CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Vintage arcade games and homemade, plant-based food come together at one place in Chicago's West Town neighborhood: Upton's Naturals and Liberation Kitchen, located on West Grand Avenue near North Hoyne Avenue.
Nicole Sopko is COO of Upton's, which, she said has “a little bit of something for everyone.”
“We have the No. 1 selling seitan in the country in all channels,” Sopko told WBBM on a recent visit. “So, in natural food stores, in conventional food stores, our seitan is No. 1."
Seitan, which is made from wheat, is used in many vegan dishes. They sell it in the kitchen at the West Town location and use it in the restaurant, Liberation Kitchen. The restaurant features sandwiches, soup, mac and cheese, donuts, cookies and a lot more — and it's all plant-based.
“There's vegan options for any type of eater,” said Sopko. “[There are] people who have lived in this neighborhood their entire lives who are, I guess, your standard meat and potatoes Chicagoans and they'll be like, ‘Hey,I stopped by your sandwich shop, that Italian Beef you have is pretty good.’”
Beyond the food, the space also boasts an arcade, complete with all the great, old games from yesteryear: “Space Invaders,” “Ms. Pac-Man” and even a “Hercules” game, which is billed as the largest pinball machine in the world and has a pinball about the size of a baseball.
“Logan Arcade reached out to us to see if we had some extra storage space they could rent, and we said ‘What about if it wasn't storage space? What about if it was like a little Logan?’” Sopko said. “So, it became a Logan Arcade, pop-up arcade.”
Sopko added: “We love that people want to come in here, and say hi, and maybe try the food.”
Upton’s Naturals and Liberation Kitchen are both solely owned by one person.
Upton's Naturals and Liberation Kitchen, Made in Chicago.
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