No Meat Needed

It’s hard to argue against eating less or even no meat these days, climate change seemingly the obvious and most pressing matter. (The meat and dairy industries being major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution.) Nonetheless, areas like your health and animal welfare are also well worth considering before putting meat on your fork. But despite an array of delicious options, some people still insist that a meal without meat is missing something or is not suitable for special occasions — the excuses are many. But these restaurants are here to prove them very wrong. Join us on a visit to some of the most interesting and exciting restaurants in Porto and Lisbon — a part of a growing array of restaurants in Portugal that do not serve meat.

The opulent pescatarian: Nunes Real Marisqueira

When it comes to eating the amazing fish and seafood of the Atlantic, Portugal is one of the absolute best places for it, and a growing focus on local and sustainable fishing is gaining (sea)terrain. But you don’t have to be a pescatarian to be impressed by the grandiose feast that awaits you at Nunes Real Marisqueira. Entering this seafood restaurant is like diving into a Great Gatsby movie set under the sea. As one of the best and most luxurious places to have fish and seafood in Portugal, this is definitely a place for that special night out — and you might even spot a celebrity or two at the next table. From the open kitchen to the bar, terrace or private dining room, you will find a spot for all occasions.

The restaurant relies on its year-long relationship with its suppliers. As the owners, Miguel and Vanda Nunes, explain: “We only serve what the sea is able to give and only if it’s good. There is always an enormous respect for the sea, for the sustainability of the oceans and for everything it gives us. And for each preparation, we select the best technique: oven-roasted, steamed, charcoal, deep-fried, stir-fried, brine, or simply raw.”

The restaurant was founded in Belém, Lisbon, by the Nunes family more than 20 years ago, and moved to the new, colourful, art deco locales nearby in 2023. From its humble beginnings, the marisqueira has kept the reputation of serving the most exquisite, freshest Portuguese seafood, daily handpicked from nearby waters. The end result is both classic dishes like bisques, soups and rice and contemporary twists like the Blue Lobster Hot Dog.

This evening, a feast of oysters and sea urchins with caviar and small peas, sashimi toro and shrimps from the Algarve, followed by À Bulhão Pato-clams and a Basque lobster dish gracefully parades across the white tablecloth, accompanied by wines carefully selected by the sommelier. It is indeed a dinner that reflects taste, quality and sophistication.

nunesmarisqueira.pt

The refined (semi) vegetarian: tia tia

Owned by two creative minds, the artful background of both chef Tiago Feio and front of house Cátia Roldão flows seamlessly onto the vintage plates at this little gem in the heart of Porto. Opened in late 2021, tia tia was one of the first to promote natural wines in Porto, now an unmissable trend in most major cities. In this welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, art is displayed on the walls and guests are encouraged to choose what music they would like to listen to from the 500-piece vinyl record collection. It almost feels like visiting your creative friends’ cool minimalist flat — if those friends just happen to have an exquisite wine selection, private chef and garden patio.

Sourcing their produce from the local Bolhão Market, the contemporary and seasonal Portuguese menu is vegetarian with an addition of two fish options. Dishes are ideal for sharing and the menu changes daily. I often judge a restaurant by their bread/butter/oil combo, entering the table before the fun begins, and this sourdough bread perfectly soaks up all the drops of golden olive oil from the leaf-shaped bowl in front of us. The flavour is delightful and sets the tone for what is to come: The colourful and pretty dishes that land on the table are as tasty and light as the visual pleasure derived from them.

We feast on a symphony of carrot, pear, hibiscus and granola, dive into a construction of mushrooms, hokkaido and shoyozuke yolk and savour the softest small pieces of the catch of the day with cashew and sage. The vegetables definitely take center stage and at no point am I missing meat. On the contrary, I am in awe of just how delicious and tasteful vegetables can be. Small bites of crunchy and soft, sour and salty, it all comes together and ends in the sweet finale: fermented banana with San Jorge cheese. Even the most stubborn insisters of “a good meal needs meat” will lose their case here.

instagram.com/tiatia.porto

The vegan extraordinaire: O Gambuzino

Meaning ‘the little skunk’, O Gambuzino in central Lisbon has become the vegan talk of the town. Being 100% plant-based, this place is all about the potential of plants and a respectful attitude towards animals, our bodies and the environment. Sustainable and harm-free, sourcing locally and rescued produce, this place aims to leave a carbon footprint as tiny as possible.

Believing in ‘more taste and less waste’, at O Gambuzino everything is made in-house, including pickles, preserves, dips, marinades and ferments. In the open kitchen, the laser-focused chefs blend traditional and contemporary techniques next to a small bar serving up lovely cocktails and mocktails. In this friendly, relaxed atmosphere, jars of fermenting veggies and hip copper cups find their place with the colourful interior.

Head chef Vasco Snelling and partner Monica Snelling opened the restaurant in 2018 after craving access to unique vegetarian and vegan food at an affordable price, which they struggled to find in Lisbon. After the success of O Gambuzino, they added the new place ‘Burger Clube’ with entirely plant-based, homemade burgers in 2024.

We try the new 12-course tasting menu, which is heavily influenced by fermentation and lets you try some vegan classics and non-classics in an inventive way (at a very fair price of 35 euros). The question with vegan food is always: Are we going to make it look like fish and meat, or just let it look like what it is? O Gambuzino does both, and the small dishes are both very creatively done and with great variation. It starts with fun and spicy finger food and gets more refined as we go. But this is not just about getting your five greens a day. I feel exposed to a different spectrum of flavours than usual, which is refreshing. Even the accompanying mocktails, Thirsty Mule and the Hibiscus Fizz with its rose water, hits different. Some dishes stand out, like the oyster mushroom “taco”, the fermented gazpacho with little bread and veggie bowls, the broad bean falafels with apricot and sesame conserve and the soy croquettes with tomato foam. The white bean tempeh hugs all the flavours, sweet, umami, salty, sour. I walk away very full and intrigued that it is possible to make a tasting menu like that only using plants. Restaurants like these are challenging the old ways in the most thoughtful and caring way: vegan is so much more than soy and beans, it’s the future.

ogambuzino.com

Karina Janø has been working in journalism, photography, and communication since earning her master's degree in Visual Culture and Cultural Journalism in 2012. Now a full-time freelancer, she writes and photographs for some of the biggest publications in Denmark and for some in the UK and Portugal. Topics of interest are mainly food, culture, and travel.  https://www.instagram.com/words_and_visuals_/

Karina Janø