Casa da Horta

All vegan food. Over two days I tried all three available bottles of artisanal beer. For lunch I had the soup (spinach- broccoli- potato, I think), served with some broad beans and bread drizzled with olive oil mixed with yeast, for only €1,20. I took away a generous piece of dense, chocolate-glazed cake. Very modest prices. Cosy venue that evidently holds language classes and other activities during the week. Outdoor seating available.

As you enter there's a little shelf where you can buy small items (menstrual cups, eco green earrings (I think they also let people who run small businessess sell there their thing there). The restaurant itself is downstairs in an old cellar and you can smell the old! People who work there can be volunteers and they are very nice! That night there was a gathering to learn italian (they have there several events during the week). People would eat and speak italian (there were portuguese and italian people). You can really sense a spirit of community. As for the food, it is very cheap and tasty! I had an amazing juice (forgot of what it was) and there was a little game you played (like a question you needed to answer correctly and if you were the first one to get it right you would have a free drink). The dessert was also very good! Such an amazing place! :D

La comida muy buena, sirven cada día un menú por el precio de 5.50€ incluindo bebida. El ambiente es muy acogedor, y se encuentra muy central en la cuidad. La sopa estaba riquísima, y el pan maravilloso! No sé que ponían en el pan, pero parecía una mezcla de aceitunas. Recomendo.

The first time I came here I did have a little trouble finding it, but I'm very glad I did!

It is not a restaurant, rather a cultural association. They do not serve food before 20h and the menu changes every night.

The place is humid, rather dark and dingy. The staff is somewhat slow and you will probably wait a while for orders.

But they have great different food every night, they source their vegetables locally, produce their own kombucha, and I like the ambience of the place.

If you go on a night where they have some "event" going on (you can check it on their facebook page), you get to meet other awesome beings and participate in the event (even if just watching).

Would highly recommend, especially for people that live in the city.

We spent the best part of three days searching down endless labyrinthine alleys . It is by Sao Francisco church, tucked away a few doors down in an alley.
We finally found it at 4pm on a Thursday.
We got ignored in a dark , dingy little basement with a few people mumbling and giggling in the room.
After 15 minutes our alien intrusion was noted and a trusty waiter dispatched to deal with the intrusion into the community centre and it`s hippy tranqillity.
We asked for a menu.
No food til 8pm.
We asked for tea.After 5 mins..no tea.
Coffee..we got two thimbles of coffee with soya milk for 1.60
If we wanted a thimble we would have asked for a thimble.
Dreadful and a total lack of any interest in people who searched long and hard to find it.
It is not a cfe it`s a community centre.
Avoid.

Updated from previous review on 2016-09-25

It is hard to be vegetarian in Porto, but thanks to Casa da Horta we enjoyed tasty and cheap lunch menu in te city center! It has its unique atmosphere and they have also some events such as Franceshina Friday when we tried vegetarian version of typical Portughese dish. Meals could be a bit more seasoned with spice or herbs. Also the staff could be more diligent, but it was very great experience!

We had the menu with soup and ratatouille plus a drink. The homemade kombucha was the best I ever tasted. The soup was delicious and the ratatouille felt homemade (in a good way!)
The place was a bit dark, especially since we came in from the sunshine, and a candle or something would've made it easier to see the food :)
Excellent service especially considering the prices was crazy low, 5,5€ for a small starter, two courses and a drink.
They have free fast wifi. The roof is beautiful where you can see the wood that holds up the next floor.
There are two toilets, strange is that you are not supposed to flush the paper?!

I was at Casa da Horta for a foreign language exchange night.
The place is very interesting, doing a lot of activities, and food is cheap and good.
I had kombucha drink (homemade), a soup, couscous, red lentils and vegetables. Food was good and the chance to meet locals invaluable.
Would go back even just for a drink or a chat.
Thumbs up.

Locale molto carino e accogliente, bevande economiche. Ci son tre tipi di piatti principali: zuppa, piatto del giorno e piatto speciale, tutti molto buoni. Non raccomando le torte (erano un po crude). Spesa di circa 10 euro per persona.

We visited after a recommendation from the lady we rented an apartment from . I can't speak highly enough of this place. The food was sooo good . We ate here a few times and were never disappointed . My partner does eat meat but was equally impressed. It's a unique , cosy little space with a great relaxed atmosphere .

Loved finding what felt like a hole in the wall. They offered two vegan entree specials. We found the food in Portugal to always be enough to share. We started with the vegetable soup. Puréed liked all vegetable soups in Portugal. Shared the Vegan special- vegetable pie and shared the vegan fig and cocao cake. Simple food made by kind, caring people. We couldn't resist trying the local biological wine. Similar to all the other Vinho Verdes we had tried. The restaurant is small with 8 tables(4 two tops and 4 four tops). They also had 3 tables outside which are located just at the entry. The entry is just below street level.

Da es kaum angeschrieben ist, empfehle ich nach der Hausnummer ausschau zu halten.
Es befindet sich in einem Keller.

I ate a Franschesinha (or something) with tofu, tomato sauce and bread, and it was really good. Some cake for dessert too. The menu isn't that big, but what they have is really affordable and good. Try the local beers also, they were great!

