Last Updated on May 16, 2022
Lisbon is a city right out of stories, with its rich history, culture, and of course, cuisine. There are many delicious dishes you should try out while you are in Lisbon, including the city’s famous pastel de nata. These delicious egg tarts are the landmark dish of the city, loved by locals and tourists alike.
You can find the famous two-bite wonder at every street corner in Lisbon. But if you want some guidance on how to find the most authentic tasting of these delightful egg tarts, we prepared a list of the places that offer the best pastel de nata in the city.
If you find yourself visiting one of these shops and loving it, we challenge you to turn this into a pastel de nata tour of Lisbon — because one pastel de nata is never enough.
1. Pastéis de Belém
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Like most of the traditional food the Portuguese love to cook and eat, pastel de nata (sometimes called pastel de Belém) has an interesting story behind it, and this place is the cradle of that story. Pastéis de nata originated in a monastery in Belém — Jerónimos Monastery, probably during the 18th century. At the time, using egg whites to starch clothing to make them look cleaner and sharper was standard practice but this left the monks with a huge amount of leftover egg yolks. The monks baked pastries and cakes to put them to good use, creating the creamy little pastel de nata, among other recipes.
When the Liberal Revolution broke out in the early 1800s, the government stopped supporting religious institutions throughout the country. The monks of the Jerónimos Monastery started vending their delicious pasteis de nata to keep the monastery going but the scout cookie model couldn’t support the monastery for long. What’s left from those days is these magnificent tiny tarts as a neighboring sugar refinery owner bought the original recipe from the monks and opened the famous Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém in 1837.
This historical bakery claims to be the only holder of the original recipe and it’s definitely worth a visit. The story of the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém has become an urban legend, and thanks to their delicious tarts, the bakery is very popular among the tourists, so it’s a good idea to hit the road early, ideally when the bakery opens, if you want to enjoy your pastel de nata in peace and quiet.
Operating Hours: 8:00am – 9:00pm
Address: 84 92 Belém Street, 1300-085 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 2-1363-7423
Price: $$
2. Casa Dos Pasteis de Nata
Casa dos Pasteis de Nata is a great place to get your sugar levels up while you’re wandering the city center. The bakery is located in one of the less crowded streets in the center, safely away from the tourist crowds. You can watch the staff prepare your pastries and enjoy them in the room upstairs.
It’s also a great place to have breakfast (some patisserie and fresh orange juice or coffee), and a great stop for lunch when you can grab one of their amazing sandwiches if you want to munch on something more filling before the sugary treats.
Operating Hours: 7:00am – 9:00pm
Address: 4B João XXI Avenue, 1000-196 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 2-1245-6663
Price: $
3. Pasteleria Santo Antonio
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Pasteleria Santo Antonio is a famous bakery located in the historical Bairro Alto neighborhood. It’s in walking distance to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (the National Museum of Ancient Art), The Museu Nacional do Azulejo (the National Tile Museum), and LxFactory, the historical industrial complex that hosts a variety of arty retailers and quirky restaurants.
Pasteleria Santo Antonio is between the Rua Augusta Arch and the Castle of São Jorge, so it’s the perfect place to grab a couple of sweet bites and a coffee as you explore the historical neighborhood. The place has many raving customers and their pastel de nata was the winner of the pastel de nata contest (yup, that’s a thing) in 2019. As you can guess, it’s pretty popular with tourists so we recommend that you take your pastries to go. There are many other interesting places to visit in the neighborhood.
Operating Hours: 9:00am – 9:00pm
Address: 10 Milagre de Santo António Street, 1100-351 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 2-1887-1717
Price: $
4. Manteigaria
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Manteigaria is another patisserie in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. It’s a patisserie that only serves pastel de nata, and they do a great job at it. The patisserie is only 20 minutes away from Pasteleria Santo Antonio, and just a couple of streets down the Pharmacy Museum and Carmo Convent, so you can add this cozy little pasteleria to your history tour. Actually, Manteigaria’s pastel de nata is worth a try even if you aren’t planning a history tour around the neighborhood. Some say that their pastel de nata is even better than Pastéis de Belém’s, so do yourself a favor and stop by Manteigaria to get some freshly baked egg tarts to see for yourself.
Like Pasteleria Santo Antonio, Manteigaria is also a small shop with a few tightly-packed tables, but the tarts are great for eating on the go anyway.
Operating Hours: 8:00am – 12:00am
Address: 2 Rua do Loreto, 1200-108 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 2-1347-1492
Price: $
5. Fabrica da Nata
Fabrica de Nata is another patisserie devoted to the famous pastel de nata. The freshly baked pasteis de nata keep coming out of the oven all day long and you can smell the mouth-watering delicacies even from outside of the shop.
If you go inside, you can watch the chefs making the tarts behind a glass door. The place is located a little farther away from the museums and tourist attractions. It has a big interior (and a couple of tables outside) where you can have a seat and relax while you’re enjoying your freshly baked pastel de nata. It’s also a great place to have lunch — their sandwiches and salads are excellent.
Operating Hours: 8:00am – 12:00amAM
Address: 275 A Augusta Street, 1100-052 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 9-1255-1171
Price: $
6. Pastelaria Versailles
Pasteleria Versailles is a posh patisserie with an old-fashioned atmosphere. But its elaborate chandeliers and wall-to-wall mirrors are not just props to make the place seem old. Pastelaria Versailles opened in the early 1920s and it still has that jazz vibe. The place has a wide interior with lots of tables and the menu includes a wide variety of desserts and patisseries.
Pasteleria Versailles has a couple of branches with the same name but the most iconic one is Pastelaria Versailles on Rebuplica Avenue. It’s very close to the Park of Eduardo VII, where you can have a nice walk and enjoy the interesting scenery, and the Museum of Calouste Gulbenkian, where you can see ancient art pieces from ancient Greek, Roman, Asian, and European civilizations.
Operating Hours: 7:15am – 8:00pm
Address: 15 A República Avenue, 1050-185 Lisbon, Portugal
Phone Number: +(351) 2-1354-6340
Price: $$
Pastel de nata is Lisbon’s landmark desert and many bakeries in the city do it justice. Here we listed 6 places where you can get the most heavenly pastel de natas, but it’s really hard to find a bad pastel de nata in Lisbon. The locals are picky with their little custard tarts.
If you love this local delicacy, join our pastel de nata cooking class to add the authentic recipe to your cookbook and you can share these tasty little tarts with your family and friends when you go back home.
