Vella Café

Photo: Donna Rickles

When Sara Voden and Melissa Yen wanted to open their own restaurant a few years ago, they didn’t have investors, rich parents or fat loans to get it started. So rather than open a space of their own, instead they honed their craft by preparing and selling their creations at spots around town. Sunday crêpe brunches were held at the shared-use space Kitchen Chicago, a table at Green City Market served as their panini stand on Saturdays, and during the week they worked regular jobs, keeping their eyes peeled for the perfect (read: affordable) location.

A little more than a month ago, they opened it. Named after Yen’s cat, Vella serves only breakfast, lunch and “blunch.”

Whatever they call it, it’s good. Vegetarians should be ecstatic over the meat-free options. Our favorite of the lot is cubes of firm tofu scrambled with crumbly soy chorizo, bits of roasted zucchini, corn kernels, brown rice, smoky poblanos and scallions. A flour tortilla, some avocado and a bit of tomatillo salsa are on the plate to get your DIY soft taco going.

Those crêpes that earned Yen raves at Kitchen Chicago (she oversees the stoves, Voden works the room) are equally delicious here, whether sweetened with orange-honey cream cheese and caramel-drizzled cinnamon apples or packed with protein courtesy of chicken sausage, caramelized onions and butterkase. Literally “butter cheese” in German, butterkase is smooth, mild, buttery stuff, and it’s found all over the menu.

Its best use is at lunch, when it turns to goo under a panini press and melds with tender shredded brisket that’s doused in a genius barbecue sauce of caramelized onion, plums and apples. Yen does not play when it comes to panini—each of the four varieties (including the Moroccan-spiced chicken breast and the veggie frittata version, pictured) is perfectly executed, the Red Hen, French-style bread toasted into brown ridges and the fillings melty and hot. For commuters who are nervous about making a mess on the train (Vella is directly below the Western Blue Line stop), don’t worry—your panino won’t make it that far.—Heather Shouse

1912 N Western Ave between Cortland and Homer Sts (773-489-7777). El: Blue to Western. Bus: 49 (24hrs), X49, 56, 74. Breakfast (Mon, Wed–Fri), brunch (Sat, Sun), lunch (Mon, Wed–Fri). Average main course: $7