Vegan-friendly
Mediterranean
Asian

Vegetarian restaurant with many vegan options. Includes soup, Korean fried cauliflower, schnitzel, desserts and more. Open Mon-Sun 12:00-23:00.


Venue map for Espécie
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98 Reviews

First Review by Charles_B

mira2102

Points +50

Vegan
20 Oct 2024

Nice food

Asian style food, good vegan choices. The korean fried cauliflower was really good

JanineOliveira99

Points +528

Vegan
19 Oct 2024

Muito potencial, pouco sabor

Ia com alta expectativa, os pratos eram bonitos pareciam ter boas combinações, mas faltou o mais importante o sabor! Fiquei desiludida!

Comi o caril de feijoca e o meu namorado os noodles O couvert de entrada estava delicioso, mas os pratos deixaram a desejar

Updated from previous review on 2024-02-02

Holly32

Points +97

Vegan
17 Oct 2024

Really nice

Food was lovely, atmosphere and place was nice. Lots of vegan options.

Amybuckley

Points +44

Vegan
15 Oct 2024

Special restaurant that's vegetarian with vegan options

This restaurant lives up to it's name it is pretty special. Shame its not fully vegan. However there a vegan options. We had bread and dips and beet and mango tartare to start, which we loved.

Then my husband had bean and sweet potato curry. I always think curries can be just an easy option for vegans, but this one was outstanding it was delicious.

I had Beijing style mushrooms crepe which again was lovely.

Definitely recommend this restaurant, which also seemed to be popular with locals

Shanti2016

Points +1420

Vegan
12 Oct 2024

Especially Espécie

Loved the variety, flavours, speed of food (we were their first customers of the day) decor and they let me charge my phone too!

seteburgos

Points +27

Vegetarian
05 Oct 2024

Muy rica comida y casera

La comida estaba muy bien cocinada, gran sabor. El local es muy bonito.

Updated from previous review on 2024-10-05

Veganmouse

Points +1291

Vegan
24 Sep 2024

Very enjoyable, lots of options

Korean fried cauliflower - yes very good, but if you've had fried cauliflower before and want to try something else, I would suggest doing that. It's still cauliflower
Eggplant schnitzel - really good, large portion
Mushroom pancakes - delicious, highly recommend
Heart of palm - disappointing, lacked any flavor
Sticky toffee - good but needed to be warmer

In general all the food was on the cool side

Twilightje

Points +134

Vegetarian
16 Sep 2024

Superb

Hard to choose from their interesting menu. Luckily we were with a group and could share several dishes. Great food!

AndrewChuma

Points +38

Vegan
28 Jul 2024

What a find.

Just wandering the streets of Porto and found this wonderful Restaurant.
Mostly vegan. Fantastic cauliflower. Ironically, owner also owned the adjacent restaurant called “Cruel”, an omnivorous restaurant.

super_marisa

Points +1080

Vegan
24 Jul 2024

Excellent lunch!

I liked the spicy, crispy perfection of the Korean fried cauliflower! The dumplings were tasty too. I had a meia de leite (specify vegan milk) and the rice pudding with mango sorbet.

Updated from previous review on 2024-07-24

Pros: Really delicious, Outside seating, Nice staff

elliesvegankitchen

Points +109

Vegan
05 Jul 2024

Interesting sharing options

The menu is quite eclectic with a mix of cuisines - and no clear starters and mains, rather we were recommended to share 3 dishes between 2. We went for the Korean fried cauliflower, dumplings and mushroom hoisin pancakes. We really enjoyed our meal although we did find the KFC and dumplings quite salty. Staff were friendly and decor was nice. Would certainly recommend.

wendymc

Points +24

Vegan
15 Jun 2024

Jolie découverte

Nous étions seuls attablés, mais pour autant, un restaurant digne d'un semi-gastro à mon sens. Nous avons pris des plays à partager et tout était délicieux et original. Bravo

mschlater

Points +1209

Vegan
08 May 2024

Busy

Very busy restaurant. The waiter seemed annoyed we were there when we first sat down. However, food was pretty good. Definitely try the Korean cauliflower like other reviewers suggested.

MiriamIzquierdo

Points +68

Vegan
04 Apr 2024

Nice food but quite expensive

I really enjoyed the noodles. Dumplings were extremely salty for me. Goulash average (you have to pay extra for the rice). Large portions for the main courses. We ordered 1 starter and 2 mains and we couldn't finish them. Mind that the prices are not cheap and on top of that the charge extra for absolutely everything: tap water, take away tupperware (for leftovers) and even the carrier bag! I found adding even the bag really too much. On top the waiter also asks directly if you want to leave a tip, which we did. I think for the total of that bill you can get better deals in town.

