A quick way to choose
- Several comfort-food options: Handlebar.
- A counter-service dinner with a clear plate price: Sultan’s Market, Wicker Park.
- A taco outing where everyone orders separately: Big Star, Wicker Park.
What two people might order
All amounts are USD, food only for one vegan diner and one companion, before drinks, dessert, tax and tip. These are different meals and quantities, not a ranking of value or guaranteed portions.
| Place | Vegan diner | Companion | Food subtotal | Published added charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handlebar | Monday chimichanga with vegan queso, $15.50 | Monday chimichanga with dairy queso, $15.50 | $31, Monday only | Confirm any added charges |
| Sultan’s Market | Vegan Combination Plate, $14 | Chicken Shawarma Dinner, $15 | $29 | Confirm any added charges |
| Big Star | Three Sprout Tostadas, $14.85 | Three al pastor tacos, $14.85; shared chips and salsa, $5.95 | $35.65 | 3.5%: $1.25; $36.90 before tax/tip |
The official pages did not establish added charges at Handlebar or Sultan’s Market. Confirm the bill’s components before ordering; those cells do not mean zero.
Handlebar: give the vegan diner room to change their mind
A vegan dinner here can begin with mac and cheese or a mushroom po’ boy. The menu names Vegan Chili Mac Attack, with vegan cheddar and sour cream, while the oyster-mushroom po’ boy is explicitly vegan and includes a choice of side. Fish appears in its own section, so a companion does not have to make the same dietary choice.
The price example is Monday’s $15.50 chimichanga special, with seitan chorizo, tofu, beans and rice; specify vegan queso for the vegan order. That Monday price does not establish the cost of the regular menu’s other dishes.
Handlebar takes no reservations and will not seat an incomplete party. Arrive together; it is a poor fit for a plan that depends on securing a table ahead.
2311 W. North Ave. Menu and house rules.
Sultan’s Market: a dinner plate before the rest of the night
A vegan plate and a chicken plate make a straightforward pairing at Sultan’s Market’s Wicker Park branch. The $14 Vegan Combination Plate lists three falafel pieces, rice, hummus or baba ganuj, tabuli and pita. Its $15 chicken-shawarma dinner lets a companion choose meat without turning the vegan meal into a substitute order. Official menu.
Choose this when the meal matters more than a reserved table. The restaurant describes itself as counter service: order, find a seat or take the food away. Its FAQ says no reservation is needed. That makes the format clear, but does not tell you how long a line will be or guarantee enough seats for a group. Keep takeaway as an option if everyone needs to sit together.
2057 W. North Ave. Wicker Park hours and ordering.
Big Star: tostadas for one, pork tacos for the other
At Big Star’s Wicker Park location, the Sprout Tostada is explicitly labeled vegan: Brussels sprouts, refried beans, pipian verde, pickled guajillo chiles and cilantro. Three make the vegan part of our example order. The companion gets three al pastor tacos with pork and pineapple, and the two share chips and salsa. Branch menu.
The limitation is choice. That tostada is a clear fit, but several other vegetable or bean dishes list cheese or crema. Do not treat them as vegan by default. For a diner who wants multiple different plant-based mains, Handlebar offers more scope.
Use the Wicker Park page’s reservation link and review the terms for your group. The 3.5% hospitality supplement is already shown in our comparison; it is not included in the food subtotal.
1531 N. Damen Ave. Official location and reservation links.
Make the plan easy for the whole group
Agree on a vegan order before settling the restaurant. If the menu says “available vegan,” request that preparation explicitly, including the relevant cheese, butter or sauce changes. When sharing starters, decide which dishes need that treatment as well. Tell staff about allergies separately; a vegan label does not establish allergy safety.
Then agree on how flexible the evening can be. A counter-service stop leaves you the option of taking food away. A walk-in table asks the group to accept uncertainty. A reservation needs a real date, party size and review of the booking conditions. None of these plans establishes a queue length or guarantees a seat.
Keep the spending conversation concrete too: the table describes two-person examples, while a larger group needs its own order and charge check. Additional dishes, sides and drinks change the calculation. Do not use one restaurant’s subtotal as a promise about how much another restaurant will feed you.
Pick the plan you both want
For the most room to change an order, start with Handlebar. For a straightforward plate and flexible counter-service plan, choose Sultan’s Market. Pick Big Star when both of you already like the tostada-and-taco idea. Decide the meal first, then the seating plan; everyone should know what they are looking forward to.
Research-based recommendations, checked October 13, 2026, using official menus and service information. Top Food Spots has not visited or tasted at these restaurants for this guide.