Vegan-friendly
Ovo
Chinese
Take-out
Vegetarian Chinese restaurant serves stir fry tofu dishes, rice, soups and more with a large variety of vegan options. Some dishes are garnished with eggs, so please ask to omit. Open Mon-Sat 11:00am-2:00pm, 4:30pm-8:00pm.
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186 Prince St (at Grafton St), Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 22 Feb 2016 by Guest
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25 Reviews
First Review by kanuk
whushaw
Points +59
Vegan/Veg - Edit
The server was incredibly accommodating to my mother asking the chef if it contained black pepper which she is allergic to. It's great to experience Chinese food at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant which I haven't been able to try in my hometown. It was very yummy! I definitely recommend it. All dishes are clearly marked that are Vegan.
Read moreGuest
BobbieDee
Points +42
Excellent Vegetarian Only Restaurant - Edit
Great Chinese food. Weirdly, they don't advertise as being vegetarian but all of their dishes are listed as vegetarian, with most listed as vegan. Really tasty, and a large menu.
Read moreGuest
Imcrysc
Points +26
Delicious - Edit
Quiet and comfy little place with excellent food. Definitely something for everyone and non-veg friends love it as well.
Read moreUnique dishes such as Veggies Under The Roof and house made black pepper soy nuggets are two of our favorites.
Pros: Quiet, Delicious, Clean
Cons: No pop/alcohol is a con for some.
Guest
SkyllerFord
Points +42
Never disappointed - Edit
Everything I've tried here has been great, the atmosphere is usually quiet and cozy, friendly staff, lots of vegan options
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-10-26
Cons: The hours are a bit weird, Not entirely vegan
Guest
VeggieDuckSalad
Points +49
Fantastic! - Edit
Excellent vegan Taiwanese food, including some fun dim sum options. Our favourite things were the veggie bun and the curry noodles. We ordered it takeout and it took about 25 minutes to prepare.
Read moreNot particularly cheap but we didn’t care. Note that they did NOT have outdoor dine-in seating as of 26 Aug 2022. Staff were very nice. If we lived here we would be regulars.
Cons: No outdoor seating.
Guest
MaticusT
Points +36
Go here. - Edit
Utterly divine food in every respect! 😇 I have wanted to go here for many years, and finally had the opportunity while visiting some family in Charlottetown. We ordered a few of the vegan options for takeout, and each one was better than the last. I can't wait to go back because it was some of the best food I've ever eaten.
Read moreGuest
NeleSeuntjens
Points +53
absolutely splendid 😌 - Edit
Came down to this cozy spot on a rainy day! It was absolutely what we needed to finish up our visit of Charlottetown! We ordered the steamed dumplings, the beans, the mushroom bokchoy dish and the sweet and sour tofu. Everything was delicious and I’m excited to come back in the future.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-07-08
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Cozy, Quick service & very inexpensive!
Guest
DominiqueArsenault
Points +151
Excellent and Authentic Taiwanese Vegetarian Food - Edit
Good quality food that is very similar to what you would find in many Buddhist or vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan. Many dishes are stellar, but a few are just mediocre: realistically, I'd give them 4.5 stars if I could. The highlight for me is their Toona Tofu, a true Taiwanese classic that is incredibly delicious.
Read morePros: Wide Selection, Authentic, Good prices
Cons: Some dishes are underwhelming
Guest
imaveganmama
Points +100
Pretty good! - Edit
The menu is almost entirely vegan and some are gluten-free. All of these items are well labelled on the menu. The prices are very reasonable and so are the portion sizes - not too big, not too small. We ordered sushi, miso soup, vegetable fried rice and 3 rice vermicelli plates. The only issue is the tofu and vegan ham in the dishes were almost non-existent, as were the vegetables. The dishes were almost entirely rice noodles. Tasty, but rice noodles don’t have a lot of calories or nutrition. Also, the service was very slow, but they apologized a few times and said they had a lot of orders to fill. Takeout orders I guess. The food was very good though, and restaurant was child-friendly with lots of books.
