In case you all haven’t noticed, LeBraun and I travel a fair amount. And when you’re in a new place and outside your routine, sticking to your diet can be difficult. Especially when there are so many wonderful looking traditional dishes; however, thank goodness for the internet and its ability to connect similar people from around the world. Before we leave for a new adventure or to a new city we make a list of restaurants we would like to try. This eliminates any wasted time on our trip searching for where to eat or finding a place we both agree on.
Neither of us are 100% vegan (…yet) but vegan eateries allow me as a dairy- and gluten-intolerant person to know I will be able to enjoy my meal without worrying if my dietary restrictions were understood—especially in places where English isn’t the first language. Plant-based eateries’ menus are more often labeled for dietary restrictions as well (gluten-free/soy-free/nut-free…).
So we did our research before heading to Portugal and mapped a bunch of places along our travel routes. We tried as many vegan places as we could while we were in Portugal so check out some of our favorites below!
Note: Not all these restaurants are 100% vegan, but some are and the others are able to make adjustments to and/or have great options for vegans.
PORTO
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails Bar
Website | @zenithporto + @zenithporto | Address: Praça de Carlos Alberto 86, 4050-158 Porto, Portugal
This was our first breakfast in Porto and it was delicious! The menu is not fully vegan but has a good variety of items—some sweet, some savory, and some in between. It was just as brunch should be. The small is intimate but they have a decent patio. There was a queue the entire time we were there but it moved very quickly. The staff was friendly and the food was nicely presented. It was the perfect “welcome to Porto.” I ordered the GF/V sweet potato toast—sliced sweet potatoes topped with mushrooms and avocado.
They also have location in Lisbon.
Café do Comércio
Website | @cafedocomercio | Address: R. do Comércio do Porto 124, 4050-209 Porto, Portugal
I love breakfast food and know how important it is when you’ve got a full day of exploring on your hands. Well you’re not going to leave Café do Comércio hungry. All the pancakes are vegan, hooray! Just note which toppings are not vegan such as honey (ask to substitute agave). They also have bowls and toast. We split a soy yogurt granola bowl. LeBraun ordered the cinnamon pancakes and I ordered the peanut butter and banana ones (adding agave). Yum!
daTerra Restaurante Vegetariano
Website | @daterra_vegetariano | Address: Baixa - R de Mouzinho da Silveira 249, Porto, Portugal + Bom Sucesso Market - Praca do Bom Sucesso, 132, Porto, Portugal
This place is open late which is right up our alley. Plus it was literally right up the alley from our hotel so win-win. It’s a vegan buffet. We really enjoyed being able to pick and choose what we were feeling—a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a bunch of this…:) Perhaps a tad pricey if you’re not starving, but we were walking roughly 20,000 steps a day so that was never the case.
They also have a location in Lisbon.
Francesinhas Al Forno da Baixa
Website | Address: Rua do Almada 160, 4000-196 Porto, Portugal
Portugal is known for some delicious dishes, but the official dish of the city of Porto is the The Francesinha. Inspired by the French croque monsieur, it’s made with fresh sausage, ham, roast meats and beef stake sandwiched between bread and covered with melted cheese and hot, thick tomato and beer sauce, and typically served with french fries, or batatas fritas in Portuguese. Not great for vegans—luckily Francesinhas Al Forno da Baixa specializes in this famous dish and have options suitable for everyone. LeBraun went the traditional route while I ordered the tofu/mushroom option.
Hand’ Go TakeAway
Website | Address: Rua da Assunção 9, 4050-070 Porto, Portugal
Let’s be real, pizza is everyone’s #1! This takeaway spot has several varieties of traditional pizza, but also offers vegan pizza, hooray! Just choose your toppings and the number of slices then they’ll make it for you and it’s ready in about 12-15 minutes. Unfortunetly they don’t have gluten-free crust, but they do make gluten-free crepes.
Hungry Biker
Website | @hungrybikercafe | Address: Rua das Taipas 68/72, 4050-597 Porto, Portugal
Strewn with a variety of handcrafted furniture, Hungry biker is a cafe/bike rental shop. Sounds like a weird combo, right? But it works for them. The staff was friendly and the portions were huge! Seriously we each ordered the big breakfast which also included a coffee or tea. LeBraun’s came with toast, jam, scrambled eggs, prosciutto, chickpeas and salad with coffee while mine (a GF/V version) came with gluten-free toast, jam, tofu slices, chickpeas, sliced avocado, tomatoes and salad with a tea. We did not leave hungry.
