Best Vegetarian Tasting Menus in Chicago 2026

Why a vegetarian tasting is the easier order in Chicago

Chicago's high end runs on fixed tasting menus and close farm partnerships, which is the format a vegetarian diner wants: a kitchen that plans the meal in advance can build a full vegetable-led sequence instead of pulling one plate off the standard menu. And because a vegetarian brief still allows dairy and egg, the kitchen keeps its richest tools, the butter-poached, the cream-set, the cheese course, so the result is closer to the room's full range than a vegan version would be.

One room treats the vegetarian menu as a standing option rather than a favour: Indienne, whose Indian repertoire is already half vegetable. The rest, from two-star Ever and Oriole to the seasonal kitchens at North Pond and Elske, will compose a vegetarian tasting when you ask in advance. Every name links to its full review, with the course count and how to flag the menu. For the wider city, start with the Chicago dining guide, and for fully plant-based rooms see vegan fine dining in Chicago.

The vegetarian list

Indienne

Modern Indian · River North · vegetarian tasting, around $135

Vegetarian menu: a standing vegetarian tasting, with about 48 hours' notice

Indienne is the clearest vegetarian answer in the city. Chef Sujan Sarkar holds a Michelin star in River North for progressive Indian tasting menus, and a vegetarian tasting sits on the books beside the regular one rather than being improvised, drawing on a cuisine where vegetables, lentils and paneer are central, not a consolation. Expect a multi-course menu around 135 dollars, the most accessible serious vegetarian tasting here, with the dairy and ghee that make Indian cooking sing left fully in play. Note the vegetarian menu when you book and confirm about 48 hours ahead.

Ever

Modern tasting · West Loop · tasting $$$$

Vegetarian menu: a full vegetarian tasting built on request, with notice

Ever is Curtis Duffy's polished two-Michelin-star tasting in the West Loop, and one of the strongest rooms for a vegetarian version of a luxury menu. The standard tasting runs eight or so courses at the top of the market, and the kitchen will rebuild it around vegetables, dairy and egg when you flag the need at booking. Because the menu is fixed and precise, give the team several days so they can plan the courses rather than substitute. It is a grown-up, special-occasion room where a vegetarian tasting holds its own against the full menu.

Oriole

Contemporary tasting · West Loop · tasting $$$$

Vegetarian menu: composed on request, with notice at reservation

Oriole is the refined, detail-driven option. Noah Sandoval's two-Michelin-star room, hidden off a West Loop freight alley, runs a long contemporary tasting and is known for handling dietary needs with care, building a vegetarian sequence when you note it at the time of booking. The room is intimate and the service close, so the kitchen has the bandwidth to plan around a vegetarian guest course by course. Flag it when you reserve, confirm a few days before, and treat it as a milestone dinner rather than a casual night out.

Alinea

Avant-garde tasting · Lincoln Park · tasting $$$$

Vegetarian menu: on request, flagged at booking

Alinea is the theatrical choice. Grant Achatz's Lincoln Park room, at two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide after years at three, serves a fixed, highly produced tasting full of tableside drama, and the kitchen accommodates vegetarian diners when the need is flagged at booking and confirmed ahead. With dairy and egg available, the team has room to rework its set pieces around vegetables rather than strip them back. It is the most spectacle-driven vegetarian meal in the city, and among the most expensive, so give as much notice as you can.

North Pond

Seasonal American · Lincoln Park · tasting and prix fixe

Vegetarian menu: a vegetable-driven menu the kitchen handles comfortably

North Pond is the seasonal, vegetable-forward pick, an Arts and Crafts pavilion set against the pond in Lincoln Park, where the kitchen cooks close to the Midwestern growing year. Vegetables already drive much of the menu, so a vegetarian tasting or prix fixe sits naturally in the kitchen's range rather than as a special build, especially at the height of the summer market. It is the most scenic room on this list and the most relaxed of the fine-dining options. Note the vegetarian preference when you book so the kitchen can lean the menu that way.

