FYI---Dinner for one here saves 360 gallons of water, 13lbs of grain, 10sqft forest & 6lbs of CO2. I highly recommend Spirit Elephant, which opened earlier this year! It’s truly a neighborhood gem. We visited in October 2020, and we loved it. They offer outdoor and indoor seating. The restaurant seating is elegantly designed with beautiful plants throughout. The food is super fresh, carefully prepared, and tasty. Do not expect the typical, bland lentil burgers found in many other vegan places. Spirit Elephant is a 100% plant-based restaurant, and their organic vegetables do take center stage on every plate. The menu offers a wide variety of gluten-free dishes. Must try taco-Tuesday and burger-Wednesday. The alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options are well balanced. Our table favorites were Cauli Wings, Vegetable Soup, Southwest Salad, BBQ Burger, and Ele-Panne. For dessert, you absolutely must try the Spiced Apple Pie (Sea Salt Caramel, Vanilla Gelato, Powdered Sugar, Whipped Cream). Had a chance to speak with the immensely-talented Head Chef Gabriel who himself has been practicing veganism for 3 years. Please check out the picture associated with this review. Follow on Insta @ifooditie. Level8 Google reviewer.

We got the Tabitha Brown treatment! It was amazing. The food was delicious and worth the trip from Michigan to Illinois. The owner came and spoke with us. All the staff were extremely nice and friendly. We ate dinner then brunch the next morning. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

From the decor, to the friendly and fantastic service to the perfectly prepared and beautiful food, Spirit Elephant did not disappoint. We loved each item we ordered ("Calamari" Fritti and the Forbidden Bowl.) Because I have a garlic allergy my main dish was slightly modified, but not by much. My only "observation" in terms of the food is that I did think it was a bit over salted (I find that occurs frequently when trying to make up for the deleted garlic.) Even still, the food was delicious and I'm definitely going back! Enjoy your gastronomic adventures everyone!

One of the most amazing vegan restaurants I have visited, if not the best! They have fantastic tasty cocktails too. 😋 Unique menu items that showcase how great plant based foods can be. And they are far enough north of Chicago that parking/traffic isn't an issue. 👍 Treat yo self

Great place for vegan food. This meat- eater enjoyed the Mushroom and Cheese Omelet. The fingerling potatoes were delish with added sautéed onions. The bar tender made an excellent Bloody Mary too! And, we loved having a Cinnamon Roll as our dessert!

Spirit Elephant is amazing! The food is immaculate and the atmosphere is intimate and makes you feel right at home. The menu has something for everyone’s liking and is reasonably priced. This is a great spot for a date night, birthday dinner, casual dinner, or family get together. The hosts greeted us with a warm welcome and our server, Michelle, was so kind, friendly, and personable! She made us feel right at home and was very attentive. She was one of the best servers I’ve ever had. We loved the brussel sprouts, cauliflower wings, and the cocktails. I can’t wait to go back!

This is the second vegan restaurant I’ve been to and it was so so so good. The flavor profiles and textures were on point- it was almost easy to forget that the meal was vegan! But no way- I would go back again and enjoy it the next time I’m sure. The lip smacking cocktails are also a plus!

We’ve picked up food from here a few times but this was our first time dining in. Everything was amazing. The interior is so cute too. Our server was attentive and kind. I’ve tried many things now here but the Crabless Cakes are still my favorite, they’re just so good. The little cheesecakes are always great too. Not pictured: the loaded fries (between the four of us got demolished in thirty seconds) and the Bahn Mi Salad which was so fresh and the tofu was a hit

Cauli-Wings are a must! Fig Flatbread also 10/10 recommend. I had the Forbidden bowl as my main dish, it’s flavorful and colorful. The chocolate cake is also rich in flavor. The staff are friendly. They were happy to help with questions and provide suggestions. Great experience overall.

So scurmtious, the atmosphere is incredible it’s so cozy and gorgeous inside!! The food is 10/10 and the fact it’s all vegan is amazing! 3/4 of my family eats dairy and meat yet they all said it was incredible and did not notice a difference! Dinner 10/10, dessert 8.5/10 was good but not incredible and service and atmosphere 10/10!! Highly recommend truffle fry’s and burgers!!! Price was very high around 30 bucks person for dinner and 40 bucks if you include dessert but delicious!

