1. Manteigaria

If you want to try the very best Pastéis de Nata out there, look no further than the shaking-hands of Manteigaria. The “Factory of Pastéis de Nata” is a flawless example of the iconic Portuguese pastry. Their pastry shells are perfectly light and flaky and the custard is smooth with the perfect amount of sweetness. I could make myself sick on these because once you start eating them you just don’t want to stop.

Manteigaria has three shops in Lisbon. One is located on Rua Augusta, not far from Comercio Square, another is in the Barrio Alto neighborhood on Rua do Loreto, and finally there is also a location inside the Time Out Market near Cais do Sodré. All shops are open from 8am – Midnight. There’s no seats inside so you’ll need to eat at the bar or take your pastéis to go. Both the Time Out Market and Rua Augusta locations have seating nearby that you can use, the Barrio Alto location is near a public square that you could probably find a bench to sit on and enjoy your treat.

A single Pastel de Nata costs €1.10, or €1.20 depending on which store you go to. It’s also common to buy them in boxes of 6 to take with you, which will cost €6.60 – €7.20. In addition to the pastries you can also get coffee, milk, water, juice, Ginja (a Portuguese cherry spirit), or Port Wine. Drink prices range from €1 – €5 depending on what you get.

2. Pastéis de Belem

This place is the OP, the original pastéis. Located down the street from the Jeronimos Monastery, whose monks invented the pastry to use up their leftover egg yolks, Pastéis de Belém is home to the original recipe for these iconic treats. Their pastry shells are extra light and crispy giving you a super satisfying crunch when you bite in. While I didn’t find their custard to be quite as tasty as Manteigaria, these are still very excellent and worth the trek out to Belém.

One tip to know about this place is that the take-out line is often out the door, but there is typically no line to eat inside. This is not immediately apparent from outside the shop, but if you want to eat inside you can walk past the line of people outside and go in the door next to them to make your way inside. Once inside you’re welcome to sit yourself, there are tons of tables so there is usually some available. A server will then come take your order and bring you your food. It feels a little bit awkward to walk past all the people but, I promise, it’s totally fine!

Pastéis de Belém is located in the Belém neighborhood near the Jeronimos Monastery. To get here, navigate your way to the Cais do Sodré (Green line) metro station. From there, take the 728 (towards Restelo – Av. Descobertas) or 15E (towards Mosteiro Jerónimos) buses, and get off at the Mosteiro Jerónimos stop, which is right by the café. Alternatively you can take the train towards Cascais, get off at the Belém stop, and walk about 8 minutes to Pastéis de Belém.

The café is open daily from 8am – 9pm. In addition to the famous Pastéis de Belém, they also have a wide variety of other pastries that are also worth trying if you have any room left in your stomach. A single Pastel de Belém will run you €1.20 and other pastries will typically cost between €1 – €2. They also serve sandwiches and other breakfast items. To drink they have a coffee, water, juices, and plenty of wine options.

3. Confeitaria Nacional

Confeitaria Nacional is an elegantly decorated traditional Portuguese café that has a great location on the corner of Praça da Figueira, one of the main squares in central Lisbon. This café was founded all the way back in 1829 and makes for a great place to sit down, relax, and savor your Pastéis with some coffee.

The Pastéis de Nata here are, of course, delicious. The pastry is nice and crispy and the custard is tasty as well. They might not be quite at the level of the previous two places but the charming atmosphere certainly makes up for that. This place also gets a little extra love from me because this was the first spot I tried what quickly became one of my favorite pastries.

As I mentioned, Confeitaria Nacional is located on Praça do Figueira, making it quite easy to reach. It’s just outside the Rossio (Green line) metro station and there are several bus and tram lines that stop at the square. The café is open 8:30am – 8pm daily.

The pastries here are just a touch more expensive, with a single Pastel de Nata costing €1.55. They also serve a variety of other pastries and breakfast items here which typically range from €1.50 – €3. The coffee here is high quality and they also serve other drinks such as milk, water, juice, and beer.

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