I find a good vegan sandwich hard to resist. This post features some of the best that I photographed and styled during my time at The Chicago Diner as head of marketing.

Dagwood: The Next Generation

This glorious vegan sandwich made liberal use of the Chicago Diner house specialty seitan meat substitute in the style of roast beef, corned beef & bacon. Complemented with griddled sauerkraut, french fried banana peppers, pesto mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion on a grilled ciabatta loaf.

I’m fairly certain that I was mostly, if not entirely responsible for the whole concept of this sandwich including the über nerdy Star Trek: The Next Generation inspired moniker.

This dish was specifically targeted at a certain demographic of customer that I categorize as “millenial with munchies”, ie. a ravenous young person with squinty eyes and a relaxed disposition. In this regard I’d say it was pretty successful.

In terms of practicality however, this menu item was ultimately a bit too over the top to be more than a temporary offering. Unfortunately, all that remains is the fond memories and this photo.

Tofu Po Boy ©2010 The Chicago Diner

Tofu Po Boy

The fish in this vegan Po Boy style sandwich is breaded tofu inside a sesame hoagie with Veganaise based tartar sauce and other fresh toppings.

Vegan Dagwood Classic ©2010 The Chicago Diner

The Dagwood Classic

This Dagwood preceded the aforementioned Dagwood: The Next Generation by a few years. It also combined three different seitan meat styles: roast beef, corned beef and bacon with marbled rye toast, vegan dressing, cheese, and fresh veggie toppings.

The Chicago Diner seitan is very different from what you can get at a grocery store. It was essentially homemade and tasted very convincing, meaning it satisfied the palette like you would want and expect.

Vegan Philly Steak ©2010 The Chicago Diner

Vegan Philly Steak

This sandwich is a masterpiece. The seitan roast beef is dripping with flavor. The sauteed peppers and onions have just the right sear. Topped with melted vegan cheese on a toasted French loaf.