Amazing. Actually phenomenal. Vibe is great,place is spotless, customer service is tip top, and presentation is divine . Honestly very impressed . The food was fresh, not to much over load of each item. Literally just can't wait to go back. Yeah price is expensive BUT it's literally worth it. I also love that i don't have to travel to the city for vegan as much. Even brought my non vegan fan with and they loved it. Also they have soy free gluten free options which are important. Also the bar tender and staff are so helpful and knowledgeable. Im here now once a week!!

Great atmosphere and even better/delicious food! I never knew vegan food could be so delicious and at a great price. The staff was so helpful to us in suggesting meals that we would like. I recommend the bbq cauliflower wings and the crabless cake. So Yummy!!! 😍 this place will for sure be in my heavy restaurant rotation 🍽 For more fun places to explore follow me on IG at TalkSheBusiness.

Always great service and amazing food! We’ve had brunch, lunch and dinner here! Appetizers are delicious- the calamari will make anyone rethink that food needs to come from animals. All deserts are heavenly! Most recently we had the blueberry cheesecake which was as good as it could possibly get! Highly recommended for anyone!

This was my first time dining at Spirit Elephant. The atmosphere of the resturant is very welcoming and laid back. The hostess was very nice and quick to get me seated at a table. My waitress was super nice and very knowledgeable about the menu. The food and the drinks were incredible. Whether u are vegan or not, this is a wonderful place to dine.

Beautiful, spacious place; clean, bright atmosphere; delicious, enticing, mouth -watering vegan food. The watermelon tuna dish was gorgeous, with texture and flavor that seemed like fish! The "cream" of mushroom soup was so rich and flavorful! Don't forget the cocktails: the delicious margarita is served in a flirty coupe with a slice each of dried orange and lime-- so pretty! First you drink with your eyes!

Although I’m not a total fan of everything being dupes in veggie or vegan restaurants the “calamari” made of mushrooms is absolutely delicious and I think you would struggle to tell the difference and I highly recommend it. The bowls are also pretty nice, we had the orange one. Good to see Seitan on the menu in the bowls too as it’s a nicer alternative to chewy protein than tofu and I find it rarer to find it. Dessert was also really great. Try the ice cream. It’s also impossible to tell it’s not made of milk or cream and really delicious. Max and cheese was ok but the sauce wasn’t my personal fave. The layout inside is also really nice and the staff were really friendly, and non alcoholic cocktail lis were great although sadly they’d run out of the one I wanted and it was only Saturday mid afternoon :(

How i enjoy a meal from Spirit: Jose's gimlet, Brussels Sprouts, Bahn mi salad, crabless cakes, and a raw brownie ala mode to close out the evening. Service was warm, friendly and the server had great meal suggestions. Portions and flavors were on point with pricing for 100% plant based fare. Excellent food, inspired cocktails, genuine greetings from staff upon entering and exiting establishment. I'm proud to support this incredible, woman-owned business!

food is a bit pricey but it’s quality, I’m so happy to finally have a vegan restaurant nearby because it’s been so hard to find places to eat around here. the restaurant is also very aesthetically pleasing and service is always amazing!!

I went for brunch today and was very impressed in the total sense. The restaurant was cozy and comfortable feeling. The menu itself was so colorful in its options. I opted for the tacos, cauli-wings, and portobello spring rolls. Damn I was impressed. The cauliflower wings are most certainly a MUST! The price is fair, the food is good, and the service was great. Overall a solid recommendation and a well done vegan restaurant, especially for someone who barely touches vegan food.

I'm not even close to Vegan (seriously, I love meat) but the Cauli-Wings are some of the best food I've ever had, and the Fig Flatbread was perfect. Will definitely be back! Also Kendall (our server) was great and helpful, loved him!

Perfect. What an experience. We will definitely be back here! Everything tasted so deliciously authentic and the food was so creative, well-cooked, and well-planned. I cannot wait to come back 💗🌱🥬 this place was so beautiful in so many ways- a perfect spot for any occasion with the intention of devouring delicious plant goodness 🙏🏻

I'm not a vegan, but I can enjoy playing the part any time at Spirit Elephant. It's a beautiful dining room, with five star service. The menu is the perfect size. Not overwhelming, but, you will have decisions to make. I'll definitely be back to enjoy the experience.

I've only been here for brunch 3 times, but never disappointed. Had the breakfast tacos which are delicious. The strawberry and cream pancakes put the "cake" in pancakes... Just how I like them. And the cauliflower wings are just awesome. Full bar with delicious cocktails and beer. 100% plant based is the icing on the cake!

