The Balanced Kitchen

Stephanie P.
185 reviews
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One of a kind

Yesterday we stopped at TBK for lunch, on our way out of the city. It is a bit of a hike, but worth the effort in my opinion. TBK is (as far as I know) the only LEED certified, organic, gluten-free, vegan, local and sustainable restaurant in the city, if not the country! It is small, and you might miss it, but it is right next to the Lincoln Village Cinemas - perfect spot for lunch and matinée. The space is new and modern with nice bamboo accents on the walls, and they have a Caroma toilet - which I had to try and ask the owner about. They also use recycled fabric for their napkins and re-usable straws. Green design aside, I was very curious about the food and anxious to try several items on the menu, but settled on the tempeh bacon sandwich, which included ranch dressing, sprouts, and tofu on gluten-free bread. It was surprisingly good, especially the tempeh bacon. I don't care for sprouts, but I would order this sandwich again, as it was convincingly tasty! I also tried a chocolate shake, which was yummy. I was so stuffed, I didn't have room to try any of the enticing baked goods in the display cases, but surely I will be back for more. I overheard the owner saying how the intent was to focus on the wholesale gluten-free bakery business with the cafe as a side project. However the cafe has been to their surprise very popular (if not financially successful yet). They have a prix-fix Sunday brunch menu, and their Bot Bakery items are sold throughout the Chicagoland area. I look forward to trying those at a local spot near me, Doc's Juice + Smoothies, which the owner told me about.

Stephanie's keywords: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, bakery, brunch, dinner, lunch, organic, LEED, local, sustainable