In Charlottetown for a night and we were looking for some good options for a vegetarian and a vegan and much to our surprise we found this little gem. I was not expecting a vegetarian or a vegan friendly place in Maritimes and definitely not in PEI. Were seated quickly and the place wasn't busy, but tables were filled in which was as a good indicator. Disappointed that green tea is not offered complimentary. Ordered a steamed dumplings to start with and Udon Noodles with mixed veggies, Mushrooms with Bok Choy, Spicy Soy Nuggets with mixed veggies. The dumpling were freshly made and good. The filling needed some more seasonings and were bit smaller than the ones we have added. The Chilli Sauce requested did the trick. The Steamed Rice provided with the two dishes was also smaller than anticipated and glad that we ordered the Noodles dish. After traveling for days and not having proper food, this food was a welcome relief. The udon noodles was perfect in every way except I think one of the mushroom or wood ears had a stronger flavour which over powered the entire dish. It was almost bitter. Not overly, but it still took away all the rest of the flavours. Mushrooms with Bok Choy was perfect. The flavours and crispness of Bok Choy was 5/5*. The Soy Nuggets with mixed veggies was amazing as well. The Soy nuggets small and veggie still crisp. Could have used a bit more spice though All in all a good spot. What was most amazing to me was that in the land of sea food that there was this place. Also as we were in PEI, it would have been nice if at least one dish was made with PEI potatoes and some Soy Sea Food dishes that are available read more

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We are carnivores so were dubious before we tried this restaurant tonight. We are absolutely in love with their food now!! We can eat here every meal and every day, and do not miss meat! Every dish we ordered was delicious, elegantly prepared, so tasty! Wish they would open a place where we live!! Their service was very good as well - friendly and helpful! Can't say enough good things about them! read more

There are only a handful of time where I can tell someone that vegetarian actually taste better than meat. This place is a hidden gem, waitress are very polite, food is great, and best of all it is all in PEI. read more

Splendid Essence - Vegetarian Near Me - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Delicious vegan food for a great value!! Kid-friendly, cozy and casual. I highly recommend. My kids devoured their veggie nuggets (even my very picky eater whom hates vegetables!) We came for lunch, I initially wanted to order the stuffed portobello cap, but was told it would take 40 minutes. Bummer. Next... I tried to order a milk tea with non-dairy milk but to my surprise... They don't carry any. (And if you're wondering.. the almond milk drink they have on the menu comes from a powder, which sounds a bit unappealing to me). Aside from that, I really enjoyed this restaurant! To meat eaters: you won't be disappointed! read more

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After talking about it with my wife, we thought the food was rather bland, in addition to the service being poor...

It's fantastic! I really like the food and restaurant itself there! They really put a lot of effort on the new menu and house remodeling. As an asian, I finally found the most traditional food in this island. The food there is really like what I eat at my hometown, I definitely will go eat there a lot. It's amazing that the vegetarian food tastes so good and my stomach is really comfortable afterwards. read more

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Delicious! My boyfriend and I road tripped from New York and ended up having a wonderful dinner here, from the pork buns to the tea. He's vegetarian and said hands down this was the best meal of the trip (he got the soy nuggets and dry tofu). I eat fish, but definitely didn't mind taking a break from seafood for some delicious sticky rice and bok choy with mushrooms. Additionally, the service couldn't be nicer. We left right around closing, and were about half way around the next block when the fellow from the register chased after us to give us the umbrella we'd forgotten. Thank you!! read more

Prince Edward Island constantly surprises me with its randomisity. Splendid Essence is one of those random restaurants that has recently popped up amongst the sea of surf and turf grills that Charlottetown is notorious and very original for. It is all vegetarian (can we say asian fusion? I cannot narrow down the region because I am clueless when it comes to those things) and they don't serve alcohol (i think?) but their cold blueberry rhubarb tea was possibly the best juice I've had in ages. I'm actually fantasizing about having one right now as I write this lullaby. My best friend and I came here for a date and we ordered several different items on the menu. Everything was delicious and affordable. It was clean, the staff was kind and knowledgeable, and service was fast. I have zilch complaints therefore I'm definitely coming back. read more

Awesome vegetarian yumminess... my beloved almond milk, succulent dumplings, all sorts of seitan and tofu goodness... and nice decor. Friendly service. I'd come back again next time I visit PEI! read more

