In Pursuit Of The Perfect Pastel De Nata
Two years ago, pre-Covid, Luke and I traversed (and ate) our way through Lisbon. The city was bursting to life with culture, color and beauty. But me? I was on the hunt. What for? One thing. The perfect pastel de nata.
In Lisbon, pastéis de nata reign supreme in all bakeries. If you’ve traveled to Portugal at all, you’ve certainly come across these iconic egg custard pastries. Locals chow down on them with a shot of espresso in the morning, standing around the bar, beginning their days. They are synonymous with Portuguese daily life and just plain delicious. (P.S. pastel de nata is a singular pastry, while pastéis de nata refers to more than one! Just so you know!)
In between visiting some of the coolest neighborhoods, soaking in that delicious, warm weather, sipping port wine and visiting plenty of ancient sights… I had my mind set. I would find the most delicious traditional Portuguese custard tart the city had to offer. Would you expect any less?
Finding a bad pastel de nata is actually very hard! Lisbon is home to thousands of Portuguese bakeries, all of which have stiff competition. There’s no room for bad natas as the competition is tough!
Today, I’m sharing my favorite little pastries I sought out while in Lisbon in the pursuit of the perfect pastel de nata. Here we go!
PASTÉIS DE NATA EXPLAINED
Flaky, crispy crusts. Delicate, yet sturdy. Juxtaposed to the smooth, creamy, rich egg custard. Semi-sweet yet slightly savory. Lightly charred on top, dusted with sweet confectioners sugar (or cinnamon, if you prefer). What I love most about pastéis de nata is the textures at play all in one bite. Crisp, smooth, rich, bright… it’s all a masterpiece.
Pastéis de nata are classified as an an egg tart and a cream pastry, and present as a little bird’s nest of deliciousness. Their thicker outer layer of flaky pastry dough cups the rich, yellow custard filling thats top is caramelized with brown spots. Inside the filling is creamy, rich and only slightly sweet. If you don’t love super sweet treats, you’re going to love pastéis de nata!
Locals typically order their pastel with a bica (espresso shot) to it wash down. As you might guess, it’s typically eaten during the morning hours as the perfect light breakfast… although you certainly will see locals and tourists alike having them night and day.
THE PASTRY’S PAST
Pastéis de nata sometimes go by another name - pastéis de Belém. This is because Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém is perhaps the most famous place to eat the pastry, as well the closest thing to the source that invented and perfected these little treats!
Monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém (which I recommend all travelers check out!) were the first to make and distribute the egg tarts. The story goes that egg whites were used in the monastery to starch clothing and fabrics. This left a large amount of excess egg yolks that the monks used to make cakes and pastries from.
However, after the Liberal Revolution in 1820, the monks faced the impending doom many other religious institutions faced, as many were being shut down or lacked funding. To bring in more money for the church, they began selling their pastries to the masses.
Since this turning point, the monastery closed its doors for the last time and the monks sold their iconic recipe to the local sugar refinery. The refinery officially opened its own bakery in 1837 called Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém.
Many foodies call this pastry shop the most authentic taste of pastêis de nata since its recipe is straight from the source! And, for that reason, you might hear some people call pastêis de nata “pastéis de Belém” instead! It’s essentially used as a synonym for the pastry.
THE CRITERIA
When it comes to pastéis de nata, I would say I’m a traditionalist. Here are some of my very basic standards going into the hunt for the perfect pastel de nata.
Temperature
I require a warm pastry… that’s for sure. Although ideally it would be straight out of the oven so that heightened crunch can come from the crisp outer shell compared to the creamy inside.
Dough
Creating the perfect dough is is an intricate process with no shortcuts. No store bought pastry dough, that’s a given! I’m seeking out a buttery exterior that has the integrity to hold together a wetter custard, but also offer a crisp bite. No fluff and nothing overly cooked or burnt.
