my love affair with veg-friendly lisbon

If you talk to any seasoned traveller, chances are that they’ve curated a unique list of favourite countries they’ve visited.

Portugal is near the top of most of these lists.  The under-rated gem of Europe.  Its famous neighbour, Spain, stealing the limelight.

Portugal seemed a little more uncharted; a bit off the beaten path of ‘traditional’ Euro travellers.  More budget-friendly.  We thought we’d give it a shot.  With about a week to spare, why not add another country to the mix, right?

Best. Decision. Ever.

Ok, first off: Lisbon is very vegetarian-friendly √

You’ll almost always find a clearly-market ‘vegetarian’ item on the menu.

My power to veganize anything is on-point,  so I wasn’t worried.  Also, Happy Cow Guide is filled with resources to help you out in Lisbon.

On our way to Castelo de São Jorge, we stopped into one of the many Middle Eastern/Indian restaurants and grabbed some delicious falafel wraps (if you’re into falafel and curries, you will have no problem finding veg eats here!)

I guess all the beauty mesmerized me, because I can’t even remember what I ate that day.

I remember pints of craft brew at Duque Brewpub.  Oh, the many pints.

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Didn’t let my morning-after fuzzy head get in the way of my Veg search.

After a quick coffee, toast + jam at our hostel, we were off to Time Out Market for some brunch.

Loved the walkability of Lisbon.  But, one word that pops into my head first to describe the city… hills.
It’s definitely one of those places where shoe comfort rules over cuteness (how slippery are those cobblestones, though?).  Forget the strappy sandles and wear your damn trainers!

Despite my (slight) hangover….Craft brews on tap?  I’m in.

They have a sweet Thai/Southeast Asian stall in the market (which was unable to serve us at the time because their register was down).  Other than that, the market was a little meat/dairy-heavy.  I did find this vegetable noodle bowl at one of the chicken stalls…

Not gonna lie.  At this point of the trip, I was getting super bummed that I wasn’t able to partake in the gloriousness that culture is made of… FOOD.  How was I supposed to grasp Portugese culture while spooning international dishes into my mouth?… (spoiler alert: my frustration faded away in Porto, where I indulged in Portugal’s epic national sandwich… the Francesinha) 

Just when I thought that my glimpse into Portuguese foodie culture was out the window…

HALLELUJAH!  One of the most popular beers and largest breweries in Portugal, Unicer Brewery (Super Bock), is 100% VEGAN, do not use any animal products while processing/brewing, and have also cut all sponsorship to bullfighting events!

Saúde!!! *subside hangry* 

As you probably know already, my sweet tooth is pretty much non-existent.  However, the heat drove us to seek refuge in Gelato Davvero for some sorbetti.

Peach + watermelon + pineapple sorbetti were so fresh, creamy, the perfect sweetness.

Later in the eve, the super friendly staff at Alface Bairro Alto Hostel reccommended we check out By The Wine for a romantic, ambient late-afternoon drink+snack.

Don’t let the hanging pig appendages scare you away from enjoying a glass of crisp, chilled vinho verde under the warmly-lit, bottle-lined arched ceiling. (It’s still so interesting to me how disconnected we are from our animal ‘food’ in Canada.  Seeing any sort of leg/shoulder/torso hanging from the wall would cause the vast majority of people in Canada to lose their appetite.  In Europe, you truly meet your meat – at the market, or in the restaurant before you order).

PS. If you haven’t tried ‘green wine’ (vinho verde) yet… you’re not living.

The olives, crispy flatbread and oil dips were so delish.  (The ‘free’ appies they bring out – you will have to pay for, if you touch.  You’ll start to totally miss those free Spanish tapas…)

I was so lost in the beauty while wandering romantic Bairro Alto that I almost forgot about dinner.

Not.

Stopped for (another) vegetarian noodle dish on one of the side streets.  And of course, a bottle of delicious Portuguese red (Portuguese wines are so underrated!)

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Our last day in Lisbon was spent day-tripping to the stunning city of Sintra (blogpost to come!)

Arriving back in Lisbon at dusk was something magical I will never forget.

Watching the sun set over Bairro Alto was breathtaking.  The warm pink, purple, golden hues cast on the city below, on the Castelo de São Jorge above, and the Rio Tejo afar.

Was literally brought to tears by an old man strumming his guitar, singing sweet, soothing tales of love.

Sharing (a couple more bottles of) wine,  I capped off the night with a damn good veggie burger, jazzy tunes in a lively bar, and a fresh yet deep love affair with Lisbon.

♥

Next stop: the seaside surf town of Nazaré, Portugal.