Milt's Barbecue for the Perplexed in Chicago is the Lakeview kosher BBQ kitchen on Broadway, a glatt-kosher smokehouse with brisket, pulled chicken and rib tips.
Tip: Closed Friday from sundown to Saturday sundown. The brisket plate with pickles and white bread is the canonical order.
Address: 3411 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60657
Shallots Bistro in Skokie (north of Chicago) is the kosher dining room on Carpenter Road with French-Mediterranean dishes, a kosher wine list and Friday-night menus.
Tip: Friday-night Shabbat dinner is the special event; the prix-fixe runs 19:00 with traditional courses and a kosher wine pairing.
Soul Veg City in Chicago is the African Hebrew Israelite vegan soul-food kitchen on 75th Street, with protein-tuna salad and the kalebone cuts based on wheat gluten.
Tip: Order the kalebone (seasoned wheat-gluten) plate with mac and cheese, greens and cornbread. Plant-based soul-food at its source.
Amitabul in Chicago is the Norwood Park vegan Korean kitchen on Milwaukee from monk-trained Dave Choi, with macrobiotic bibimbap and warming Korean stews.
Tip: Order the Dosa Heaven Mandu (Korean dumplings) and the Mandala Mandu Soup. Both are the menu's standouts.
The Chicago Diner in Chicago is the Lakeview vegetarian diner on Halsted since 1983, the Meat Free Since '83 slogan, with veg deep-dish, jerk seitan and shakes.
Tip: The vegan radical reuben with seitan corned beef and the vegan-mac-with-buffalo-jackfruit are the menu's defining orders.
Handlebar Bar & Grill in Chicago is the Wicker Park vegetarian bar-and-grill on North Avenue with a strong vegetarian menu and a tree-lined back patio in summer.
Tip: The Buffalo-tempeh wings and the seitan-Reuben are both menu staples. Sit at the back patio in summer.
Wheat's End Cafe in Chicago is the East Lakeview fully gluten-free cafe-bakery on Wells, with separate-kitchen certification, biscuits, breakfast sandwiches and pies.
Tip: The pie counter at the front sells whole pies to take home; the back-room cafe runs full breakfast service until 14:00.
