House of Wonders

The „House of Wonders“ actually consists of three locations: On street level, there is a location that looks like a proper restaurant. Around the corner there’s another entrance, when you go upstairs you first arrive at the cosy café, further upstairs there’s the area where you order the food that is available there (mezze platters, cakes, coffee, juices, wines…), and then further upstairs you arrive at the rooftop terrace.
We spent some time at the rooftop terrace and enjoyed smoothies and a vegan mezze platter, so I can only rate this.

The mezze platter was OK but not amazing: I asked for a vegan version of the normally vegetarian mezze platter, and we got some salad, some hummus, and seasonal vegetables, mostly cooked in oil (leeks, pumpkin, beetroot…). There weren't any special tastes, no spices used... I had the impression that they put more effort in the vegetarian mezze.

At first I was a bit disappointed that you can’t really see much of the sea from the terrace. But the atmosphere there is so relaxing and enjoyable, that you are more than compensated for that. We were there in November. When it gets chilly they have blankets, so you can extend your stay. Staff is cheerful, the whole atmosphere laid-back and friendly. Would love to return.

I would put this place in the top 3 vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon.
Excellent service, a great variety of exciting flavours. Nice ambience.

Great juices. Good number of vegan options in a nice space and great location. Can be pricey. Food is ok whit variety. Probably your best option if you are in Cascais looking for a place to eat healthy, vegan/vegetarian food whit your friends.

AMAZING FOOD! During summer they have a raw vegan option but during other seasons only vegan options! The bread which is gluten free vegan & yeast free is the best one i've had (Dipped in humous= perfection), the raw vegan deserts (all seasons) are deliscious and so are the vegan/gluten free cakes! The rooftop is super cool and has a relaxed vibe! THIS RESTAURANT IS A MUST!
i go there almost every weekend 😂

A comida é boa, mas o espaço estava numa confusão autêntica e não deu muita vontade de ficar lá a apreciar a refeição. Também achei o preço muito elevado para a quantidade de comida que colocam, pelo que não fiquei com vontade de regressar.

I went to this restaurant a few weeks ago for a dessert and a coffee. As soon as we got in I told the waiter we only wanted to have dessert and he told us to go upstairs. We went up one floor and the next waiter told us to go up one more floor. We did and stood next to a counter with many other waiters and tried to place our order. Only after 5-10 minutes someone talked to us. I asked the lady which desserts were vegan and she said "all of them". I asked if she was sure as some cakes only had a "gluten free" tag and missed a "vegan" tag. She confirmed they were all vegan, but as soon as another waiter overheard us she intervened and said not all of them were vegan. The other lady apologized and it would have been fine since we all make mistakes, if it wasn't for what happened next.

After we placed our order and received the desserts I noticed my cake slice was very tiny comparing to my friends' non-vegan slices, something I would refer as soon as I went to pay. When we finally went to pay the waiter charged me 5 euros for a cake slice that was listed as 3.5 euros. I asked what was all that about and he answered that the cake was new and the correct price was not yet listed. I complained that they could not charge me for something not listed and that the cake slice was also incredibly tiny. He only replied "yes. yes. yes" all the time, clearly wanting me to go away and not even apologizing for the situation.

Someone who appeared to be the manager overheard us, apologized to me and told the waiter I was correct and they could not charge me for a price not listed, and he gave me back my 1.5 euros change.

It's a shame this situation happened, as this place had potential to be an amazing place to eat.

I'm giving 2 whole stars instead of 1 only because the tiny cake slice tasted good.

Unfortunately we didn't notice that there is also a buffet (scrolling through the reviews) so we end up ordering mezze which was good but kind of expensive (and also I was hungry afterwards, it wasn't that big of a meal). Juices are delicious and their cakes (both raw and baked) as well! And the rooftop is very pretty.

The buffet was just incredible and had to have a second round!

Desserts and juices amazing too and the staff was delightful! Will be coming back many times in the future

We went here for an afternoon snack and were really pleasantly surprised! The juices and vegan desserts are really delicious and everything is labelled really clearly so it was easy to know what we could eat. The staff were super friendly and welcoming and the rooftop terrace is a total gem! The only downside is that it's too expensive to go there regularly - two juices and two slices of cake were +/- 18€.

This restaurant is great and such a nice thing to have in Cascais.

The fresh buffet was great. 15 euros is a bit expensive, but it was very fresh so I supposed the price is right. There were many dishes, but there could have been more variety in taste. In the end all the marinated vegetables tasted a bit the same. There was not salt used, but the more salty hummus and bean paste compensated it.

I tasted two different vegan cakes, both were dry cakes, so I would like there to be more variety in vegan cakes. But I have noticed that soy whipped creams and such things are not that popular yet in Portugal, I think.

