Amitabul - Chicago, Illinois

Visited on 12/17/2022

An Honest Review: Amitabul... healing Buddhist spiritual vegan cuisine. Also, very delicious Korean food. Right up my alley! Having taken interest in veganism because of Buddhism in my earlier twenties, I was so happily surprised to find a vegan restaurant that focuses on the healing aspects of veganism, and incorporates Buddhist philosophy as well. Having never tried traditional Korean food before, this was the perfect opportunity to try something new, and yet also steep myself in the comforts of ancient cooking techniques, amazing vegan food, and common philosophy. Amitabul is admittedly delicious, and admittable to yourself- 95% of their dishes are steam-cooked and contain no oil! If you are looking for healthy, vegan, and yummy, this is the place. The atmosphere was also wonderful, with many plants, paintings, and kind sayings filling the restaurant with positive energy all around. The musical choices were also excellent, calming, and at one point featured nature and bird sounds. After our magical meal, we felt like we were walking on clouds. My partner had never felt so "healthy" in his life!

To start, I ordered a Ginger-Apple juice, and my partner ordered an Energy Tea. The juice tasted like ginger-infused sparkling cider- spicy, light, sweet, and tangy! The Energy Tea was warm, nutty, aromatic, soulful, and very healing. Each sip enlivened me with energy, and clear-headedness. It came with nuts floating on top, which was a thoughtful touch. After contemplating our drinks for awhile, we started our meal with a round of appetizers- starting with Spicy Kimchi Pancakes and miso sauce on the side. These were fantastic- I am so excited to go back and try their other Korean pancake flavors because they cooked these pancakes perfectly- their other flavors are sure to be good (look at the pancake section on their menu for an idea of what they offer- https://amitabulvegan.com/menu/#pancakes). The kimchi was cooked perfectly into a pancake consisting of veggies, mostly carrots, with beautiful chunks of supple kimchi fried into the carrot fiber. So healthy, but it felt naughty to eat. We also had their Mandoo Vegan Dumplings, along with the pancakes. Those dumplings were magical- and healthy! I wish all dumplings could stand up to the caliber of Amitabul's Mandoo Vegan Dumplings. We ate the dumplings very quickly after their arrival to the table.

In order to compliment the fresh and savory flavors of the pancakes and dumplings, I also sampled a cup of their Tofu Miso Soup. Ever since I was a young girl, I have really loved miso soup. Miso is just... mmm... sensational. This soup was super sensational- charged with miso, tofu chunks, and some veggies, this soup is seriously healthy and powerfully tasty. I would go back just for some miso soup! Of course, though, we hungered for more vegan Korean food. I ordered the Dark Side of the Moon, and my partner ordered the Kimchi Tofu Stir Noodle. My noodles were so rich, and were made with a black bean miso sauce. They were so filling, and flavorful- I really took my time on them and enjoyed. I watched my partner happily finish their entire bowl of kimchi noodles, which was amazing because he rarely eats so much in one sitting. Dinner was finished off with a sweet Giant Red Bean Cake, which was my favorite dish of the night. Red bean cakes are so light, yet dense at the same time. This one was homemade, and so tasty. I definitely wanted another bean cake after we were done. We love Amitabul and can't wait to go back! The chef, Chef Bill, was walking around mindfully and caring for his customers. This is definitely a vegan restaurant that we will support often.

What we tried:

Ginger-Apple juice

Energy Tea

Spicy Kimchi Pancakes

Mandoo Vegan Dumplings

Tofu Miso Soup

Dark Side of the Moon

Kimchi Tofu Stir Noodle

Giant Red Bean Cake

What we plan on trying in the future:

Ginger Tea

Green Tea

Citron Tea

Date Tea

Ginger and Citron Tea

Ginger and Energy Tea

Green Heaven

Sunset Smoothie

Energy Shake

Awakening Energy

Jade Maki Sushi

Steamed Tofu with Veggies

Seaweed Veggie Salad

Tofu Veggie Salad

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Salad

Cold Buckwheat Noodle Salad

Mandoo Noodle Soup

Healing Energy Noodle Soup

Big Scott's Stew

Seaweed Miso Soup

Seaweed Mushroom Soup

Mild Wonton Soup

Spicy Rice Cake Stew

Spicy Potato Stew

Mild Tofu Mushroom Stew

Spicy Dr. K's Stew

Spicy Energy Healing Stew

Dr. K's Cure All Noodle Soup

9 Ways to Nirvana Noodle Soup

Super Shitake Wonder Noodle Soup

Kimchi Noodle Soup

Maha Pyogo

Yin and Yang

Wolfman's Dream Treats

Green and Greener Nirvana

Buddha's 3 Luck

Chef's Combo Special Platter

Buddha Bop

Hello Dolly and Bill

Grilled Tofu Curry Stir

Heavenly Tofu Bi Bim Bop

Mushroom Bi Bim Bop

Spicy Kimchi Bi Bim Bop

Amitabul Herb Bi Bim Bop

Fresh Salad Bi Bim Bop

Amitabul Original Veggie Tofu Young

Ocean Seaweed Tofu Young

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Young

Energy Herb Tofu Young

Zesty Noodle

Chop Chae

Tibetan High Noon

Amitabul Energy Nut

Sweet Curry Noodle

Mung Bean Pancakes

Amitabul Original Pancakes

Black Pearl Pancakes

Energy Pancakes

Sweet Red Bean Rice Cake

Ice Cream

A trip to Amitabul is a good trip for the body, mind, and soul.

https://amitabulvegan.com/