Lisbon is one city where you don’t have to worry about finding fantastic vegetarian and vegan food. You will, in fact, be so spoiled for choice as far as vegetarian restaurants are concerned that you’ll be able to go to a different one every day of your stay there and still not have been to them all.
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All of the Mediterranean countries are renowned for their use of fresh produce and traditional dishes highlighting seasonal vegetables. The vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon, though, take that culinary concept to a whole new level. You won’t be disappointed in any way about what you’re served, so forget about having to survive on hummus and carrot sticks. The vegetarian food in Lisbon is a lot more exciting than that.
Head out and visit one of these restaurants for your first meal in the city after you drop your unneeded bags off at a luggage storage facility in Lisbon. It’s best to hit the ground running when there are so many options!
Where To Get The Best Vegetarian Food In Lisbon
There are great vegetarian restaurants all over Lisbon, so no matter which part of the city you’re in, there’ll be one or more close by. Some of them are so good you might just want to go out of your way to visit them.
O Botanista
Go to the O Botanista vegan restaurant in Lisbon, and you’re guaranteed green from the décor to the food. Housed in fresh modern premises, O Botanista has been making waves among the vegan society and health-conscious of the Portuguese capital.
O Botanista’s food is prepared from one hundred percent vegetable material without any artificial additives whatsoever. They also cater well to anyone following a gluten or sugar-free diet. Their homemade soups sell for the same price as a coffee and are perfect when you’re in Lisbon in the autumn or winter. If the weather is warm, then their beet salad with passionfruit dressing or mixed vegetable salad are absolute winners.
Location: 19 Rua Dom Luis I
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Lisbon Vegan Restaurante
Sit down at a table in this basic, uncluttered Lisbon eatery, and you’ll be in for a meal a lot better than you might initially expect. The Lisbon Vegan Restaurante is a no-fuss, no-frills sort of place that serves good, well-prepared honest food in decent-sized portions.
At the Lisbon Vegan Restaurante, you can choose your meal from the menu, or you can tuck into the vegan buffet, which focuses more on Indian cuisine. Whichever you go for, they’re both excellent value for money. A couple of dishes that are outstanding are the spicy vegan lasagna, the vegetable bhajis, and the chickpea stew. They make amazing vegan desserts like mango mousse, so don’t overdo the first course, or you’ll miss out.
Location: 177 Rua de Arroios
Organi Chiado
Organi Chiado is one vegan restaurant you won’t want to skip dropping by when you’re in Lisbon center, especially if you’re into eating al fresco. Organi Chiado has a pavement deck-style terrace on one of the older, stepped streets of the capital that’s a true delight to take a table on. Inside is pretty special, too, as there are stone arches throughout the minimally furnished dining area that give it a unique look.
Organi Chiado offers a completely sugar-free menu, savory and desserts, prepared from organically grown ingredients using macrobiotic techniques. This is high-quality and imaginative vegan food at its very best, so don’t expect run-of-the-mill. Their quinoa salad, lentil curry, and plant-based feijoada are beyond excellent.
Location: 2 Calçada Nove de Sao Francisco
Vegan Junkies
It doesn’t matter what diet you follow or what dietary restrictions you have, there’s no denying that once in a while, indulging in some good old junk food is an absolute necessity. Go to Vegan Junkies in Lisbon, and you can have your junk food fix without having to feel one iota of guilt about it.
Vegan Junkies occupies a laid-back, Bohemian-style cantina where the focus is more on the food than it is the furnishings. Here, you can tuck into healthy versions of wings and burgers that are completely plant-based. Think cauliflower fritters, onion rings, chickpea cheese balls, corn flour tortillas stuffed with an endless array of veggies and dressings, a variety of vegan burgers, and veggie hotdogs. If that doesn’t make your vegan mouth water, then nothing will.
Location: 28 Rua Luciano Cordiero
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The Green Affair
The Green Affair is an unpretentious vegan restaurant that adores green in all its forms. They exhibit it in both the décor of their premises in the form of stained wood and green tiling and in their food by keeping it as green as they possibly can.
This is a vegan restaurant in Lisbon that specializes in Thai noodle salads, vegan risottos, vegetable ceviches, and seitan steaks cooked in a number of ways. Their courgette spaghetti is a tasty alternative to regular pasta. If you want to go posh, go for the beet tartare followed by the portobello burger, and finish with a mango wango. They’re all so totally delicious you’ll be going back for more.
Location: 30A Avenue Duque de Avila
Os Tibetanos
If you want something of a more worldly experience food-wise, then you need to go to Os Tibetanos. Decked out inside like a Tibetan monastery, this Lisbon vegetarian restaurant has pink and orange-painted walls hung with religious pictures and motifs. It’s so un-Portuguese that you may well forget which country you’re in.
The food they serve here is prepared by Nepalese chefs and inspired by vegetarian dishes from around the world. If you’re a big dumpling fan, you’ll love this place. They also serve a variety of dishes made up of brown rice and vegetables, tofu crepes and savory pancakes, and vegetarian empanadas, as well as a huge selection of noodle dishes. For a vegetarian restaurant they have a very extensive menu, so it’s unlikely you’ll only make one visit.
Location: 117 Rua do Salitre