@david2019 True… I don’t think “health” and “francesinha” even belong in the same sentence!
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Well, francesinha is such a heavy meal that you can skip every other meal for a whole week. Might actually be great for dieting 
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Impressionante!
Quando trazes alguns aqui ao nosso escritório? 
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I’m interested to follow this conversation… we’re vegan and although we have had the classic ‘what about ham, is ham OK?’ when asking for a vegan dish (!!!) we have generally had really positive experiences. Even in the tiniest bar in a rural village they laid on amazing vegan food for us … of course, we asked nicely in our best Portuguese 
I’m intrigued though to hear about this new law. I shall be looking out for that more when we’re next in Portugal… I know that in the last few years the amount of vegan/veggie options in the supermarkets even, has grown hugely!
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Good to hear! It’s nice to get a post from other vegans! I am really amused about the “ham” question! 
I had never before heard that! That’s wonderful that even in a rural village they had an understanding of a vegan meal. Hopefully, the new law will stay in effect, even though the law also provides that cafeterias can cease offering vegan options if too few people ask for them. It’s hard for me to understand that a restaurant would lose money by having just one vegan option always available, even if it’s just a meal of potatoes, steamed vegetables and beans–nicely presented. These are food items that any restaurant, even non-vegan ones, would have available. But, this is a compassionate step forward and progress for Portugal, and vegans definitely should be happy!
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I could be wrong but I think that law only applies to public institutions such as hospitals, schools, etc.
Having said that, I’ve read a number of times that Lisbon is rapidly becoming one of the most vegan friendly cities in Europe.
I guess I’ll find out in a few weeks when I land. 
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Let us know how you make out since I think quite a few members will be curious what you can find, even those that aren’t necessarily vegans… there are bound to be lots of vegetarians or at least vegi lovers and health nerds lurking amongst our members.
Portuguese food can be heavy, carby and with the vegetables being an afterthought… so it’s good to be able to find some fresh plant-based alternatives once in a while, (speaking for myself, at least 
)
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I certainly will, Joel.
We’re in Lisboa/Sintra for 8 days then heading to Porto for 5 more so it’ll be interesting to compare the two regions.
I found this link which might be useful to any vegan travellers.
I haven’t had a chance to look through it in any detail but looks like a pretty useful guide.
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Hi, @chris,
I think you are right! The article in the link below says it applies to “state-owned” facilities, only!
Somehow, that escaped my notice earlier. Well, it’s still good!
Thanks for pointing this out.
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I didn’t know about this new law. Very inclusive, nice! I’m not vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian, but I think people (and businesses) in Portugal are much more aware of what that means nowadays, compared to a few years ago, which is great for everyone, vegans/veggies or not.
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I’ve been living here for almost 4 years now (just out side of Lisbon for 3 and a half and now a bit north of Sintra) and food is probably one of the things I struggle the most with. While there are some amazingly delicious things to be found, I personally find the standard fare to be a bit boring and bland which isn’t helped by the fact that most places seem to all serve the same basic selection. Obviously not quiet as big of an issue when in Lisbon as there are quiet a few more options.
While not a vegetarian I’m often disappointed by the poor selection of vegetables both at restaurants and the markets.That said there are definitely starting to be more choices and more vegetarian restaurants even out in the country side
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Bem-vindo, @campbell.nate! Interesting to hear your observation regarding the relative paucity of vegetables in both the restaurants and markets. Maybe these venues are having to first conduct “sensitivity training” so that staff know how to relate to vegetables politely! 
The last time we were in Lisbon was in 2009, and we will be visiting Lisbon again in December of this year, so I will be sure to see what I notice in relation to this!
