Is Food in Portugal Vegetarian Friendly?

Have not been to Portugal yet but have this same conundrum. I’m a vegetarian the vast majority of the time, but even though I sometimes eat seafood, I also have qualms about Portuguese cuisine. I would concentrate your research on the restaurant scene. Also, consider where you would stay and for how long. A week in the larger cities where you rent an apartment with kitchen might be fine, allowing you to cook occasional lunches and dinners, while still being able to go out on occasion. I would have more qualms about a several week romp through small villages.

I was in Lisbon and Porto in May. I am not a vegetarian, but I do seek out Indian food wherever I go. There are many Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepali restaurants in Lisbon and several in Porto. I can't vouch for the quality of any of these, but generally the hole-in-the-wall places that serve the local immigrant community are cheaper and more authentic while the 'fancier' joints are generic and more expensive. Of course, many other non-European cuisines are to be found in both these cities. I use Google Maps to go on my adventure.

Do you use Happy Cow to find vegan & vegetarian friendly restaurants? I searched on the website & they list 3487 listings and break it down by city. They have never disappointed me (vegetarian) or my sister (and favorite travel companion) who is a vegan.

It's been several years since a holiday in Porto and surrounds, but I recall there were plenty of salad, cheese and similar options.
Simply googling for Porto throws up three veg/vegan options without trying.

Hi All
Thank you all very much for your quick responses to my question. I am glad to hear that some of you have personally been able to get vegetarian food in Portugal. I know that Google searches can be helpful but there is no substitute for the real life experience of the type that @alomaker posted. I also know that salads and cheeses can be found in a lot of places, but my experience is that they do not constitute a full meal! YMMV! I was not aware of Happy Cow so many thanks to Laurie Beth for bringing it to my attention. I'll definitely use the site in the future.

Penn

You are welcome. I have found that website to be so helpful in the US and Europe.

Portuguese food is heavy on meat and I did not find many vegetables. We actually found we did not like it that much and began seeking out other crusines. We had some good Italian and Thai food.

I visited Lisbon last November with a vegetarian and she had no problems finding something to eat in all the restaurants we ate in.