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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93 Reviews

First Review by AndyT

Kyliewood

Points +904

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 +266

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 +1057

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 +70

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 +61

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.

MayaNisim

Points +360

Vegan
02 Jul 2023

Nice dining place

If you are looking for a place for a romantic date, this is the spot for you. the vibe is very elegant and calm and the food was really good!

Neda.banana

Points +249

Vegan
22 Jun 2023

Michelin Level Dinner

What an experience! The food, ambiance and service were impeccable and I can't recommend this place enough.
You can feel that every component from the moment you step foot into the restaurant to the moment you leave, is curated to make you have the most magical time.

We went to many nice restaurants during our stay, but this was by far the best meal we had at En Carne Viva.

Pros: Food and wine, Service, Decoration

champoun

Points +1153

Vegan
25 Apr 2023

Fine dining vegan restaurant

Definitely more of a upscale restaurant with a fixed tasting menu.

Not cheap but the multiple courses do make up for it. Small portions are to be expected with such a menu.

Food was carefully prepared and beautifully presented.
It may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it and the flavours didn’t disappoint.

I only wish they also have a regular a la carte menu instead of only a tasting menu.

Very friendly staff who explain the whole dish with every course.
The interior was nice and has a romantic touch to it.

If you want a new experience, then I would suggest coming to this place.

Pros: Fully vegan menu , Very friendly and attentive staff

Cons: Only a set tasting menu, Not cheap

Porcel

Points +24

Vegan
31 Mar 2023

Vegano con clase

El trato, los platos y su presentación.

Pros: Todo vegano incluso los helados, Vinos de oporto, Bio y eco

Cons: Algo alejado del centro

ZeroCows

Points +105

Vegan
15 Mar 2023

Wonderful experience - don't doubt, just go try!

What a wonderful dining experience. The hosts are incredibly service minded. The food.. oh men.. it's not just delicious, it's a memory, an experience. We went for the 10 course diner to celebrate their 10 years anniversary (when in Rome...). The pace of the courses is great and the lot took us around 3 hours. From perfect asparagus with a creamy celery puree, delicious roasted cabbage, to a roasted onion filled with onion puree. Then the Caipirinha dessert. I would come back, just to have this dessert. It's the best. You must try it, it was so so good (and I'm a vegan pastry chef). The chocolate dessert with meringue was on the sweet side, but that's truly the only thing.
I've no clue why there are even reviews with 3 stars, if I could give 6 I would do so. Just go and try it. It's money well spend - it's an experience, a night out you'll remember if you appreciate good food and hospitality.

Pros: excellent food, one of the most delicious desserts ever, lovely interior and great service

rainbow-ctenophore

Points +128

Vegan
14 Jan 2023

Delightful

Wonderful meal! We tried a few different vegan tasting menus during our time in Portugal and this was our favorite. Each dish was tasty, perfectly portioned, and there was a nice variation in the flavor profiles of each successive course. The atmosphere was warm and cozy. It was just what we needed after a long day of traveling.

CavellK

Points +36

Vegan
12 Jan 2023

Disappointing

The restaurant is beautiful. The wait staff were attentive and enthusiastic about the food. And the food was creatively and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, the flavors were not consistently good. We did the tasting menu and enjoyed some things, but other items/plates were just bland and overall our experience was very disappointing. In our 8 days in Portugal (Porto and Lisbon) we had much better meals for half the price.
Other reviewers have rated Em Carne Viva highly, so maybe we were there on an off night or they were lucky to select the better items from the menu.

Pros: Elegant dining room, Attentive service, Beautiful presentation

Cons: Inconsistent quality of dishes, Expensive (for inconsistently good food)

Beccabecca

Points +87

Vegan
16 Oct 2022

Not good food

I’m really surprised this place has such good reviews. The atmosphere is very nice, and the service is good. But the food we had was un-enjoyable albeit very pretty.
The mushroom starter was ok, but tasted very much like mushrooms in stock.
The three purées that came with the sausage dish were very bland, and the sausage itself wasn’t great and was very small.
The tofu fish dish was very very bland and smothered in olive oil (literally poured over it like gravy). Admittedly the vegetables were nicely cooked but still way too much oil.
We were also hoping to sit in the garden but weren’t able to.
We were so disappointed in the food, and were very glad we hadn’t paid €50 each for the tasting menu.
I would not recommend this to anyone.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Food

ttahko

Points +23

Vegan
14 Oct 2022

A splendid, personal experience

One of the best vegan tasting menus that I've had; and I've had a quite a few and paid serious money for them. The service was excellent: attentive but not intrusive, and given how small the operation is, it was possible to have a proper chat. Every one of the tasting menu dishes were great and the portions were just right. Unusually, I'd say that the desserts may even have been the highlight, but all in all it was an excellent experience. I tried two of the wines available as well (a local white and red), and they did not disappoint. To finish, we were served a complimentary glass of port on the occasion of my birthday. Perfect!