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-04

jusi

Points +20

Vegan
03 Apr 2024

Delicious

Great Food. Friendly Staff. Nice atmosphere. Recommend the "KFC" and the desserts.

HayleyJayne

Points +394

Vegan
28 Mar 2024

Delicious

Really nice food! Would recommend the dumplings and the mushroom pancakes. Oh, and the sticky toffee pudding!!
Only negative is it's slightly expensive for Porto standards.
Would deffo go again!

sweetestpotat

Points +591

Vegan
05 Mar 2024

Lovely dinner

Friendly staff, nice environment. Loved the dumplings! Peanut noodles and curry were also tasty and huge portions.

craigmc

Points +35533

Vegan
03 Mar 2024

Decent

Espécie was part of my trip plans due to its mainly positive reviews. Upon arrival, the bustling atmosphere and prompt service were evident. The cauliflower was touted as the star dish, as echoed in previous reviews. Seeking a complementary dish, I was swiftly recommended the dumplings, another highly praised item. While both dishes were flavorful individually, they didn't quite harmonize on the palate. They seemed too alike by the end, suggesting pairing one with a different option might enhance the dining experience.

As a solo diner, I hoped for a glass of wine, but the only vegan option was available by the bottle, an unexpected limitation in a vegetarian restaurant. Opting for a beer, I was informed none were vegan-friendly, but Lemonaid’s Ginger came to the rescue!

Overall, Espécie offers a solid dining choice with room for improvement through minor adjustments. With a few tweaks, it could easily ascend to greatness.

Pros: Quick

Cons: Quick

hack_man

03 Mar 2024

You should have just gone for a bottle of wine 😆

nbena

Points +160

Mostly Veg
02 Mar 2024

Cozy restaurant with delicious food

Food is very good and also "strange" in the best way possible. The choice is pretty large, the service is very fast and kind. A bit pricey.

Pros: Desserts , Service

rudu

Points +74

Vegan
18 Feb 2024

Lovely dinner

Nice place, nice service, and nice food. We had the KFC cauliflower, surprising texture and so much flavor!, the cabbage with romesco sauce, again very tasty, and the goulash, which was also very good and comforting. Highly recommended.

Pros: very kind service, kitchen open non-stop from lunch to dinner

Cons: not everything is vegan

woutergm

Points +187

Vegan
06 Feb 2024

Tasty, original

Nice menu, good service. Enjoyed two dishes, especially the spicy dumplings.

maria.ines

Points +909

Vegan
14 Jan 2024

WOW blown away

Non vegan friends loved it!!
The food is cooked so well here. So much taste, different elements and originality. Its an experience. You dont find this very often in veggie restaurants. We had:
Algi moqueca: definetly cant feel the algi but it was so creamy and delicious. The fried banana was the star. Tasted a bit too coconuty. Rice should be included and not an extra!!
Jaca goulash: wow we were amazed!! Perfectly stew, so cozy and delightful. Not used to see jaca in dishes without it being shreded!
And the desert. My god, the sticky toffee pudding!!! We loved it so much, you gotta have it.

Cons: Bit expensive

veg!

Points +370

Vegan
28 Dec 2023

Delicious, outstanding service

Broad variety of vegetarian food, also combinations you won‘t get very often.

Pros: Freshly made, Outstanding service, Relaxed atmosphere

judyarmstrong

Points +396

Vegan
21 Nov 2023

Great vegan food in a lovely setting

This is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant with several vegan options. The food was very good, the service was impeccable as we received our food quickly. The prices were reasonable. We had the vegan KFC appetizer which was the best part of the meal. We also had entrées and vegan dessert so we got to really enjoy a lovely 3 course, vegan meal. The restaurant has a great atmosphere. I highly recommend it.

Pros: Several vegan options, Vegan appetizers and desserts, Great service

ianandyoko1

Points +26

Vegetarian
03 Nov 2023

Great veg food

Really nice to go to a vegetarian restaurant in Portugal. Quite a relief. Really nice, tasty, interesting food and lovely staff. Definitely recommend.

Pros: KFC cauliflower, Interesting choices, Attentive staff and pretty fast service

MartaJesus

Points +307

Vegetarian
23 Oct 2023

Review - Espécie

I really loved my vegetarian dish: eggs with tomatoes 🍳🍅 and chilli flavour, it was delicious and my tummy was full! I still think it was a little overpriced, i literally paid a lot for tap water…

julesries

Points +22

Vegan
14 Oct 2023

Really great vegan options

Great food. Nice staff and location. The vegan food is delicious and you have many options to chose from!

Pros: Beijing duck pancakes, Cauliflower wings, Eggplant schnitzel




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