O Gambuzino was one of the dining highlights that I had in Portugal! The food they offered was uncommon in Portugal (non-Portuguese and all vegan food!), but it was such a nice change, delight to do dine something a little higher and and just different in Lisbon! Overall, I love the environment of the shop. It was all casual but with some class. I loved the decor of the shop...and the plating of their dishes! What you saw may not be what you ate! For example, one of the dishes that I ordered had something that looked like a soft boiled egg...but it wasn't that...since everything was vegan! Overall, what a great chance and offer in Lisbon! The prices were more on higher end..but the difference was all worth it! I would love to dine there again when or if I go back to Lisbon! read more

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If you're in Lisbon and you don't go to this restaurant, you're doing it wrong. We got a 12-course tasting menu and a bottle of wine for less than €100. Everything was vegan and everything was absolutely amazing. Not to be missed. read more

I will always commend a restaurant and most importantly the chef on a vegan restaurant. It is not an easy task and takes great skill. The service was great! We ordered the tasting menu which consisted of 12 courses (9 savory and 2 desserts). Timing of each course was satisfactory and the service staff was very knowledgeable of each and every dish they presented. We had a memorable time but we did feel like a lot of the dishes lacked some creativity and were one noted. Many of the dishes had a repetitive flavor to them which was primarily an acidic/vinegary flavor that was not bad at all but at some point felt like more of the same. Ambiance was great, esthetically a very pleasing restaurant, homey with casual indoor and outdoor seating. Overall, had a great experience. read more

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I knew I was going to love this restaurant as soon as I heard that they ferment their own kombucha, tempeh, kimchi, and pickles. Not only did it live up to my expectations, but it ended up being so good that I came for dinner two nights in a row (out of my 3-night stay in Lisbon). I started with a bottle of the kombucha; the current flavor was apple mint cucumber (made with black tea). Really enjoyed it. It has a homebrew vibe. Pleasantly cloudy. Well-flavored. Mild natural fizz. Not particularly sour. Served with a little strainer if you care to avoid any stray pieces of goo (although there weren't really any that I noticed). After that came the sourdough focaccia (served with olives, miso butter, and Algarvian style pickled carrots - super fun) and the hummus. All extremely fresh and good. The appetizers: the kimchi krupuk (rice crackers with kimchi) is a must-try. They come topped with crunchy diced cucumber and bell pepper, but the kimchi is the star of the show. Spicy, sour, and delicious. The pani puri gaspacho was super fun. They had created a new menu item, homemade seitan with fermented onion, but they were sadly out of it when I visited. Next onto the entrees. The gado gado (homemade black bean and peanut tempeh with chard, sweet potato, and charred orange) was one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. I'm still daydreaming about it, and already planning my next trip to Lisbon just so I can get more of this tempeh. If you've never had fresh, unpasteurized tempeh before, it's mind-blowing. Not even in the same category as the generic tempeh found in American supermarkets. So funky and fermenty it almost tastes chocolatey. The veggie accompaniments including the succulent sweet potatoes fill it out into the perfect meal that was bursting with so much flavor that I barely used any of the satay sauce that comes on the side. The xerem do mar (confit celeriac fillet) entree is innovative, delicious, unforgettable. How brilliant to use the naturally layered celeriac to mimic the layers of fish flesh. The bed of polenta with delicious mushrooms and herby cornmeal croutons elevate it into a crowd-pleasing and comforting dish. The popular tofu bibimbap entree is excellent, hearty, and beautiful - a true rainbow of vegetables. It comes with some of their signature kimchi as well as super fun pickled red cabbage (both of which pack a lot more flavor than the red pepper sauce). I was hoping to add some tempeh to this dish, but the server told me that was impossible. Disappointing, but I get it. Their tempeh deserves to be the star of its own dish, not an adjunct. Onto dessert. The staff were really kind about clarifying which desserts contained coconut, which I was looking to avoid. I got the banoffee, which was a banana tart made with almond crust and topped with chantilly and a caramel-y crunchy cracker. Really refined and delicious. As an additional endorsement, very non-vegan best friend said it was the best vegan food she's ever had, and that everything she tried was incredible (especially the celeriac fillet and the banoffee dessert). They are quite busy starting around 7 or 8, so do try to make a reservation! They are also extremely responsive and helpful over Instagram if you have any questions before you go. In summary - life-changing vegan food! If you're into high-quality fermented products, O Gambuzino is worth planning a whole trip around. Make a reservation and go ASAP! read more

