There are so many delicious vegetarian restaurants in Porto, Portugal that it feels like you’ll never have time to visit them all. I was in Porto for just over a week, and although I tried to eat at a vegetarian restaurant at least twice a day (for research, of course!), I still left the city knowing that I’d have to come back to eat some more!
Vegetarian restaurants in Porto are great because they serve a wide range of dishes, ranging from meatless interpretations of traditional Portuguese dishes to international cuisine to homestyle cooking. Personally, I was a huge fan of all the amazing vegetarian brunch options around the city, and I also relished in the opportunity to try plant-based versions of sweet and savory Portuguese favorites.
When I was compiling this list, I did showcase many of my favorite purely vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Porto, but I wanted to also include some restaurants that serve meat too. Although I haven’t eaten any meat in almost twenty years, I know that lots of “omni” restaurants serve delicious meatless dishes (including local Portuguese specialities) and we all know that sometimes you’re traveling with someone and they just want a steak and that’s okay too.
In this guide I will make it clear which Porto restaurants are totally vegetarian or vegan, and which ones just serve great plant-based options alongside other dishes. If I’ve missed your favorite vegetarian-friendly and vegan-friendly restaurant in Porto, scroll down to the comments and let me know!
Do Norto Cafe by The Hungry Biker
Porto has lots of great lunch restaurants, but this one was my favorite! While there isn’t anything vegan on the menu here, there are lots of sweet and savory vegetarian choices (plus meat options) for breakfast and brunch. While I was tempted by their sweet French toast, I opted for their signature “Brunch do Norte” with the smoked salmon happily swapped out for sweet potato by the friendly waitress. You may have to wait a bit for a table, and they don’t take reservations, but it’s worth it!
(This restaurant has a sister cafe on Rua das Flores, but there is nowhere shady to wait at that location. Here, there is a small entry with benches and chairs where you can relax until a table is ready.)
Deli! Deli!
This restaurant had recently opened when I was in Porto, and I was happy to be one of the first travelers to try out their sandwiches, salads and side dishes. Here, I had their vegan roasted mushroom toast with a side of red cabbage slaw. Each component of the dish was perfectly seasoned and cooked, and all they all came together deliciously. For me, this is the perfect light lunch or dinner, and it’s great if you’re traveling with friends who eat meat.
The team at Deli! Deli! Porto also runs El Callejero, a Mexican restaurant with lots of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu as well. Sign me up for one of their roasted vegetable burritos por favor!
Mercado do Bolhao
The Bolhao Market (Mercado do Bolhao) is Porto’s premiere upscale food market. Recently reopened after a major renovation and upgrade, it’s no longer a ramshackle local produce market. Today, Bolhao Market is bright, spacious and well-served by vendors selling Portuguese cuisine, culinary souvenirs, late-afternoon cocktails and more.
Verde Via is the most popular vegan stall in the Mercado de Bolhao. They use organic ingredients to create fresh dishes like salads and onigiri (Japanese stuffed rice balls). I was also very partial to the fresh fruit cups and juices from one of the neighboring stalls, like the dragonfruit, coconut and pineapple juice you can see above. Other vendors also had vegetarian and vegan options, like the tapas restaurants along the edge of the market and the different bakery stalls.
100 Culpa
100 Culpa is a completely vegetarian and vegan restaurant near the Bolhao Market. They’re open for breakfast and lunch, and serve dishes like smoothies, juices, coffees made with plant-based milk, sandwiches and salads. I had their signature salad and was really impressed by the combination of ingredients and flavors – this was no boring green salad! It does take a while to get your food here, but you can see that it’s because they’re preparing everything fresh.
Essencia Vegetarian Restaurant
Essencia flips the script on what it means to be a vegetarian restaurant in Porto: they start with a wide range of vegetarian dishes, and then they “accommodate” meat eaters by adding one or two options for them as well. They typically have vegan options too.
Essencia is an upscale restaurant where quality is more important than quantity, so you’ll probably want to order three courses if you’re expecting a filling lunch or dinner. At lunch, you can probably order from the set menu (check online before your visit) while dinner will be à la carte. I heard good things about their tempeh tikka masala and pistachio-crusted tofu, but what they’re serving during your visit will depend on the season.
Honest Greens
Honest Greens is an emerging chain based out of Spain, with locations in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and now Porto. You can find Honest Greens Porto on the pedestrian shopping street Rua de Santa Catarina, where they have a spacious restaurant with indoor and garden terrace seating.
Honest Greens isn’t 100% vegetarian, but their menu has countless vegetarian and vegan options. I’ve tried lots of their vegetarian salads, but the one shown above is what I had in Porto: a “market plate” with greens, seasonal roasted vegetables, smashed potatoes, herbed tofu and a slice of sourdough bread. They have cocktails, coffee and soft drinks, but I always prefer their “water bar” with unlimited refills of still water, sparking water and seasonal fruit waters (my favorite this summer was the blueberry-thyme).
daTerra
You’ll find daTerra vegan restaurants across Portugal, including in Porto, Lisbon and Faro. While they do sometimes serve from an à la carte menu, the best time to visit at at lunch, when they have an all-you-can-eat vegan lunch buffet. It’s usually a bit cheaper on weekdays than weekends, but you can expect to find similar (not identical!) dishes no matter the day.
