Plant-Based Eating in Lisbon

Sharon Palmer shares her favored plant-based travel tips for eating in Lisbon.

I just came back from an amazing trip to Lisbon, Portugal—a cool, hip city with a unique historical, cultural thread that runs through it. Lisbon has been turning up on the “hot travel” list lately, and rightly so. There is much to see in this beautiful city on a hill looking over the water, with its ancient roots that date back to the Bronze Age, and then as an Arab province, Roman territory, and finally as Portuguese. This is the country that launched a discovery of the New World, bringing back influences from the Americas to further meld into its rich culture.

Four Seasons, Lisbon Breakfast

I stayed at the Four Seasons in Lisbon, which is conveniently located in proximity of some of the best city sights. The breakfasts were impeccable here, and each morning I started off with a fruit bowl, seeds, and nuts.

Four Seasons, Lisbon, Tofu Salad

My plant-powered lunches at Four Seasons were equally delightful, such as this creative tofu, green been, eggplant tomato salad!

Tile, Tile Everywhere!

It’s all about tile in Lisbon! The people of this fair city seemed to have covered anything that didn’t move with elaborately painted tiles: walls, edifices, sidewalks, interiors—you name it! These decorative tiles (azulejos) started coming to Portugal in the 15^th century. Now there is a big movement to restore and honor them.

Tile Sidewalks in Lisbon

I’ve never seen a whole city with tile sidewalks! Beware, it’s hard to walk on heels and they get slippery when it rains. But they are gorgeous.

Wine Street Carts

Let me tell you: It’s all about wine in Lisbon. Portugal is home to the oldest wine region in the world. So wine is like a national thing. I just love these cute little wine street carts I saw around the city. Just walk up and order a glass of wine along a pretty spot.

Monument of the Discoveries

In the Belem area of Lisbon you will find this stunning, gigantic, soaring monument along the river which commemorates the Portuguese Age of Exploration during the 15^th and 16^th centuries.

Seaweed Crisps with Algae, Alma, Lisbon

We enjoyed a stellar meal at Alma, one of the city’s finest among a plethora of outstanding, award-winning restaurants. The restaurant had a vegan tasting menu! And look at how creative—all about local foods.

Asparagus, Tomato Puree, and Olive Oil Pearls, Alma, Lisbon

Need I say more?

Wine, Alma, Lisbon

I drank local wines the whole time I was in Lisbon, such as this one recommended by our sommelier. The wines were so good! Nice, balanced, elegant, and economical. I especially love the whites, which are crisp and delightful. Douro is a famous wine-making region in Portugal.

Alma, Lisbon

More glimpses from my vegan tasting menu at Alma—a veritable painter’s palate of dips, and tastes.

Roasted Carrot Risotto, Alma, Lisbon

So beautiful and satisfying, with even the carrot leaves!

Tomato Pasta, Olivier, Lisbon

We enjoyed an amazing meal at Chef Olivier’s restaurant. He stopped by to talk to us, and shared a plate of one of his favorite memories of his mom’s food—a simple pasta with a hand-made tomato sauce.

Chef Olivier, Lisbon

Chef Oliver offered us a taste of his favorite port, too.

Pena Palace, Sintra, Portugal

If you have time for one little side visit in Lisbon, check out Sintra, a charming hilltop town which sports plenty of charming castles, such as this one. Such a fanciful architecture, built right into the hills.

Quinta De Santana Winery, Portugal

We also got to visit this amazing family-owned winery with my group (I was in Lisbon for a nutrition conference).

Quinta De Santana Winery

What a gorgeous spot, about 30 minutes from Lisbon. The winery is set in the countryside on an historic family-run wine estate.

Making Bread, Quinta De Santana Winery

While at the winery, we took a bread-making workshop with our group.

Quinta De Santana Winery

So lovely, and the wines were fabulous, too!

Tibornia, Quinta De Santana Winery

We ate a wonderful dinner at the winery, with this traditional dish as a starter: wood oven baked bread with garlic and lots of olive oil…do I have to say more? I want to try making this dish at home.

Traditional Potato Dish, Quinta De Santana Winery

We ate some traditional recipes at the winery, including this sort of scalloped potato dish with herbs. It was very decadent and yummy.

Cocktails Bistro 100

The night scene is fun in Lisbon, with tiny wine bars and bars lining the streets and alleys in areas like the Bairro Alto neighborhood. We stopped in here and it was like being in Brooklyn, with hipsters whipping up funky cocktails, like my Hulk Cocktail, which was green with cucumber, basil, and lime.

Largo

We enjoyed a wonderful meal at this cool restaurant, too. What do you see at the end of the restaurant? That’s a mouth mural forming the opening of the door.

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Ginger Soup, Princesa do Castelo, Lisbon

I got to check out one vegan restaurant in Lisbon, and this was incredible! Very eclectic, flavorful menu offerings, such as this hearty sweet potato soup.

Bean Vegetable Salad, Princesa do Castelo, Lisbon

Just look at this lovely salad with beans, corn, tomatoes and more.

Tofu with Carmelized Fennel, Greens, and Sweet Potatoes, Princesa do Castelo, Lisbon

We also tried this amazing dish which was divine!

Princesa do Castelo, Lisbon

The creative vegan menu changes often.

Bairro Do Avillez Pateo

This was another local hot spot we tried. They had a few great plant-based options on the menu.

Curried Vegetables with Rice, Bairro Do Avillez

I just loved my entrée at this fun restaurant—it was served in rustic enamelware and copper pots.

In the end, it was an amazing trip to Lisbon. My best advice: Get out there and walk the tile sidewalks, drink plenty of local wine (especially the “green” wine and whites), visit the Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, Bairro Alto, Belem areas; pop your head into some pretty churches, take the red trolly to see the Castelo de Sao Jorge on the hill, and enjoy plenty of plant-based local dishes.

For other plant-based eating guides, check out: 

Plant-Based Eating in Sicily
Plant-Based Eating in Thailand
Plant-Based Guide to Morocco