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An exceedingly rare walk-out of O Gambuzino!!! NOTHING -- definitely not from all the 5-star reviews! -- could've prepared us for what would turn out to be an unequivocal disaster in Lisboa! We had just gotten back from a long day of out-of-town sightseeing and were famished. My more-level-headed other-half decided to make a 6:30p dinner reservation. (According to the website, they open at 5p for Happy Hour, but don't start dinners until 6p.) Now, I realize this is a major urban area, and "shenanigans" can happen just about anywhere, in any neighborhood. That said, it was a bit foreboding of a walk to the restaurant with empty beer bottles and litter pretty much going right up to the place; not to mention, a down-and-out couple doing "their thing" (drugs) just a couple of landings away. Hey, as I stated, this is a big city, and the couple didn't bother us one iota, so perhaps it sounds like I'm nitpicking. So be it. I'm simply describing the mise-en-scene. Anyway, the façade of O Gambuzino's is utterly charming -- like out of a movie set! Just outside, there's a step-up covered area for alfresco dining. Inside, there's an inviting quirkiness with the hand-hewn design/decor. I didn't do my background research on the place, but perhaps they do their own kombucha and ferment their own veggies given all the displayed jars which make up one side of the space. Whatever the case, it was all very attractive and creative. We arrived at 6:21p for our 6:30p reservation. The place was empty, inside and out; it's Tuesday, so perhaps a slow night. (Needless to say, there was no need for a reservation.) A waitperson greeted us immediately; very friendly and welcoming. She had us choose a table, gave us food and drink menus, then mentioned that the kitchen was running behind and wouldn't be ready for "another 15 minutes." No problem; we're hungry, but far more parched. She says, "But we can still get you some drinks!" YAY!!! "Vinho! Vinho! Vinho!" (Lol!) She then disappeared for what seemed (for us) an interminable 10-minutes before the glasses arrived. It was 6:32p. She then proceeded to take our orders. Jay's "entrada" was the Vieiras (king oyster mushroom "scallops"); I read a rave about the Kimchi Krapuk (rice crackers with kimchi and scallions), so that was my choice. Jay's "pratos principais" was the Bibimbap; I went with the Tofu Katsu. The appetizers arrived at 6:47p by another waitperson. Now, during this window of time, not only had we tanked our red wines and set them at our table's edge for refiling; but, I also noticed a person behind the counter plating three "white" chips onto a plate. My thought was, "I'm sure that's not my order." It sat there for a while, unattended. A couple of minutes before what looked like the completion of Jay's appetizer, the gentleman I saw earlier plating the chips, began assembling what was to eventually be my Kimchi Krapuk. Now, prior to the arrival of the appetizers and after the wine and order-taking, our waitress made a beeline outside -- I didn't see it; Jay was facing the entryway and said she was having a nice time chatting out on the sidewalk. Our empty glasses sat empty. We decided to simply start eating. I'm not sure if this was an off-night or what, but my chips were stale (especially having sat on the counter for so long); it didn't help the texture that wet kimchi and wet salsa topped each, so that by the time I got to the third chip, it was already getting soggy. That said, the kimchi was very flavorful; salsa topping, OK. I also had a bite of Jay's "scallop" appetizer and the bite I had was peculiarly "al dente" and dull flavor-wise. Both dishes were definitely NOT the Master Chef-like quality that reviews seem to exclaim -- I felt in a parallel universe! Anyway, our glasses still remained empty, our waitperson continued to mingle outside with a friend and handyman (who was using a power-tool the entire time to work on the outdoor tables -- not the most conducive to a peaceful dinner), and 5 guys stood around at the counter (one with eyes glued to his phone) looking bored. I finally decided to make a dramatic placement of the empty glasses on the table next to us before one guy told the other guy staring at his social media that we needed attention -- our waitress was still nowhere to be found. When the wait-guy picked-up the empty glasses, there was not even an inclination to see if we wanted another until Jay mentioned something. Jay asked if our waitress was going to come around and attend to us -- he was nonplussed. That "broke the camel's back" for me!!! We just got up and asked for our check. They charged us $26 for the two lackluster entradas and two glasses of wine. No "sorry"; no apologies. Completed disinterested and lackadaisical. They were far more content to have an empty restaurant. (There still were no other customers.) Just awful.... read more

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Really good! The egg is super impressive! All fresh and yummy! Great atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

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Our dinners here are excellent! The food is creative, beautiful and complex in flavor. The service was excellent and the ambiance was upscale casual. Perfect for a night out read more

Very cool and yummy vegetarian place. The sweet potato fries are spectacular. As well as the baked goat cheese. Try the homemade ginger beer and kombucha. It's worth going off the beaten tracks to come here! read more

Very creative menu and lots of delicious vegan/vegetarian options!! Loved the cozy environment + friendly and helpful staff!! Definitely suggested :) read more

We went for a girls dinner to O Gambuzino. Monica and Vasco, the owners, treated us so well! Such a cosy place, nice decoration and good music. We had the starters with beetroot creme and carrots and fresh bread. The tempura fried sweet potatoes were incredible. And we shared the Gado Gado, which I highly recommend to veggie-peanut lovers like me :) And the wines? All vegan and from different regions in Portugal. A delicious selection! I'll come back very often for sure! read more

The place is fantastic. Quiet place for Sunday brunch with vegetarian and vegan options. I got a beer that 100% of proceeds go to cleaning the ocean. Try the shashuka! Spicy and delicious. read more