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Sad to say, but I have yet not experienced the good Portuguese cuisine. I live half the year 2 km east of Olhão close to the admin center of Ria Formosa. You can by amazing food at the market halls. All that seafood, fresh vegetables and herbs. Farmers market in Olhāo every Saturday is amazing. Esspecially for a vegetarian like me. But I see nothing of all this at the restaurants. The food is absolutely tasteless, not even salt seem to be used. I see nothing of all those wonderful vegetables the farmers grow. Like all the varieties of beans and beetroots. And not to forget garlic. I am a vegetarian, but that kind of food is none existing at the restaurants, so I have to eat some fish. I am not into the sweet stuff, I don’t like the sweet taste. Lots of peoples seem to think vegetarian food is just a salad. But no, we do need proper hot dinner meals with enough proteins. Well, I pick lots of wonderful herbs while hiking, also fungus like meadow champignons. And I buy amazing vegetables and cheese at the market so I make my own good food. But it wood be so nice to go out now and then and really eat a delicious vegetarian meal. And some tasty food with spices and herbs. All the possibilities are there! I’m saved by an Indian restaurant, they have a great tradition for vegetarian meals. And also a Mexican restaurant, beans instead of meat. Spicy, lovely hot stuff. Portugal, you have a long way to go…
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Bem-vinda, @solvor! It is quite puzzling that you can find “amazing” vegetables and herbs at the markets, and yet the restaurants don’t make them available in their dishes! I wonder why this is? As a side note, I, also, consider salt to be “essential” to taste, and when I was in Lisbon in 2009, I specifically remember having to ask for some, as they did not have it on any of the tables! 
Back then, we did find a very good vegan restaurant in Porto called “Berinjela,” which, since then, has gone out of business. It was run by two very charming sisters from Angola. Vegetarian food is incredibly varied and wonderful–far beyond just a salad! And yes, vegan desserts are extremely hard-to-find! Most people have no idea how many foods make up a vegetarian diet! Even where I live, we rarely go out to a restaurant, because I can make far better vegan dishes, for much less money, than going to a restaurant. And, when we travel, Mexican, Indian, Italian and Chinese restaurants are often the safest places to go for a vegan option, if one is careful. Good luck to you, in your vegetarian quest!
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Thanks for good luck wishes. 
All you say is so true. Strangely enough. Lisbon is a capitol so the lack of vegan dishes there is weird. Olhão is just a fisherman city with not so much impact of tourism. But still, with all those amazing options of vegetables the grow there… Well, I guess they grow them to eat…
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Não li todas as respostas deste thread mas se alguém está a procurar por um lugar vegano, recomendaria um pequenito café que se chama Moko na rua do Forno do Tijolo, no Bairro das Colónias, perto da estação dos Anjos (linha verde). Não sou vegetariano (e ainda menos vegano), mas a comida neste café - uma fusão brasilo-luso-taiwanesa (sic!)- é realmente única e deliciosa (e talvez saudável também 
). Por exemplo há coxinha vegana com jacá, galão com açafrão da Índia, dumplings taiwaneses ou croissants rosas com beterraba. Nhhhhhommm
(Desculpe se fiz publicidade, não foi a minha intenção haha)
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Olá, @hergeberge! Muito obrigado por esta mensagem! O restaurante Moko parece muito interessante, e, se possível, eu vou experimentar a comida lá quando eu visitar Lisboa em dezembro!
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Ola! I’ve been to Lagos a couple of times over the last few weeks and found a number of vegan/vegetarian options at cafes and restaurants, including yummy vegan cakes. Was so pleased 
Happy to share recommendations though I’m told a number of them are listed on Happy Cow!
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So I’m back from our travels in Portugal (and Italy) and I can say, after two weeks in Lisbon, Sintra and Porto, we’ve fallen in love with the place and will be back very soon. Hopefully within the next 12 months.
As far as eating vegan goes, however, it was nigh impossible for me, travelling with meat eaters. It might have been a little easier if I was travelling alone or with other vegans but on this trip, I had to compromise and include dairy / eggs in my choices. If I hadn’t, I would have starved - no question. That being said, I survived without eating meat or fish (although this was still a challenge when you’re eating out all the time) and still managed to enjoy some of the local cuisine. However, pizza and pasta featured fairly heavily on my diet so I’ve got some work to do drop the excess baggage I seemed to have picked up as a result.
One place in Porto had vegetarian Francesinha on the menu - a local dish normally made with layers of different meats and sausages - but in this case it was made with layers of vegetables. Still covered in cheese but probably the most delicious thing I ate the whole trip.
Summary is: if you’re vegetarian, your choices will be limited but you’ll be fine. If you’re vegan and travelling with non-vegan family/friends - be prepared to compromise or bring a packed lunch!
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Here’s another query - what about Gluten Free? My daughter will be traveling to Porto with us and she has Celiac, so needs to avoid gluten. Suggestions for how to handle this?
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