Fire & Spice Vegan Restaurant

My favorite restaurant I’ve ever been to! Everything about it is fantastic :) Wish I didn’t live in NH now, so far away, hopefully will make it back someday!

Everything in this place is amazingly good. The best vegan/​vegetarian option in CT as far as I’m concerned. I love this place and the staff is great.

Great food! Very fresh, great selection and very personable staff! Definitely the place to go for healthy and flavorful food.

I am giving this place a 3 for the food and a 0 for the service. After reading all the previous reviews I was looking forward to dining here. An unorganized, disinterested staff is being nice. Got our food quick enough, but we ordered smoothies along WITH the meal;and water. The water came out 5 minutes into our meal, and the smoothies arrived 10 minutes after we finished eating. Our samosa APPETIZER arrived 5 minutes after our smoothies. I cleared the table of the previous diners plates. Reminded our counter person twice that we had food and drinks coming. There was no one else there, so it wasn’t like they were busy. They all looked like they could care less. Like I said the food was good, but the service and attitude of the people that work there is unbelievable. Would like to go back again, but will never go through that experience again.

Amazing food, we absolutely loved the jerk tofu, chickpeas and this butternut squash mix with coconut milk. We loved it so much we ordered a to go meal for dinner! Highly recommend it to vegans and non vegans alike. The atmosphere was fun, felt like we could easily be in Jamaica.

I tried Fire and Spice for lunch today. (I am an fan of a vegetarian restaurant across town so I wanted to see what this one was like. A nice comparison.) At Fire and Spice, the building, exterior and interior are nice. No blasting music, clean and colorful, complete with tables to sit and view the goings on outside. So that’s nice along with the service! I was a little disappointed with the food. I had jerked and BBQ tofu along with some creative veggie sides. The medium to go price was a little expensive. The container has no compartments, so if you like your food to remain separate, you won’t like it. Over all, I would try it again, however something else on the menu. Give it a whirl, these restaurants are far and few between.

I wanted to love it, I did. The service took away from my experience. There was one man working, he seemed disinterested and kind of angry. I was told by a friend this was probably the husband and if you go when the wife is there the service is much better. That is just here-​say but I’m willing to give it another go in the future. The cafeteria/​deli style service actually works to their advantage because you can pick out whatever peaks your interest. Variety was good.

Very eclectic place in a cool Hartford neighborhood. You’re greeted by reggae and the wonderful smell of spices from the numerous dishes simmering behind the counter. Laid back and cool. Took my vegetarian friend who proclaimed it a «Hit»!

If you’re not a vegan but a fan of Caribbean food, stop by Fire and Spice. Their menu rotates yet the stuff is good no matter what. Whether you get the pumpkin rice, spicy chickpeas, African potatoes, okra or my personal favorite the jerk seitan do it! Aand they have this soy-​based caramel fudge swirl ice cream thing and it’s creamy and wonderful. I always grab my food to go because I live right around the corner.
I would also recommend grabbing it to go if you’re craving Caribbean food but need to have meat/​fish with your meals as you can just cook something up really quickly or combine it with leftovers. Just like that, you have a new meal with little to no effort.

Food was good and spicy. I fell in love with the Not Fish Vegan patty. The place is very casual clean and relaxing. The best vegan food in Hartford.

One of the most underrated restaurants in the city. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the food is unbelievably good (and healthy!) and the gentleman and cook behind the counter (Andrew) make this place a gem! Can’t wait to go back!

Friendly staff! They welcome you and help you try new items. Fantastic people who put heart and soul into healthy foods!

I came here with a friend and it was definitely worth the trip. I am vegetarian and enjoyed knowing that all the options were completely animal product-​free.
The food was outstanding. I definitely want to come back to try other things. Very, very flavorful. I like that you are able to choose between 3 or 5 items. It’s reasonably priced as well.

Thanks you for preparing food for my family. With the hurricane coming, our group of 20 ended up being 10. Jamilla (spelling) helped me pick the menu. Everyone loved it…
We will eat the leftovers today. Yum

All vegan food here folks! I am vegan and it is so nice not having to ask about the ingredients. They have an alternating variety of options to choose from, but they tend to keep some staples (bbq tofu, garlic and kale, pumpkin rice, etc.).
The prices can be a little high ($ 9 for a to-​go container) but the food is amazing. I work less than a mile away and visit Fire and Spice at least twice a week for lunch.

Wow! I am so happy I decided to check this place out for lunch today. I was not disappointed. I got the combo meal of Jerk Tofu, Pumpkin Rice, and Jamaican Run Dung. The rice was a little bland but a good balance to all of the other flavors of my chosen dish. I also got one samosa. I found myself wishing I could have more and more when i was finished. I enjoyed my meal VERY much. haha.
The only part of my meal that I did not like was the hibiscus beverage. It tasted too much like ginger to me… but that isn’t something I would count against them, more just my own personal taste.
The pricing is amazing! I got all that food and the drink for $ 13. They take cash, and cards. Not sure about AMEX or Discover…

