WEST TOWN -- A vegan lunch spot that serves sandwiches, tostadas, nachos and more is now open in a West Town storefront that previously housed a controversial empanada restaurant.
GiGi's Vegan Kitchen, 543 N. Noble St., is owned by Racquel Jimenez, who began cooking vegan dishes a few years ago for her family and decided to extend her love of meat-free cuisine to her own business.
While she originally planned to launch a food truck, Jimenez decided a brick-and-mortar lunch spot would be more cost-effective and manageable, she said. She opened Gigi's a few weeks ago and is still putting the finishing touches on the interior and the menu.
Dishes so far include hot and cold sandwiches like black bean burgers and marinated mushrooms on a steak roll. There are also Mexican open-faced sandwiches called molletes, including a "tuna" option made from garbanzo beans, as well as overnight oats and avocado toast.
Unlike other vegan restaurants, Jimenez doesn't include "fake" meat alternatives in her dishes. Instead, she uses beans and other ingredients with a nod to her Mexican heritage.
"Sometimes you're in the mood for American, sometimes you're in the mood for Mexican. So we will be your place to go for both," she said.
GiGi's also serves green tea and sodas, plus a mango pineapple smoothie with chia and flax seeds and non-dairy milk.
The space at 543 N. Noble St. was previously home to Nini's Deli, which closed in 2022 after years of its owner Juan Riesco making bigoted and homophobic comments in public and online.
Nini's first closed in 2020 after protesters rallied against Riesco's comments and street sermons and corporate partners cut ties with the restaurant. It reopened about a year later.
Jimenez said she hadn't been aware of the controversy before she was given a tour of the space by her realtor this spring. She's hoping to bring positive energy to the space and turn over a new leaf for the neighborhood.
"It didn't scare me. I said, 'This is an opportunity for me to do something good out of something bad,'" she sad. "I know my intentions were pure and good. So from there, I just grabbed on and I said, 'I like it. I want to go forward. I'll take on that challenge.'"
Besides lunch options, Jimenez is planning to sell homemade vegan mayonnaise and a few other grocery items. She's also adding large floral arrangements to make the restaurant feel like a "jungle" when customers walk in -- and she may still launch a food truck, she said.
The menu is a work in progress. Jimenez is thinking about adding vegan tamales and chili in the fall and hopefully other items down the line.
"It's an open [concept]," she said. "It's not just going to be like, 'This is it.' We want to be able to offer different things."
Gigi's is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays.