Ground Control

Decided to trek into the city and check out a new (to us) veg restaurant a whirl. Thought the reviews on this place made it a good choice. We had the hummus app which was good, kinda sort on veggies though. Got the beet burger based on the servers suggestion and it was fantastic. It was really weird cuz I cut it in half and it actually looks like a medium rare burger (kinda creeped me out but it quickly subsided when I took a bite and inhaled the rest of it).
Big thumbs up!

Prompt and attentive service. We had the Cheesy Italian, Southern Fried Tofu, and Smokin’ Hot Mac n Cheese, all were amazing. As a non-​vegetarian… highly recommend.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan or have friends who are, this restaurant is ideal. Food is fairly priced and very tasty. You won’t even know you aren’t eating meat. I crave their Macaroni and Po boy all the time. Definitely a gem in Logan Square that needs more attention.

The food was very good, but not so good that I was craving it days later. Service was fine. If you’re looking for flavorful vegan or vegetarian food, I think it delivers.
The asian bbq sandwich was extremely flavorful and rich. The beet burger was good but didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had been building up. The beer braised greens were a let down. I’m pretty partial to garlic and have a more is more attitude about garlic, so when I say it had too much garlic… I think the problem was that the garlic wasn’t cooked, so using so much when it’s still basically raw isn’t great. They were also sopping wet, so draining them would have been ideal.
Overall, I left happy with the meal and the experience, but I wasn’t raving about it.

I am so happy with their menu now! I was pleasantly surprised to see even more Vegan options! Hooray!

Veggie food in a punk rock atmosphere. Your server may roll his eyes at you and forget to take your order. But the food is satisfying and affordable.

not a true vegetarian or vegan; but have eaten there several times. I grew up in the area and enjoy having a tasty meal when we are in the city. Everything we have ordered has always been awesomely prepared and there is a great selection of craft beers. The staff is attentive and we enjoy have the owners family mingle with the customers. Definitely worth the drive in.

I can’t rave about this place enough. Sweet ambiance and AMAZING food!!! They really know how to cook great vegan food here. I particularly loved the fried green tomatoes. I had a dish that I believe was a southern fried tofu (?) that was amazing! It was filling and absolutely delicious. And they know how to cook kale — which is not as easy as you’d imagine! And our server Aaron was sooooo wonderful and sweet and knowledgeable and personal. I am definitely coming here again and again!

The food is excellent. The service is horrible.
After we are seated and given menus, no one comes to take our order for a good ten minutes. While we are waiting, the cook and two of the servers do a shot together. Yeah, really.
Finally, one of the servers comes over to our table and takes our order. I ask him what is in one of the sauces. He doesn’t know, so he goes to check, and he must get distracted, because it takes him another five minutes to come back to our table. Finally, he comes back, puts in our order. Food comes out, we have a good meal.
After, my beer glass is empty, and my friend’s glass is empty. Never does the server check in with us to ask about our meal or if we wanted more drinks. Why? The servers are too busy downing another round of shots for themselves to worry about whether their customers need anything to drink as well.
I used to be a server, and I therefore give at least a 20% tip. It is extremely rare for me to give anything less than that. This was one of those times.
After paying the bill and leaving the tip inside the billfold, we leave. Walk right past the servers. No thank you for coming, nothing. Didn’t even look at us.
I would be hard-​pressed to remember such horrible service.
And I didn’t even mention the oil painting of the scene from Blue Velvet above the bar. Yes, the one of Dennis Hopper with the gas mask on as he’s grabbing her hair. Lovely piece of art work there.
Only get a two-​star rating because the cook knows what he’s doing. Too bad the hipster servers don’t, or more likely, don’t care.

