Vegan
International
Western
Portuguese

Elegant restaurant in a restored old house situated in a romantic garden. Offers a ten piece taster menu or a five piece set menu, re-designing traditional Portuguese dishes in vegan varieties. Reported fully vegan December 2021. Open Tue-Sat 19:30-21:30. 9.30pm is last orders.


Venue map for Em Carne Viva
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114 Reviews

First Review by AndyT

polishphoenix

Points +323

Vegan
02 Jul 2025

Great food, beautiful space, kind staff

Very creative and tasty dishes here! Got the ten moment menu and split the wine pairing with a friend. We got there at 7 pm and left at 11pm. The woman who runs this restaurant was very kind and told us many fun facts about the food and how it was made. We ate in the back garden which was super beautiful - very much secret garden vibes.

SamirAyeb

Points +72

Vegan
05 Jun 2025

Best vegan food in Porto

Absolutely amazing! Delicious, creative vegan dishes packed with flavor. Cozy vibe, friendly staff, and every bite was a delight.

Pros: Food, Service, Cat

NellieAyeb

Points +56

Vegan
05 Jun 2025

Amazing experience

Such a amazing dinner, we had the 5 course meal. The location is beautiful and the woman who served us was so sweet and explained everything so good! Totally recommend this food experience for everyone who loves a fine dining.

Pros: Service, Location, Food

Day&Fla

Points +110

Vegan
04 Jun 2025

Best food

Superb service, amazing environment.
Eduarda explained every dish, every wine, and gave us great context on everything.
The dishes tasted beautiful and looked so too. I highly recommend doing the full 10 moments menu with wine pairing.

Pros: Food quality, Service, Ambience

NotYourMumNotYourMilk

Points +132

Vegan
17 May 2025

Perfection

10 course taster menu, food was beautiful delicious. Super friendly staff, the chef even came out and told us how he made some of the dishes. Best food we’ve ever eaten. If you are a vegan and visiting Porto then this place is a must.

AlishaaTheresaa

Points +32

Vegan
16 Jan 2025

Excellent Food and amazing ambience

Always such a great and unique experience! Amazing Ambience. The Food was absolutely excellent. Always a pleasure to return to this special place! 👌🏽 Muito obrigada✨

Sofia.in.Wanderland

Points +2508

Vegan
15 Dec 2024

A Vegan Haven in Timeless Elegance

Em Carne Viva is more than just a restaurant. It’s an experience of sublime tastes wrapped in timeless charm. Nestled in a beautifully restored old house, the space exudes sophistication with beautiful plaster details adorning the ceilings and walls. The soft glow of candlelight enhances the cosy, intimate atmosphere. The culinary artistry is unmatched. Every dish is a masterpiece, blending flavours and textures. It’s evident that each plate is crafted with care and passion. But the warmth doesn’t stop at the ambience or food—the owners themselves are the heart of Em Carne Viva. Their genuine hospitality makes you feel welcomed and valued, adding a personal touch to the entire experience.

Updated from previous review on 2024-12-15

raiye

Points +908

Vegan
25 Oct 2024

A must-visit!

What a lovely place to eat!
Already when entering the restaurant we felt comfortable and welcomed.
The restaurant looks really nice and cozy.
There is also very cute Garden that looks almost enchanted.
We were accommodated so lovely and kind.
The food was an excellent experience! Each dish was build upon the next and so delicious.
If you visit Porto you need to visit em carne viva!

MichaelDorf

Points +16

Vegan
18 Oct 2024

Possibly the best meal I’ve ever eaten

We each had the testing menu. The delicacy and subtlety of each course were incredible

Pros: Vegetable forward, Marvelous creativity, Extremely friendly service

Mikmikn

Points +44

Vegan
19 Sep 2024

Beyond Perfect!

You need to come hungry and open minded! The tasting menu has ten beautiful plates, that are incredibly delicious, interesting, unique and satisfying, and a lot of it blew our minds. It was so filling, that we could not finish the second desert (even though we tried but were just too full!) Eduarda the host, and Victor the chef with his team, gave us such a warm and homey feeling. We just can't recommend it enough. It's expensive as a chef's restaurant, but worth every penny.

