Native Foods is a
great vegan lunch spot with filling, healthy meals in a casual setting.
Originally opened in Palm Spring in 1994, Native Foods now has many locations in the West and Midwest. The success of this restaurant is no surprise as it serves up
healthy fare without fuss or overly expensive prices. With the founding goals
of using organic and local
ingredients, not harming animals and providing healthier meals for all, diners can feel good about
eating at Native Foods.
Placing our order at the register, we
decided to split the Greek Gyro and the Yo Amigo Taco Salad. Both dishes
were reasonably priced at under $10 each. The friendly woman behind the
register offered us Native Foods customer cards, an easy sell once we found out we would have a
complimentary beverage with signing up. The Watermelon Fresca, a combination of fresh watermelon juice, a
touch of mint and sweetened with organic agave had a clean and refreshing taste. The first dish of the Greek Gyro included
thinly sliced seitan sautéed with shallots on quinoa with steamed
vegetables and kale. The large portion was filling
and the fresh ingredients made for a healthy meal. Yet the many flavors blended
together, leaving a more subtle and muted taste. The dish may have been better
without the seitan as the quinoa was more than enough to create for a hearty
base to the meal. For the second dish of the Yo Amigo Taco Salad, we asked to
add their special Native chicken. Despite the variety of ingredients,
the salad tasted relatively conventional. The Native chicken, although moist,
was a poor imitation of chicken and was not all that appealing in itself. In
the future, I would skip over the salad in favor of the gyro or some of the
quinoa concoctions, named soul bowls, on the menu.
We
planned on finishing the meal with the samples by the register of their carrot
cream cheese cupcakes, consisting of fresh grated carrots made with cinnamon
and orange juice and topped with vanilla cheese frosting. The samples were
delicious, but served their purpose and left us wanting to try more of their
desserts. We settled on splitting one of their infamous Boogie Bars, banana
bread with almonds, oats, coconut and chocolate chips. The description promised the bar would “make you
boogie” and I could not agree more. Deliciously moist with pops of chocolate
throughout, it made for a sweet end to the meal.
Overall,
the dishes at Native Foods will not blow you away in flavor, but if they serve
their purpose in providing healthy, filling meals at reasonable prices. And the
vegan desserts do not disappoint.
Native Foods: 1023 West Belmont
Ave., Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 549-4904
http://nativefoods.com/
Mon. – Sun. 11 a.m. - 10p.m.