Being vegan in Lisbon is a lot easier than you might think!
Lisbon has always been at the top of my must-see places. It is the colorfulness and lively scenery of the city that attracted me to go there. I am happy to say Lisbon did not disappoint 😍
After we got married and tried to plan a great honeymoon, my husband Will and I decided it is the perfect opportunity to go on a trip to Lisbon on the very first day of 2020: New Year’s Day, moments away from what became a very uncertain year.
You know me, I love to plan ahead to make the most out of my trips. As a vegan, I have the luxury of nit picking my foodie experiences and to support local businesses.
As always, I prepared a Google map with must-see attractions and eateries. Wishing I had time to visit all of them, I did cover some of the best on my list and those are the ones I am sharing with you today. We’ve got Portuguese dishes, burgers, sushi to die for and desserts for days!
I recommend reading this on a full stomach😜.
Are we ready? 👇
Veganapati
Our first food stop in Lisbon was the chic decorated Veganapati. We arrived there just as they opened and were the 2nd table in. The staff sat us against a beautiful foliage covered wall overlooking the restaurant space, which was super lovely.
We were extra hungry, so we ordered a starter of Guacamole and Crispy Adai, an Indian twist to Tortilla Chips. It was a very flavourful option to start off our first restaurant choice while in Lisbon.
I ordered the Tofu Bio in coconut, lentil podi, pineapple, creamy green curry and lemongrass with a side of jasmine rice. Will ordered the Brownie Burger – black bean and smoked tofu patty, lime and cilantro mayo, avocado, caramelized onion, “cheddar” and baby spinach with a side of sweet potato fries and homemade beet ketchup.
The restaurant soon began to fill up extremely fast with customers being turned away, which also led to a big delay on our mains order (while other tables that arrived after us, got theirs before we did).
Will and I agreed that out of everything we ordered, the starter was great but the mains were mediocre. Sure the Tofu Bio was presentable and unique, however the taste was unfortunately lacking.
Please note that Veganapati seems to be temporarily closed, due to Covid.
Address:
Rua da Prata 242, 1100-423 Lisboa, Portugal
Ao 26 – Vegan Food Project
High on my must-visit places list, Ao 26 is a cosy vegan spot near the shore line and up one of the many hills Lisbon has to offer. They are serving a wide variety of food including Portuguese dishes, so naturally we had to pay them a visit!
I went for a choice out of the Specials menu of a Spinach Lasagna, which was delicious and creamy. Will ordered the Seitan “a Portuguesa”, a seitan made the Portugese way with garlic, laurel, white wine and butter sauce. That dish was nothing less than divine, which made me quite envious of him 😄 . In order words it by far the best food I’ve had in Lisbon, and perhaps ever!
Will loves his desserts and as we were on our Mini-moon (honeymoon still pending, thanks Covid), so we treated ourselves to the Chocolate Cake, which was topped full of red berries. Surprisingly I think I enjoyed it more than Will 😊.
Address:
R. Vítor Cordon 26, 1200-484 Lisboa, Portugal
Legumi Sushi
I was on a mission to visit Legumi Sushi for a while 😄. No chance I was going to miss out on eating vegan sushi at its finest!
To get there we had to walk up the steep hills of Lisbon, which is part of the character beautiful Lisbon has to offer. We were rewarded at the top of the hill with not only an incredibly stunning night light view overlooking the city, in addition we had the most unique and flavourful sushi experience our taste buds have ever encountered, for real!
The restaurant itself is a small, neighborhood establishment. It is quiet and friendly, which easily allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the experience.
Coming with a clear agenda, we were ambitious to have ordered what can only be described as a 40-piece sushi boat-platter 😍
Before ordering, the lovely staff asked us if we have any allergies or things we wish to not have in your sushi. The reason they ask is because the 40-piece platter changes depending on what is available and the chef’s unique creative mindset.
I could not for the life of me even begin to decipher what we have tasted. There were so many interesting ingredients in the sushi such as orange and other fruit, mock-salamon, mock-tuna etc. I can honestly say a lot of sushi places can learn from Legumi Sushi’s innovative dishes.
After stuffing ourselves with lots of sushi, we were thankful the trip back to the hotel was all downhill after realising our eyes were bigger than our bellies 😄 . It is to be noted that Will at this point in life had never tried sushi before 😱 and was amazed by the variety. Well done Legumi Sushi!
This is definitely a not to be missed food option when visiting Portugal’s capital.
Address:
Calçada do Combro 56, 1200-452 Lisboa, Portugal
Vegan Junkies
As we ventured on the outer part of central Lisbon, we quickly realised it is nearly lunchtime. That is what happens when I am hyper focusing on taking photos! 🙊
It was the perfect opportunity to turn to my trusty self-curated travel map with all the vegan spots I could find before visiting Lisbon 🤓. Thanks to the pre-trip research, we found out we are close to a cosy cafe-style place called Vegan Junkies.
They are a tasty little lunch spot and have their menu printed on records, how cool is that? I had the Beyond cheeze Burger that came with smoked Violife cheese, veggies and pickles while Will had the Nothing But a J Thang burger with shredded pulled Jackfruit, BBQ sauce and coleslaw.
However it does not end here, Will always leaves room for dessert and even more so he loves his chocolate. So when we had to choose a dessert, Death by Chocolate was a no brainer. It is a chocolate cake topped with Oreo – who can resist? 😋 Do not worry though, the cake was not as death-defying as it sounded and we survived to tell the tale!
Address:
R. Luciano Cordeiro 28, 1150-300 Lisboa, Portugal
Scoop ’n Dough
My top tip for all you sweet tooth readers is do not miss on Scoop ’n Dough!
They serve ice cream, hot drinks, milkshakes and of course, doughnuts – all handmade! It was a tough choice to get just one doughnut each, after much consideration we ordered the Strawberry Dream and the Apple Pie doughnuts which were nothing short of amazing.
Honestly all their flavours are a great choice, with some crazy options like Maple and ‘Bacon’, or a twist on the French dessert Crème Brûlée in the form of a doughnut. One thing is for sure, you will be in for a great opportunity to experience something this sweet and unique 😋
Address:
R. das Portas de Santo Antão 78, 1150-269 Lisboa, Portugal
Honorable mention: Zarzuela
This small bakery while they are not fully vegan, is as far as I know the only place in Lisbon to serve a vegan version of the famous Pastéis de Nata. Well done to Zarzuela for making the effort to provide this option for vegans and non-dairy eaters.
While I am not one to be known for her sweet tooth, I had a bite to try the Pasteis and let Will have the rest – of course he loved it!
Address:
R. Bernardino Costa 21 23, 1200-052 Lisboa, Portugal
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