Eight the Health Lounge – vegan affordable food in middle of downtown Lisbon

Eating healthy is becoming a big concern not only amongst locals, but also amongst visitors, who sometimes cannot afford to try the local dishes due to food restrictions. Actually in some countries it can be very hard to find something suitable – I must confess that until a few years ago it was very hard to find in Portugal a restaurant offering vegetarian or vegan options (they’d suggest having the soup of the day or the side salad!). Luckily, due to the growth of tourism in Lisbon (and also the power of social media of course) lots of healthy food restaurants have opened, providing an easier time not only to tourists, but also to the locals who want to eat something lighter.

This is where Eight – the health lounge comes in. Created by Ruben and Nancy Dias, it offers a variety of healthy food options to help you keep your conscience at rest. The restaurant itself has got a very pleasant decoration, following the cozy, minimalist trend of our time. Most of the furniture is made of wood, and the walls are painted in white, with several small shelves decorated with succulents. The reason behind this is the fact that the owners wanted to open a restaurant that not only wanted to offer healthy food, but also sell environmental friendly objects- from bags to decorative items – that you can acquire at the main counter after having a lovely meal.

Well what about the food? Your gourmet guide here usually visits this place for something quick and light to eat that doesn’t hurt the wallet. That’s right, besides being healthy, this place is quite affordable!

“Wow Feta” bowl (7.50€) with “Clean and Green” tea (2€), served in retro style tableware.

I usually eat a salad with some tea, and I end up paying only 9.50€ in total. But you can also order a whole variety of sandwiches, the soup of the day, a smoothie bowl, etc. Either way, it’s the perfect place to just grab a light bite in between sightseeing in downtown Lisbon. You can even choose to stay a bit longer and knit a bit, as they have a knitting station that you can use while admiring the views of the city.

The kniting station. This happy customer was working while having a smoothie and enjoying the mattress that was made by another customer who stopped by and just… decided to knit away! It’s a beautiful principle, isn’t it?

Feel free to also lounge for a bit, admire the views from the window (if you’re lucky like me and manage to grab this table!), check your email (or post those instagramable pics) or read for a bit, and this place truly feels like home.