Vegetarian and vegan Lisbon food walks

Which Lisbon food tour is best for vegetarians?

The vegan walk from Largo de Camões, because every tasting is plant-based. Among the classic walks, the Baixa walk has a vegetarian menu with fewer tastings, and you need to tell the operator when you book.

Classic food walks are built around the dishes Lisbon is proud of: codfish cakes, the bifana, Iberian ham, chouriço and seafood. A vegetarian guest on those walks gets substitutes at some stops, so fewer and simpler tastes than the rest of the group. The Vegan Food and Culture Walk (4.8 from 32 reviews) avoids that problem completely. The table shows what each walk says in its listing.

Is there a vegan food tour in Lisbon?

Yes. The Vegan Food and Culture Walk starts on Largo de Camões in Chiado and lasts 3 hours, with a vegan pastel de nata, a plant-based bite at Organi, a vegan bacalhau com natas or francesinha, and ginjinha.

The walk starts in the square around the statue of the poet Camões, then moves through Chiado, with a stop at the Bertrand bookshop, open since 1732, which Guinness lists as the world's oldest operating bookshop. The guide mixes food with stories about writers, cafés and the city's history. The route is planned mostly downhill, which helps on Lisbon's slopes.

The vegan walk has 32 reviews so far, rated 4.8; reviewers praise the guide and the food. It is the only walk on this site where you never need to ask what is in a dish. Transport is not included, and the listing excludes non-vegan food, so it is not the walk for a mixed group that wants the classic bifana.

A 3-hour plant-based walk from Largo de Camões through Chiado and the old town: a vegan pastel de nata, Organi, a vegan bacalhau com natas or francesinha, ginjinha and the Bertrand bookshop. Rated 4.8 from 32 reviews.

★ 4.8 (32) · 3 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the vegan food walk →

Can celiacs do a food tour in Lisbon?

Only with care. Bread, battered fritters and pastry appear at most stops, and the Baixa walk states it cannot cater for celiacs. Always tell the operator before you book and ask what they can change.

• Baixa Food Walk: the listings say it cannot accommodate celiac disease or vegans, and ask you to tell them about any restriction in advance.
• Lisbon Foodie Walk: the 4-hour foodie walk (4.9 from 55 reviews) says dietary restrictions can be accommodated; confirm the details with the operator before you pay.
• Small-Group Walk with a Meal: substitutions beyond the advertised menu are not guaranteed, so ask first.
• Morning walk: pastries, a bifana in a roll and a tasca lunch make it hard for celiacs without changes.
• What to expect anywhere: codfish cakes and pataniscas are fried in batter, the bifana comes in a roll, and the couvert is bread.

Cheese, olives, tremoços, cured ham, grilled fish and wine are usually safe choices, but kitchens are small and share fryers, so ask each time. Learn the phrase "sem glúten" (without gluten) and "sou celíaco" or "sou celíaca" (I am celiac).

Which petiscos are vegetarian in Lisbon?

Peixinhos da horta, cheese, olives, tremoços, roasted peppers and bread are vegetarian. Caldo verde is often served with slices of chouriço on top, so ask.

• Peixinhos da horta: green beans fried in batter. The name means little fish from the garden, but there is no fish in them.
• Queijo: sheep and goat cheeses, often with quince paste or honey. Some traditional cheeses use animal rennet, so strict vegetarians may want to ask.
• Tremoços and olives: brined lupin beans and marinated olives, the classic snacks with a beer.
• Roasted peppers and salads: often dressed with olive oil and garlic.
• Caldo verde: potato and kale soup, frequently served with slices of chouriço. Ask for it without.
• Watch out for: pastéis de bacalhau and pataniscas (salt cod), pica-pau (meat), and anything described as "à Bulhão Pato" (clams).

A vegetarian meal from petiscos alone is easy to put together in any tasca. Order three or four of these with bread and a glass of wine, and you will eat the way people in Lisbon snack after work.

Does the Baixa food walk work for vegetarians?

Yes, with fewer tastings. The operator offers a vegetarian menu at every stop, but it has fewer tastes than the regular one; vegans are not catered for.

The Baixa food walk (4.9 from 2,193 reviews, the most booked on this site) normally includes 8 tastings and 4 drinks across taverns, family-run restaurants and street-food counters. With pre-booked tables, the kitchens know your needs in advance, so tell them when you book and again when you meet the guide. The route is flat and accessible, which makes it a relaxed evening whatever you eat.

The morning food walk (4.9 from 1,013 reviews) is harder for vegetarians as listed, with Iberian ham at the grocery and a bifana bar. If you want it, contact the operator before booking and ask what they replace.

Is there a vegan pastel de nata in Lisbon?

Yes. The classic pastel de nata uses egg yolks, milk and a butter pastry, but some Lisbon pastry shops now bake a vegan version, and the vegan walk starts with one.

The first stop on the vegan walk is a local pastry shop near Largo de Camões for a warm vegan pastel de nata, with cinnamon if you like. It keeps the crisp layered pastry and the creamy filling, made without eggs or dairy.

If you eat dairy and eggs, a classic tart is part of almost every food walk, and the three famous addresses are in where and when to eat in Lisbon. Vegetarians who want a longer meal can ask about the small-group walk with a full meal (4.9 from 224 reviews), though its menu centres on codfish cakes, Iberian ham and chouriço, and substitutions are not guaranteed.

A full meal on foot for up to 10 guests: 4 starters, 2 mains, a dessert and 4 drinks with a Lisbon-born guide. Ask about vegetarian changes when you book. Rated 4.9 from 224 reviews.

★ 4.9 (224) · 3 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the small-group walk with a full meal →

Can you join a Lisbon food walk without drinking alcohol?

Yes. Most walks offer soft drinks or other drinks without alcohol instead of wine, beer and ginjinha. The legal age for any alcohol in Portugal is 18.

The Baixa walk says options without alcohol are available at every stop, and the small-group walk with a meal offers soft drinks for children and non-drinkers. Tell the guide at the start, so each stop can have something ready. Bring a bottle of water too, as not every stop serves it.

One product suits non-drinkers poorly: the wine and petiscos tasting (4.8 from 140 reviews) is a seated tasting of five Portuguese wines with cheeses, Iberian sausages and long-cured ham. A vegetarian would eat only the cheeses and jams there, and the wine is the point of it. More on Lisbon's drinks is in the ginjinha and drinks guide.

How do you order vegetarian food in a Lisbon tasca?

Say "sou vegetariano" (or "vegetariana") and ask "tem carne ou peixe?" (does it have meat or fish?). Waiters are used to the question, and many petiscos are vegetarian already.

Ask about the soup, because a vegetable soup can be made with meat stock, and about the caldo verde and its chouriço. Grilled vegetables, omelettes, cheese and salads are often available even when the menu does not list them, so it is worth asking what the kitchen can make. Point at what you see on the counter if words fail.

The bread, olives and butter that arrive before you order are the couvert: they are charged only if you eat them, and you can send them back. How the couvert and the tasca menu work is explained in the petiscos guide, and every walk is compared in Lisbon food tours compared.

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