We have not spent much time in Lisbon. There will be more detailed blogs about it as time goes on. I will say that even though I don’t have any dinner places to discuss in depth, most restaurants in Lisbon, and Portugal for that matter, can make you something gluten and dairy free to eat or point you to safe items on the menu. But, I want this blog to be about very safe restaurants that I have already vetted for you so I am only going to add the bakery and gelato store that are totally gluten free and we can talk about other places as we continue to visit. The two restaurants where we ate for dinner were, Restaurante A Gina (on FaceBook) and The Insólito and they were both good but with limited gluten free and dairy free options. The Insólito is a rooftop place and their bar has wonderful views. It is worth the visit for a delicious cocktails. https://theinsolito.pt
Zarzuela
Rua Bernardino Costa 21-23 1200-052 Lisboa +351 213 426 263 info@zarzuela.pt www.zarzuela.pt
Celiac Safe, vegan, dairy free, lactose free, reservations not needed, family friendly, no parking
This is a small bakery that is totally gluten free. There were lots of choices – cookies, pastries, pizzas – and all of them were gluten free and could be ordered lactose free, dairy free, or vegan. I have heard so much about the national Portuguese pastry, pastel de nata, but I have never been able to try one until now! Pastel de nata are a type of custard tart and they are everywhere. I ordered two gluten free/dairy free pastel de nata and a chocolate pastry that looked like a croissant. The dough on the chocolate pastry was not as light as a choux pastry. It was similar to a very thin pie crust. My pastel de nata was creamy and rich and I was so glad that I got to try it. However, the chocolate pastry was my favorite! It turned out to be filled with an amazing chocolate filling that was a cross between frosting and pastry cream. It was vegan so I don’t know how they made it so creamy and delicious. We will definitely visit again and I will definitely be getting another chocolate “croissant”.
Uao by Mú
R. Dom Pedro V 145, 1250-094 Lisbon, Portugal +351 21 138 3477 www.uaogelato.com
Gluten free, vegan, no reservations, family friendly, no parking
This is a corner gelato shop in the region of Barrio Alto/Chiado. All the gelatos are gluten free and the majority are vegan. They did offer regular cones as well as gluten free cones so I have not labeled this shop celiac safe, although it probably is. I got a peanut butter and jelly scoop as well as a scoop of pistachio and they were both creamy and delicious. There are a few benches outside the store, otherwise it is take away.
Accommodations
The Lumiares
Rua Diário de Notícias, 142, 1200-146 Lisbon, Portugal www.thelumiares.com
This is a boutique hotel in the Barrio Alto neighborhood that is in the Hyatt collection so I used points for our room. It is in a pedestrian zone so if you have a car they will send you special directions. All the rooms are recently renovated and all have full kitchens. They stock the mini-fridge with complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks and they dropped off pastel de nata for us as a gift. (They were not gluten free but it was a nice thought.) They have a rooftop bar and restaurant, Lumi, and the view is good. I was not comfortable with the ability of the waitstaff to understand our food sensitivities, so I would not recommend trying to get something gluten and dairy free here, but the cocktails and view were great.
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