You must go here. This place is beloved by vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, pescetarians, omnivores, carnivores and bacon-​vores (as noted in a review below). There is only one kind of person who won’t love Fire & Spice: people who don’t like fire or spice. I don’t find the food particularly spicy, but have had a couple of milder tongued companions point out the spice.
The place is like an ode to Bob Marley (seriously Bob is blaring on repeat all day everyday lol) and is Ital in the strictest sense: vegan.
Everything here is delicious. The place is a food inspiration really. I see people dieting at home eating plain grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and a handful of rice. Go to Fire & Spice and learn what seasoning can do for you.
Most times I get the kale. I’m also a fan of the pumpkin rice, the tofu scramble, the Ital stew, the peas and rice and the chole. The lentil samosas and patties are pretty great too. My favorite thing here though is the cucumber juice. I had no idea the potential of cucumber. Add some ginger and sugar and you’ve got life water. In the summer it is the most refreshing thing you will have ever tasted. That stuff changed my life.
This is the beauty of Fire & Spice. It will change your outlook on the potential of plant based meals.
Outstanding.
Notes on the service: 1. Depending on when you go there it’s either table service or cafeteria style service and they bring your food to you. 2. Feel free to ask for samples if you’re not sure what you want.
ETA: Also, they charge more for eating in, but you get more food. I can easily eat five options when I do take out, but can only handle three when I eat in, so I think this pricing discrepancy is quite fair.

Vegan restaurants are difficult to come by in Connecticut, so this place is a gem. All of the employees at this family-​owned restaurant are friendly and eager to please.
I’ve tried and would recommend the ital stew, red lentil dahl, chole, jerk tofu, and the curry pot. If you’re trying to figure out which to get for your three selections and you want rice with your meal, make sure it’s included in one of your three. (It’s not three choices plus rice.)
The biggest shortcoming to this place, in my mind, is that they charge more for eating in. (Isn’t that what the tip is for?) I opted once to get takeout, and they ended up loading my three different soupy choices into one black plastic container with a clear lid (that didn’t have partitions) – which meant that I ended up with one semi-​blended mess when I got home. In their defense, they did check with me if that was okay, but I’m not sure if there would have been other options had I not been okay with it. If you do decide to get takeout, make sure not all of your choices are soupy, unless you don’t care about not being able to distinguish one from the other while eating.
The vegan ice cream (I tried Great Nut) was amazing. The pumpkin cupcake I tried was a little on the dry side for my liking.
Also they have Ting (Jamaican grapefruit soda) available!
As a small business, they also only allow credit card payments with an order of at least $ 10. Not an issue if you’re getting dinner and dessert!
3.5 stars

I came here recently with a friend who was visiting from California and needed a vegan option. This place was quite the find– it’s something I passed by quite a few times without ever going in, but I’m glad I finally did.
The hot food selections are already simmering, which is nice if you’re hungry. This is a family-​owned restaurant and the woman behind the counter was very knowledgeable about all of the food. I didn’t want anything too spicy and she suggested I try a couple of things before ordering– I was glad I did, because otherwise I may not have thought to order the BBQ tofu!
You can pick anything off the menu in combinations of three or five different options. There were only a couple things they didn’t have that day, as part of their menu is rotating. I ordered the Ital stew, the BBQ tofu, the Red Lentil Dahl, yellow potato rice, and the Chole (I think– I can’t even remember all of my options at this point). It was nice to be able to try such a variety of different foods, and it was pretty well-​priced. The menu specified gluten free, nut free, and soy free options. We also split an order of pakorah and samosas, which were nice and filling.
We were looking forward to trying some of the desserts, but they didn’t have any that day. That was a little bit of a disappointment because that meant we had to look elsewhere for vegan dessert, but the food was filling enough. We also almost felt a little rushed out at the end, but I don’t get the impression of that being a usual occurrence. It seems like it’s generally a relaxed environment.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Fire & Spice is awesome, and if you’re skeptical because it’s Vegan? Well, get over it! You’re missing out, I certainly did until I stopped in earlier this year. I haven’t been able to stay away either, everything here is so good!
I have no qualms eating anything. With that in mind, I was certainly not going to pass this place up, simply because it was «vegan». In fact, I find that the food here is equally as nourishing if not more, so for all you meat-​eaters out there: quit it!
To start, the ackee and lentil patties are super good. Reminiscent of a beef patty, these bad boys always come out perfectly spiced and delicately flakey — it’s great. I especially like their samosas, they’re like the mini versions of the patties. And if you’re tight on funds, grab a few patties and samosas to go. Trust, they’re really filling!
I haven’t had any of their salads, but those who have accompanied me and did — have always mentioned how tasty they are. And for $ 8, they appear to be a good portion. Haven’t had any of their sandwiches either, but if I were to, I’d go for the Grilled Portabello. Which you actually have to call a day ahead for them to prepare! That has to be a sign that, that it is one serious sandwich?! What I HAVE had though are variations of their combo plates. Jerk tofu, ital stew, chole, red lentil dahl and their savory tomato okra are my definite go-to’s. Perfectly spiced, these items are equal parts spicy and flavorful. So much so that I have more than once just opted to have them without any rice! Yeah, that good guys! That or I’m just really weird.
Parking is limited to a small lot out back or street parking. Open late all week, I find myself coming here for lunch time and time again. Healthy delicious food, the chance to support local business, and affordably priced portions make Fire & Spice a great destination for any meal. So take a break, and stay awhile!