There are very few plant-based dishes in Portuguese cuisine, we view those as side dishes. Main dishes require meat, fish, or seafood. Take Portuguese feijoada, for example. This is a heavy stew made with kidney beans, carrots, and cabbage. But that’s only the base! It’s not feijoada without chouriço and some pork.
Needless to say it’ll be hard to find vegetarian options at typical restaurants. However, to keep up with vegetarian trends among the Portuguese population and, more generally, westerners, there has been a solid rise in plant-based cafes, restaurants, and shops. It’s a great time to be vegan!
Here, we give you our top 10 restaurants in Lisbon. And don’t worry about cross-contamination. These restaurants are 100% vegetarian, if not vegan.
Ao 26 Vegan Food Project
Address: Rua Vitor Cordon 26, 1200-484 Lisboa
Phone: +351 967 989 184
Website
At n. 26 on Rua Vitor Cordon in Chiado, in front of the 28 tram stop, is where this project's amazing vegan food is cooked up.
There are different menus for lunch and dinner. If you come here for lunch, first tip: be early. You can try their seitan steak (traditional, only with seitan instead of beef or pork), many Portuguese appetizers, including the marvelous À Bulhão Pato mushrooms; as well as burgers, salads, and sandwiches. For dinner, make sure you have a reservation. The dinner menu is pricier but more impressive.
A meal for two will cost around €40.
Legumi Sushi Lisbon
Address: Cç. do Combro 56, 1200-452 Lisboa
Phone: +351 920 440 495
Website
Legumi (which, to a Portuguese, sounds like a Brazilian saying the word legume, ‘vegetable’) believes in new flavors, textures, and in the self-expression of beauty in nature.
For all you vegans seeking umami out there, the search is over. Legumi has fantastic Japanese-inspired food: sushi and maki rolls, fried dumplings, sautéed mushrooms, and seaweed salad. Everything is 100% plant-based.
A meal costs around €40 for two people.
My Mother’s Daughters
Address: Lg. de São Sebastião da Pedreira 49, 1050-010 Lisboa
Phone: +351 21 580 9853
Website
You’ll find it in a yellow building on a cute corner of a cobbled street near El Corte Inglés. On warm days, don’t hesitate to sit outside on the terrace. This place has gotten popular, so maybe it’s a good idea to book your table ahead because there aren’t a lot of vegan restaurants in the area.
A solid option for breakfast, lunch, and lanche (a snack, usually in the afternoon), this small cozy cafe is run by three daughters and their mother. They serve healthy organic food that varies throughout the seasons. What stays the same is their commitment to the vegan stamp.
Their meaty lentil croquettes and ‘cheesy’ bread would fool anyone!
Organi Chiado
Address: Cç. Nova de São Francisco 2, 1200-300 Lisboa
Phone: +351 216 065 121
Website
Another harmonious vegan restaurant that privileges in-season and locally-sourced produce. All their food, desserts included, is sugar-free. Don’t let that stop you from having a taste of their arroz con leche or chocolate cake next to your coffee.
I’d recommend the outdoor seating area to the green and yellow interior (not the best colors, in my opinion, although I understand what they’re getting at), but that comes down to personal taste.
The price for a meal for two people is approximately €30.
Veganeats Caffe
Address: R. Cavaleiro de Oliveira 42, Lisbon
Phone: +351 914 668 799
Website
From the center, venture into the busy Almirante Reis avenue and you’ll reach Veganeats two blocks away from Arroios.
A vegan’s gotta eat and, to their delight, they can eat everything served at Veganeats. This is a small cafe and bakery with soup of the day, dish of the day, quiches, pastries, and cakes. Everything here is straight-up delicious and has a touch of Portuguese tradition. A great place to visit with ovo-lacto friends too. Upon a taste of the chocolate and peanut cake, they’ll ask you many times ‘Are you sure this is vegan? How can it be?’, followed by a ‘Mmm’.
A meal for two is around €15.
Moko Veggie Cafe - Anjos
Address: Rua do Forno do Tijolo 29D, 1170-132 Lisboa
Phone: +351 218 130 621
Website
Moko is a simple vegan cafe and bakery that’s small in size, affordable, but with varied savory dishes that reflect the combination of different cuisines: Asian noodle soups, dumplings, a vegan bacon burger, and a shrimp salad. As for the breakfast goodies, they also change day to day, but here are some customer favorites: Nutella croissants, Chinese steamed buns, and doughnuts. Lastly, a pro tip: a detox smoothie next to the fried and sugary options will make you feel like you’re being healthy.
A meal for two costs around €15.
Vegan Junkies
Address: R. Luciano Cordeiro 28, 1150-300 Lisboa
Phone: +351 213 530 669
Website
Did you not become vegetarian for health reasons? If you come to Vegan Junkies, it’s best to leave the guilt at the door.
This warm little restaurant with an underground vibe to it always has great music. More importantly, they are serious about junk food. They serve hot dogs, burgers, French fries, barbecue wings, and nachos. The beyond meat cheeseburger is a popular option, but there are superb alternatives if you’re not a fan.
A meal will be around €25 for two people.
al Sanpietrino Trattoria (former Horacio)
Address: Beco da Lapa 31, 1100-331 Lisboa
Phone: +351 936 715 754
Website
As a vegan, I marvel at the different cuisines vegan restaurants specialize in! al Sanpietrino, for instance, specializes in pizza, pasta, lasagna, gnocchi… Which is, of course, a funny way of saying it’s an Italian restaurant. But, like, fully vegan, you know? Additionally, there are a few exceptions to the penchant for Italian cuisine, like the Portuguese prego (and, by the way, why haven’t you?! There are vegan versions everywhere at this point).
Do make a reservation a couple of days ahead and try to dine early, so they don’t run out of desserts by the time you finish.
A meal will cost you and your date approximately €25.
The Green Affair - Saldanha
Address: Av. Duque de Ávila 30A, 1000-141 Lisboa
Phone: +351 967 472 286
Website
The Green Affair is a more sophisticated vegan restaurant, but not pretentious. Their focus is on offering international cuisine and food presentation that pleases the eye.
There is a really good Portuguese dish I recommend you to try, sem espinhas à lagareiro, an adaptation of a dish with cod or octopus served with baked potatoes and olive oil seasoning. If you’re more into ‘meat’, know that their seitan steak is great, though it doesn’t try to be anything other than seitan — no new-age fake meat here.
A meal for two will be around €30 here.
Os Tibetanos
Address: R. do Salitre 117, 1250-198 Lisboa
Phone: +351 213 142 038
Website
It feels good to include a well-established veggie restaurant in Lisbon, around since 1975. And it’s all granted by their unchanged food quality over the years.
Oriental flavors are what defines Os Tibetanos, along with a Buddhist temple on the upper floors (where there are yoga and meditation classes) and a beautiful patio on the ground floor. Let your mind relax in this peaceful atmosphere that the music and the decoration achieve together. And, of course, don’t forget to feed the body too. The spinach and cheese dumplings and the mango and tofu curry are two amazing menu entries.
Note that this is an ovo-lacto-vegetarian restaurant, so it’s not limited to vegan options.
€40 is the average cost for two people.