Custard
Egg custards are a delicate balance of whisked flour, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and egg yolk. Heat and temperature can really ruin an amazing custard filling. In terms of my criteria, I’m on the hunt for a rich, semi-sweet custard filling and nothing overtly sugary or vanilla flavored. Obviously the perfect custard has the richness of an egg but doesn’t have the quality of a scrambled egg too. (YUCK) I also love those distinctive burnt, caramelized tops on these babies.
The Additions
I’m also a believer in a good shake of cinnamon and sugar atop the pastry, so I knew I’d be seeking out those little treasured shakers wherever we roamed. Bonus points if there’s espresso available to cut the richness of the pastry too!
THE CONTENDERS & MY NOTES
Fabrica Pastéis de Belém
If we didn’t take the trip to OG creators, I knew I’d always regret it! That being said, if you’re also planning your own pursuit of the perfect pastel… a homage to the pastelaria and the monastery is a must! Come early because the lines can be quite brutal and the shop itself is actually very small. Even though the original recipe is closely guarded, I loved that we were able to see the bakers behind the glasses making them with great precision and focus. So fun! Without a doubt, this babies are a classic taste of the pastry. I was particularly impressed with the pastry shell’s harsher texture… it’s a little more crumbly and brittle than I expected.
Manteigaria
Manteigaria is a nata giant in Lisbon’s bakery scene. You’ll find the bakery scattered all across the city, including Time Out Market (a MUST for foodies in Lisbon!), Baixa and Chiado. We happened to have one right up the block from our AirBnb - lucky us! Every morning we’d trek up the most enormous hill to enjoy Manteigaria’s beloved recipe. In comparison to other pastéis de nata, we noticed that Manteigaria’s natas have the perfect balance of salty/savory and sweet.
Fábrica da Nata
Natas for the stylish! Fábrica da Nata has a feel of a bakery-laboratory of sorts with lots of little nuances that make it a little different than the average bakery. Although we didn’t order it, I loved that their menu offered glasses of port with their classic pastéis de nata, as well as other coffee treats and little snacks to nosh on. Their pastéis had the most buttery taste to them and a thinner, wetter texture than some of the other thicker fillings we tasted!
Aloma
This place has an artisanal, hipster touch I loved! Makes sense considering the name of the pastelaria comes from a 1941 movie “Aloma of the South Seas.” It’s definitely one of the most stylishly cool pastry shops we found ourselves in! I’d say aesthetically driven foodies would love this place. We ordered two with espresso, a sprinkle of powdered sugar and loved it. There’s definitely a powerful caramelized taste to Aloma’s pastel recipe that I liked.
Pastelaria Versailles
Pastelaria Versailles feels like a bakery stuck in time. The art nouveau cafe has one of the coolest wooden antique bars to stand at while devouring your natas (as well as any other pastry you might be hungry for)! At first glance, we were thrown off by Pastelaria Versailles’s taller variations. But, that being said, their recipe had a slightly brighter, more citrusy taste than a traditional bite.
NATA Lisboa
I’d go on a limb and state that NATA Lisboa is the most commercial pastelaria we found ourselves in. I say this because we’ve spotted NATA locations throughout Europe. I mean, I don’t disagree with their slogan “the world needs nata!” Who would?! For those just entering the pastel de nata scene, NATA is a great spot. It’s a standard recipe with great flakiness and creamy custard.
THE ULTIMATE WINNER:
Manteigaria
Okay, I’ll give it to the competition. This was TOUGH. But I can’t deny Manteigaria’s perfected ratio of salty/savory and sweet. We were obsessed with getting our daily nata here… and it just so happened to be the best (in my opinion) in the city! You know you’ve found a real treasure when you’re constantly going back and forth comparing other pastries to it!
That being said, I think the whole process of searching for the absolute best little egg custard pastry its self was the ultimate winner! The amount of absolutely delicious little pastries we consumed was ridiculous… but oh so worth it!