For the famous pastéis de nata in Lisbon, go to Pastéis de Belém on Rua de Belém or Manteigaria on Rua do Loreto. Both sell their tarts warm from the oven. Pastelaria Aloma in Campo de Ourique makes a neighbourhood version with a caramelised top and a soft centre. Moko, near Saldanha, bakes a vegan one.
The short list
7 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01Pastéis de BelémWarm tarts in the tiled back roomsRua de Belém
- 02ManteigariaA tart straight from the tray, eaten standingRua do Loreto
- 03Pastelaria AlomaA neighbourhood nata with a caramelised topCampo de Ourique
- 04Confeitaria NacionalBolo rei in December, lunch upstairsBaixa
- 05Moko Vegan BakeryA vegan nata in the morningSaldanha
- 06GlebaStone milled sourdough and pão de deusAlcântara
- 07Pastelaria VersaillesAfternoon coffee and cakeAvenidas Novas
Where are the most famous pastéis de nata in Lisbon?
The two famous addresses are Pastéis de Belém and Manteigaria. Pastéis de Belém bakes to a recipe that came from the monks at the monastery next door, and it has never been written down outside the workshop. Manteigaria, on Rua do Loreto, bakes in full view of the counter and sells its tarts warm by the tray. We would happily eat at both in one day.
The queue outside Pastéis de Belém is for the takeaway window. Walk past it into the tiled rooms at the back and take a table. Your tarts come warm from ovens hot enough to blister the custard, with an espresso on the side. Nobody here is standing in line.
Pastéis de Belém
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–21:00
Address: R. de Belém 84 92, 1300-085 Lisboa, Portugal
At Manteigaria, a bell rings each time a fresh tray leaves the oven. That is your cue. Shake on some cinnamon and eat the tart at the counter, before the shell has a chance to soften.
Manteigaria
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–00:00
Address: Rua do Loreto 2, 1200-108 Lisboa, Portugal
Where do locals go for pastéis de nata in Lisbon?
Locals send visitors to Pastelaria Aloma in Campo de Ourique rather than to the tourist counters. Downtown in the Baixa, Confeitaria Nacional opened on a square in 1829, and no pastry house in the city has been working longer. Natas sit in its everyday case, but bolo rei is what the house is really known for.
Aloma’s tart has a deep caramelised top over a centre that is barely set. Come in the morning, when it is calm and the pastries are freshest. Order a bola de Berlim alongside, or try the jesuítas and travesseiros from the same case. At breakfast the room fills with pensioners. Weekends belong to families.
Pastelaria Aloma
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–20:30
Address: R. Francisco Metrass 67, 1350-139 Lisboa
Confeitaria Nacional has kept its gilt mirrors and carved ceiling, and the counter also sells queijadas and folhados. The house once supplied bolo rei to the royal family. In December the Christmas cake counter still draws queues, so come then for the bolo rei and take a box home. Upstairs, a quieter room serves a proper sit down lunch away from the busy ground floor.
Confeitaria Nacional
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–20:00
Address: Praça da Figueira 18B, 1100-241 Lisboa, Portugal
Where can you find a vegan pastel de nata in Lisbon?
Moko Vegan Bakery near Saldanha makes one, with a custard rich enough that nobody misses the eggs. Since 2018 this owner run bakery has been baking slow fermented, low gluten sourdough with a Taiwanese accent. Everything is vegan. We treat it as a breakfast stop.
The nata does sell out, because Moko sells through what it bakes. Go in the morning. The bakery shuts in the early afternoon and closes two days a week, which catches people out, so check the card before you set off.
Moko Vegan Bakery
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00 · Sat 10:00–16:00 · Sun closed
Address: R. Pinheiro Chagas 69B, 1050-137 Lisboa, Portugal
Which Lisbon bakeries are worth a stop beyond the nata?
After a few natas, two other kinds of place fill out a pastry day. Gleba in Alcântara mills Portuguese grains in house for dark, chewy sourdough, and its pão de deus is reason enough to go. Pastelaria Versailles in Avenidas Novas has been open since 1922, a belle époque café with chandeliers, stucco and uniformed waiters.
Gleba helped bring naturally leavened bread back to Lisbon. Loaves are sold by weight. At weekends the popular ones go fast, and so do the croissants, so aim to arrive before midday. The grain changes, so ask which one the day’s bread is milled from. A few stools let you drink a coffee on this quiet street.
Gleba
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–20:00
Address: Rua Prior do Crato 16, 1350-261 Lisboa, Portugal
Versailles has a vast pastry counter. Come at afternoon coffee time, when elderly regulars sit among the mirrors over cake, and order a slice for yourself: this is old bourgeois Lisbon, still going. For a quick lunch, the savoury pastries do the job.
Pastelaria Versailles
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:15–22:00
Address: Av. da República 15 A, 1050-185 Lisboa, Portugal
How do Lisbon’s pastry stops compare?
Choose by what you want from the stop and where you will already be. The table sorts the seven places by area and by what each does best, from warm tarts eaten standing at a counter to a seated lunch upstairs. That way you can fit one into your day without a detour.
A pastel de nata is best warm, so eat it where you buy it rather than carrying a box across the city. Pair stops in the same part of town.