Read morePros: Well priced , Portion sizes , Vegan & gluten-free items labelled
Cons: Slow service , Not enough tofu/protein
Guest
raphalla
Points +619
Yummy - Edit
We went there during a weekday for dinner, the restaurant was quiet. Had one noodle soup, a stir fried noodle and 2 appetizers. All were good. The portion was ok for one, but would be at the small side if one is a big eater. This is where the appetizer comes in. Waitress was attentive and the restaurant has some storybooks for kids to read while waiting for the food.
Read morePros: Food, Service
Cons: *
Guest
JennFudge
Points +29
Lovely place - Edit
Enjoyed takeaway dinner from Splendid Essence while visiting the area. The food was delicious (the sweet & sour soy chunks was very filling!) and vegan items were clearly identified on the menu, making ordering super easy.
Read morePros: Items that are vegan are marked on the menu
Guest
averyejanes
Points +20
Great restaurant - Edit
The house that this restaurant is in is very cute, the food is great! Great value for what you get.
Read moreGuest
DanielleGomes
Points +109
Charlottetown Meal - Edit
Cute little house in the middle of Charlottetown. Decor is outdated but emphasis seems to be on food. We were told that vegetarian items cannot be made vegan and the ones that are vegan are identified on the menu with a “v”. The rice could be made without egg.
Read moreStaff didn’t really pay attention to us after we ordered our food; no water refill and didn’t offer to pack up our leftovers.
One of the dishes was a bit flavourless but table salt quickly fixed that. The mock meats were lovely.
Pros: Tasteful mock meats , Large menu with variety
Cons: Less than 50% of menu is vegan, Vegetarian items cannot be made vegan, One vegetable dish was flavourless
Guest
Fang
Points +321
Tofu Lovers’ Paradise - Edit
To be fair, Splendid Essence offers vegans other treats besides tofu. But you have to like mock meats. We stuck with fried dumplings for starters and a couple of tofu dishes for mains, washed down with some green tea. The service was friendly and prompt. All the food was good, if a little lacking in imagination. Good value.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2018-06-12
Guest
zuleika
Points +166
Excellent, surprisingly family-friendly Chinese fare! - Edit
Rolling into PEI around evening with a couple of hungry young children who had been cooped up in car/ferry all day, we weren't sure what to expect. Luckily, Splendid Essence was a wonderful surprise! There's an extensive dim sum menu, much of which was veganizable, so we decided to go with the "throw everything at a wall and see what sticks" method of feeding picky kids new foods, and were pleasantly surprised when they loved the veg dumplings and veggie ham with the house special dry tofu (a dish nothing like I'd ever had tofu made before, in which it was basically shredded into a sort of delicious warm soy-slaw). Meanwhile, we could entertain the kids while we waited with the children's books they had. My kids loved eating with the children's chopsticks.
Read moreThe rest of us also loved the taro cakes, peppery fried soy nuggets, jicama sticks, and my husband thought his (nonveganizable) stuffed portobello was delicious. Everything was wonderful, they were so friendly, I would go back.
Pros: delicious, carefully prepared food, many choices--something for everyone, good location
Guest
langela
Points +116
Points for being only all veg restaurant - Edit
Staff is friendly and attentive. Have liked most of the food I've tried and actively disliked a few options. Points for being only 100% veg place I'm aware of in Charlottetown.
Read moreGuest
chrisgo
Points +75
vegetarian Chinese food downtown - Edit
Delicious food; decent service--all vegetarian but not all vegan.
Read morePros: You don't have to wonder what's in your food!!, Close to downtown
Cons: Not licensed
Guest
MichelleMolloy
Points +90
Not bad. - Edit
The food here was decent. The curried udon noodles were very flavorful, however the chef obviously wasn't scared of salt! I enjoyed the dish, but the sodium might have been too much for some people. The veg spring rolls were good, and the green tea was a nice accompaniment. Overall, if I'm ever on Charlottetown again I would consider returning. The atmosphere was pleasant, and it's always nice to know I'm not going to accidentally be served meat.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options., Good prices., Calm and pleasant atmosphere.