The Spirit Elephant gets 5 out of 5 stars on service, ambiance, and food. I definitely recommend the cauli-wings - you can pick two different sauces. We tried the mango chili and the Buffalo sauces. We also tried the breakfast tacos and the bbq burger. Everything was delicious and plant based. We drove from the city to Winnetka just to try this place, and it didn’t disappoint. Looking forward to returning and trying other menu offerings. The patio is super nice. So try to make brunch while the weather is still warm. Thank you Spirit Elephant!

Every dish we had was delicious and an interesting experience. We essentially ordered everything on the shareable list and taste wise felt the cauliflower wings and the sausage flatbread were the best. Real pricey though so be prepared to pay top dollar for plants.

All perfect! One of the best restaurants we have been to. Our non vegan friends loved it. Awesome staff, we ordered almost all appetizers and all cakes on the menus. Everything was very delicious. Outside and inside great interior.

Thanks to Tabitha Brown I drove 1.5 hrs to have the best vegan experience of my life. Thank you to my husband 😘 for an amazing brunch. Also to our server Rolando V. for the amazing recommendations and Ricky our conssierre server's assistant that also educated us in the history of this restaurant. Great place to be and enjoy and had an amazing breakfast brunch lunch and or dinner.

We’ve been here twice now and we had great experience both the times. Our latest meal here was a quick dinner on a weekday evening. We had the calamari fritti and the arroz chaufa . Both were delicious, the service was quick and friendly and the ambience is great. During our previous visit we had the crabless cakes, fig bread , mushroom tenderloin, cauliflower wings , forbidden rice &curry and pad thai. Would definitely recommend the place. It’s definitely on the slightly expensive side but the quality and quantity of food and the service is great enough to justify it.

Wonderful atmosphere and delicious vegan food!

The food and atmosphere exceeded my expectations. I was expecting an average meal and it was fantastic. I had the gnocchi and the sauce was very delicious. They had great wine options and the staff was very friendly. The restaurant was chicer than I expected as well.

Stumbled upon this restaurant on a Saturday lunchtime unknowingly what's in-store for us. A delightful surprise is a plant base restaurant! My young nephew and teenage daughter were eager to try! The food was deliciously prepared, very inviting! We ordered Jorge's bourbon burger and harvest salad, and the forbidden bowl is" to die for!! The serving plate was surprisingly very filling! I thought it was not enough for the size that we always used to get, and because it's all plant base, who would have thought! with the atmosphere getting all the sphere of the moment with lots of greenery well displayed catches your mood, we all enjoyed! An adventure for our new palate! I think you should try

A friend and I made the trip all the way from downtown Chicago to try this place as it was highly recommended. We were very pleased overall. Very creative plant based menu. The ambiance is cute and spacious. The menu is extensive. Our wait staff was nice and attentive. The food was alright. Small portions for the price and my food came out cold. Other than that, we had a nice time.

WOW. This place is insane. My favorites were the Cauli Wings and the Bourbon Black Bean Burger. The Warm Brownie Bliss was 10/10.

Very Disappointing My wife and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. We had never been here before but heard great things about it. We had called prior to coming and asked about their Happy Hour and how it worked. As we had never been here before, We asked if it would be possible to order a few of the appetizers off of the happy hour menu at our table as we were both going to be ordering a full dinner with alcoholic drinks anyway. Who wants to order a full dinner while sitting at a bar? After we sat down, we inquired again about ordering from the happy hour menu and the hostess said it's not possible- that we would have to leave our table and go sit at the bar. We explained we had called earlier and were told it was not an issue but she seemed to ignore this. We also tried explaining we drove well over 45 minutes specifically to come here to celebrate our anniversary. It's not as if we were going to order a few appetizers and leave- we were going to order full meals for both of us plus alcoholic drinks. Again, nobody seemed to care so we got up and walked out. I guess business must be booming here so much that they can afford to lose an easy $130 check. We will not be returning. There are too many other great places that actually want the business.

We went to Spirit Elephant with our son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, the oldest being 4, one three weeks old. They treated us well and kindly, not grimacing at the sight of three little children in a very nice restaurant. Service was great, vegan dishes superb and all of us had a great time! We'll be back when we can!

We could not have selected a better place for a special occasion. Wonderful ambience, friendly service, clean and delectable spread. We were pleasantly surprised with the variety and we could order for any dish on the menu!. The Forbidden Rice, soups - Tom yum and butternut squash were excellent and so was the flat bread. Would highly recommend it anyone that has a taste for fine food.

