Going to school in the city, I've been able to try so much amazing food. I love ethnic foods and the city has a ton of variety of Japanese, Middle Eastern, Indian, and one of my favorites, Spanish places (I love tapas). They also have a huge variety of vegan/vegetarian restaurants. We don't necessarily have these options in the suburbs. There might be one or two places, but there's never been a variety to choose from in terms of ethic or vegetarian places. Chicago has a huge variety, and I'm leaving out a lot of my favorites here, but for the sake of brevity, here are five vegetarian vegan restaurants the whole family will like:

1. Urban Vegan

Urban Vegan specializes in Thai and Asian cuisine. This picture is one of my favorites: Urban Vegan Orange "Chicken" It's so tasty, has a real orange flavor, and is guilt-free! It comes on top of some brown rice. I've ordered from here a few times, but you can also dine-in or do carry out. (Added bonus: Their Pad Thai is amaazziiing.)

2. Victory's Banner Restaurant

This place has THE BEST breakfast/brunch. Here's a past special menu to give you an idea of what they serve. The chicken bacon wrap is soo good. They offer "regular" eggs and cheese for those who are still afraid of the "soy myth" that the meat/dairy industry feeds everyone because they're afraid of the rising competition (hint, hint: soy is not bad for you, but this is for a whole other article so stay tuned). It's also super affordable.

3. True Food Kitchen

This place is on the higher end - more of a special occasion lunch/dinner outing. Their menu rotates seasonally, and offers foods at their freshest. It's not a vegan restaurant, but they have a ton of options, and their menu is clearly labeled. It's super cute in here and they have a little patio for the warm weather too. Their ancient grain bowl is ah-mazing!

4. Native Foods Café

There are several of these throughout the city. They're affordable and more of a quick-dining place. This was a frequent carry out option when I was living on campus. The spicy fried cauliflower and twister wrap with buffalo chicken (pictured above) are two of my favorites from here.

5. Pick Me Up Cafe

This place is so fun inside. It's hippie. It's colorful. I'll leave it at that. As for the food, so so affordable and so good. This is more of your vegan version of American junk food. They have everything from fried pickles to salads, chile, pizza, sandwiches AND all day breakfast (also amazing). They're open until 2 a.m. everyday if you ever have one of those late-nights.

Final Side Notes: I left out Chicago Diner because that is just a given...if you haven't been there, go right now!!! I'm also not completely vegetarian or vegan (yet), but I love these places and opt for them as often as I can because it feels so good to eat guilt free, reduce your carbon foot print, and be healthy all at the same time.