Madame Zuzu's - Highland Park

We enjoyed the tofu binh mah and the crunchy veggie-chorizo wrap. Both offered an explosion of flavor and texture. Food is ordered at the counter; staff bring it to your table. We lingered in the spacious setting enjoying conversation and vegan delights.

I like to stop here whenever I am in the area. My favorite is the tofu bahn-mi, although their sausage is good as is their bacon.

…so what better place to go than to a place owned by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan? Pro tip: combine the seasonal smashed pumpkin latte and the pumpkin spice hot chocolate for a treat your tastebuds won’t soon forget! Real smashed pumpkin with cozy, chocolatey vibes. The GF option for the smoked carrot lox blew my mind some of the best GF bread I’ve ever had: thick, spongy, moist with a crunchy crust and fluffy insides. The carrot lox was nice and thinly sliced, but could have been cooked and marinated longer as it was still pretty crunchy rather than the melt in your mouth lox I remember from my childhood and have had with carrot lox at other venues in the past. The only reason this us a 4 instead of 5 is the lox and the lack of ambiance. It’s a bit of a hodgepodge of many things, though it’s clear they want a versatile community venue, it just doesn’t feel very welcoming to hang out in.

My husband and I were looking for a vegan restaurant in Highland Park, and were very pleased to find Madame Zuzu 's. Decent portions, especially the Avocado toast (loaded with avocado, tomatoes greens) and cheese melt with hearty bread. I asked if the food were vegan, having seen plant-based, and perhaps there were some items with honey, but there was a large enough menu to stick to vegan options.

I work not too far from this cafe and have been there several times. The teas and coffees are great--I especially have liked the lattes I 've had--and I 've also taken advantage of the packaged teas and small gift shop when I 've needed to give a gift. The quality of the food, though, has been inconsistent--sometimes good and sometimes rather disappointing. Memorably, I had one dish that was garnished with pickled daikon that would have made a nice garnish if sliced very thin--but it was served in huge chunks that were so strongly flavored as to be inedible. On the other hand, I have enjoyed the grilled 'cheese ' with tomato soup. Frequently, the restaurant is advertising for staff so I really think that the inconsistency is likely caused by the high turnover almost every place is having right now. So it 's the reason I 'm only giving three stars, but I also plan to keep going there, so it 's not a dealbreaker for me. If you want something sweet, I highly recommend the sliced layer cake, which comes from Pie Pie My Darling. The available cake flavor changes monthly. This restaurant also has entertainment fairly regularly (including sometimes in the evening, when they 're otherwise not usually open), and hosts some community activities. As some others have noted, the prices are a little high, but I think that they are not out of line for the area. Most of the seating is indoors, with a few sidewalk tables outside in nicer weather. Parking is relatively easy--there is a small parking lot for the strip mall, plus street parking and a small municipal lot across the street. From the Highland Park Metra station, the walk is an easy few blocks. Updated from previous review on 2022-08-14