Yes, the fish and seafood are outstanding, and no, the bifanas and pregos aren’t going anywhere. But in the past few years, Lisbon has woken up to the possibilities of vegetarian and vegan food. Whether hardcore vegan (but with an emphasis on pleasure rather than dogma) or proudly flexitarian, a new crop of restaurants are showing Lisboetas just how delicious vegetables can be.
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Arkhe
When Arkhe opened, Lisbon’s omnivores were just as excited as its vegans. After all, chef João Ricardo Alves had worked in haute cuisine and Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world. His cooking combines, passion, technique, creativity, and a strong environmental conscience. The menu is brief and changes regularly, depending which organic ingredients are in season, and everything got kicked up another notch when Alejandro Chávarro came on board as sommelier and front-of-house manager.
Boqueirão do Duro 46
211 395 258, reservas@arkhe.pt
Photo of Arkhe dish at top of page: @masha.kln
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Encanto
Two-Michelin star chef José Avillez goes 100% vegetarian with Encanto. It is an enchanted place “where vegetables are celebrated as stars.” The 12 “moments” tasting menu is full of contrasting colors, textures, temperatures, and flavors. It goes without saying that everything is seasonal and produced by small or local Portuguese farmers and foragers. The menu changes regularly, but some highlights include lupini and lava bean azevia (fried pastry with soft filling), confit egg yolk with Jerusalem artichoke and truffle, and cabbage with onion corn kernels and Azores cheese.
Largo de São Carlos 10, Chiado
211 626 310, reservations can be made on the website
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Feitoria
During the Michelin-starred restaurant Feitoria’s long pandemic closing, chef João Rodrigues used the time to rethink his—and our—relationship to food. The only path that made sense was cutting back on the animal proteins and embracing more and more plants. He didn’t go full Eleven Madison Park but he replaced some of the meats on his traditional tasting menus and added two new Caminho menus (seven or nine moments) that are entirely vegetarian, with inventive dishes like vegetable “marrow” made from fermented broccoli. It may sound odd, but it was delicious.
Altis Belém Hotel, Doca do Bom Sucesso
210 400 208, reservationsbelem@altishotels.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Amaeça Vegetal
After he closed his fish-centric restaurant Pesca, chef Diogo Noronha came back with a totally different concept. His new venture wouldn’t be a traditional restaurant, but it would be more than a ghost kitchen. (Clients can order delivery or they can come by and talk with the cooks when they pick up their food.) And it wouldn’t be centered on animal products, nor would it be vegetarian, but it would be flexitarian instead—with inherently delicious items like the roasted cauliflower sandwich on focaccia, that aren’t about being responsible but instead designed to simply taste good.
Calçada Poço dos Mouros 28
913 593 205, foodriders.co to order delivery
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
BouBou’s
When chef Louise Bourrat took over the kitchen full-time at BouBou’s in 2020 (after having already devised the original menu), she committed to seasonality and a zero-waste concept. BouBou’s 2.0 is still not a vegetarian restaurant, but her new menus feature many plant-based dishes, like sweet potato ceviche with coconut, lychee, and Kaffir lime, and pleurothus with mushroom ketchup, horseradish, and herbs. She also implemented a nine-course tasting menu, which can be “adapted for vegetarians, with love.”
Rua Monte Olivete 32,
213 470 804, hello@boubous.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Senhor Uva
You could say this neighborhood bistro is committed to two things: fresh vegetables and natural wines. But in fact, it’s mostly committed to one thing: an overriding passion and concern toward health and the environment. They source all the food for the ever-changing, fully-vegetarian menu from local farmers and suppliers who share that concern, and put it all together in colorful, original, globally inflected, and flavorful combination, such as carrot with dahl, ginger, chia, and padron pepper, and mushrooms with xerem, miso, tarragon, and Swiss chard. The international wine list celebrates producers with a commitment toward biodiversity and minimal-intervention wines.
Rua Santo Amaro 66A
213 960 917, info@senhoruva.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Ao 26
Way back in 2016, long before veganism became trendy, there was Ao26. Since then, as trendy vegan spots have sprung up around town, the kitchen team has been dedicated to creating a traditional Portuguese cuisine with flavors from locals’ favorite comfort foods—but without the meat, seafood, or cream. And so, the menu includes dishes like tofu à Lagareiro (with olive oil and lots of garlic) with potatoes and turnip greens, macaroni à Bulhão Pato (also with olive oil and lots of garlic and also lemon and cilantro), and even a seitan “Bifana” and seitan “Francesinha.”
Rua Vitor Cordon 26
967 989 184, ao26veganfoodproject@gmail.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
PSI
Speaking of longevity, PSI—and the beautiful garden that it sits in the middle of—was inaugurated more than 20 years ago, by no one less than the Dalai Lama himself. So it’s no surprise that Cordon-Bleu-trained chef Yasser Saiyad is turning out inventive, elevated dishes with influences from India (samosas), Thailand (red Thai curry), southeast Asia (laksa) but also from North Africa (shakshouka) and even Italy (rigatoni with pistachio). That garden setting definitely doesn’t hurt.
Alameda St. António Capuchos
213 590 573, psiveg@gmail.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
The Food Temple
Another long-timer, the Food Temple is still a vegan mainstay in a particularly charming corner of Mouraria. Sitting on the steps of the steep street behind the restaurant and eating almost picnic-style is part of the pleasure of having a dinner here. The menu is brief, straight to the point, and designed to be shared. It changes seasonally, but it might feature dishes like bruschetta with cashew cheese, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes, and homemade vegan cheese, and migas (a typical cornbread-based dish) with onion sauce and smoked eggplant.
Beco do Jasmin 18
218 874 397, thefoodtemple@gmail.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
SEM
The new endeavor SEM is not a vegetarian restaurant. It’s proudly nose-to-tail. But also gill-to-fin and, more significantly here, root-to-flower. The name SEM means “without” in Portuguese, and the main thing they’re without is waste. The proprietors only contract with producers who are working at the forefront of regenerative agriculture, and their kitchen is completely zero-waste, turning out dishes like tomatoes with fennel and sauerkraut granita.
Rua das Escolas Gerais 120
218 860 399, hello@restaurantsem.com
Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Vegetarians
Tantura
Along with Indian cuisine, Middle Eastern food is a reliable go-to for vegetarians and vegetable lovers. One of the best Middle Eastern spots in town is Tantura, owned by Israeli restaurateurs Elad Bodenstein and Itamar Eliyahuo . There, they offer vegetable-forward dishes not only from Israel but also drawing on recipes from their grandmothers in Iraq, Tunisia, and Romania. Along with hummus (eight kinds!), shakshuka (four kinds!) there are plenty of vegetable dishes, from smoked cauliflower with tahini to falafel and tabbouli.
Rua de Trombeta 1D
218 096 035, book at tantura.pt