Updated from previous review on 2024-09-19

Pros: Unique food, Very satisfying , Warm hospitality

ClaudiaRevuelta

Points +48

Vegan
23 Aug 2024

Amazing

Amazing little vegan spot, top experience!!!

pampli8a

Points +99

Vegan
09 Aug 2024

El restaurante regional portugués al que hay que peregrinar

A día de hoy, el mejor restaurante vegano en el que he comido (perdón, cenado) en toda mi vida. Hablamos de una cocina de primer nivel mundial.

En lugar de probar el menú degustación, me decanté por probar varios platos individuales de la carta. Como no podía ser de otra manera, me atrapó la francesinha local además de probar el tofú laminado con salsa Porto, un «pastel» de chía con varios vegetales y acompañado siempre con vino de la zona que acabó con un postre magnífico: chocolate en diferentes texturas con crema de avellanas, naranja, ron y caramelo salado.

Aun así, resaltar cualquier aspecto sería no hacerle justicia a la exclusiva carta y menús inspirados en la cocina portuguesa. El personal de sala y su trato, la estética de su sala o la experencia culinaria inédita de este restaurante, lo hacen, sin duda alguna, es un lugar obligatorio en la «peregrinación» sostenible. Aunque mi visita fue en 2021, aun espero con ansias tener la oportunidad de volver para seguir disfrutando de Em Carne Viva y probar cualquier menú que me ofrezcan. No hay estrellas suficientes para lo que yo sentí al salir de la puerta del lugar.

Gracias por tanto, Vítor. (Obrigado)

[Visita: Cena del viernes, 3 de diciembre de 2021]

Updated from previous review on 2024-08-09

Pros: La variedad de su menú, El ambiente exclusivo y único, Vítor y el resto de su equipo

AdeleDowney

Points +87

Vegan
30 Jul 2024

Fabulous vegan experience

We had the most delicious food in beautiful surroundings with perfect hosts

Pros: The venue, The food presentation , The quality of ingredients

Cons: None

MichielVanD

Points +1432

Vegan
18 Jul 2024

Unique restaurant

High end and vegan. In a beautiful building. Ten courses and great wine. This is a must visit when you are in Porto. Or come to Porto for this place as we sometimes do!

Prajna

Points +5975

Vegan
13 Jun 2024

Enchanting experience

Worth every cent that you pay.
The food is so tasty and impressively beautiful. I can only imagine the time it takes to put each plate together.
They use fancy things like foams and molecular techniques.
The place is a very nice old house from 1900.
It is a family owned place. The chef and is kind and attentive and the woman that brings out the dishes, his wife, is kind and lovely.
Very worth for a special meal.

kxtie

Points +505

Vegan
01 Jun 2024

WOW

just WOW! the flavours, attention to detail, plating of the food were just marvellous.

we had the 10 course tasting menu & wine pairing.

everything was an absolute delight. highlights for me were the onion tortellini, seaweed tempura and white asparagus.

the drinks were also great. the wine pairing actually is 1 cocktail, 3 white wines, a red wine and a LBV port.

during the summer the seating is outdoors in the most beautiful garden. it’s like a fairytale. we went on the first day of being back outside, so the resident dog was really pleased to be out among the diners (she is not allowed in the dining area inside) and i was more than happy to say hello and give her some fuss.

we chatted with the chef who came out during a quiet moment to say hello and play with the dog and also the front of house who were both absolutely lovely.

overall it was an incredible dining experience and i feel very grateful to have dined here!

BrunoFehr

Points +196

Vegan
15 May 2024

Mandatory experience

We had the 5 course and 10 course experience and if the issue is not the budget, always go for the 10 course. We did not have the wine experience but we drank amazing white wine.
100% recommended.

Pros: Amazing food experience, Super nice staff, Fair price for the experience

AdaS

Points +154

Vegan
01 May 2024

Exquisite

This place is an experience and a very nice one. It’s fine vegan dining at its best. The food was very unique and the service exceptional. We highly recommend it.

jessica_janes

Points +13

Vegetarian
27 Apr 2024

Do not miss!

