Best pastel de nata in Lisbon

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The famous custard tart of Portugal – the pastel de nata. I tried many during our month long stay in Lisbon. Some might say too many. But I don’t. This is one of my favourite pastries in the world, and I assure you there is a big difference between the best and the rest.

We stayed in so many apartments/hotels during our month in Lisbon. Primarily we looked after three cats in two different apartments courtesy of TrustedHousesitters. Filler hotel/apartment bookings for before and after the cat sits included Holiday Inn Saldahna Plaza booked with a generous Quidco bonus and Cozy and Sunny Apartment in Anjos.

Staying so central to the Lisbon centre provided a great base for tasting the best pastel de nata’s in Lisbon.

The criteria

• the pastry must be fresh, crispy, and not too greasy.
• the custard filling should be fresh, warm, the perfect consistency (allow for subjectivity), and rich but balanced in flavour.
• an often overlooked factor – the accompanying coffee should be just as good.
• and as a sort of tie-breaker: vibe counts. Tradition beats innovation. Stick to the classics and ideally serve your pasteis de nata (the plural) on a bar thats hundreds of years old. And if you can – open up your kitchen so we can see them being made.

The methodology

Here’s a general tip. Anyone in the custard tart game knows the best custard tart is a fresh custard tart. Timing, luck, and a bit of common sense play a big part. An hour old pastel de nata from the best fabrica in Lisbon wouldn’t stand a chance up against a mediocre version straight out of the oven. To make sure all venues were on a level playing field, I visited each on a weekday morning between 9am-11am, and I ordered an espresso with each (I call it the Portuguese pre-workout). And as a purist, and for the purposes of accurate researching, I shunned the optional cinnamon dusting – but don’t let me stop you.

With natas costing a maximum of €1.50 at even the best pastelerias, and espressos €1 or less, this wasn’t an expensive project. But I hope you appreciate the time and passion and calories that went into it.

In descending order, and featuring no venues scoring lower than 7/10 in my arbitrary scoring system, these are the best pastel de nata in Lisbon…

Bread & Friends Marquês – 9/10 – Gold Medal for best pastel de nata in Lisbon.

Entering into this important research study, I had no expectations that Bread & Friends would top the list. It had featured highly in reviews I read, but I did not expect it to surpass previous more famous nata experiences I have had in Lisbon in the past.

The pastel de nata at Bread & Friends Marquês ticked every box. The pastry was light but formidible, it was crispy and buttery but with no hint of grease. The filling was warm, of perfect consistency, rich and flavourful. And to top it off they had the best espresso of all the nata joints I visited. Do not discount how important this last point is. A bad coffee can ruin this holy experience.

Why not 10/10? The vibe at Bread & Friends does not match that at other venues. It’s not a historical site. It hasn’t been around for a hundred years. I know that seems unfair. But this is nata life.

Congratulations Bread & Friends.

Castro – 8.5/10 – Silver Medal for 2nd best pastel de nata in Lisbon.

Of the pastry, my notes say: ‘I can taste every flake’. I was in the zone. The Castro nata is as good as Bread & Friends. They are always fresh. The custard base is particularly rich and flavourful and the pastry delightful. The coffee was particularly dissapointing considering the beautiful and very capable Faema E61 espresso machine sitting pride of place on the bar. The vibe felt traditional and classy despite being a relatively new pastelaria.

Pastelaria Santo António – Chiado – 8/10 – Bronze Medal for 3rd best pastel de nata in Lisbon.

There’s clearly a renegade in the kitchen at Santo Antonio. The filling is the most custardy in Lisbon. Half the tops are blackened to perfection, and then a millisecond more. I appreciated them pushing the trad-nata boundaries. But they probably don’t care. Good for them. Bad for the espresso though.

The best of the rest…

Manteigaria – Chiado – 7.5/10

Manteigaria is the ubiquitous pastel de nata brand of Lisbon, now with about a dozen stores in the city, and others as far as Paris and Madrid. The Chiado branch is the original. And it was my favourite pastel de nata in Lisbon when I first tried it back in 2015, a year after they opened. No longer though. The filling is delicious, a little less rich than those above but excellently balanced. But as we should know by now, that alone is not enough. My waxy paper napkin soaks up more pastry grease than I consider acceptable. The better-than-average espresso and excellent vibe (including the view of the production line) is not enough to make up for this.

Pastelaria Versailles – 7/10

Versailles gets a lot of cred for its vibe. An early 1900s bar filled with customers when I arrived one Thursday morning at 9.30am. As a result of its age it is one of the oldest still operating pastel de nata fabricas in Lisbon. I stood at the bar and ordered my nata and espresso. The pastry was crispy and the custard creamy. The massive selection of other traditional pastries from Portugal and France probably contributed to a slower turnaround and a not-so-perfectly fresh nata, but the coffee punched above its weight. Well worth a trip for the experience. (And if you make it up there, pop up the road to Galeto, one of our favourite restaurants in Lisbon).

Nat’elier – 7/10

Sneaking into the list is the modern Nat’elier. Losing at least half a point for a display of modern pastel de nata variants (pistachio, tiramisu etc), they still pleased with the traditional offering. The consistency of the custard was a little spongy, but with a nice flavour erring on the sweet-side. Despite considerably more pastel de natas on display than customers (so be careful), mine was reasonably fresh and the espresso was up there with the best. A surprise entry considering the touristy location – but my arbitrary scoring system doesn’t lie.

Bonus Entry: The best Pastel de Belém in Lisbon

There’s a brilliant arrogance to Pastéis de Belém. A 5km tram ride from the centre of Lisbon, if you visit this bakery you could be forgiven for thinking they make a version of the famous pastel de nata of Lisbon. And with the hoards of locals and tourists making the trip out there you may also be forgiven for thinking they make the best pastel de nata in Lisbon. But they don’t. They make the best Pastel de Belém in Lisbon. You see you will find no mention of nata on their website or at their venue. There is no comparison to their product. There is only one Pastel de Belém and no-one could come close to replicating it.

To honour their perspective I have omitted them from the list above. But you should not omit them from your travel plans. And as it is not a pastel de nata, you can ditch the espresso and enjoy it with a €3 glass of Moscatel de Setúbal…

Pastel de Nata in Lisbon: Quick FAQ

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