I loved this spot in Winnetka. The restaurant is so cute and the food was very good. I’m not vegetarian but the tofu banh mi was delicious. They also have zero proof cocktails that were fun and tasty.

Food is delicious, tastefull and colorful. Everything I've ever had here is on point. Food is definatelly recommended. Our last server was great. A bit pricier than I would expect though. Cocktails are more expensive than the average restaurant and seemed smaller too.

This is my new favorite restaurant!! Everything we ate was delicious. The waitress and entire staff were all so kind and helpful. I already have two more reservations made for the future. It’s a must!

Love this place due to its exclusive veterinary/ vegan menu! Such a rare find in north Chicago. My favorite drink is their margarita. And their southwest egg role appetizer is amazing . Their flat bread is slightly overpriced but taste delicious. Their service for dining from my experience has been subpar. Just lacks attentiveness. Otherwise excellent dinner spot

Made it in just before Lunch/Brunch service ended but ordered quickly before the kitchen closed at 2. Ordered the mango-chili cauli wings as an appetiser and the bbq portobello sandwich. I got the sandwich without the Brussels slaw. Cauli wings were overall good but inconsistent in the cooking so some pieces were very dense. A wide range of items are on offer from American to Vietnamese. Certainly a great plant based addition to the area.

The amazing atmosphere on the patio makes the dining experience top notch. Vegan eating at its finest. Their summer drinks were delicious.

This is an excellent vegan restaurant — it adds some nice variety to the area. I had the BBQ impossible burger and it was great. They also offered a gluten free bun which was good. The banana cheesecake was also delish. If you have not tried vegan food before, this would be a good introduction.

Innovative vegan menu, lots of options! Love the place for the good food, good service and great ambience. We ordered a couple dishes- mostly hits though some misses. Loved roasted eggplant flatbread with figs, pad Thai, coarse flatbread (though fig one was so much better!), southwest salad, onion rings. Lemon-ginger boost drink was pretty good too Some were average: Enchiladas, Lion’ Mane. Filet. Must try if you are in the area!

This was my first time visiting and I was disappointed. The server was very kind and accommodating. The food was presented beautifully. The flavors were a bit lacking. My appetizers were onions rings and calamari. The onion rings themselves were bland but the sauce helped. The calamari was actually the best out of everything. Our entrees were burger and lions mane marinara. The burger unfortunately wasn't well cooked (server accommodations was excellent). The sides (au gratin) for the lions mane were also not fully cooked, lions mane was breaded well but again lacking flavor and the argula salad was over dressed with lemon juice. The server saved the day and I will give it another try in the far future.

Best Vegan fine dining experience

Great Vegan Food. Outside food court is really nice.

This restaurant is fantastic. We had the burger and breakfast tacos and Blood Mary. Beautiful back patio for dining.

One of the best vegan restaurants around this area. Great food and service!

Great food, great service and great atmosphere. Would definitely come back.

Yum, yum, yum, and beautiful!!

It's super cold sitting outside these days but the staff were super accommodating when we requested more heat lamps and the food truly was delicious.

Amazing food! I am not vegan but this is by far my favorite restaurant in winnetka! Especially the Buffalo and BBQ cauli wings which I get every time!! 10/10 recommend!

The curry was delicious and I love the Buffalo cauliflower over all this restaurant is very pleasing. And everyone should try it

The food was good, cold... they didn’t give us a single napkin or any silverware with a $130 order so we couldn’t eat any of it until we drove all the way back to Wisconsin. We’re from out of town and were just passing through, hoping to get a meal on the road. Imagine the nasty surprise as we get back on the road and find we can’t eat a single thing. Thanks a lot!!! Update: The owner replied - I would just like to say please think to ask your customers if they need silverware or have some sitting out for them to grab. You should put a little disclaimer on your ordering platform that silverware is not included. A little checkbox in the online checkout that says "please include silverware and napkins" would solve the issue.

Amazing place, fancy vegan and affordable place!

Best food, super nice staff, consistently awesome atmosphere. They charge convenient rates and the food quality is very good. Keep up the good work.

Wonderful service and excellent all plant-based cuisine. I felt very taken care of and very comfortable in this beautiful restaurant, even if it was on their back patio during a pandemic. They provided ample heaters for us and it was a lovely experience. Support local!!

I really enjoyed this restaurant. I would recommend the jerk meatless loaf and the cauliflower wings! Even my non-vegan boyfriend loved this place.