Cons: Egg is present in some dishes.
Guest
whylett
Points +27
Favorite Restaurant on PEI - Edit
Splendid Essence is the only place on the Island that has half decent vegan options. I absolutely love the atmosphere as well as the staff. My most ordered dishes are their dry sauteed string beans, boiled dumplings, curry vermicelli, and veggies under the roof without egg. I go at least once a week and I highly recommend this place for non vegetarians and vegans as well.
Read morePros: Affordable , Delicious
Cons: Weird hours
Guest
s.stpierre
Points +16
Affordable veg*n meals - Edit
Awesome little restaurant in Charlottetown. I was happy to find out about this place. The food is cheap and really good. The service is fast and great. Also.offers great chinese tea. I wish it was closer to my home so I could eat there more often! Lots of vegan options and clearly labelled.
Read morePros: Good value, Friendly and smiley staff
Cons: Strict openning hours
Guest
sahara_wallace
Points +28
Best Chinese Food! - Edit
The first time I went to Splendid Essence I was new to a vegan diet and hadn't had many good restaurant experiences, but Splendid Essence completely changed that! The menu was huge and completely vegetarian with many vegan options. It is always difficult deciding what to order as it all sounds delicious (and from what I have ordered it all IS delicious!), but my favourite remains from my first visit: sweet and sour soy nuggets. The prices are very good and the serving sizes are perfect: not too much and not too little. This is my favourite restaurant because of the peaceful atmosphere, pretty decor, friendly service, and yummy food, the only con is how hard it is to get meat-eaters to go!
Read morePros: Friendly Service, Large Menu, Good Value
Guest
NutmegTardis
Points +157
Spelndid for diners of all kinds. - Edit
I was overwhelmed (In an excellent way) when I looked at all of the vegan options on the menu. I felt bad for my dining buddy because I took so long trying to choose what to order. My dining buddy was my roommate who is a meat eater but she loved it and plans on bringing her meat eating boyfriend at some point. We both loved our meals and I hope to bring my visiting parents here on Saturday. Fantastic restaurant!
Read morePros: Huge selection, Meat eating companions won't miss meat, Excellent Prices
Cons: You will want to order one of everything, Limited hours, Iced tea was sweeter than expected
Guest
Kirsh
Points +86
A favourite restaurant - Edit
Excellent restaurant, well laid out, with good food and enjoyable atmosphere, having spent time in Hong Kong, I found this Taiwanese food slightly different, but very tasty. Excellent service by two young Chinese ladies, who were very friendly.
Read morePros: Good food, Excellent service, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Parking on meters
Guest
jjd77
Points +22
from a Regular - Edit
Love this place. The black pepper soy nuggets are amazing! And the sweet and sour soy nugget dish is pretty awesome too. Lots of vegan options; generous portions, ok price. Eat here almost weekly.
Read morePros: delicious food, vegan options, black pepper soy nuggets!
Cons: price is a little high, but worth it!, not open on Sundays
Guest
kanuk
Points +21
Nutritious and Delicious - Edit
A must in Charlottetown if you are vegan or vegetarian, this Asian restaurant offers a good variety of traditional dishes that use soy-based faux meats.
Read morePriced fairly and generous portions. If eating alone, rather than family-style, order regular size dishes and likely limit yourself to two choices unless you are able to take the surplus home.
I ordered the Cha Siu Bao (veggie BBQ buns), the Mapo Tofu, and the Dry-Sautéed String Beans (my favourite).
I complemented my copious meal with fresh ginseng tea (very yummy).
The service was attentive yet discreet. My server was very pleasant and efficient.
This vegan business traveller is definitely satisfied!
Pros: Friendly service, Good food, Excellent value
Guest
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