This place was absolutely delicious. So glad I went here. The bbq buns were soft, sweet and salty. The mapo tofu dish had a deep rich flavour of five-spice and some other i-dunno spices (soooo good), as well as having an amazing silky texture and the green beans!! I.love.those.things. I'm not even vegetarian and it was so good and so similar to the meaty versions. I was blown away. The service was great and when I ordered my second & third side hot sauces (yes, I have a problem with hot sauce) they gave me a special crunchy hot pepper mix in soya sauce. It complemented the dishes so well! Otherwise, the default hot sauce is sambal oelek (chili garlic hot sauce) - which is still delicious. Overall a good experience and amazingly good food. They even accommodated for allergies. :) read more

Splendid Essence - There was a vegan festival going on in Charlottetown! So it was cool to see that they made up a special dish to participate. - Vegetarian Near Me - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Everything is delicious here. It's wonderful to have this option as a vegetarian/vegan on PEI (though certainly anyone will enjoy a meal at Splendid Essence). The mapo tofu is amazing, as is the bamboo rice, sushi, and really everything else on the menu that I've tried. If you're out for lunch during the week, they have good deals on lunch specials. read more

Fantastic place to stop for some veggie friendly food in Prince Edward Island. Started off with some boiled dumplings which were some of the best I've had in a long time. Finished off with an assortment of other veggie dishes delightfully containing mock meat. Great selection of tea and nice atmosphere. Highly recommended if you're in the area! read more

Splendid Essence - Boiled dumplings - Vegetarian Near Me - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

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We like to eat vegetarian when we go out and we also like oriental food very much. Based on the good reviews on Yelp, we visited this restaurant on a Saturday evening. It was easy to find in downtown Charlottetown. We were seated at a tall booth for two, and I really like the tall booths. Our waitress was upbeat, friendly, very helpful and nice. We ordered two spring rolls, sweet and sour soy nuggets, and udon noodles stir fry with mushrooms. Everything was really tasty and enjoyable. It was a good choice for us, just the right amount of food. The nice thing about this menu, is if you like to be vegetarian, there are lots and lots of choices. This restaurant has a good clientele, based on the number of people arriving. I would be happy to come back again to try some other dishes. But I can really recommend the sweet and sour soy nuggets, they are delicious! read more

I loved everything I have had at Splendid Essence. Sushi, fried dumplings, bamboo rice, silk thread rolls... it's all excellent. This is a nice quiet place, the booth seating has a somewhat private feel. Great for a quiet meal and a conversation. Lots of wonderful teas. read more

Very good vegetarian/vegan styled Chinese cuisine. It appeared that everything was made with care, and that the staff was well-trained to respond to patron needs. We would definitely return there on our next trip to PEI. read more

The food was really good. I am glad I found this place because it is hard sometimes to find good vegan food at restaurants. Also the food all came out quite quickly so you didn't have to wait long. I really enjoyed it, I will definitely come again! read more

Four of us, one Chinese, took a chance on this restaurant from the reviews on Yelp. We now believe those that loved this 'hidden gem' The food was authentic, very well done and served with gracious servers Our Chinese guest was impressed with the quality of the food and the extensive menu. The interior of the restaurant is cosy The prices are very fair Try this place. We hope to come again during our short stay. read more

Amazing vegetarian food in Charlottetown...who knew? I eat meat but I love going here when I'm in town because it's so good. Nice chill spot with super nice staff. Can't ask for anything more. read more

The food was good (average) but almost every dish has some sort of imitation meat. For a vegetarian restaurant I'd expect a better celebration of veggies. read more

My boyfriend and I read the raving reviews (all five stars) for this restaurant and were expecting amazing tasting authentic Chinese food - what we got was quite bland. We ordered the steamed dumplings, fried rice, and sweet and soy platter. Being that my boyfriend and I have both lived in Asia and travelled to Asian countries for most of our lives, the meal was quite a disappointment. Not sure if the five star reviews stem from the fact that Charlottetown has very few Asian restaurants but this definitely did not live up to expectations. That said, the service was great - our server was attentive and friendly, and the restaurant itself is clean and has a good layout. read more

Really good food with nice services. Love the loose leaf oolong and green teas. We had the sweet and sour lunch combo, fried daikon cakes, spicy green beans, dumplings both panfried and broiled and assorted mushrooms with bok choy. We went back twice during our PEI visit and will be back again! read more

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Highly recommend, whether you're vegan or not. The service is always friendly, the atmosphere relaxing and clean and the food quick but delicious. One of my favourite spots on the island. read more

