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CLOSED: Cousin's Incredible Vitality
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9
Closed
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Vegan
Vegan
International
Organic
Mediterranean
Salad bar
Juice bar
Delivery
Catering
All Raw, Turkish
Chicago raw food restaurant serving food, fresh juices, elixir drinks, desserts. Daily all-you-can-eat salad bar ($9.95) and weekly food box delivery (no longer has lunch special). Has wifi internet. Reported closed to HappyCow.
5 Reviews
First Review by Kell Bell
Nelson
Points +56
raw vegan mainstay in Chicago - Edit
The chef/owner of Cousin's operated very successful Turkish/ Middle Eastern restaurants by the same name for many years, before himself becoming a raw vegan. While many of the menu options are standard raw food fare, the best are those that reveal his distinct Turkish and other MIddle Eastern influences -- especially the falafel collard wraps. The best bargain is the all-you-can-eat buffet, which is always fresh and varies from day to day, but the buffet is an amazing treat when it includes the falafel wraps. The Chicago-style deep dish pizza, however, looks perfect but is fairly bland and generally a big let-down.
Read morePros: affordable, large menu selection, some exceptional dishes
Cons: inconvenient location, often chilly inside
Guest
·X·
Points +26779
Needs Improvement - Edit
The food used to be better here, it's not bad it just used to be better. The thing that kills this place for me is the service... It's bad, if not clueless. And I say that after numerous experiences with several different members of the waitstaff. Another issue is they're often out of things on the menu, for instance I've asked for the raw ice cream on 4 different occasions and they've never had it. I would definitely recommend other raw places over this one in Chicago.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Sunday July 27, 2008:
I generally don't like raw food, but I gave this place a try and really liked it. I ordered the Falafel Wrap and a piece of chocolate cheese cake. Everything is Vegan and raw, overall very good. The employees were very nice and the decor was well done.
Guest
JamesFordIV
Points +16
Great Food/People - Edit
I came to Chicago for a corporate event held at the Hyatt out by O'Hare. I got pretty tired of hotel food so turned to Happy Cow. This place also got me about a mile walk from the Train Station, which was nice, considering it being winter. The neighborhood wasn't bad for walking and I saw a few runners. The restaurant isn't big, and they seem to focus on providing raw meal plans to local families, but the food was really good and the server and smoothie maker were really friendly. When you get tired of trying to explain what vegan means and dealing with the hotel (they did make an effort, though, and lentils weren't bad - after I got them to bring me one without sour cream!) this is an excellent option. Especially welcome when forced into windowless conference rooms near potentially sick people! If you live in Chicago, check it out and go to some of their events, and if you are visiting and need a green boost definitely check it out.
Read moreMy meal: Raw falafel, Cacao Pow smoothie, Cheese-less Gogi-berry cheesecake
Pros: Menu has good variety, Food is good, Fixed price salad bar option
Cons: Service little slow, but not bad!
Guest
TRaeCH
Points +384
Great Solo DIning Experience - Edit
It's always nice to have another reason to love Chicago. After a great yoga class and a pleasant stroll from a subway station I went, alone, to check out the intriguing "Cousin's Incredible Vitality." The restaurant is nicely decorated in a kind of European style. After deciding to seat myself I was soon greeted and served a delightful light tea. While the service was perhaps a tad slow my waitress completely made up for it with her personable exuberance.
Read moreMy lunch consisted of a smoothie which they call "Lymphatic Love," an entrée of their very popular (and rightfully so) flax pizza and an akdeniz burrito. The portions were fantastic, very filling, but it was all so good that I could have had more. I did order another batch of flax pizza to -go for a friend. I was also given a complimentary piece of their cheeseless cheesecake. I can't remember the name - something that sounded weird and tasted amazing.
All in all I cannot offer enough positives about this gem of a restaurant. They offer an all-live all-you-can-eat buffet at lunch, very inexpensive, which I would have tried if I had another opportunity to go to Cousin's during my stay in Chicago. I am very much looking forward to going back and sharing the experience with friends.
Pros: Really put health first, Amazingly friendly staff, Delicious food
Cons: Service was a bit slow
Guest
Kell Bell
Points +58
Raw food tastes.. not bad. Not bad at all! - Edit
It was my first time eating at a raw restaurant, and it looks like we picked the right place to start. Chef Mehmet welcomed us when we were seated and invited us to sample from the buffet bar. We had just ordered the three appetizer sampler, so we refused at first, but he was persistent. I think this was because he knew we were first-timers. I'm glad we did because I found several dishes that I really liked and wouldn't have minded having a whole meal around it. The dishes were mostly Mediterranean based, but I did eat some fabulous seaweed salad...not the fake sushi seaweed salad either. We also sampled "ravioli" made with a very thinly sliced vegetable instead of pasta. The filling inside was very tasty. That's the thing that I noticed right away about the dishes...everything is plentifully seasoned. Nothing needed salt or pepper, and we were always trying to figure out the seasoning he used for the dishes. I'm still stumped on a few of them. The pizza was delicious, and highly recommended. We both got different wraps, and finished almost all of it. With the appetizers and sample from the buffet, we were stuffed. I also drank about 10 cups of their house tea - delicious - if you like cloves. We left just enough from for desert - a chocolate "cheesecake" made from cashews...Heaven on a plate. You MUST order the chocolate cheesecake!! The decor is cute...like walking back in time to a 70's cafe. The waitstaff are very knowledgeable and attentive. I'm glad to learn that dishes at a raw restaurant can taste good!
Read morePros: tasty food, good selection, reasonably priced
Cons: all the food is cold (to be expected!)
Guest
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