It was a bit confusing place. First floor was very full of tables and chairs and we were a bit unsure if there was a buffet or not, even that we saw the tables with food trays. There was text on one wall, but it´s not easy to go and read it. The lovely waiters explained, but it would be so much easier to read than listen to get a clue about a new restaurant.

If you enter the restaurant from the door of the second floor, you wont even know that there is a buffet on the first floor. You will end up ordering a meze plate or cakes from 3rd floor. And when I entered 3rd floor, I was unsure where to order. So it would be nice to make everything more clear for a confused tourist! It´s not comfortable to feel stupid.

lovely place with a lot of amazing food, juices and desserts. went back may times

Such an amazing place. A lovely rooftop bar where you can enjoy a range of vegan cakes and salads while you make the most of the sun and the view.

The downstairs buffet was really nice and quite inexpensive. For 24€ you get a sharing plate that you can fill as many times as you like and 3 hot mezzes. The staff spoke English (my Português isn't up to scratch on this, my first visit) and were happy to point out which dishes were not suitable for vegans and happily made the hot food w/o cheese.

Rounded it all off with yummy vegan cheesecake.

One of the best places I've ever been. Delicious fresh food.
Usually there are some RAW options as well. Nice roof terrace. Great location.

Vegetarian enclaves were VERY scarce in Portugal and this one did not disappoint!! I only ate at the upstairs cafe with the beautiful rooftop patio, but it was lovely! We shared a sweet sampler plate and a savory salad sampler, in addition to some iced coffees with plant-based milk and a vegetarian brownie. The atmosphere is beautiful and the food was delish!! We checked out the menus for the spots downstairs and everything sounded lovely but unfortunately we didn't have time to eat there again. If you are in cascais, VISIT HOUSE OF WONDERS!!!

Delicious food in a great surrounding! A little expencive, but we will go back! Each time we have been there the mezzo was different. Very friendly staff.

At last some professionalism in veg cooking!
Cannot go there too often, price wise. Understandably due to the quality.
Worth every penny.
Enjoy!

We came a cross this by accident when visiting Cascais for the day. I had a vegan mezze plate, plus some lovely homemade bread sticks and my omni partner had a cheese plate. We both had a seasonal juice, which contained sharon fruit, and had it laced with some really strong rum. The roof terrace gets sun until about 5pm in November, and there are lovely views across the rooftops. The pallet seating is decorated with comfortable cushions, and there are blankets freely available should you get cold. When the weather is cooler, you can sit inside on one of the other 2 floors, where you will feel a part of the family, and can play one of the board/card games or read books. You will feel really welcome here, and the staff are knowledgeable about their food.

This place is a few steps away from the information booth downtown near the beach.

It has a salad buffet (mezze) and hot dishes as well as a veggie burger and dessert.

You can choose a small or large plate of salads (not all of them are vegan as they have animal cheese on top) and can also order the hot dish of the day - today they had mussaka, which can be made vegan.

Everything was tasty, but pretty expensive for Portugal. The small salad plate is €7.95, but you can only go to the buffet once. the large one is €14.75.

Everything has olive oil. Everything!

They also have a restaurant under the same name- House of Wonders. Which is below the cafe. We enjoyed coffee and vegan dessert at the cafe, because we had already had lunch. The rooftop terrace view is of the city rooftops, but was very comfortable and relaxing. Some shade available in the "lounge" area. We found shade to be a comfortable temperature, while the sunny areas to be HOT! Friendly and knowledgable staff.
Updated from previous review on Sunday September 06, 2015

We went back for dinner at the restaurant. We didn't make a reservation and was glad we went early. They were turning people away the whole time we were there. Food was great. Because we are vegan, we couldn't eat the hot foods. So, our option was to get the one time trip to the buffet. There were only two items which weren't vegan. The downside was, because we could only do one trip, I loaded up my plate because I didn't know what I would like. I ended up leaving food on the plate, which I hate to waste food. When we said something to our server, he said they try to encourage people not to take too much and go back- but only if they do the hot and cold options. Still doesn't make sense to me why we were given the only one trip option. Can't remember if our cost was different.
The temperature was great and we sat just inside the entry enjoying the outdoor/indoor feel. There was a breeze and sitting at an outdoor table would have required warmer clothes than I had with me. We were struggling to find vegan food in Cascais and were so grateful to find both the cafe and restaurant. One of our best food experiences in Portugal.

Lovely rooftop cafe with fresh juices and vegetarian places

nice vegetarian Restaurant, Buffet is mostly vegan, taste very good!