Food is really good, my favorites: Buffalo cauliwings and the pad Thai (I forgot to take a picture) Carrot cake was delicious, not too sweet and very tasty. Me and my friend were a bit disappointed about our server, who wasn’t very kind. But my experience was overall great, I’m definitely coming back!

This place is absolutely incredible. So many delicious foods to choose from and all plant based everything so you don't have to worry or ask questions in regards to the food. We had the loaded fries, fig flat bread and the BBQ burger. The elephant sauce is 🥴👌

Although my wife forgot to mention that this place only serves Vegan food so I ordered a burger I was pleasantly surprised once I realized that what I had eaten did not in fact have any meat - shocked rather, very tasty. The whole experience was rather unusual simply because it is hard to manage a restaurant in December during Covid(yes we ate outside) but the employees here pulled it off. Johnny G. Was outstanding, humorous and tendered to our requests. The food was well prepared and tasty though I would recommend adding a pinch more salt to the fries. The deserts were delicious and how they pulled it off without milk I have no clue. All in all a great experience but dress warm, the heaters can only do so much.

Absolutely outstanding! We can't wait to go back and try more menu items. We loved the cauliflower wings (bbq and Buffalo), Thai lettuce wraps, Brussels sprouts and burger. Highly recommend!!

Amazing food and amazing people. I couldn't believe that the burger I was eating was not made of meat. It was fantastic and the mock buffalo wings were fantastic.

Absolutely delicious!

So delicious and an adorable outside patio for al fresco dining.

I am rating their food, ambience, options, decor, the fact that it’s all vegan! Yes, it’s delicious, nobody, however, should be charging $6+tax for coffee and $19+tax for 3 vegan tacos...

Amazing food, great ambiance, and a wonderful staff. One of the best places on the North shore.

For a dining experience like no other, this is the place. It is a 10.

What an amazing concept and unique restaurant nestled in the burbs. The dishes were so fresh and creative and the cocktails were superb. If you are a meat eater, you won’t even miss it at this place. The dishes are filling and balanced. Definitely check it out for a fabulous dining experience!!

Everything about this place is just SUPERB!! The food is absolutely delicious, the staff is lovely and friendly, and the decor and atmosphere is very nice. The buffalo cauliflower wings were so good! I of course ordered those first, and then I ordered their coconut yellow curry which was also very good! One of the best vegan/plant-based restaurants I have ever been to! I highly recommend this place! You will totally enjoy yourself! Also, due to covid, indoor seating isn't always the best option, and I'm not even sure if they are doing that at all, but their outdoor patio is very nice!

Amazing! 10 stars all around!

(Translated by Google) It is a healthy and very rich food (Original) Es una comida saludable y muy Rica

We had a Spirit Elephant picnic in the Hubbard Woods park. My wife and I both enjoy an occasional hamburger and the burger at Spirit Elephant beats Au Cheval. It was absolutely delicious. The southwest salad, the pesto penne, and the strawberry Cheesecake all hit the spot. The restaurant is beautiful and we are looking forward to dining in!

Another wonderful take out meal from Spirit Elephant. The food has been delicious, pick up easy and ready when we rolled up. Ordered dinner dinner twice this week. Serving sizes generous. We did Taco Tuesday and the burrito, tacos and quesadilla excellent. Of course the cauliflower wings are a must. Ordered again tonight and the fig pizza was a hit as was the forbidden bowl and meatless meatloaf. Food arrives home warm and ready to eat. Keep up the good work Spirit!

I really wanted to like this place but found the food underwhelming. prices are fair for Winnetka. The presentation was good but the textures that were combined were odd and unappealing to the palate. Flavors were okay maybe good depending on the dish. I’ve had 2 different bowls, 2 sandwiches and 2 different desserts. So I’ve given the restaurant a fair chance and I’m done. I wouldn’t eat here again. The cheesecake w/blueberries was down right NASTY. Ewe! Super sweet, while the cream and filling was bland and chalky. The crust was terribly grainy. One bite and it’s like, “ewe, this is weird, feels like eating sand texture wise and it’s really sweet while oddly bland and just not good”. Like I said the textures are OFF. Best wishes, although I won’t be eating here, I sincerely hope they’ll make it.

This restaurant is FANTASTIC. Lovely, airy ambiance (think Hampton Social or Summer House Santa Monica), great drinks and wine list, and most importantly - the food. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I LOVED everything we had. So much flavor, so many fresh ingredients and herbs, you didn't even notice the lack of meat or dairy. Can't wait to come here all the time!

The best restaurant I have ever been to vegan and non vegan! Amazing cocktails and food.