The best vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon

Mother Burger is a 100% vegan burger place that debuted in Lisbon in late 2019, having made its way through the food courts of Atrium Saldanha or Amoreiras Shopping Center with options like Burger Your Mamma, with crunchy seitan, or Burger Fixe, with crispy vegan fish and tartar sauce. The business grew and in May 2021 they hit the streets and opened a new location at Avenida de Roma, where in addition to hamburgers, nuggets or their famous spicy “cheese” balls, there’s also a new breakfast menu and a small terrace, perfect for a fresh meal and a few cocktails.

This vegan restaurant came to prove that fast food and animals don’t need to co-exist in the same sentence. You can get spicy barbecue wings (made of cauliflower instead of chicken), mac and cheese, a selection of tacos with Mexican tortilla corn chips, and some mean, decadent burgers – as they should be. Wash it all down with a cocktail and indulge in a dessert like the peanut butter tart or the Death by Chocolate cake, with Oreos.

Botanista has a very green ground floor, loaded with plants, and a vegan menu for all hours of the day. There are breakfast options (like French toast with raspberries, €6), as well as lunch and afternoon snacks (from Thursday to Saturday they also serve dinner), all made with fresh products. And, to put the prejudice that vegans don’t drink alcohol to rest, there are several cocktails, from the most classic to some more “avant garden”, botanical sangria and organic wines from small producers.

This is a 100% vegan restaurant, where nothing of animal origin walks through the door - except, well, people, of course. This doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a bifana, with seitan marinated with thyme and mustard, cheddar “cheese” and sautéed mushrooms, in a bolo do caco bread (€12), or just with the marinated seitan in the bolo do caco bread (€5). There is also francesinha, with layers of bread stuffed with homemade seitan (€15) or classic tapas like fried “cuttlefish” with lemon mayonnaise (€4,50) and a board with several vegan-version of old classics. Save space for dessert, created by the founder Catarina Gonçalves, who is the one responsible for some ideas, both good and extremely gluttonous, such as the salted caramel chocolate cake or the creme brûlée.

It is 100% plant-based, that doesn't use animal products ever and always aims to create dishes that are well thought out and inspired by international cuisines, all plated appealingly to be savoured in a somewhat sophisticated atmosphere. Other than the lunch and dinner menu, with options such as breaded cauliflower “thighs” (€5), mushroom risotto with lemon thyme (€9.95) or roasted portobello mushroom (€8.95). There are also “limited edition” dishes of the day (the lunch menu comes with a starter, the dish of the day and drink for €9.50) and signature cocktails, as well as a vegan brunch available from Monday to Sunday, from noon to 7pm (only at the Chiado venue).

At My Mother’s Daughters, a café owned by three daughters and their mother, in Largo de São Sebastião, dishes are free from animal products, they are mostly all organic and enriched with superfoods, and produce minimal waste – there is always a “zero waste” starter on the menu. The rule is: yesterday’s leftovers become today’s starter. There are camera-ready bowls, starters like hummus with vegetable sticks and cashew crackers, and daily specials like mushroom lasagne or pumpkin quiche.