Great food! I usually always get delivery because they are so close to my house, but it looks like a nice place to dine-​in as well!
I’ve tried several things here including:
–Portobella Mushroom Sandwich: Probably my favorite, so flavorful.
–Side of Spicy Mac n’ cheese: big portion! it is spicy, so fair warning. Soooo good!
–Baja Tacos: Delicious tacos! The beans and rice could use a little extra salsa/​flavor
–Bön mi: also delicious but a little on the «bready» side (I’m just not a fan of lots of bread, so that’s a personal thing)

Yum vegetarian food with a very casual and laidback vibe.
We ate a late lunch here on a Saturday when we were in the neighborhood. I ordered the baja tacos and hubby ordered their famous beet burger with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Everything tasted great. Every bite was flavorful. The burger was perfectly «meaty» and earthy and came between a pretzel bun. The tacos were delicious and came with a side of rice and beans. The service was friendly and prompt. Would definitely come back to try more stuff from their menu.

We were seated promptly Saturday evening and place filled up quickly.
We got the curry fritters to start and I got the jibarito with rice and beans as my side. I liked that you could choose any of the sides. Most places just offer fries or if you want something else, it is an extra charge.
The fritters (5 pieces) were very good and my favorite thing thus far. The accompanying cilantro mint chutney was delish. My jibarito was pretty good too and satisfying in portion. Rice and beans were nothing special (as expected). Also tried the kimchi grilled cheese which was solid and tasty. The kimchi made the sandwich balanced and not as heavy.
Overall, loved the spread of options from Asian sandwiches to po’boys to tacos.
Our service was great. Food came out quickly and our server was very nice and checked on us regularly.
I’d choose this place any day over Handlebar.

The food was mediocre at best and they charge your normal vegan prices. I felt like the wait staff was doing me a favor by coming to the table. Seriously, drop the attitudes.

I came here for the first time on my recent trip to Chicago.
A few of us shared the buffalo wings, they were too salty for me.
I got the beet burger, and added avocado. It was given on a pretzel bun which was a nice surprise. It was tasty
A friend had the baja tacos, he thought they were good but a bit salty.
Another friend got the southern fried tofu, she could barely eat the mashed potatoes or the greens because of how salty they were. My friend and I tried the greens and we both felt it was like swallowing water in the ocean.
I don’t know why some restaurants feel the need to use soooo much salt!
The server was BEYOND nice. Can’t say enough great things about him.
I probably wouldn’t come back here though

I have finally accepted that I am lactose intolerant and that gluten does me no good. Friend and I met up for lunch here to accommodate my new dietary needs.
Sweet potatoes hash was absolutely delicious, but they forgot my avocado and side of greens, and they were shockingly rude when I asked about it. Amazing food but bad service.

I came here for the first time yesterday afternoon. The g/​f and I were hungry, and so of course we got on Unilocal to check out a good spot in the area. We stumbled upon this place, and the pictures and reviews were promising. We however failed to notice that it was a vegetarian restaurant. That one… is on me!
The restaurant is small and intimate, yet not too crowded. Great laid back atmosphere, and the staff was friendly. Nothing really got my taste buds going, except their Jibarito. Nothing special, given that I’ve had plenty better at other, more authentic places, but it was good.
I did have one of their specialty cocktails: Bufala Negra
(Buffalo Trace Bourbon, basil, balsamic vinegar, splash of ginger ale). Real good drink!
They did have good brunch options, and a good beer menu! If I was vegan, perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more, but I just dont see myself coming back.

