Plant Base — Restaurant in Lisbon

We had very high expectations after reading the reviews and these were exceeded by our experience. We had Garlic Bread and the Funghi and Chorizo and Chipotle pizzas. All were superb, as was the service.

EDIT: We decided to eat at Plant Base again on our last night in Lisbon, because out of the 10+ vegan restaurants we had tried over the week, this was our favourite.

This time we tried some of the other options from the (large) menu. We had the Loaded Nachos - great fresh toppings and good quality tortilla chips. Then the Spicy Momas(?) dumplings which were cooked to perfection, sitting in a delicious sauce. Then the Banana Balls - a deep fried, spongey texture made from banana leaf - really unusual but extremely tasty.

After eating all this and several cocktails ("Why is this better than my Ferrari?" was our favourite), the two of us were stuffed but we had to order a Fungees mushroom pizza as we had talked about it so much since we first tried it on the earlier visit.

This was the foodie highlight of our trip. The chef makes a bechamel sauce using shitake mushrooms, and this is topped with fresh shitake, oyster and portobello mushrooms and a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts. It is divine - even the two pieces that I ate cold for breakfast this morning.

As before, all the waiting staff were polite, attentive and, most importantly, enthusiastic. It's clear that everyone here loves their job but non moreso than the talented chef who took time out from behind the pizza oven to translate the ingredients and talk a little about his approach.

We don't usually go for "vegan junk food", as Plant Base describes itself, but rest-assured the food here is a level beyond the usual veggie burger and fries.

Next time we are in Lisbon, we will back to try the rest of the menu. Thanks again to all at Plant Base for a memorable last night...

At first, I LOVED it. I had a “so fresh and so clean” to eat and cinnamon, ginger, and lime iced tea. The food and drink both tasted great, and the hamburger tasted better than Mc ou BK. Valdo and Carolina treat us very well. Update: I went there again with my friend and asked for the same burger. It didn't taste as great as before and had too much oil. I wanted to apply for a job at the restaurant, so I handed in my resume, but they didn't even read it. The store manager, a Brazilian guy, told me to come back the next day for training so they could see my performance. I worked for five intense hours without getting paid. After the training, no one from management reached out to me.

More than a week later, a supposed waitress called, asking if I could work that week to cover for someone who had caught COVID-19. I expressed my willingness to help, but I mentioned that I hadn't received any feedback from the training and would need to be hired first to cover for him. He told me everyone liked me, believed I did a great job, and was surprised that no one had contacted me. I asked him to tell the manager to call me and that I might be able to cover for the waiter. He then said that the owner was on vacation and would talk to the manager before getting back to me. Guess what? I still haven’t received a callback.

In short, they didn’t want to hire a new server; they just wanted my labor without paying me. I’m not surprised because some Portuguese people can be evil, seeing African individuals as easy targets.

This restaurant has lost my respect and the positive impression I once had of them. Therefore, I’m reducing my rating from 5 stars to 1 due to their shameful management. This update applies to Plant Base and Junk Food restaurants, as they share the same owner.

On a positive note, the staff I worked with were supportive and...

Plant Base is a cool spot for a healthy meal along Rua de Oliveira near Largo do Carmo. This is sort of a Mexican cantina meets vegan/vegetarian cuisine place that is open from 12.30pm to 11pm daily. They have a fair-sized indoor area with as many tables as they can comfortable squeeze in for guests. Still feels spacious and comfy enough. The place was full up throughout our meal but table turnover was fairly regular.

Staff are super friendly and menu is a wide range of classic bar foods made with plant-based ingredients along with some veg-only dishes as well. On the evening we dined here, we tried their Chorizo and Chipotle pizza that was pretty good. Beyondmeat sausage was used along with veg mozzarella and smoked bell pepper cream. Pizza was baked nicely with good crust. They offer some a few Piri Piri hot sauces to spice up the pizza as well.

Even better were their Himalayan style Chili Momos, a traditional veg-only dish that they nailed in the kitchen. The dumplings were nicely stuffed and had good outer texture, stir-fried with bell peppers, red onions and spicy tomato sauce. In short, they tasted delicious - a great spicy take on the classic Nepalese dish. We loved them and would gladly return to order again and try other items on the menu at Plant Base.

Really enjoyed our dinner at Plant Base. They are a good little outfit in Lisbon worth trying if looking for healthy venues during your travels...