This is a popular Portuguese chain with many locations in Porto. When we arrived, we were greeted…read morewarmly and immediately seated. The server asked if this was our first time dining there, and we said yes. He then explained the buffet options, drink ordering, and payment process. The buffet line had a wide variety of food choices, each labeled with the ingredients. I tried a small sample of everything, and let me tell you, I was stuffed! I didn't think I had room for dessert, but when the table next to us ordered the banoffi pie, I found a tiny bit of room, barely. The food was absolutely delicious, and the wait staff was incredibly attentive and friendly. The store we stopped in was well-lit and spacious, with plenty of tables.

We went here today and really enjoyed our dinner. The place was recommended to us by vegetarian…read morefriends. All dishes offered are vegan and are offered as an all you can eat buffet. Everything we tried was tasty and fresh. We loved the beetroot orange salad and the electric berry juce. On some dishes we missed the refined taste, but overall it was a great experience, in a very modern style restaurant with nice and attentive staff and we would definitely come again. We give 5 well deserved stars. Buffet: Euro 12.50 per Person, glass red vine Euro 6.00, electric berry juce Euro 4.00.

A memorable meal at the train station. The owner and her son were attentive and checked on me a…read morefew times. The place was packed and crazy busy and I appreciate that they took the time to acknowledge me given that they were short staffed. My meal was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed a well paced meal of the following: Red sangria - Fruity and juicy Foie gras - Beautiful presentation. The richness of the liver paired well with the sweetness of the fruit. Seafood curry - Colorful, light and full of great seafood Peanut foam - So good! Light, creamy, nutty. Great way to end a meal. I wish this restaurant continued success!

Pretty good! The restaurant is located inside the Sao Bento train station to the left as you walk…read morein from the tiled entrance. Definitely recommend making a reservation, I found it impressive that the hostess's reservation system was essentially a notebook and pen in this digital age. We did not see much of our waiter, since the restaurant was extremely busy and filled up with diners. Standouts: 1. Razor clams - I'll always get these if I see it on the menu. Cooked in this incredible garlic sauce. 2. Fish and seafood cataplana - delicious, tomato-forward seafood stew; I liked the version that we had the night before more which came with rice and was more filling. But this was basically a never-ending bowl of fish, clams, mussels, and shrimp. Add to that the fact that the restaurant like most in Porto did not have A/C and I emerged feeling like I had been sitting in a sauna. Skipped dessert; I had my eye on the Weeel! froyo truck parked outside. One more nit - the metal chairs are not comfortable at all for sitting a long time in.

Mid-size space inside and table outside. Service was a little slow but friendly. Call to make…read morereservations even if shows booked online. Ginger lemonade - 4/5 KFC - 5/5 - crunchy and tasty Cheese and pepper dumpling - 4.5/5 Peanut noodles with mushrooms - 5/5 Mushroom dish with tortilla main couurse - 4/5 Dark chocolate tart with pistachio gelato - 4/5

Essential was my favorite meal of my trip to Porto. My family took a ride share from Gaia and it…read morewas completely worth it! It was perfect for vegans and meat eaters alike. We ordered the bread, lasagna, tofu, risotto, wine, a port wine, a mojito, the tart tatin, and the essential de chocolate. Everything was exceptional and not a bite was left. The service was incredible. Marco was very kind and had wonderful recommendations. We sat in the garden and the setting was beautiful. I would recommend Essencia to any visitor to Porto! I will be back!

We had just arrived from Lisbon and set out to find a bite...up, up up and around a small curve,…read morepassing this unassuming, ity bity shop, we peeked in and saw 2 vacant seats... What a fabulous little place. A list of innovative sandwiches on fabulous Portuguese crusty bread and soup, salads. We shared a salad called Batalha with feta, olives, dates and tomato and a Sao Joao with fresh sardines, tomato, grilled red peppers. I think the soup was cabbage, and was great. Honestly, I am going to keep the menu in my mind and re create the sandies & salads when possible. Cash, no longer is a lunch special offered in case you read some old reviews. We watched as folks were turned away..so, if you pass and are in the mood, grab a seat when you can.

The food is delicious. It's well seasoned and presented…read more The service is kind and excellent. The food is exactly what we were looking for.

Amazing and 100% VEGAN!…read more Bowls are great. Very filling. Beer list is extensive. Seating both indoors and out. Friendly staff.

Such a vegan gem in Porto!…read more What I love most about it is that it's a great place to remote work while having some vegan food to fuel your work. I parked here for a few hours for a late lunch and catching up on emails. Bowls are resonably priced at 8-9 euros, and don't skimp out on ingredients! I got the "sweet" bowl which came with sweet potato puree, basmati rice, seitan, mushrooms, eggplant, lettuce, arugula, cherry tomato, walnuts, cilantro, and chili sauce. I absolutely appreciate ALL the condiments because that's where the flavor is! The staff was super friendly, and didn't pressure me to buy more. I got a chocolate pie slice a few hours later, and while it was on the more "dark" chocolate side, I appreciated the fact that it was vegan, appealing, and delicious! The wifi was acting up, but I can't say if it was because of the wifi in general, or the fact that I was uploading some heave documents LOL!