Delightful vegetarian restaurant in Charlottetown. It is freshly prepared by the staff and is quite good. I particularly enjoy having good loose leaf Chinese tea. The food can be a bit salty or sweet for my taste but I presume that it is trying to be a bit more palatable to the local customer base. Over the visits, I've had the daikon cake, fried dumplings, splendid sushi, bamboo rice, curry fried rice, curry rice vermicelli, and veggies under the roof. I enjoyed them all to mixed degrees. The service is nice and friendly and the atmosphere is laid back and casual. You really can't beat the food quality at this price point unless you just need to have meat with your meal. read more

Delicious vegan option in Charlottetown. Had the toona tofu, sweet and sour soy nuggets, and udon noodles with mixed vegetables. Each dish was flavorful and satisfying. Thank you! read more

Never thought of encountering a vegetarian restaurant in PEI. price is very good, waitresses are very polite. Love this place.

This restaurant is unique, gorgeous and delicious. Splendid Essence is my go-to restaurant to take out of town visitors to show them something special in Charlottetown. The service and food are consistently good. I like the dim sum! Everything here is vegetarian and usually that would not appeal to me. It gets the rare meat eater's stamp of approval. The imitation meat present in some dishes is very good. read more

Never even knew this little gem existed before today. Had lunch with my cousin (who has never had a non-meat meal), my niece (who loves trying new dishes), and her 18-month old son. We had the Dry Cooked Green Beans (5 stars), Mushroom Udon Noodles (delicious), and Pan Fried Dumplings (wow!). The baby had just had his immunology needles prior to lunch and so was quite a handful. The ladies on staff went above and beyond in soothing the poor little guy. He now has several more new aunties! It goes without saying that we all will definitely go back. (Maybe even tomorrow!) Xie xie, ladies of Splendid Essence! read more

Amidst the beauty of PEI, we found this authentic Chinese flavor. It was a really satisfying experience. The cold green tea is highly recommended in summer. read more

I had the vermicelli and mixed noodle dish (I can't remember what is was called). It was AMAZING. A great option for vegetarians.

Amazing food, tons of flavour and very efficient and polite staff! Will definitely be back, an awesome lunch spot!

A charming Chinese vegetarian restaurant in a great location! Authentic Chinese cooking, friendly staff, and reasonable prices, this place should be a highly recommended restaurant in PEI! read more

Beautiful. The atmosphere of the restaurant is calm, relaxing, and warm. From the decorations on the walls, to the ambient music, to the unique tea sets served, everything you see inside is just gorgeous. Every staff member was kind and appeared to genuinely love being there. On top of all that, the selection of vegetarian and vegan options must be absolutely the best I've found in Charlottetown!! The staff were informative and open to questions and concerns about allergies and diet restrictions. Pricing on dim sum was very reasonable - you can easily get a small assortment of snacks for under $10. Absolutely a must try. read more

The Udon Noodle Soup with Mixed Vegetables is my absolute favorite! As someone visiting from California, i am thoroughly impressed with the quality of Asian food that is provided by Splendid Essence. Not only that, but they are mindful about health and environmental issues. Food with a purpose! Would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone trying to do good for the planet... read more

This place is terrific, especially in a town lacking vegetarian options. I came here three times over the course of five days and tried something new at each meal. The sautéed green beans were my favorite but everything was tasty! read more

Loved their food. If you're a vegetarian you'll love this place. They have so many choices.

A totally refreshing dining choice to have in Charlottetown! Delicious, fresh, clean, ethical, and educational. We love it here!

It is nice that there is a place for vegetarians in Charlottetown, but the menu selections is hit and miss. We went there twice. On the positive side, the atmosphere is nice and the servers were very nice (maybe slow depending on your sense of time). The menu options look wonderful BUT the final product is unpredictable at best. My daughters had the dumplings and they were quite tasty. I had the House Fried Rice Combo which was REALLY oily - that kind of oily that stays with you long after the meal and you wish you hadn't eaten it. It looked really good mind you. So we gave it another shot. My daughter wisely chose the dumplings again. I tried the 8 Gem Tofu - How much oil could there be? And I was right, but there was enough salt to give me a heart attack on the spot. Very few real vegetable except and ton of soggy cabbage, almost no veggie ham (4 tiny pieces - it was fun playing find the ham). Also tried Daikon Cakes - I'm no expert but if you like mushy, almost tasteless food, it would be a good choice. The portions are good, the price is reasonable. I just wish the food tasted less oily and salty. read more