I was very excited to try this restaurant based on all the good reviews and the truth is it didn't disappoint! The food was very delicious and had this mom's food look to it, which I liked.

We had the dish of the day, which includes soup and a beverage. It probably won't be the biggest portion you can have in a restaurant, but it certainly won't leave you hungry. I was quite full myself and couldn't finish what apparently didn't look like much food.

Anyway, I totally recommend this place. Oh, and try the "francezinha" ;)

Casa da Horta's tematic dinners are amazing and brings us foreigner experiences without leaving the country. The place is nice and cozy although a little bit small. It has a great price-quality relationship and the owners are very friendly.
At lunch they have cheap menus.

I love it!

I had searched this place out in a map before and despite all the research, this place is still a bit difficult to find. And the sign on the outside is not well lit up, so it makes it even more difficult to find. It is just in one of those many skinny alleyways around the main centre of Porto. Just keep looking around the area marked on the map and you will eventually find it.

The staff are a bit quirky, but friendly. They seem to speak Spanish, english and of course, Portuguese, and maybe other languages.

Service is quite good and food tastes quite nice. However, there is not a great selection here,with only about 3-4 things on the menu. The servings are quite small too. Luckily we ordered everything on the menu as we were starving. Just about done the trick. The recommended local wine was delicious. However, the price was quite good, €25 for two people, including the bottle of wine, but no desert.

A wonderful place!

Not only does casa de horta offer wonderful vegan food (daily changing dish) at very good prices, it is also a great place to enjoy an alternative lifestyle and meet wonderful, friendly people (both veg and non-veg).

Every Thursday they have raw day and offer raw vegan dishes, both soup and main course. I enjoyed the soy chorizo dish with rice and the hot tomato soup instead, both were wonderful.

The friendly waiter suggested to try out the local "Sovina" beer, and it was equally wonderful. Definitely a place you should not miss when you come to Porto!

The place was relatively easy to find and I immediately felt comfortable. The food was good (although the lasagna was warmed up in the microwave).
Would go there again!!

This place is really hidden in the heart of Oporto city. I discovered it while searching for a good and cheap vegan/vegetarian restaurant in the Internet. This one had fantastic reviews and seemed really cheap. The truth is that it really is.

The restaurant is not itself just a restaurant, it's a meeting place for some organic/vegan association, so don't expect much from the decoration. The menu itself is also hand-made. I think these are not negative factors, because it contributes to a very familiar/home environment. The staff seemed also very nice. I would only complain about a water leak under our table (nothing too serious - the floor was a bit wet - but be careful where you put your bag!) and the incense they used in the environment.

The food was really good: the soup was simple but had a spicy flavor that made it a bit different from what I'm used to when I order a soup.

The seitan+rice+vegetables were REALLY good: everything is organic, the sauce in the seitan was amazing and the vegetables we're very good.

The tea was fine, and helped digesting the rest of the meal. For all of this we paid 5,5€ (for lunch)! And I think that for more 1,5€ you can order dessert.

If you're looking for a very good cheap vegan restaurant, and you don't mind the home-made feeling, this is the one!!

The first truly vegan restaurant we found in 1 month. Good food and cheap. 5 euro menu of the day. You need to cope however with a certain type of persons: the alternative pierced tatooed loving-everybody wanna-be-ugly clown-dressed teenagers.

This place is really fantastic. The food is mainly local and organic (its amazing how prices can be that low), almost everything is vegan, all deserts are vegan. Always a different cook, it makes it non-professional but that is a plus, it feels home made, and it's never boring to go there again and again. But besides restaurant this collective does other activities, gardening, movie projections, debates, workshops... its has a lot of activist flavour and grassroot environmentalist feeling to it. It seems they are trying to recreate a new little world.

We paid €16 for 2 starters (soups with bread), 2 main dishes, 2 glasses of wine and 1 dessert; everything was delicious, the background music was nice, the ambience was relaxed and enjoyable, the service was excellent, when I tried to leave a tip they said they don't accept them, and I'm writing this review via the free wifi. I can't reccommend this place enough! It opens for dinner at 8pm and is open Tuesday to Saturday. Top of the list for vegetarians in Porto!

well i have been few times to this place and all i can say is that im extremely happy to have such a place in the city where i was born. the alternative vibe which i extremely support, the location (couldnt be better!), the friendly staff, the food.. everything is fantastic for sure! not fancy, not expensive, not trendy, not commercial, etc... english speaking, etc.. probably the only problem is that it is a bit small but im not sure if i should consider it a problem or an advantage as it being small it definitely feels more comfortable, comfy, cosy and homey! well just go there do not hesitate!

Hidden treasure in Porto.
Vegan every night except for fridays (vegetarian).
Limited options but very tasty.
Friendly, international staff.
Alternative vibe.
Cheap.

