Restaurant Encanto Lisbon Review: A Michelin Star Lisbon

Finding an upscale plant-based dining experience in a city famous for its seafood isn’t always easy. If you are searching for an exceptional Michelin Star Lisbon culinary experience, you might think your options are limited. But tucked away in the heart of the city is a gorgeous heaven that completely flips the script.

In this restaurant encanto lisbon review, we’re sharing our honest experience dining at the city’s only fully vegetable-focused fine dining spot. Portugal is incredibly popular for its traditional seafood (think fresh sardines and rich bacalhau), but for those of us committed to a plant-based lifestyle, Chef José Avillez has created something truly magical here that blew us completely away.

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What to Know Before Visiting Encanto?

If you are wondering about the logistics of this incredible spot, here is everything you need to know. This is an upscale restaurant from owner José Avillez, one of Portugal’s most celebrated, multi-Michelin-starred culinary masterminds behind a massive global restaurant group. It is essentially the vegetarian version of Belcanto, another restaurant from the same chef, which is located right next door.

This restaurant opened in 2022, and since its first year, it has earned a Michelin star. Encanto also holds a Green Michelin Star for sustainability and a Sol Guia Repsol. We decided to visit since we are always looking for a plant-based upscale dining experience during our trips.

Where is Encanto Restaurant Located?

Encanto restaurant is located in Chiado, just two minutes from the famous Livraria Bertrand (the oldest operating bookstore in the world).

How to Get to Encanto Restaurant?

• Metro: If you take the metro, you can stop at the Baixa-Chiado metro station, and it is a 2-minute walk.
• Tram: If you take the tram 15E or 28E, the Chiado station is a 2-minute walk.
• We walked from our hotel, the Browns Central Hotel, which is about an eight-minute walk.

📖 Read More: If you are looking for where to stay in Lisbon, you can also check our experience in our Brown’s Central Hotel review and Art Legacy Hotel review, which were two hotels we have stayed at in Lisbon walking distance from Encanto. You can also check out great hotel deals nearby the restaurant here.

When does Encanto Restaurant open?

Encanto is open for dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, from 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM. Always verify the calendar on their reservation page in advance, as some days might be closed due to holidays.

Where can I make a Reservation?

You need to book in advance because seating is limited. Reservations typically start at 18:45, with the last reservation at 21:30. You can check available times and dates and book your reservation here.

The restaurant offers only a fixed vegetarian tasting menu of 12 courses, which can be customized to vegan and/or gluten-free options.

• The tasting menu starts at 155 euros.
• For drinks, the wine pairing starts at 95 euros, and non-alcoholic pairing options start at 90 euros.

When you make your reservation online (which is highly recommended), you will have the option to customize your tasting menu to a vegan option, and even gluten-free if needed.

This is exactly what we did, and we found that the staff was incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, and more than happy to seamlessly accommodate our dietary needs.

What is the Dress Code?

The dress code at Encanto leans toward smart casual. You will want to dress nicely to match the upscale atmosphere, but make sure you are comfortable enough to enjoy a lengthy, multi-course dining experience.

The Culinary Mastermind Behind This Michelin Star Lisbon Vegetarian Menu

José Avillez is the owner of Encanto, but in our honest opinion, the true recognition needs to go to his head chef, Diogo Formiga. Diogo is a biology and marine biology professional who brings his marine biology background to the creation of the dishes in a vegetarian way.

He has also helped with his background to elaborate on sophisticated dishes with sustainable practices. The dedication to the craft here easily makes this one of the most unique Michelin star restaurants in Lisbon’s vegetarian experiences available.

The Ambience: A Relaxing Vegan Fine Dining Lisbon Vibe

The moment you walk in, the atmosphere sets the tone for the night. The restaurant has a contemporary design décor that reflects the earth, decorated with charming green and earth colors. It is a closed kitchen concept, meaning the kitchen is completely tucked away and not visible from the dining area.

The dining area features indirect sunlight, and once the sun sets, it is illuminated with a dim light. When we got inside the restaurant, we were welcomed by this dining area with a dim light. In the dining area, there is a small bar where cocktails are prepared, located in the far left corner of the restaurant.

The team makes you feel a super relaxed ambience, and we enjoyed the friendliness of the staff. We were there for 3 hours, from 7 PM to 10 PM, and it was totally worth every second of our experience.

The Food & Service: Our Restaurant Encanto Lisbon Review

The dining experience itself was flawless. The service is incredibly attentive and personalized. At the beginning of your experience, they give you warm towels with an eucalyptus scent to clean your hands and prepare for the experience. The staff is very knowledgeable about each dish’s preparation. They explained how it was made, how it is recommended to eat, the proper order, and whether to use the proper silverware or even your hands.

There is no pork or fish here, which Portugal is known for. Just magic with vegetables. Vegetables are the headline in every dish, made to tell a story of Portugal. We chose the vegan option (and I also customized mine to be gluten-free), and the experience included a variety of vegan dishes across 12 courses. Plus, at the end, we received a special additional course straight from the chef!

The restaurant’s mission is to preserve most of the vegetable residues, and typically they make delicious broths out of them that you will also enjoy in one of the dishes.

Menu changes based on seasonal ingredients, so what we ate is probably not what you will experience. The multi-course journey beautifully weaves together unexpected flavor profiles, designed to challenge and delight your palate step by step.

Menu Highlights & Flavors:

• The Textures: The quality of the ingredients is unquestionable, with so many textures on the dishes. It is meant to blend in your mouth into an explosion of flavor. Even the flowers are edible!
• The “Meaty” Magic: Most of the dishes use mushrooms, with a combination of smoke that felt very meaty. We feel that that’s what highlighted the vibe of the dishes made by the restaurant, which were incredibly delicious. The dishes are elevated using innovative techniques; even a meat eater will be impressed by the creativity of each dish, where the lack of animal ingredients will not be recognized or missed.

• Standout Courses: My absolute favorite was the White Asparagus Fricassé, Sea Lettuce, and Oxalis, which happened to be one of the staff favorites as well. Another highlight was the farmer noodles made with kohlrabi, broccoli, buckwheat, and shiso (a beautiful nod to ingredients inspired by the earth and sea).
• Drinks: In the experience, you can choose to pair with the courses or choose specific drinks, which is what we did. I ordered a beet mocktail, which was very refreshing, and my husband ordered a gin and tonic (Le Tribute). They brought this tonic, which was one that they were testing for their cocktail recipes (not yet on the menu), but they let my husband try it, and he really loved it.

• The Dessert & Close: At the end of the course experience, we got the additional course presented by the head chef, Diogo Formiga, which was a true highlight, as we loved getting to know the brilliant mastermind behind the concept of every single dish. He brought out fresh mint leaves coated in sustainable chocolate, along with an incredible creation that was completely chocolate-free yet tasted remarkably like rich, dark chocolate! Finally, you are offered a tea or coffee to close the experience. The presentation is purely artistic.

Is Encanto Lisbon Worth It?

For anyone seeking a memorable experience, Encanto Lisbon is a must. Meals are meant to be eaten slowly, soaking in the art of the presentation and the flavors. We would highly recommend visiting this place if you are visiting Lisbon. If you do, let me know in the comments which dishes you were able to taste.