Places for expats and digital nomads have been popping everywhere for a few years now in Lisbon, Porto and all major cities in Portugal. One of my favourite one is Honest Greens. Picture this: It’s hot outside, the air is slightly iodide due to the wind coming from the sea. You’re in the city and are looking for fresh, healthy and yet homely food to share with your friends, loved ones or your co-workers. Spread across the city you know there has to be a Honest Greens restaurant close to you. You walk towards one of them as you know not only will you eat good food but there is always a patio, terrasse or rooftop to linger in. The California of Europe never resonated more in your mind.
Do I have your attention now? Let’s get into it then.
The perfect place anytime of the day
Most Honest Greens are usually separated in 2 corners, the coffee shop and restaurant. This means that regardless of the time of the day and your cravings there is a high chance you will find what you need. I’ve never tried the coffee shop section as I usually go for lunch there but it’s often packed with remote workers (usually expats) as the atmosphere is perfect for working and socialising.
Speaking of lunch, my 2 favorites Honest Greens spot in Lisbon are the ones in Amoreiras and Principe Real. Amoreiras is perfect if you want to have a healthy morning routine as you can go for a solid workout at Holmes Place after breakfast and then come down stairs to get a healthy lunch at Honest Greens. Principe Real is a different vibe, more like Sunday brunch on their rooftop terrasse to enjoy the panoramic scene of Lisbon at the same time.
The mains are yummy, deserts not so much
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of it. The last time I went to Honest Greens we were 2 to enjoy the terrasse at the Principe Real location. We chose salmon and beef for our proteins and went for the sweet potatoes with maple/tahini syrup for our sides. Yes at Honest Greens you can either create your plate or you can choose from a selection of bowls. I took the beef with chimichurri sauce and although it was slightly too cold to my taste, it was delicious. The power of the chimichurri and the beef combined with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes is the experience that makes me go back every time. I washed it all down with their selection of aromatised waters from their H2O bar (the blueberry one is a personal favorite) and you will be ready to take on the rest of your day.
I’m less of a fan of their deserts as they try to keep the healthy approach all the way of your meal. I’ve tried their cookie, cauliflower brownie, and vanilla-caramel cupcake – while it was eatable I found no pleasure in eating them and felt more like waisted calories to me (the cookie was ok actually). Healthy and deserts are antonyms in my opinion but to each their own. I will end my meals at the main plate from now on.
This lunch was 31.9€ for the mains adding 12€ for the 3 desserts. Overall it is a cheap solution to eat healthy but avoid the desserts at all cost as they are as expensive as miserable.
Next time I will try to go in the morning as they have a separate menu for breakfast where you can find toasts of all kinds, revisited french toast or vegan breakfast burritos. They also serve protein bowls in the morning if you just hit gym or going there. I shall report back to you expats with my findings.
You can find all of their location and menu on their website. Let us know in the community how you found your experience at Honest Greens.