stevie.apples

Points +42

Vegan
10 Oct 2022

A very mixed experience

This is a lovely restaurant and the service is attentive and friendly. We opted for the tasting menu. We also had the small bread roll which was seriously undercooked and reverted to dough at the slightest pressure. The savoury dishes were mixed - some tasty, although missed a key element (e.g. the tofu dish would really have benefitted from some capers) and some quite poor in my view. Some of the textures were really awful and badly considered. The desserts were both very tasty, although the chocolate mousse was gritty and overly sweet. The absolute star of the show was the "caipirinha" dessert with lime ice cream. It was genuinely one of the nicest desserts I've ever tasted.

mep

Points +361

Vegan
28 Sep 2022

Beautiful food, space, and service

Innovative and delicious food, with incredible white-glove service to match. Everything was delicious! The couple that runs the space clearly loves food and has poured their hearts into this restaurant. While this is a ~nicer~ night out, I would have happily spent more than we paid considering the quality of everything!

Pros: Quality, unique veganized Portuguese dishes, Caring service, Happy dog running around

LucianaBola

Points +56

Vegan
17 Sep 2022

Excellent restaurant

I've loved the fact they have vegan versions of traditional portuguese food. The vegan 'alheira' is to die for!

Pros: 100% vegan restaurant, Everything tastes amazing , Excellent service

Cons: A bit pricy, but totally worth the experience

PaulaCastillo

Points +23

Vegetarian
12 Aug 2022

Amazing!!!

Amazing food, excellent service and beautiful space! We had an excepcional dinner, they made us feel like we were having dinner in a friend’s backyard. I highly recommend it!

Chia’

Points +16

Vegan
10 Aug 2022

❤️

Amazing garden and superior food! Extremely curated and tasty. Really nice wine and superlative dessert.
Will miss it in Milano!

MatthiasArmbruster

Points +17

Mostly Veg
26 Jul 2022

Leckere Gerichte bei persönlichem Service und schönem Ambiente (Garten)

Leckere Gerichte bei persönlichem Service und schönem Ambiente (Garten)

Pros: Abwechslungsreiche Gerichte, Netter und persönlicher Service, Ruhiger Garten

CarlosTGoncalves

Points +21

Vegetarian
10 Jul 2022

Intimate Dinner

Upscale in the city with delicious dishes

MartaJesus

Points +281

Vegetarian
04 Jul 2022

Review Em Carne Viva

Fancy restaurant to take your lover on a date! The service was lovely and the place was beautiful. The ambiance is really cozy. The food was great and also gourmet! I loved the experience.

Updated from previous review on 2022-07-04

kezioune

Points +104

Vegan
29 Jun 2022

Incroyable !

Magnifique restaurant, le cadre et la nourriture étaient absolument incroyable ! Je recommande sans hésiter le menu dégustation !

Pros: Cadre et décoration sublime, Menu dégustation absolument délicieux , Personnel adorable

Genevieveboudreault

Points +20

Vegan
27 Jun 2022

Fantastic!

An Amazing experience
Surrounded by such a lovely romantic room
impeccable service and exquisite food

Updated from previous review on 2022-06-27

Pros: If you are looking for an elevated experience, , This restaurant is for you!

Cons: Nothing to dislike

MarliesScheemaker

Points +120

Vegan
15 Jun 2022

Perfect romantic dinner

A delicious menu, in a beautiful setting!
Even my non vegan boyfriend wasn’t missing any meat or fish.
Our bordercollie was more then welcome inside and got treated like a queen!
Lovely owners, with a beautiful soul.
We felt more then welcome. Could decide where we were sitting ‘cause our dog is over sensitive.

Be aware if you want desert you might skip a starter 😉

Updated from previous review on 2022-06-15

Pros: All vega restaurant, Pet friendly, Warm atmosphere

noulmi

Points +103

Vegan
12 Jun 2022

Excellent cuisine in nice decoration

Great restaurant for special occasions (very classy) The owners of the restaurant were adorable.




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