It’s not easy eating green! Whether you’re a full-on vegan, a vegetarian, or just prefer to incorporate many plant-based foods into your diet, it can be hard to find restaurants that offer tasty and healthy options that fit your needs. But the folks at Crème de la Crème are here to help. We know how important it is to show your children the value of sharing a meal, teaching them to eat a healthy diet, and making food choices that are right for them. 

The following list presents seven restaurants in the greater Warrenville, IL, area that feature a good selection of vegan or vegetarian dishes.

Manna Kitchen (Lisle)

Photo via Unsplash by Yoav Aziz using Unsplash License

Self-proclaimed as the “first plant-based restaurant in Chicago’s western suburbs,” this all-vegan eatery is also one of the very few restaurants of its kind in the area. Their menu features a whole range of purely plant-based appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts, including all your favorites done vegan. Try the cashew “mac & cheeze,” fried “chik-n,” vegan “crab” cakes, plant-based chili, vegan hot dog, or vegan chocolate pudding. 

Manna even has a retail section, so you can grab a bag of kale chips or freeze-dried avocado snacks to take with you and eat at home. Enjoy your plant-based lunch or dinner in the modern and trendy dining room or outside on the patio.

Fiammé (Naperville)

This Italian restaurant makes food the way they do in Naples, with the same traditional flavors and cooking methods as Old-World Italy. That said, Fiammé is also proud to branch out with new and innovative vegan, vegetarian dishes, or both—such as their dairy-free handmade pizza dough. They offer menus devoted entirely to both vegans and vegetarians, which feature items such as plant-based meatballs with spaghetti, vegan tiramisu, and vegan pizza with a range of plant-based toppings including vegan cheese and non-chicken chicken tenders. Vegetarians have even more options, such as zucchini fries with cheese, ricotta tortellini, and eggplant parmesan. 

Honey Milk (Warrenville)

Located right in the heart of Warrenville, Honey Milk serves breakfast and lunch that caters to people with various dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free. Vegans will love the black-bean burger or the plant-based burger, both served on vegan buns. Or they can opt for the vegan chicken sandwich, which comes with plant-based chicken topped with vegan ranch on a vegan bun. On the sweeter side, Honey Milk offers steel-cut oatmeal bowls with entirely plant-based fruit.

Vegetarians can go for a portabella burger or Benedict, a quinoa wrap, or a kale salad with champagne vinaigrette. There’s also a noteworthy quinoa and chia seed salad and delicious vegetarian breakfast tacos made with eggs and plant-based chorizo. If that’s not enough, Honey Milk also has a whole slew of vegetarian pancakes, waffles, French toast, and crepes.

Honey Berry Pancakes and Café (Warrenville)

When pancakes are in the restaurant’s name, it’s bound to be a good place to eat. Vegetarians will have endless choices here, including any of Honey Berry’s 13 different types of specialty pancakes. Decadent pancake flavors include banana coconut cream pie, chocolate chip peanut butter, and red velvet. Other meatless menu selections include crepes, waffles, salads, bowls, and omelets. Honey Berry also has a “heart-healthy” section of the vegan-friendly menu. For instance, there’s a plant-based burger and a vegan breakfast sandwich made with marinated tofu and avocado served on a vegan bun.

Totopos Restaurant (Naperville)

Totopos aims to serve authentic Mexican cuisine based on recipes passed down through the generations and made with only the freshest ingredients. They happily accommodate both vegans and vegetarians with an entire section of their menu devoted just to them. Plant-based eaters can select anything from tacos to tostadas, tortas to tamales, and then have them made to order with their choice of plant-based or vegetarian ingredients. Options include soy meat, Mexican soy sausage, veggies, beans, and more. Totopos even serves breakfast, including vegetarian options such as huevos rancheros. Not surprisingly, Yelp readers voted Totopos the best Mexican restaurant in Naperville.

Shimla Peppers (Naperville)

This entirely vegetarian Indian restaurant has a five-page menu filled with an endless variety of Indian and Indo-Chinese specialties, all completely meat-free. They have a good selection of classic Indian entrees, like paneer tikka masala, which is Indian cheese in a traditional tomato-based sauce and aloo gobi, or steamed cauliflower and potatoes cooked Indian style. There’s also a wide selection of dishes made in the tandoori oven, from naan bread to vegetable kebabs. Try starting your meal with the veggie samosas or fried lentil “donuts” with a mango lassi to drink, and be sure to save room for dessert. 

Pa Lian Burmese Restaurant (Wheaton)

Pa Lian is not just the only Burmese restaurant in the entire state of Illinois; this delicious restaurant just happens to also be very vegan- and vegetarian-friendly. They have an excellent variety of salads, such as their tofu salad and popular ginger salad, along with plant-based options of noodle soups and rice and noodle dishes. The “Kauk Swe Thoke” is a vegan dish made with warm egg noodles that are tossed with Pa Lian’s special Burmese dressing then topped with cabbage, onions, chickpea powder, and garlic oil. 

Pa Lian is working to incorporate more vegan and vegetarian dishes into their menu rotation soon, and many dishes can be made vegetarian or vegan upon request. So even if you don’t see a plant-based dish on the menu that seems quite right for you, ask them if they can fix you something that is.

Crème de la Crème hopes you will check out one or more of these great vegan- and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the Warrenville area and enjoy dining there. We’re sure that these places won’t disappoint. Yet there are still many other excellent restaurants in the vicinity that also offer delicious plant-based foods and meatless dishes. Where do you go to eat your greens? If you have a favorite spot, please let us know.