CHIGuide
Where To Order Healthy Carryout And Delivery In Chicago
There are all sorts of things that you can have sent to your home: pizza, fried chicken, cookies, a six-course tasting menu from Alinea. But if you’re looking for something healthy - or maybe just realized the only green thing in your apartment is your fern - this guide is for you. Whether you want a salad, sashimi, or an Ethiopian platter with lentils and okra, use this guide to find an option near you.
The Spots
Whole 30 Delivered is a delivery-only “ghost kitchen” restaurant. It’s not actually haunted that we know of, but it does specialize in food that fits into the Whole 30 plan, which you might be familiar with as the diet everyone on Instagram goes on after the New Year. This means you can order things like spaghetti squash with chicken meatballs, cauliflower rice, and bunless turkey burgers. In other words, even if you’re not on some sort of post-lasagna-in-the-shower quarantine cleanse, it’s still an excellent option.
Everything on the menu at Left Coast sounds like something Gwyneth Paltrow eats, and she seems pretty healthy to us. You’ll find stuff like miso-marinated salmon, grain bowls, and tofu wraps - and a lot of avocado. They also have cold pressed juice, and for every one you purchase, they donate one to a healthcare worker.
You’re probably not planning a trip out west anytime soon, but eating here will give you the same health-by-association feeling as when you land at LAX. Dishes like the grilled chicken or wood-grilled mahi mahi tacos are great, as are the kale or beet salads. Just try to ignore all the take-and-bake cookie dough on the menu, and you’ll be good to go. Or don’t, because balance (and eating cookie dough) is important.
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Beatrix is our frequent go-to whenever we want a healthy option for brunch, lunch, and/or dinner. That’s because their menu is clearly put together with people who pay attention to what they eat in mind. This means a lot of healthy, gluten-free, and dairy-free options (like a roasted cauliflower salad, vegan tomato soup, and roasted chicken). They also have a very satisfying selection of sweets in case someone in your apartment doesn’t give a sh*t about what they eat. It’s always good to keep them in mind, too.
B’Gabs is a cafe with healthy vegan options for breakfast and lunch. Almost everything is made on-site, and the menu includes lots of fruits and vegetables along with plenty of gluten-free and raw dishes, too. You’ll find things like smoothie bowls, breakfast scrambles made with chickpeas instead of eggs, and a zucchini noodle pad thai salad. And right now they’re offering weekly meal plans with both raw and cooked options.
It’s not very subtle, but Healthy Substance is indeed very healthy. Less obvious is that it’s also a great Mexican spot in Garfield Ridge that happens to be vegan. Everything from the sauces and tortillas, to the spicy al pastor, chorizo, and “steak” is made in house, and none of it feels overprocessed.
There are a lot of vegan choices at Ras Dashen, an Ethiopian spot in Edgewater. You’ll find delicious things like the shirro (a chickpea stew) and the misserana bowmia (lentils and okra in a spicy berbere sauce). And our favorite way to try everything is to order the sampler. That way you get to choose five vegan side dishes for $15.
Chicago Raw is (unsurprisingly) a 100% raw restaurant. Everything here is vegan, and even if you’re not keeping a raw diet, the food is worth seeking out. They have a pad thai dish that’s fantastic (it’s made from kelp noodles), and ravioli made with shaved turnip and cashew cheese. There are two locations, one in River North and one in the French Market, and both are open for carryout and delivery.
Speaking of tasty raw things, Sushi-san has fantastic sushi that’s simply prepared and delicious. You can order one of their san-sets that come with an assortment of sashimi, nigiri, and a roll or two, or just order a la carte. And everything will come in a thick cardboard box that’s designed to look like a retro boombox, which is just cute.
This vegan Thai restaurant in Ravenswood is mainly a carryout spot, so as far as we’re concerned, not much has changed. You’ll find dishes like tofu satay, soy chicken with peanut sauce, and a number of curries, all of which are fantastic.
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Unlike most Chicago breweries, Eris serves a lot of vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free dishes (all clearly marked). So while your roommate can get a Polish sausage wrapped in bacon to go with her beer, you can get a big salad, crispy tofu with vegan slaw, or meat-free breakfast burrito. Don’t forget to get some beer, too.
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True Food’s menu is full of stuff like sweet potato grain bowls, sustainable salmon, and quinoa burgers. Many of the dishes here are gluten-free as well as dairy-free, and even the desserts (like chia seed pudding) could be classified as “not terrible for you.” So basically, just thinking about ordering from this place will make you healthier.
Majani serves very good vegan food on the South Shore. This means entrees like BBQ cauliflower and jerk tofu, stir-fried vegetables, and lentil salads. Everything is pretty light and healthy, so it’s probably a good idea to get a sweet potato cookie or a piece of vegan carrot cake to balance it out.
This is a staple in the “let’s order dinner but not be totally gross” department. Doc B’s has a lot of tasty healthy options, like delicious salads, grilled meat and fish, and bowls full of vegetables and quinoa. But definitely consider ordering the baked polenta fries. They aren’t that healthy, but definitely taste really good.