As a 100% vegan restaurant in Porto, you can trust that whatever you’re taking from the buffet will be entirely plant-based. This could include soup, many salads, appetizers and hot main dishes. The cauliflower you see on my plate was amazing, and I liked that many of the hot entrees were heavy on the plant-based proteins like tofu and legumes. Drinks and desserts are not included in the buffet, but they usually have an affordable daily fresh juice and homemade iced tea.
The only thing I would mention about daTerra is that many of the dishes on the buffet aren’t labeled, so if you have any allergies it may be difficult to navigate.
Nola Kitchen Porto
Speaking of allergies and food sensitivities, Nola Kitchen is a great option for any gluten-free vegans or vegetarians in Porto. They are a health-focused restaurant with a clearly-labeled menu of what is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian. Expect to find sweet dishes like a vegan acai bowl with homemade gluten-free granola, or a savory green salad with grilled lettuce, vegan labneh, lentils, toasted hazelnuts and zaatar.
Lado B
The tour guide from my Douro Valley wine tour (highly recommended while you’re in Porto!) told me that Lado B has the best francesinha sandwich in Porto. So, when I checked their online menu and found that they had a vegetarian option, I had to check it out.
A francesinha is a sandwich filled with different kinds of meat, and then topped with a fried egg and/or cheese before having a big scoop of hot tomato-beer sauce poured on top. Lado B claims to have the best francesinhna in the world, and they also have this vegetarian option with smoked tofu, soya sausage, vegetable-based sausage, eggplant slices and cheese. It’s not vegan, but it’s a great opportunity for vegetarians to sample a traditional Portuguese favorite.
Vegana by Tentugal
If you’re looking for a completely vegan francesinha in Porto, check out Vegana by Tentugal. Their version of the sandwich is stuffed with five different kinds of vegan meats.
If that seems excessive, they also make other vegan dishes using some of the same ingredients, so you can try some of the flavors without overindulging. Or, you could just have their signature vegan salad!
Tomas Coffee & Brunch
If you’re looking for a down-home brunch restaurant with dishes that feel like they were made in your own kitchen, you will like Tomas Coffee & Brunch. This small restaurant serves brunch plates, like the vegetarian brunch option shown above, as well as smaller vegetarian and vegan brunch options like oatmeal made with soy milk and peanut butter toasts. It’s nothing fancy but it does have that homey vibe that you can miss when you’ve been abroad for a long time.
Although they can’t seat groups larger than four, they do have options with meat as well so feel free to come with your friends or partner who wants some breakfast sausage.
Root & Vine
If you like paying a lot of money for small portions of food, you’ll really like Root & Vine, a 100% vegetarian restaurant in Porto, located on the rooftop of the World of Wine (WoW) complex. I paid €17 for the dish you see above: a “trio of bao” featuring one with pickled vegetables, one with mushrooms and one with crispy tofu. To be fair, there aren’t many vegan options in Vila Nova de Gaia (the other side of the river from Porto) but this place just wasn’t great value for the money.
Sofia Entre Amigos
In retrospect, a better option in Vila Nova de Gaia probably would have been Sofia Entre Amigos. This breakfast, brunch and lunch cafe does serve meat, but it also has a variety of vegetarian dishes on the menu, including scrambled eggs with toast, yogurt and granola bowls, and toast with mushrooms or olive tapenade. More importantly, it gets rave reviews from other diners for the friendly service and the quality of the homemade food. Next time I’m in Vila Nova de Gaia I will definitely eat here instead!
Lavoratta Gelato
It’s not difficult to find a vegetarian-friendly gelato shop in Porto (or anywhere else), but I wanted to add Lavoratta to this list because the ice cream was really good. Situated on Rua de Santa Catarina (that pedestrian shopping street I mentioned above) they have lots of flavors of gelato as well as some light meals, including at least one vegan sandwich.
Pastelaria Tupi
If you’re looking for a vegan pastel de nata in Porto, check out Pastelaria Tupi near the Bolhao Market. While they aren’t a fully vegan bakery, they are super vegan-aware and will happily show you which of their sweet and savory pastries are plant-based, as well as offer you a vegan milk alternative with your coffee.
I’ve also got a ten-day Portugal itinerary that you can follow by bus or train (no rental car required!) and a new curated list of the top ten excursions and tours I went on during my two months in Portugal.
As I mentioned above, my Douro Valley wine tour was a highlight of my time in Porto, as was my day trip to nearby Guimaraes. Don’t miss either during your stay!
I’m on Team “Wine is Vegetarian”, so I’ve also got a new guide to port wine tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia (just across the river from Porto’s historic center).
Traveling to Lisbon as well? I also have a guide to 20+ of the best vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon!
Planning a trip to Porto? Pin this post for later!
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