Ao 26: Vegan restaurant in the center of Lisbon

Last updated: 12/14/2022

Discover the vegan restaurant Ao 26 Vegan Food Project, an incredible combination of healthy and tasty food in the center of Lisbon, Portugal.

THE VEGAN RESTAURANT AT 26

Ao 26 Vegan Food Project is a vegan restaurant located in the Chiado district of Lisbon. At the head of the restaurant is Catarina Gonçalves, a vegetarian engineer who had already opened another vegetarian restaurant in the past.

Ao 26: Vegan restaurant in the center of Lisbon — Restaurant hall with the kitchen in the background | Photo: publicity

With a menu completely free of ingredients from animal products, Ao 26 reinterprets several Portuguese and international dishes in an innovative, colorful and tasty way, with interesting options for lunch, dinner, appetizers and snacks. There is even a complete lunch menu with soup and dish of the day, as well as hamburgers, fries, vegetable cheese toasties, bowls, seitan steaks, as well as delicious desserts including cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, brownies and mousses. There are also fresh organic fruit juices.

OUR EXPERIENCE AT 26 VEGAN RESTAURANT

As we didn't make a reservation in advance, the way to get a table at the restaurant was to arrive early. We were already there before it opened for lunch to guarantee a good table. We were well attended by an employee who took us to a table next to the open kitchen at the back.

We start with an entry called “Melancholy Sardines”, a retelling of a typical Portuguese dish consisting of sardines on bread. The “sardine” is nothing more than tofu wrapped in a nori seaweed sheet, on roasted peppers and on a naturally fermented bread.

For the main dishes, Paulo asked for a “Francesinha”, a tribute to a typical dish from the north of Portugal consisting of slices of bread stuffed with homemade seitan, handmade “alheira” (resembling a sausage) and homemade chorizo, smoked vegan cheese and served with homemade sauce, accompanied by crispy potato chips . According to him, it was the best vegan Francesinha he tasted in Portugal.

I ordered the “Islet”, a dish that consists of a medallion of artisanal “alheira” on a potato pancake accompanied by marinade sauce, pineapple chutney from the Azores and a spinach cream.

For dessert, we asked to share one. “Chocolate and hazelnut mousse”, vegan and gluten-free, served with a shot of orange liqueur, which was delicious. We left there very satisfied with the atmosphere, food, service and we can't wait to go back! We were dying to try the vegetable cheese board and the Portuguese snacks board. We are sure that opportunities will not be lacking!