Vegan
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Mexican
Catering
Plant-based Mexican restaurant. Offers a variety of dishes including appetizers, burritos, dessert, enchiladas, elote, tacos. Open Tue-Sat 12:00pm-9:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-8:00pm. Closed Mon.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
-
Loading...
-
- Free Wi-Fi
-
-
Last update on 31 Mar 2023 by Guest
Update business info -
Added by veganshutterbug on 31 Mar 2023
-
-
34 Reviews
First Review by jadaruss
Bryonjeremy
Points +40
Ate all my food before i could get good pictures - Edit
Title says it all. This has got to be the best mexican food in chicago.
Read moreI tried one of each taco, a burrito, and elote. Finished every bite. I’ll definitely come back next time i’m in Chicago
Guest
Clevewal
Points +72
Solid food! - Edit
We tried the chimichanga and the fried tacos. Both were very good but not quite 5 star. Not sure how they fried the chimichanga but it was a bit peculiar. The filling was great and my daughter enjoyed the tacos. Definitely worth a return visit to try other options.
Read morePros: Flavor was excellent , Service was prompt
Cons: Chimichanga wrap a little odd
Guest
sarahelizi
Points +146
Wow! - Edit
Affordable, awesome vegan meats & cheese. Great place to take a non-vegan who is curious about but wary of vegan food.
Read moreGuest
recycledstar
Points +314
Solid, good atmosphere - Edit
We really enjoy Penelope’s! The menu has an abundance of choices, the restaurant is always clean, and the food is tasty. I really enjoy the onion rings and salad, but everything I’ve tried has been solid.
Read morePros: Location, Tasty , Atmosphere
Guest
Avsusky
Points +56
Quesedilla grande 😛 - Edit
This place was great! We went the other day (October 2024), I didn't realize we'd need a reservation and we were initially told it would be an hour wait. But when we sat outside at one of their tables trying to figure out what to do, the host came out and said we could start outside and move in once they found somewhere to seat us😄Very kind. The service was wonderful, and almost everything was delicious, especially the chimichanga and quesedilla grande! The elote (street corn) was really not- way too much mayo and there was no grill flavor and no galric/onion, cilantro or lime, or at least not enough for the flavors to come through. The onion rings were top-notch. My parents really liked the pozole, I think it needed more flsvor personally. Neither of them are vegan and they were super happy with everything. Overall 4.7/5.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-15
Guest
RobinGrubbs
Points +45
Just great.. - Edit
Cute place! I came in the middle of the day, but it seems like a great place for the beginning and end of an evening out
Read morePros: Asada Taco
Cons: Chips and Salsa (get something else for the chips)
Guest
Antiquegreen
Points +44
Great Tacos - Edit
I had the Al pastor, jackfruit barbacoa, and chunky quesa tacos. I had wanted to try the asada but they were out that day. The tacos were generally excellent and really filling. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vegan cheese they use.
Read morePros: Good value, Nice atmosphere
Guest
Vegan Vagabond
Points +5319
Solid - Edit
I’ve been to the other location, but got a wild hair to come check out this location. This is a better location, I think. It’s more open, bright and vibrant. Although it’s been a while since I’ve been to the other location.
Read moreThe food here is great. I got the cauliflower ceviche, elote, and a 3 taco dinner: barbacoa, al pastor, and asada. Everything was very good.
Guest
lmop
Points +170
Mind-boggling Mexican Food - Edit
Penelope's was high on my list of vegan places to try while in Chicago, and it was SO GOOD. I headed there at about 4:15 on Thursday afternoon for lunch because I'm incapable of timing my meals on vacation correctly. It was pretty empty and I was seated right away, got my order taken quickly, and got my food amazingly fast! I was ravenous and so pleased by the speed. I had the elote cup, the enormous quesadilla, and the matcha horchata. It was all so good - richly flavored and big filling portions. The elote had a great tang to it and the quesadilla was perfectly melted throughout. I would've liked to try the bunuelos but I didn't have time or room in my stomach... So I'll definitely be back next time I'm in Chicago.
Read morePros: Super fast service , Incredible food, Really cute space
Guest
Chrizzle
Points +324
Delcious, nice atmosphere - Edit
Everything tasted delicious. Cute place and friendly staff.
Read morePros: All vegan, LGBTQIA+ friendly
Guest
Sampholland8
Points +86
Cracking authentic mexican food - Edit
Had an amazing lunch at Penelope's.
Read moreI got a taco dinner with rice and beans- the soy chorizo with potatoes and radish, the cauli el pastore with pineapple and onion, and the Baja taco which was the pick of the bunch; a delicious fried battered avocado with salsas and mayo which was a perfect texture and taste combo. The beans and rice were a great side as well.
Also tried a fair amount of the chimichanga- the same soy sausage base as my taco but with a load of delicious and perfectly melted cheese under a perfectly fried burrito.
