In an effort to find the best eats around the globe, I’m connecting with food-loving locals and putting my stomach in their hands. Follow along as I challenge them to take me to five of their fave spots for my Eating With A Local series. The only criteria? Good food. The kind you want to share with friends.
If there’s one thing I know most of you will try when visiting Lisbon, it’s the iconic pastry: pastel de nata (aka Portuguese custard tarts). Home to the original recipe (more on that below) and hundreds of shops serving up the popular treat, finding the best pastel de nata in Lisboa can be a bit of a daunting task. Don’t fret! I sought out a culinary expert in the city, spent a day tasting her faves and am dedicating this entire post to the heavenly snack…
Local Glutton (LG): Filipa Valente. Founder of Taste of Lisboa Food Tours. Loves fresh sardines (only caught seasonally in Portugal). Hates pig’s ears and feet. Curious and always open to trying new food: she once had tarantula in Vietnam and is looking forward to eating live baby octopus in South Korea one day! For Filipa, food is a way to express her feelings — seeing it beyond taste, she forms an emotional relationship with food and is fascinated by the stories behind the ingredients and the people preparing the dishes. Her last meal on earth would definitely be cheese — specifically São Jorge (Portuguese) and Västerbotten (Swedish). Her culinary hero? Chef João Rodrigues of Feitoria (a Michelin star restaurant in Lisbon) because he respects the ingredients he uses, goes back to the roots, visits producers & cares about sustainability.
Me and the lovely Filipa at LX Factory in Lisbon.
Best Pastéis De Nata In Lisbon According To Filipa
1. Confeitaria Nacional
What do you love about this place?
Filipa (LG): Confeitaria Nacional is one of the oldest fine pastry shops we have in Lisboa (1829) and has been in the same family for six generations. The pastel de nata is consistently good — the custard is perfect to scoop out with a spoon like I used to do when I was a kid! They also make a great Bolo Rei aka King’s Cake which is our official Christmas cake.
My Two Cents: I love love LOVE the interior of this shop — the window displays, the counters, the mirrored ceiling. All of it. It’s the kind of place that just whisks you back in time. It feels authentic. As for the tarts, the custard has the perfect consistency in my opinion and is caramelized beautifully.
2. Manteigaria
What do you love about this place?
Filipa (LG): Manteigaria only makes custard tarts so everything is fresh. I love that you can see the entire baking process behind the glass. Although the tarts don’t have enough dough for my liking, the custard is very balanced.
My Two Cents: They make more than 6,000 pastéis de nata every day so you’re almost guaranteed to get warm tarts here. The crust is a bit too thin for me too — although I did bring some home that were thicker so consistency may be the issue. I do like that the tarts are less sweet than most of the others we tried, but the custard is a bit too eggy for my liking.
3. Pastelaria Alcôa
What do you love about this place?
Filipa (LG): Alcôa is known for making incredible convent sweets. This is their second location — the first one dates back to 1957 in Alcobaça.
My Two Cents: All the pastries at Alcôa are so elegant and refined — I felt like a kid in a candy store and could spend an entire day eating my way through them. I love that they use old recipes and specialize in making traditional sweets. The pastéis de nata here are much more consistent than at other shops; perfectly blistered, great texture and a flaky crust.
4. Pastéis de Belém
What do you love about this place?
Filipa (LG): It was our family tradition to visit on Sunday afternoons so I have very fond memories of this pastry shop. But it’s really the history behind Pastéis de Belém that makes it one of my top five spots in Lisboa; they own the original recipe for the custard tart which dates back to 1837.
My Two Cents: These guys make over 20 000 Pastéis de Belém EVERY SINGLE DAY so they’re a well-oiled machine. Although it wasn’t my favourite tart in the city (I wanted the crust to be more flaky and the tart to be served warmer), I still highly recommend a visit for the overall experience. The pastry shop is HUGE so make sure to step inside and walk through the maze of seating until you reach the patio. Dine in, watch the Pastéis de Belém being made and leave with a box to snack on later (the packaging is beautiful). Oh and their spinach quiche is amaze!
5. Pastelaria Aloma
What do you love about this place?
Filipa (LG): I grew up in the Campo de Ourique neighbourhood and love this local pastry shop. They’ve been here since 1943 and have won many awards for their pastel de nata. This is currently my favourite tart in the city! It’s warm, fresh and the crust crackles when I give it a little squeeze.
My Two Cents: I was a bit skeptical when I saw the words “o melhor pastéis de nata” or “the best pastéis de nata” on the awning outside of the shop, but the advertising is TRUE. This was the BEST pastel de nata I had in Lisbon. Why? The pastry was light, flaky and crispy, the custard was thick, creamy and smooth (the perfect texture & consistency in my opinion), the top was beautifully caramelized and the tart was not overwhelmingly sweet. Oh and the temperature was juuuust right so everything just melted in my mouth.
How To Eat Pastéis De Nata Like A Local
Swing by a pastry shop for a pastel de nata around 11 am as your mid-morning snack. Check the bottom for a nice swirl, the top for a slightly brown (but not burnt) blistering and give it a little squeeze — if the tart crackles, it’s fresh. Sprinkle canela (cinnamon) & icing sugar on top and scoop out the centre with a spoon if you want to eat it like Filipa. Accompany it with a bica (espresso) and enjoy!
A huge thanks to Filipa for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet with a random stranger. Her hospitality was endless, her energy was infectious and her soul is as curious as mine. If you want to see Lisbon through the eyes of a local, I highly recommend connecting with her via Taste of Lisboa Food Tours.
No Comments