Pros:
- Awesome food!
- really nice people
- inexpensive
- bio organic drinks (juices and beer)
- HC/punk/DIY atmo

Cons:
- no outdoor seating

Including starters (try the sandwich!), drinks (try the organic apple juice!) and dessert (try the cherry cake!) for two we paid 23€! Main courses differ daily and there seem to be two different ones always.
It's a nice little street next to the Rio Duoro where the place is located. They sell self-made stuff like 2nd hand shirts with self printed designs on it, bags, buttons etc., there are animal rights flyers, self made lamps from recycled bottle caps and so forth. They speak English and have an all vegan menu except for Fridays when they offer bio-organic cheese from the region. The only downside is that they don't have outdoor seating. But it's refreshingly cool in the cellar where the venue is located.

Highly recommend it to any veggie in Porto.

The place is something special, the atmosphere is familiar and you feel sooooooo good here. The menu is short but everything is very good and homemade. And there are also some alternative objects/books/presents you can buy or simply discover. The perfect place for open-minded people!

Il posto e formidabile! Speciale! C'e un'atmosfera meravigliosa, molto calda e accogliente, preziosa! Sembra di sentirsi tra amici o addirittura a casa. Il menu e poco ampio ma tutto e davvero squisito e preparato direttamente dai ragazzi. Inoltre, e ricco di dépliants da sfogliare, di libri oggetti e piccoli regalini da comprare!
e il posto perfetto per chi e aperto di mente e curioso e per chi ha voglia di stare un po' in compagnia.

El lugar es maravilloso. El menu no es muy amplio pero todo es muy bueno. Es un lugar precioso: tienes alle un ambiente muy familiar y te sientes como a tu casa. Adema s, es una pequenita tienda porque puedes comprar regalitos, libros o objetos muy bonitos!
Es el lugar perfecto para quien es curioso y esta  buscando calor humano!

All the food seems freshly homemade.
Lot of attention to quality and origin of ingredients.
Very friendly atmosphere where you can have a party feel without the need of lots of money.
You can add to your dishes a glass of porto, good wine or artisan beers.

Don't expect sophistication, but that's how we like it.

I will come back!

We actually had to wait a bit to get a table at this place. The menu only costs 8€ and consisted of apetizer, soup, main course and dessert. Everything was delicious! They also have the vegetarian version of franceshina here :).

Love the culture and support for veganism in this "alternative" spot. It is run like a co-op so members get cheaper prices on food. I had feijoada which is a Portuguese bean dish and it was really delicious served with rice and salad. My husband had "spicy" lentils which coming out of a Mexican's mouth were bland and not spicy at all. My favorite part of the meal was that we ordered one of each of the desserts because they were so reasonable and they were all good, some of the cakes weren't moist, but my favorite was a portuguese cream and cookie dessert made with bolachas Marias (not on the menu). SO AMAZING. You have to visit and support the local youngsters!

Good (honost) food and very cheap. Almost 100% vegan I guess. Staff spoke better english than me. Very nice atmosphere with an ideoligic vibe. These people stand up for what they believe in.

Very good food with a very friendly atmosphere. Its a very comfortable place with a couch, which makes it a little bit homely. Most of the dishes are vegan except one (a portuguese speciality). The food is tasty.

a restaurant full of character, nice and smiling staff, tasty food... loved it!

Not easy to find but worth looking for. Limited selection, but super alternatives to the salads and potatoes that you are limited to in most non-vegetarian restaurants in Portugal. Upon entering it feels more like someones home than a restaurant, a place to hang-out with like-minded people. We went for a late afternoon snack and were delighted to find vegetarian francesinhas (a Portuguese specialty like a croque monsieur in France) which were yummy. The staff was very helpful (good English) and the prices very reasonable. We recommend this place for both the good food and the nice experience.

From the outside we initially thought the place wasn't open, but a small sign assuaged our fears. The door opened to reveal a real pearl of a restaurant. The menu really was "whatever they felt like on the day" which I thought was something that only ever happened in Rick Stein's imagination. The food was good, honest and seasonal. The ambience was relaxed, friendly and informal. Something closer to my heart, a restaurant that plays good music (in this case The Postal Service and has a computer that runs Ubuntu, really helped make this place something special.

Hi,
We were in Porto in July 2010. We were happy to found this restaurant close to the famous Eiffel's bridge. The food wasn't that brilliant but still, we were happy to eat something different from batatas fritas and saladas mixtas. I had a very nice homemade bear. The people working inside were very friendly and food was very cheap ! If you visit Porto, you must eat at the Casa da Horta ! And if you're really skint, have a beer, it's less than 1€ !!

Very nice place, with very friendly staff. It was no problem to have dinner before 7.30 pm, the time when most Portuguese restaurants open. The food was good, although not really special, and very good cheap. They have a large selection of herbal teas. I would definitely recommend this place.

Casa da Horta is a great place for more reasons than one. The food is very nicely cooked, the staff is extremely friendly and overall you feel like you're eating at someone's home and not at a restaurant.
They have a great concern for using mainly fair trade products and the food is vegan, which is rare in Portugal.
With such care being put in the products you'd expect it to be expensive but it is actually very cheap. Love it!

Casa da Horta is really a place that you "have to" visit while in porto. It's a very recent project, a very young non-profit organisation with excellent homemade cuisine. It's really in the heart of Porto historical centre so you really can't miss it! There's also a lot of good information about ecological issues, social issues and about porto and portugal in general.