Elske

New American · West Loop · tasting and a la carte

Vegetarian menu: a vegetarian tasting available with notice

Elske is the warm, design-led West Loop room from Anna and David Posey, a one-Michelin-star kitchen with an open hearth and a courtyard that cooks a Scandinavian-inflected New American menu. It offers both a tasting and a la carte, and the kitchen will set a vegetarian tasting with notice, drawing on the same seasonal, produce-driven cooking that defines the room. It is the more personal and slightly more affordable serious option here. Flag the vegetarian menu at booking and confirm ahead so the courses are planned rather than swapped.

Smyth

New American tasting · West Loop · tasting from $295

Vegetarian menu: a vegetable-driven tasting adapted with notice

Smyth is the top-of-market option for a vegetable-led tasting. John and Karen Shields hold three Michelin stars in the West Loop, cooking a hyper-seasonal menu fed by their own farm downstate, which puts produce at the centre by default. The kitchen will build a vegetarian tasting with advance notice, and few rooms in the country are better placed to do it well. The tasting starts around 295 dollars before pairings. Give the team several days so it can compose the courses around what the farm is sending that week.

How to ask for a vegetarian menu in Chicago

Only Indienne carries a vegetarian tasting as a standing menu, and even that wants about 48 hours' notice. Everywhere else, the request goes in the booking: Alinea, Ever, Oriole and Smyth each build a full vegetarian tasting but need several days, while North Pond and Elske handle a vegetarian table comfortably as part of their seasonal cooking. Say vegetarian if dairy and egg are welcome, since these kitchens will use butter, cream and cheese freely, and say vegan only if you need them gone. Confirm a day or two before the date. Plan the rest with the best vegetarian restaurants worldwide and an anniversary dinner in Chicago.

Frequently asked questions

Which Chicago restaurant has the best vegetarian tasting menu?

Indienne in River North is the clearest choice, a Michelin-starred Indian kitchen that runs a standing vegetarian tasting at around 135 dollars rather than treating it as a substitution. For higher-end rooms, two-star Ever and Oriole and three-star Smyth build a full vegetarian tasting when you ask in advance. North Pond is the seasonal, vegetable-forward option in Lincoln Park. Start with the Chicago dining guide.

What is the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan tasting in Chicago?

A vegetarian tasting keeps dairy and egg in play, which gives these kitchens far more to work with: butter, cream, cheese and custards all stay on the table. That makes a vegetarian menu easier for a room to build and usually richer than its vegan version. If you need fully plant-based, say vegan rather than vegetarian when you book, since the default vegetarian menu will lean on dairy and egg. See vegan fine dining in Chicago for that route.

Do Chicago fine-dining restaurants do a vegetarian menu on request?

Most of the best do. Alinea, Ever, Oriole and Smyth each compose a full vegetarian tasting when you flag it at booking and confirm ahead, typically several days out. Indienne goes further with a standing vegetarian menu that still wants about 48 hours' notice. North Pond and Elske, both vegetable-driven kitchens, handle a vegetarian table comfortably. In every case, note it at reservation rather than on the night.

How much does a vegetarian tasting menu cost in Chicago?

It tracks each room's standard price. Indienne's vegetarian tasting is the accessible serious option at around 135 dollars. Elske and North Pond sit in the mid-to-upper range for their tasting formats, while Smyth starts near 295 dollars and the two-star tastings at Alinea, Ever and Oriole run at full tasting-menu level, often higher with pairings. Budget above the headline figure once wine and service are added.

Can you eat vegetarian at Alinea?

Yes, with planning. Alinea, Grant Achatz's Lincoln Park room, accommodates vegetarian diners when you flag the dietary need at booking and confirm a few days ahead. Because the tasting is fixed and built course by course, the kitchen reworks the menu around vegetables, dairy and egg rather than swapping single plates. Give it as much notice as you can, and expect the most theatrical vegetarian meal in the city.

Menus and prices verified against each restaurant's published information and the 2026 Michelin Guide Chicago in June 2026; confirm vegetarian availability directly when you book. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.