Top Salad Bars in Lisbon in Lisbon

Top Salad Bars in Lisbon in Lisbon

One would think that in a city so invested in the vegan/gluten free eating movements, Lisbon would have more than just a few salad bars on offer.

I’m not talking about simply finding salad in Lisbon; doing this is relatively easy and the Portuguese are big on their fresh veggie sides. I’m talking about full scale, build-your-own, self-service kinds of salad bars where everything is laid out buffet style and off you go…

by Dan Gold – Unsplash

This trend has yet to shake the Portuguese capital, and most health food bars are more focused on pressed juices and smoothie bowls, with acai as the menu headliner.

What follows are the closest experiences Lisbon has to offer in terms of salad bars.

Green Pepper in Lisbon

Green Pepper isn’t a salad bar, but with some creativity you can force it into this role. It’s situated in the far north of the city center, in a small neighborhood known as Azul . This is a university town, so eating here is always much cheaper than in the center of Lisbon.

Green Pepper is actually a buffet restaurant that happens to have a really great section with individual salad ingredients that diners can use to build the salad of their dreams.

Most buffets in Lisbon offer salad, but they are usually chef’s creations and already mixed in with sauces, spices and ingredients of the boss’s choice. At Green Pepper they leave the salad creating up to you; and thus we have a salad bar.

Green Pepper in Lisbon – by Green Pepper – Sourced from their wesbite

This is a hot and cold buffet catering to vegetarians and vegans. Even if you are just here to build a salad you’ll have to pay the relative full price for the lunch or dinner buffet options.

Thankfully dessert is included so you can stuff yourself to the brim with healthy salad foods and then reward yourself with a chocolate brownie.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday – 12pm to 3:30pm // 7pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: Av. José Malhoa 14, 1070-073 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Jardim Zoológico

Vitaminas in Lisbon

Vitaminas has been a saving grace during my time in Lisbon. There are a number of these restaurants scattered throughout the city center, my favorite one being in the center of Chiado.

This is the build-your-own salad bar that the people of Lisbon have been asking for.

It is not self service, however, and all of the ingredients are behind the counter and need to be pointed out to the staff who will build your bowl for you. They also do build your own sandwiches, as well as array of soup options.

Vitaminas in Lisbon – by Vitaminas – Sourced from their Facebook

Ingredients in the salad bar are diverse and Vitaminas offer everything from orange slices to prawns as salad additions. The menu is clearly indicated as to what is gluten free and what isn’t, and naturally there are ample options for vegan eaters.

There are fruit and granola tubs and fresh pastries for dessert. All in all a really great healthy eating, fast food concept for Lisbon.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 10pm

ADDRESS: R. Garrett 58, 1200-309 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Baixa-Chiado

Jardim das Cerejas in Lisbon

Another one of my Chiado favorites; Jardim das Cerejas is a fabulous vegan buffet eatery in the city center. If you’ve taken a free guided walking tour through this area you’ll likely have noticed the outside, the restaurant is covered in unique mosaic tiles that are vastly different to the traditional Portuguese tiles in these parts.

Jardim das Cerejas is another buffet where building one’s own salad becomes possible. The options for individualized ingredients here are far less than the buffet I mentioned first in this lineup, but they are there.

Jardim das Cerejas in Lisbon – by Jardim das Cerejas – Sourced from their website

The salad section of the buffet features a lot more chef-made concoctions with already mixed ingredients. They are great, nonetheless, and filling a plate with the varieties of salads simply gives you more choice of flavors at the end of the day.

This is a hot and cold food buffet and, again, you’ll have to pay the regular lunch or dinner cost regardless of if you are touching the hot foods or not.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 3:30pm // 7pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: Calçada do Sacramento 36, 1200-394 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Rossio

Poké Bowls in Lisbon

Prior to learning that Chiado actually had a proper salad bar in the center, I used to frequent this poke bowl restaurant on the main road that separates Chiado from Bairro Alto.

If you think about a poke restaurant, it’s basically a glorified salad bar. All of the ingredients are ready and waiting to be tossed into the salad of your choice, you need only skip the rice/quinoa base and sushi-style toppings and voila, a salad bar. 

At Poke Bowls the staff will build your bowl for you from behind the counter. Your ideal base would be the greens option, but then again a salad can have rice or quinoa in it, so the choice is really yours.

by Jonathan Borba – Unsplash

I highly recommend their ceviche marinade as your salad dressing, it pairs beautifully in a bowl of fresh vegetables.

Another thing worth knowing about Poke Bowls is that they do really good and really affordable acai! It’s served on tap out of an ice cream machine behind the counter, and the portions are incredibly generous. They’ll top it with granola and two fruits of your choice.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 11pm

ADDRESS: R. Tierno Galvan 4, 1250-096 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Baixa-Chiado