This is an incredible dinner experience. The 10 course tasting blew us away. The thoughtfulness of each dish the surprise in transformation and balance with every ingredient and the genuine creativity is brilliant. Would highly recommend the wine pairing as well. Lovely place, incredible food, excellent service.

Pamelastephens

Points +70

Vegan
18 Apr 2024

Incredible!!! World class!!

Hours actually open at 7, not 7:30. The food is beautifully presented and taste is amazing. We loved the atmosphere, very classy, elegant, beautiful. Could be extremely romantic if desired. The chef is so talented and artistic. Family run in beautiful home. Wife is so sweet and perfect also!! Worth the Uber there and so much more. Best food in all Porto!

ClydeStephens

Points +19

Vegetarian
16 Apr 2024

World class dining experience

Victor and his son are creating dishes that are as delicious as you are ever going to find. The tastes are subtle and complimentary. The quality is outstanding. We had the five course tasting menu, and I wish I had chosen the ten. His wife, Edwarda, was incredibly attentive, and a delight to converse with. One of the best meals in my life.

Pros: Gazpacho soup, Purple sweet potato , Chocolate desert

Cons: No dislikes at all

Kyliewood

Points +1151

Vegan
22 Oct 2023

Unique 5 star experience

What a delightful space is ‘Em Carne Viva! Had the 5-course menu and enjoyed the different flavours and textures and their unique take on veganised Portuguese food. As a vegan chef myself I particularly appreciated the quality and painstaking detail put in to bringing each dish to the table. It is a unique fine dining experience well worth experiencing. I took non vegans and they enjoyed every mouthful. Go and support this small vegan family business.

munda

Points +471

Vegan
17 Oct 2023

Every dish a delight!

Went there to try out their ten-year anniversary menu, and was just blown away. Lots of subtle flavors inspired by Portuguese cuisine, beautifully arranged. I'm typically not a chocolate person but the chocolate was to die for.
The couple running the place were very friendly, willing to explain things and chat, and there's even a cute little dog (in the garden outside), Stella, who you can pet if you're so inclined.

Pros: Awesome food, Great people, Cute dog

Vege-Niki

Points +1665

Vegan
10 Sep 2023

Deserves a Michelin star!

We were a couple and ordered the 5-tasting menu which celebrated their 10-year anniversary. The 2 first dishes were OK (interesting. The bread bun tasted like home...), the 3 last ones deserve a Michelin star. The Chocolate decadence was so amazing that I wanted to cry. All those varieties of chocolate on 1 plate. The Portuguese Christmas dish was out of this world: the smoked veggies and the 2 types of potatos were pure magic: this dish was called the spineless tofu because it replaces the Christmas fish. The mushrooms in a salty broth, replacing a traditional clam dish, were so good I would eat that everyday. I'm not a huge wine drinker but the sweet white wine which was recommended was sooo good! I would honestly eat all of this again and the service was exceptional. Thank you💓

Pros: Superb taste

Rivermead26

Points +74

Vegan
24 Aug 2023

Magical Evening!

Beautifully presented, delicious food served by staff that clearly are passionate about what they do.

Pros: Creative food using excellent produce , Efficient and friendly staff, Delicious flavours!

isaju

Points +66

Vegetarian
22 Aug 2023

No me gustó

Pedí un caldo verde y no me gustó nada, llevaba demasiada sal y se lo tuve que dar de vuelta porque estaba frío. El servicio era muy lento a pesar de que prácticamente estaba yo sola. Además el precio no es asequible.

Updated from previous review on 2023-08-22

VanessaLúcia

Points +19

Vegetarian
19 Aug 2023

Delicious vegan food and nice experience

I highly recommend Em carne Viva. The food was amazing! Eduarda was really caring and loving with our son (16 months old), which made the experience for my husband and I even better. We could eat our meal with more patience and enjoy each piece of our delicious food.




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