Plantuguese, Stokes Croft: 'Never let romance get in the way of a good dose of pungent allium'

The UK's only 100% plant-based Portuguese restaurant

Feb 12, 2026

Hello Saucers. A warm welcome to our new subscribers and a little reminder of how we do things around here. Every review, every article we write - we can guarantee you that we’ve paid for the food and drink in full and done everything in our power to visit anonymously. Why? Well, it means we can be totally honest and we’re not biased. Our only aim is to provide you, our Saucers, with the most accurate and up-to-date intel there is on Bristol’s dining scene. Our latest review sees Ellie Pipe pay a visit to the newly opened Plantuguese for a romantic lunch date…

Our eyes meet over a glass of red,

He plucks an olive, I dip some bread,

Music is soft, talk punctuated with laughter,

Could this be my happily ever after?

The path of true love never did run smooth.

A meat-eater with a dairy allergy and a veggie does two reluctant vegans make,

When really she wants a camembert and he wants a steak,

I wouldn’t quite say it’s a tragedy,

but to never be able to share a rich, molten brie?

You could say he’s the meat-ague to my capsican-let. Then again, you can also take a theme too far.

It turns out true love is a whole series of often unsatisfying compromises. Until one Thursday lunchtime when it isn’t.

We find ourselves in Plantuguese. Formerly a market stall that gained a loyal following in Bristol, owners Tiago and Gerda have opened a restaurant that lays claim to being the first vegan Portuguese restaurant in the UK. Not wanting any beef, I won’t question that stance.

A simple blue and white sign overlooking Stokes Croft gives little away of the cosily lit, rustic restaurant within. The premises used to be home to Caribbean Croft, which has moved down the road, but the vibe is now unmistakably Portuguese. As is the scent wafting from the kitchen.

The menu offers plant-based small plate versions of ‘authentic Portuguese cuisine’ such as pica-pau, alongside chargrilled tofu and nori ‘sardine’. It seems the Portuguese are somewhat less prescriptive when it comes to their traditional dishes. If you’d have tried offering vegan sardines to an Italian, you’d have been met with the swift rebuttal “and if Romeo and Juliet had survived, it’d be a comedy”.

Red wine has long been my poison of choice and if this glass is my last, I shall die happy. From the Dão region of Portugal, the red (£9.50 for 175ml glass or £27.50 for a bottle) is deep and smooth, the kind of wine that awakens the senses and dissipates the day’s stresses with alarming ease. It’s also organic, ethically sourced and transported by sail cargo ship by the Port O’ Bristol team, who have recently opened a wine bar in Wapping Wharf.

We’re curious about the green wine — a very literal translation — billed as Plantuguese’s house drink, but it’s sold out for the day, so we break the ice with an amarguinha spritz (£9). Chosen from a small but effective cocktail menu, it’s a sweet almond number that gives a hefty kick and conjures up hazy memories of sunshine holidays.

Frankly, Plantuguese, you had me at vino. But, by all means, woo me with some sourdough (£5) and olives (£5.50). The latter are juicy and flavoursome, and come served with tremoços, a traditional Portuguese bar snack of lupin beans marinated with garlic, bay leaf and herbs, which prove curiously moreish.

Faintly toasted, the sourdough is lightly drizzled with rich olive oil, herbs and salt. Too lightly for our indulgent mood and a dish of thick olive oil is swiftly brought from the kitchen, with some extra flakes of salt for good measure.

Skilfully cooked mushrooms are the underrated star of vegan dining (or any dining for that matter). My affection for fungi hath an unknown bottom; give me a well-dressed mushroom over a fake meat burger any day. The ameijoas de cogumelos (£8) — or king oyster mushroom ‘clams’ — are firm but tender and fabulously dressed in a white wine broth that’s devilishly spiked with garlic. Never let romance get in the way of a good dose of pungent allium. It’s worth ordering the excellent, crispy skin-on fries (£4 for a generous bowlful) just for the dipping.

‘Shredded hearts of vegan cod’ (£14.50) and ‘thick-cut lion’s mane steak’ (£17.50) are among the five main dishes on the menu — could Plantuguese be the home of Bristol’s most expensive mushroom? I must admit to some initial scepticism over a vegan take on meat or seafood dishes, but then the course of restaurant reviewing is much like that of love: not always as fun as it sounds, and dominated by middle-aged white men.

Arroz de marisco (£16.50) — traditionally a seafood rice dish — is a revelation. The chef has worked wonders to create a deeply satisfying broth that evokes long forgotten memories of gorging on mussels by a Mediterranean shore. For the curious, the prawns are made from tapioca starch, soy protein and beetroot powder. Prawns? What’s in a name? They hold their consistency well and soak up the salty, earthy flavours of the broth, the last drops of which we soak up with our remaining fries.

Plantuguese is a testament to the ethos of doing less and doing it well. Dessert options here are pastel de nata by itself (£3) or pastel de nata with coconut ice cream (£5), leaving you with the eternal dilemma: to ice cream, or not to ice cream? Although you’d have to be a blinking idiot not to.

And, wow, do they do these well. If music is the food of love, these tarts might just be the fuel that keeps it burning. When dirty messages revolve around toddler potty training updates and after-dinner small talk means quibbling over dishwasher etiquette, rekindle a common passion with one of these irresistible treats. Crisp pastry and custard still warm from the oven, it’s all the more enjoyable for usually being off limits. The coconut ice cream, confides Gerda, was a happy mistake that arrived instead of the vanilla they ordered. Turns out they’re a match made in heaven.

So, two star crossed lovers say their goodbyes.

Sated by a meal of pure joy with no compromise.

With the sweet tingle of custard on lips so soft,

They stroll hand in hand out to wander Stokes Croft.