O Burrito
Website | @oburrito.pt | Address: Rua dos Mártires da Liberdade 90, 4050-011 Porto, Portugal
I love enjoying local cuisine while traveling but sometimes you need a change and O Burrito was a very welcomed change! We entered the open and welcoming door, climb a tiny winding staircase upstairs, and enjoyed a very filling, HUGE burrito. They’re burritos are not strictly Mexican-inspired but different fusions wrapped in tortillas. I ordered a black bean burrito and LeBraun enjoyed an Asian inspired option.
They also have a location in Coimbra.
Black Mamba Burgers and Records
Website | @blackmambapt | Address: Rua Mártires da Liberdade,130, Porto, Portugal
Located right next to O Burrito, Black Mamba is a record store (hence the name) that also served delicious vegan burgers (hence the name). Additionally their menu has snacky appetizers and desserts. Browsw their record selection pre- or post- your meal.
DUH! Vegan Donuts
Website | @duhvegandonuts | Address: Largo de Alberto Pimentel 38, 4050-024 Porto, Portugal
This tucked away tiny window-style takeaway cafe serves up delicious vegan donuts. We bought a couple of the lavender donuts but wished we had bought a round dozen when we got back to our hotel. They definitely hit the sweet spot! Vegans (and non-vegans alike) rejoice!
Maria Portuguesa
Website | @mariaportuguesacoimbra | Address: R. Joaquim António de Aguiar N°128, 3000-230 Coimbra, Portugal
YUMMY! This unassuming tiny cafe is where it is at. They’re not a vegan restaurant, but most of the menu items can be adjusted to vegan. I had a fabulous pasta dish with fresh veggies (!!!!) - Note: outside of vegan restaurants you’d be surprised at how little vegetables are on menus in Portugal. We also shared the vegan Alheira. Alheira is a smoked Portuguese sausage, but the vegan one was made with mushrooms, mmmm! They had several other traditional Portuguese dishes that could be adjusted as well.
O Burrito
Website | @oburrito.pt | Address: 3000-248 Coimbra, Portugal
Check out the write up on their Porto location above.
Organi Chiado
Website | @organichiado | Address: Calçada Nova de São Francisco 2, 1200-300 Lisboa, Portugal
This was our FAVORITE vegan restaurant of the trip! The food was seasonal and amazing. Get their daily special no matter what it is. Also I really need their vegan Caesar dressing recipe. If you happen to have it please send it my way pronto. All their products are locally sourced and organic whenever possible. We ate here several times in order to try more of their menu. :) LeBraun is still talking about their vegan Bacalhau (codfish) casserole so if you also happen to have that recipe, please send along as well.
Veganapati
Website | @veganapati | Address: Rua da Prata 242, 1100-423 Lisboa, Portugal
A vegetarian and vegan restaurant right in Baixa with an Indian twist. We such a hard time deciding what to get because everything sounded amazing. The menu features a wide range of items though the menu itself is not extensive. We settled for their black bean/tofu burger, bruschetta, cauliflower risotto, and rose ice cream. All vegan, all scrumptious!
Sama Sama Crêpe and Juice bar
Website | @samasamalisboa | Address: Tv. Corpo Santo 7, 1200-131 Lisboa, Portugal
This takeaway cafe serves savory and sweet breakfast crepes, smoothies, oats, cold pressed juice, lemonade, and even a daily soup + salad lunch option. Their crepe dough is vegan (which is not normally the case) so of course we had to check it out. I ordered a crepe that was especially apple pie—apple slices in cinnamony, sugary goodness. Got some fresh green juice to go. It was lovely!
daTerra Restaurante Vegetariano
Website | @daterra_vegetariano | Address: Bairro Alto - R. da Rosa 51, 1200-043 Lisboa, Portugal
Check out the write up on their Porto location above.
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails Bar
Website | @zenithlisboa | Address: R. do Telhal 4A, 1150-346 Lisboa, Portugal
Check out the write up on their Porto location above.
Beats & Burritos
Website | @beatsandburritos | Address: Tv. do Cotovelo 4, 8600-558 Lagos, Portugal
This casual Mexi-Cali inspired eatery boasts a menu full of filling and delicious vegan options. The vibe is laid-back surfer. Get the brownie dessert!!
