IN LOVE WITH LISBON

If you’re a strict vegetarian or vegan you might find that Lisbon is not one of the easiest places to eat out. Most menu’s are full of the nations favourites which means lots of fish and meat. However, over the past few years, several establishments have opened which means you’ll far from starve.

As my travelling companion was vegan I made a list of places we could potentially go for food, one of which was MegaVega.

Finding it was the first hurdle, tucked away of Rua dos Sapateiros we managed to walk past it twice before finally the wind blew in the right direct and we smelt food.

Inside the decor is quite sparse - minimalist I guess would be the best term to use. There’s bright pictures of healthy food and a variety of menu’s over the main counter. Everywhere is extremely clean. At first glance I wasn’t too sure how it all worked but it turned out that there are a variety of set options at a range of prices. The food is laid out under glass right along the counter like a buffet.

The next main hurdle was figuring out what was vegan and what was vegetarian. Note that it isn’t strictly veggie so make sure you have learned the words and phrases you might need to determine whether what catches your eye is suitable for your diet. I’m planning a future post on this. My sense was that although vegan food was served, veganism is an extremely new concept.

As we were ravenous from our Lisbon wanderings we plumped for the 8.50 euros menu which included a main, 3 vegetable or salad servings, a desert and a huge glass of fresh juice. I’m a bit of a salad girl myself but there was both hot and cold dishes available.

The food was delicious. I chose a wrap that contained a gorgeous rice and vegetable centre plus 3 salads. One general green salad, a bean salad and a red salad similar to colslew with beetroot, red cabbage and seeds. It was all tasty, satisfying and obviously made fresh that morning. Desert was a tempting sweet mango compote. I believe there may have been a hint of peach and apple in there too and it was decorated with cinnomon stick. The juice was carrot and apple - not one of my favourites but again very fresh and using good quality ingredients.

The food was certainly excellent and good value as the portions were generous. We had to walk a good few hours after that before we needed to even think about supper. Personally I felt the only thing lacking was atmosphere. It feels quite austere with it’s bright lime green walls and light wood furniture. I tend to prefer a cosier environment where I can relax and watch the world go by.

All in all however, if you are looking for a good vegetarian place to eat in Lisbon I would definately recommend this as a quick lunchtime stop.

Address
Rua dos Sapateiros, 113, Baixa/Downtown, Phone: 21 346 8063
Opening Hours
Mon - Fri 8.30-23.00; Sat 10.00-23.00. Closed on Sundays.

There’s a review (in Portuguese) here - click on ‘ver fotos’ to see pictures from inside MegaVega and a selection of foods they serve.

Azulejos by Jumento on Flickr

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