⁴⁄₅ The Atmosphere: A clean, cool, hipster diner in Chicago. We really liked the logo and the chalk board with fun artwork on the walls. The place was nice and clean, including the bathrooms. We enjoyed the metal plates that the food was served on as well. Parking is limited, which is to be expected because it’s in a major city. Also, the diner is a bit small and has limited seating, so when it’s busy, you may have to wait a bit. We got lucky and were able to snag a table during breakfast/​brunch time when it was really busy.
⁴⁄₅ The Menu: As vegans, when anything on the menu is clearly marked vegan or can be made vegan, it’s a big win for us! They had plenty us options for us veggies.
³⁄₅ The Service: It was a bit slow only because two people were working a full restaurant and bar. We felt a bit bad for them as it must have been stressful, but the two men who waited on us were nice.
The Food:
⁵⁄₅ The Curry Fritters are fantastic! The warm potatoes mixed with the fresh cool mint chutney, the hint of spicy curry, and the sweetness of the corn were the perfect balance of flavors. So good!
⁵⁄₅ The Breakfast Tacos with tofu were so good! We dipped them in a small side of fresh salsa, and it was so tasty!
¹⁄₅ The Southern Breakfast with Batter Fried Tofu and the Biscuits N Gravy: As Southerners, we love biscuits and gravy and have had many non-​vegan versions when we weren’t vegan and many vegan versions as vegans. This was simply over salted and the beer flavored kale was a bit overpowering. We’re not quite sure what we were tasting, but it seemed like it was a mix of soy sauce, beer, and salt. The biscuits were really soggy as well. The tofu was pretty flavorless. These dishes are almost exactly the same with the exception of the kale, and we wouldn’t get either one again. Luckily, the waiter did comp one of them and told us that other people had complained about it being too salty.
¹⁄₅ Side of Breakfast Potatoes: These we’re okay. They were a bit on the greasy and overcooked side. We wouldn’t get these again.
⁴⁄₅ The glass of orange juice was tasty, too.
Overall, it’s reasonably priced, and we would go back for the curry fritters and breakfast tacos and to try something else.

I came in with a large group. The service was quick and they drinks came right away. The British Mule with vodka and ginger beer was well balanced and refreshing. The menu is chock full of vegan and vegetarian options, and many of the vegetarian options can be made vegan on request. After much deliberation I decided on the Smothered Sweet Potato Tacos. No regrets on this decision — they were delicious. The roasted sweet potatoes were flavorful and slightly browned and played nicely with the kale. These are not the kind of tacos you can pick up and eat. Well, you could but you’d get the ancho sauce all over the place. The jicama slaw was light and cool, and the rice and bean combo nicely rounded things out with a little protein. There were 3 tacos in the order so there was some to take home. I love me some leftovers! I was tempted to get a dessert but vegan desserts were all sold out. They must have been good. Ground Control is a really cool looking, modern yet woodsy place just a bit off the beaten path between Kedzie and Kimball. The service was spot on, and I’d go back in a heartbeat to try something different. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get dessert.

Chicago has more than a few places to get vegan American foods (think po’boys, cheesesteak sandwiches, biscuits and gravy) and Ground Control doesn’t do anything particularly novel compared to Chicago Diner, Handlebar, Native Foods, Karyn’s Cooked or Kitchen 17.
This is a small bar and restaurant in rapidly gentrifying Logan Square, so the clientele was a mix of young families and punk rock 20s-​somethings.
Everything that’s vegan is labeled. I wanted to get the biscuits and gravy but it was five minutes past 3pm so they vehemently denied me. These vegetarian punk rockers don’t mess around.
Instead I got the Asian bbq sandwich ($ 10) with a side of fries. I like that Ground Control makes it own seitan, which in this case came thinly sliced and layered in a soft white flour baguette. The sauce, a semi-​sweet, peanut-​butter, oil and spices mélange, tasted pretty good though I think it could have benefited from less sweetness.
The fries were solid: crispy and golden.
All told, Ground Control is a decent spot to grab a vegan meal, though I wish they kept their breakfast/​brunch menu available throughout the day. While Ground Control doesn’t do anything new, it does match Chicago Diner and the rest in terms of quality and taste.

Jibaritos, where have you been all my life? And why, as a Puerto Rican, have I never heard of these amazing sandwiches before? The answer to both those questions is that I live in AZ, and jibaritos are a Chicago delicacy. However, I’m going to petition local chefs to start making them here.
Yes, the jibarito at Ground Control was really that spectacular. The plantains were cooked perfectly and made a great foundation for my sandwich. The seitan was unbelievable. Far and away the best I’ve ever had. Wonderful flavor, perfect texture and delightfully messy. The black beans on the side were freaking delicious too. I was so impressed with my food.
I’m only giving Ground Control 4 stars though because service at the bar wasn’t great. I was frustrated that I sat there awhile and got asked my order without offering me water first. I also thought the cocktail was sloppily made. The bartender used ice water to chill the martini glass and left some behind when he poured it out. He also failed to double strain the drink which left jalapeño seeds floating around. The drink was too spicy to enjoy the other flavors because of that.