    Veggie burger and fries
    Christine J.

    This place has a lot of promise, but isn't quite there yet. The service was very slow despite there only being about 5 people in the restaurant. But the server was very friendly. The space looks like it has potential, but still needs some work. The food was ... ok. I always am excited for a new vegan or vegetarian restaurant. The menu looked great, but the food was a bit underwhelming. I always think that if a restaurant is bold enough to have Brussels sprouts on the menu, they must be amazing. Not so, apparently. The samosas were decent. The veggie burger was ok. The fries were Potato Patch-style, and who doesn't love that? I'm confused about what on the menu is vegan. Some things are marked only vegetarian, but the server said she thinks they messed up the menu. She asked the kitchen, and they said everything is vegan except the mozzarella sticks. I'm not so sure about that. Like, who decides not to have a fully-vegan restaurant just to serve mozzarella sticks!? Especially when they allegedly have other vegan cheese on the menu. I'll be back to give them another chance. Stay tuned!

    jollof rice
    Hailey J.

    Wonderful little restaurant serving delicious African cuisine. Excellent service, a must-go in South Side!

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    3 years ago

    The food was delicious! Only one person in our party was vegan but we all enjoyed our lunch.

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    OTB Bicycle Café

    OTB Bicycle Café

    3.9
    (296 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Overall, this place is very good. I have been here multiple times. The burgers are great and the…read morefries are delicious. Burgers ooze with every bite. Fries are the kind that have some sort of breading and are nice and crispy. Today I got the BLT and I would definitely get it again! The side salad was kind of mediocre (I was trying to make a healthier choice and avoid the fries). Got a beer (not pictured). Usually the service is very good, but I'm going to be honest, it was pretty sad today. My girlfriend and I agreed it seemed like the bartender both hated his job, and was not good at it. We will still be back. Cool little Southside place with pinball machines and a relaxed bar atmosphere.

    Nice space with lots of creative flare in their decor and an overall good atmosphere. The beer list…read moreand draft system is fantastic. The food is good, as long as you go in with the right expectations. This isn't fine dining, but it's a nice take on vegetarian-accessible pub food, slightly elevated. The vegan tofu wrap was nicely done with crispy fried tofu, but it was heavily dependent on the availability of various sauces for flavor. The "disc brake bean cakes" were somewhat unique, but still good when fully assembled with all the relevant toppings. They would probably be better described as black bean crepes with Tex-Mex toppings. I highly recommend ordering several different sauces to go with your meal (buffalo, barbecue, diablo, etc.). We ordered takeout this time, and the overall ordering experience was good. There is an online ordering page, but the items on that page aren't completely aligned with menus on the web site. We ended up calling to place an order, which was still very easy. All the food was well packaged and ready to go exactly when they said it would be. This is a great South Side destination, especially when you're looking for something comfortable and relatively low key but still fun.

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    OTB Bicycle Café
    Dirt rag burger and fries
    Dirt rag burger and fries
    OTB Bicycle Café

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    Cold Friends Kitchen

    Cold Friends Kitchen

    4.7
    (25 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    I have said it countless times. I am not a food truck guy. 95% of the time I have had them, I am…read moreseverely disappointed and pissed. They are going to be pricier (understandable if you know food industry) and just have not had many that I would ever say I loved THIS IS NOT THE CASE Pork Belly bites. Cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. The char siu glazed had the perfect umami to spice ratio. Made you feel warm We split two burgers. Their Billionaire and Jelly Belly. What I loved about both these are they aren't smashed to fucking hell and paper thin. Thats what I hate about smash burger. I want juice in my bite. Delivered here The Billionaire was easily our favo and can't imagine another burger can top this beauty. Vanilla candied bacon, caramelized onions, French Brie, arugula and white truffle garlic aioli. Get a side of that aioli for the fries. UNREAL The Jelly Belly. Muenster, bacon, jalapeño apricot jam (insane pairing), candied peanut crunch and peanut butter. I always love a burger with peanut butter. The Quesadilla. BY FAR the best thing. Holy FUCK. That amazing pork belly with, their fire sauce and a house made wasabi aioli. I never thought I would love another quesadilla besides chicken Latino's but wow Not a food truck guy, but am a Cold Friends guy. Seating is connected to the brewery so a ton of outdoor tables and inside.

    Cold Friends Kitchen was the best thing about my night at Velum. They're a different company so…read morethey get their own stellar review. It's a food truck setup, so you do have to go outside to order, but I loved the food truck scene back in Cali so this was part of the experience. I ordered some perogies and my friend did the black and gold Mac. Big big portions for a decent price. Some things are expensive but you absolutely get your money's worth. Most importantly, they have an option on the menu called "Pay It Forward," and it's exactly as it sounds. You pay for a meal for someone less fortunate. My past has several moments where I could have used this, and being that (for once) I have a tiny bit of financial stability, I was more than happy to support this mission. Good food and social conscience? That's a tasty meal.

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    Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
    Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
    Pork belly bites
    Pork belly bites
    Food

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    Food

    Essence - burgers - Updated August 2026

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