The pineapple jalapeno margarita is also well worth a shout- it's got a nice spice but isn't overly hot. The margs are massive as well!
Guest
sayurii
Points +438
Nice tacos - Edit
I thought the mushroom chimichurri was going to be better, but the asado was great.
Read moreGuest
sisi.will
Points +107
delicious! - Edit
I got takeout and it was amazing! I ordered the birria tacos, elote, and onion rings. Everything was sooooo good. Highly recommend the elote
Read moreGuest
JohnCalvinism
Points +37
Great Mexican - Edit
Great Mexican good prices.
Read morePros: Tasty, Affordable
Guest
spacetag
Points +744
Great taco selection - Edit
Big menu with lots of options in tacos and even other Mexican classics. We had the barbacoa, al pastor, asada, and queso taco. All were really good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-05-13
Pros: All vegan
Guest
MilesVeganEats
Points +502
Re-visit - Edit
I love Chicago and decided to revisiting it this April to enjoy the Spring time.
Read moreI enjoyed Penelope last October so I had to revisit again. I tried the Street Corn on the cob and the Quesabirria tacos. The cob was exceptional delicious. I highly recommend it!
I am not a coffee drinker and love it with the dessert. They offer cake from a vegan bakery but coffee machine was broken. I do prefer they make some Mexican dessert instead a carrot cake. I did ordered the cake to go. It was alright, nothing really stands out. The icing was too sweet for me.
Guest
Pilot.lj
Points +1525
Great vegan Mexican option - Edit
I looooved my enchiladas! The menu was vast and exciting. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was I felt the rice and beans were really lacking. Food was awesome but then rice and beans felt like an after thought. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu.
Read morePros: Big menu, All vegan, Enchiladas were best vegan enchiladas I’ve had
Cons: Rice and beans were boring
Guest
mster9ball1
Points +227
Great Lunch - Edit
The service is exceptional, they greet you right away when you walk in. The servers are very friendly and approachable.
Read morePros: The Service , The Options , The layout of the tables
Cons: Parking may be a problem
Guest
Saff
Points +1777
Marvelous Mexican spot - Edit
Amazing food! Highly recommend the potato tacos! They are perfection. Really friendly, helpful waitstaff. Not service kombucha anymore.
Read moreGuest
MadhuriPydisetty
Points +734
Yummy Vegan Brunch!!! - Edit
I enjoyed the new brunch.. everything was delicious!!! Penelope’s has high standards! Great ambience… both locations are amazing! #Veganuary
Read moreGuest
shebazzle
Points +523
great food in a swell space in a fantastic neighborhood - Edit
Wife and I had the chips and salsa and each had 3 taco dinners. The salsa had a great balanced flavor.
Read moreThe taco options were plentiful and creative. Not sure what the haps/process is behind “pulled oats” but it was hearty and fun.
Looking forward to trying more items in the future and bumping this to 5 stars. Elotes, I’m looking at you.
Pros: Plentiful options , Good flavors, Nice roomy space.
Guest
sconroy
Points +426
Fantastic food - Edit
Highly recommend! Great tacos
Read moreGuest
PBPT
Points +201
Great flavors and variety - Edit
Loved the vibe of Penelope’s! Handmade ceramic glasses for your cocktails, tons of taco options, great rice and beans, friendly staff!
Read moreGuest
BarryY
Points +165
Great space, good tacos - Edit
My favorite thing about Penelope's was the physical space, which is colorful and inviting. We sat indoors, but the front of the building was open to the sidewalk and so it felt airy and semi-outdoors. I ordered the taco dinner, which came with rice, beans and with three tacos: in my case, soy al pastor, baja with beer-battered avocado, and jackfruit barbacoa. It was all quite tasty, though to me the three varieties had similar flavor palettes. Because we went on a Tuesday, it was discounted to $14, which felt quite reasonable to me.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-07-17
Guest
DisaLaring
Points +394
Good but not overly impressed - Edit
Tortillas kept falling apart from the juices from the fillings which made for a very soggy taco…
Read morePros: Many options
Cons: Soggy
Guest
Evington
Points +3286
Mexican 100% vegan. Great - Edit
There’s another branch of this place downtown too. Great to have vegan only restaurants that specialise in a particular cuisine. This place has various tacos and the traditional Mexican dishes such as burritos. Fast service. Good value.
Read moreGuest
·X·
Points +23598
Penelope’s - Edit
Excellent 100% vegan Mexican option in Chicago. The vegan nachos were excellent. I ordered two tacos and loved one (asada) and hated the other (carnitas). The Carnitas were actually inedible and had a very strong vinegar flavor. What’s a little frustrating is
Read morethe waitress decided to say that it was the worst taco option as she set the plate on the table. Wish she would have told me this when I ordered or not said anything at all. My friend loved his potato enchiladas.
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 6677 times.