Magical experience overall!!!…read more One of the freshest, most energizing, and feel-good meals we've ever had! Yes, it's vegan food, and beyond that it's just amazingly delicious. The love they put into the food is unparalleled--you can truly taste the good vibrations, and most importantly you can feel the nourishment in your body. The meal starts off with an introductory course, something seasonally relevant and refreshing to open up the palette. Then the main course is eclectic, globally inspired, and serves to amplify the experience to the next level. Then the dessert comes next, an artfully crafted cake or scrumptious pudding. You'll never be disappointed here, since they are always shifting the menu options to keep you satisfied and surprised. Definitely support these folks and their food mission! Great people!

A really nice looking, sweet atmosphere, trendy-good-taste-vegan restaurant. The waiters are really…read morereally nice and interesting (and french, a plus for us! ^^). The food, well, is quite original... and that's it. The portions are really good and everything is made for you to try something new, to eat enough, to feel at home. But it's not excellent and we wouldn't recommend it for people wanting a subtle feast. It's, and it was for us, a good way of not starving as we are vegan and didn't want to go too far but it's just alright. Nonetheless, you'll spend a good time there with pleasant people in a sweet place!

Amazing pizza, cool decor and vibe. Love the baskets on the ceiling. Great prices! My husband and I…read moreshared a pizza for $10 total, $2 beers and the pizza was better than what we had in Little Italy, NYC three days before. Adorable family who runs the place. 10/10 would recommend.

Up a very steep hill, this vegetarian restaurant was hard to find and hard to get to. Of course,…read morethat is to be expected in hilly Porto. The restaurant was nearly empty when I arrived, with just two other foreigners there. It never filled up, but later on a couple of groups of regulars came. I ordered a vegan version of traditional sausage with potatoes. While I waited, the waiter brought a small dish of crackers, reminiscent of those I ate as a child. The sausage was okay, but not filling at all. The potatoes were good and the accompanying vegan mayo was delicious. The wine was very good, again, to be expected in Porto. The main reason I came, however, was to enjoy a vegan dessert. I was disappointed to be informed that they only had a vegan dessert one day per week. The whole visit was quite disappointing. It's not easy to leave me hungry after a meal, but POP 101 achieved just that!

I am not vegetarian nor vegan, yet I very much enjoyed my meal at Cultura dos Sabores…read more The restaurant offers customers a choice between a buffet and an á-la-carte meal. There is only one main course on the á-la-carte menu: the francesinha, a vegetarian/vegan version of a local specialty dish. I've never tried the original dish, but the vegetarian version at Cultura dos Sabores was off the hook delicious. The buffet has a cold section and a hot section. I snuck a taste of the eggplant wrap (filled with plum--yum!!), the seasoned potatoes, and an African kale salad. These were all wonderfully flavorful, reminiscent of vegetarian meals I've had on Buddhist retreats at Spirit Rock in Northern California. Cultura dos Sabores also offers smoothies and desserts. The two fruit smoothies I tried were bursting with flavor and were not overloaded with apple juice, as can frequently happen with European smoothies. The dessert, a creamy pie with a fruity topping, was subtly delicious. My 12-year-old son really liked it, and he's not vegetarian either.

Nice variety of food. Friendly, helpful staff. Clean and bright. Yelp showed them closed on Sunday,…read morethey were definitely open.

After checking in to our hotel, we went out to explore Porto's food scene. Luckily we found Kind…read moreKitchen slightly outside of the craziness of the touristy main area of Porto. This is still located within walking distance to all of the sites but not too crowded. It's a small restaurant with 2 levels of seating. We ate there twice in the 3 days we were in Porto. For dinnertime, it's best to make a reservation because it gets busy and I witnessed them having to tell people they only had 1-2 tables available until a certain time. The food is fresh, organic and vegan! They have burgers, bowls, sandwiches, ramen, vegan meats, etc. We also tried several desserts and each one was delicious, especially the cheesecake! The service was good and friendly. The price is on par to what you would pay in some vegan restaurants in the States.

The food here is incredible. We ordered the vegan cashew burrata, vegan franceshina (mind-blowingly…read moredelicious), a pastel de nata and pistachio cookie. We sat by the window and watched the rain fall while we ate our hot, soupy sandwich. If you're a vegan in Porto, do yourself a favor and go here.

Food was really good, location was a little hard to find. Kids really liked the pasta and pizza…read more They were really friendly for a restaurant in the heart of the tourist district. Service was really good

Wow! What a great experience! Theres the outdoor seating area out front, indoor seating and outdoor…read moreseating on the terrace. The terrace is like a little secret and much more intimate and quiet than the outdoor seating in the front. The entire place is historic and incredibly decorated. Make sure you go to the bathrooms and admire the huge private dining room on your way there. The food was phenomenal, fresh cheese options, olives, pesto, artichoke spread, hummus spread... breads & croutons/crackers... light appetizer lunch on a warm Saturday was perfect. The service was impeccable, everyone was friendly and helpful. We will be back very soon! Highly recommended!