UMAMI Plant Based - Barcelona Vegan Restaurant Review 2025

UMAMI Plant Based

• Cuisine: Ramen, Asian
• Neighborhood: Gràcia
• Price: €€
• Vegan Status: Totally Vegan
• My Favorite Dish: Tantanman Ramen with Chicken Skin

UMAMI Plant Based is a vegan restaurant in Barcelona specializing in incredible vegan ramen and other Asian delights.

This Gràcia restaurant is immensely popular, and for good reason. Everything I have sampled here has been a delight to the tastebuds. They honor the restaurant's name with a huge focus on umami flavors in every dish, even the dessert.

Aside from the food, the waitstaff are friendly and welcoming. They always ask if it's your first time visiting and explain that, even if an item lists an ingredient like minced meat, everything is 100% plant based, aka vegan. Additionally, they always have a few specials on offer, which are presented shortly after being seated.

The restaurant is cozy but super lively and is broken up into three dining rooms. Finally, the kitchen is partially viewable, adding an extra element of energy to the atmosphere.

When you visit UMAMI, make sure you go on an empty stomach. There are so many temping dishes, you'll want to try them all!

What to Order at UMAMI Plant Based

The menu at UMAMI is small. A hint to any knowledgable diner that they're in for an excellent experience. The chef here has clearly focused on creating it with a quality over quantity mentality.

I highly suggest going to UMAMI with a friend, ordering at least two appetizers, a ramen, and dessert. It's also wise to let the waitstaff guide you in your choices if you're unsure which dishes to opt for. They really know whats best here.

Appetizers

For starters, I'd suggest the Katsu seitan. It's a seitan dish served panko breaded and fried and accompanied with tonkatsu sauce, yuzu tartar, and coleslaw with apples. The one miss on this dish for me is the coleslaw, but the rest is delightful. The seitan is crispy and meaty, the tartare tangy and chalked full of onion, and the tonkatsu sauce is rich and slightly sweet. The side sauces really offer levity to the deep, umami flavors and chewy texture of the seitan. It's a near perfect dish.

The jackfruit bao is another show stopper. The delicate steamed bun is paired with a BBQ pulled jackfruit that mimics pork perfectly. It's topped with Dobangjiang mayonnaise, which is a mayo mixed with spicy chili sauce, and chives and sesame seeds. Sadly, we only ordered one to share when I tried it. A mistake I will not make again!

Finally, I also sampled the portobello and shiitake gyoza. The goyaza were crispy and stuffed full of the mushroom mix. I wasn't a huge fan of the gravy on top, but the dipping sauce was a perfect pairing. UMAMI also has a second, carne picada filled gyoza to choose from that sounds downright luscious.

Lastly, UMAMI has a Cauliflower Karaage with wasabi mayo, which I haven't had the pleasure of sampling but have my eye on for next time.

Main Course - Ramen or Ramen?

Is it just me or does that picture make your mouth water? That's the vegan Tantanman Ramen with "chicken skin" at UMAMI. My stomach just growled thinking about that dish.

The Tantanman ramen broth is creamy and rich with a touch of spice. The homemade noodles are chewy and perfectly cooked. Yes, I said homemade noodles! The "beef" is deeply flavored and perfectly textured. The "chicken skin" is crispy and chewy, and the tomato is the perfect acidic accompaniment to this bowl of extreme comfort.

UMAMI has two ramens on their menu, the other a creamy mushroom and tofu soup that looks delish. Though, I will likely never find out because the Tantanman is just too good to pass up. It's honestly the best ramen I've had in my life.

Dessert

UMAMI doesn't treat dessert like an afterthought. They have three options on their menu. A chocolate ganache, cheesecake brulee, and vanilla flan. I've had the pleasure of trying two of the three options. They did not disappoint.

The chocolate ganache is thick and rich and topped with salty miso toffee and crunchy cookie crumbles. If you're a fan of chocolate, this one is for you. Even me, someone who barely likes chocolate, and only sometimes, immensely enjoyed the spoonful I swiped from my friend.

The vanilla flan, however, was exactly the kind of dessert I'm into. Creamy vanilla flan swimming in a shallow bath of salted toffee sauce and topped with amazake foam sprinkled with toasted ground black sesame seeds. This dessert was incredible. The only think lacking was a bit of texture. Something I easily fixed by stealing some of the cookie crumbles from my dining partner's dessert.

I highly recommend you try to save room for dessert when you visit UMAMI. They really do a fantastic job ending the meal here.

The Downside of UMAMI Plant Based

As you can see UMAMI is an exceptional vegan restaurant in Barcelona. For that reason, you shouldn't expect to be able to just turn up and get a table during dinner service. So, you really have to plan ahead here and make a reservation.

On the bright side, if you're into spontaneity you can pop in at lunchtime when they don't even accept reservations.

This is really the only thing I can find to say about UMAMI that is even remotely not positive. This restaurant is that good.

Final Thoughts on UMAMI Plant Based

I think it's pretty obvious how I feel about UMAMI. I don't really need to say much more than, it's exceptional.

So, go. Go soon. And go often. That's my best advice. Bon appétit!