My partner got a sweet potato + hen of the woods dish that she continues to crave to this day. I got the buffet so that I could try different things. All the vegan food was amazing. We liked it so much that we tried to go back for a second day in a row, and our only regret is that they were closed for a private party. Hope to dine there again next time.

What strikes the new incomer at HoW is the quality of the vibes. The place is a both quiet & trendy café to sit back & relax while drinking a 'bica' or eating some tasty vegan cake.
The staff is nice & helpful.
But the best thing is the 3rd floor terrace, richly decorated with coloured cushions and a 360° view on the city.
You won't find real dishes there, except for salads/mezzes, but the snacks & pastries are a real treat.
The only drawback: it's a little pricey for Portugal (espresso around 1 euro & ckaes from 2.5 to 3.7 euro a piece).
Updated from previous review on Tuesday April 14, 2015

I Went there a coulple of days ago and was very positively surprised. It's as far as I know the only restaurant in this location offering plenty of vegan options. I was presented with a buffet of pastas, baba ganoush, hummus, several salads, pastries and cakes. Most things are vegetarian, but there were many options for me as a vegan. They are not marked but the staff is friendly so just ask.

Small plate €6.95 Big plate around €10. It comes served with bread. I was told there is also regularly one raw vegan cake as a dessert but I didn't tasted it. They also offer soups, smoothies and other dishes.

Note that they have two locations. Their main one is at the Largo da Misericordia 53 close to a church, where you'll find distributed over 3 floors, a gallery selling objects and jewellery, then the restaurant and on the top floor a terrace overlooking the bay. I would definitely recommend this one. The other one its a more regular restaurant located in another street nearby.


Updated from previous review on Wednesday January 07, 2015

Updated from previous review on Wednesday January 07, 2015

Updated from previous review on Wednesday January 07, 2015

Love the decoration, love the food, love the concept!

I visited the place twice in August 2014 and was simply stunned with what I found there. The place consists of two individual bars - one is the roof cafe and the other full meal restaurant. On the first visit we tried sunny roof terrace with wonderful selection of fresh juices and smoothies. We wanted to eat as well so we ordered some salads, it was no problem at all to get something vegan here. The salad was fresh and one of the best I ever had and it arriver in no time - 5 mins - seriously! :-) We also tried mixed juice and it was delicious.
On the other day we got into the restaurant part and it was no different. The staff is really friendly and food is delicious. They're serving the food in mezze way so for a fixed price you can fill your plate with whatever you want from te selection of around 10 different dishes (many vegan options as here well). Or you can also order some hot dishes that are different every day. We took 1 full plate of mixed salads, pastas and other goodness and 1 eggplant mussaka. All the dishes was perfect - well seasoned and simple delish :-)
I recommend this place to everyone - it's a must when you're in cascais :-)

Apres 10 jours de voyage au Portugal, nous avons trouvé cet excellent restaurant végétarien. Les plats sont parfaitement épicés, le vin délicieux, le service impeccable.

Difficile pour un végétarien d'apprecier la gastronomie portugaise. C'est chose faite ici. Je recommande vivement ! House of wonders arrive directement dans mon top 5 mondial ^^

I try to live as vegan as possible, but believe me it is not always easy and in Portugal it is a big meat-culture. When on top of this, I am allergic to gluten, it's even difficult to be vegan in the most vegan places (seitan and breads..). When we were going to Cascais, I went to happycow.com and found this restaurant, figured I would give it a try. Boy am I glad I did!! They were happy to accomodate my vegan and gluten free wishes, and I ate the best salad I have in years. Funny, I am the vegan who doesn't like salads - but this is not your normal definition of salads. Their chef is Syrian, and they know their Hoummus! I went here 2 days in a row, sat on the upper terrace and drank freshly juiced juice and ate myself full on their lovely dishes. There is a restaurant downstairs in the street, this cafe that I went to is upstairs in the same building. It's the same food and people working there. Absolutely a great place, laid back atmosphere, nothing is rushed and everyone is.. happy :-) Like veg*anism should be! Expect to pay about 15 euro per person, with a big lunch and a freshly squeezed juice. It's no wonder that even though this is a vegetarian restaurant, it is listed as number 4 out of 260 restaurants in Cascais on Tripadvisor.

If you can manage the multiple flights of stairs, you can enjoy delicious fresh food presented almost as art work on the plate. We were delighted to find the House of Wonders in the centre of the pedestrian area of Cascais. Anna, the owner, made us welcome. She offered us the dishes of the day, and then served them with different accompaniments to suit our tastes. We heard how she customised each person's lunch, and how many were locals coming back for fresh juices, coffee, or food. The roof terrace gives a view of the sea and many rooftops. This is a quirky place with interesting furniture and imaginative food. Oh, and Anna speaks lots of languages!