northdown café & taproom.

the love i have for non-vegan restaurants that feature legit vegan items on their menus is unending.

northdown café & taproom on lincoln ave. in lakeview is one of these fantastic places. and a special thank you to my vegan friend & co-worker, tnaya, for introducing it to me!

northdown's mantra : "at the northdown, we are a neighborhood café & taproom where our mission is to provide great beer paired with great food made from scratch. our ever-evolving menu features hand-made salads, entrees, & sandwiches for both carnivores & herbivores. all of our food is sourced locally, with a focus on small purveyors. we want you be happy, well-fed & pleasantly buzzed after visiting us!" who doesn't want to leave a meal happy, well-fed & pleasantly buzzed? i mean, i do.

here's what i had ...

vegan mac :

cashew butter "cheese" sauce.

not going to lie, i was super freaking pumped for this.
was it a tasty dish? yes. was it mac & "cheese"? no. a stellar effort though.

vegan "pork" slaw sandwich :

field roast smoked tomato loaf & red cabbage slaw on a home-style bun w/ house-cut fries. 

now this? this was delicious. calling it "pork slaw" isn't the biggest turn on, but that's okay once you realize it's a smoked tomato loaf. and damn is it good. plus the seasoned & salty fries are amazing. #yum.

northdown has several other special vegan items i look forward to trying in the near future ... and since they are located not far from me in the lovely lakeview, i'm sure i'll be back soon. until then, i'll just be dreaming of that fab sandwich + french fries combo ... you should be, too.

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northdown café & taproom
3244 n. lincoln avenue
chicago, il 60657