Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon, Portugal

Pastel de nata. How to describe it? Warm, eggy, custardy, sweet, cinnamony, flaky, buttery. If you’re a fan of cantonese cuisine, you might see the resemblance to don tots or translated to egg tarts. There is debate over the origins of this dessert but one thing that is undeniable is that it’s delicious. The dessert and this place in particular has been lauded as the premier institution and foremost authority on pastel de nata in Portugal. So naturally, we had to order these fresh baked delights and other assorted goodies for the table.

Established in 1837, Pastéis de Belém, was born out of necessity. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, there was a general store attached to a sugar cane refinery next to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Due to the liberal revolution, it was a difficult time for religious people and someone from the nearby monastery offered pastries for sale, known as Pastéis de Belém. At the time, Belém and Lisbon had more separation due to limited access via steamboats or a long journey, hence why they’re not called Pastéis de Lisbon. Eventually, production and the secret recipe moved to the buildings attached to the refinery. The recipe is unchanged and highly guarded. We love that visitors get to taste a bit of history and that from such a negative time, something so sweet was born.

The lines are long and the menu is varied but the service is quick and seating is plentiful. We also had the Empada de pato e espinafres or duck and spinach pie and the Chamuças or pie. Of course the pastel did not disappoint.

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Travel
R. de Belém 84 92, 1300-085 Lisboa, Portugal
Coordinates: 38.6975° N, 9.2032° W

Cost & Admission
Cost of food, ranging from € 1 to € 5

Food
Check out the menu here.
 
Activities
Eating
 
Tips
Don’t be discouraged by the line. It moves quick! There is ample seating inside and you can also watch the production through glass windows. Their food is also excellent.