Kāl’ish – The Vegan Brunch You Need To Eat
By: Josephine Layug
Brunch, brunch, brunch….who loves brunch?!?!? This girl does! So on the weekends, I catch up with family and friends over brunch, it’s my favorite activity. As we get older, meeting up with friends and family becomes difficult because of our careers. Kāl’ish is a perfect place to get some vegan brunch with good company.
Kāl’ish is a quaint short-order vegan restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood. They offer breakfast all day every day! In addition, they have a great lunch menu and Sunday brunch 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The menu has sandwiches, burgers, bowls, Mexican plates and a variety of other options including pastries and a Kid’s menu. Kāl’ish has foods for everyone! The drink offerings consist of organic teas, coffee, as well as many Jones Soda flavors.
My friend and I are sharing the Pecan Roll, K Burger, Banana Berry Créme French Toast, and a Quesadilla Del Domingo. In addition, we are trying every flavor from their Jones Soda which is on tap. Yes, my savagery forces me to try everything before deciding on a flavor, this time Berry won out.
The Pecan Roll is so tasty, probably the best in Chicago. It’s full of flavor but its sweetness is not overpowering. A perfect portion of pecans tops the roll and the softness matches that of my pillow. The Banana Berry Créme French Toast is delicious, but it doesn’t stand out. Although tasty, it seems like something you can get at every other breakfast place.
The two dishes that have us stumped are the K Burger and the Quesadilla Del Domingo. These dishes seem like real meat but as far as we know they do not. “100% Animal Free Indulgence” is a phrase Kāl’ish uses to describe themselves. It explains how they make vegan food taste like something even carnivores will devour. As a result, I now stop into Kāl’ish almost every morning to pick up a Pecan Roll before work.
The K Burger served with fries and the daily side is a classic “Beefy” patty with a special K-Sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. It is a great burger which makes it so much harder to believe it’s vegan. A Quesadilla is a classic dish that frequents the countertops of many restaurants and dorm rooms alike. What’s better than a Mexican grilled cheese? Answer: Nothing! The Quesadilla Del Domingo is a pumped-up vegan brunch version. Of course, Potatoes and Chorizo are stuffed inside along with K-Eggs, and a chunky Pico de gallo.
I was informed that the powers behind Kāl’ish have a goal of stumping carnivores like me with their vegan concoctions. Let me tell you, they are over-achievers. I am planning a return visit in hopes of catching them off-guard, given their vegan expertise, I doubt I will succeed. Upon my return, I will be ordering the K burger, Quesadilla Del Domingo, and Pecan Roll again. Go to Kāl’ish try out all these deceptively delicious vegan dishes.
Kāl’ish is located in the cute and quiet Sheridan Park district between Uptown and Ravenswood. They are open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Saturdays they operate from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Sunday Brunch is from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Get to this cozy café early and start off with a Pecan Roll!