Continuing my slow progress through the jillion places I stopped at in Portugal on our trip there,…read morenow around 3 months ago, among which, in particular, I had a sub-goal of trying *as* many different pastel de nata as I could, so I could say which was my favorite and why. Which, as it turns out, I can't - this one would be in a 3-4 way tie for 1st, with other, equally perfect places to get one. Funny enough, they do sell a decent number of other pastries that are pretty fancy looking, and have price tags to match (higher than other bakeries in town, or at least the ones I went to.) But I wasn't here for those, and if you're smart, you won't be either. Their pastel de nata are, or at least were as of ~3 months ago, 1.50 euro, which is very reasonable, especially for how good they are. Perfect crust, crunchy but not crumbly or dry, perfectly balanced, not overly sweet, eggy custard that stays intact after biting into it instead of falling out like pudding... and the perfect, marshmallow-y crème brulee torched finish. Great cortado, too, and very reasonably priced. It was fairly busy, but there was also a decent amount of space to stand and drink a cortado inside without feeling cramped (which was good, since at that specific time I was here, right when I got inside, it started pouring rain.) Would definitely be on the list to come back to if I were back in Lisbon.

Came here for a break. Ordered Portugal, custard tart, and a tea. Service was quick and the…read morerestaurant is clean and neat. I sat by a window seating and was people watching for a little while, sipping the tea and eating the tart. It was relaxing. The tea came with a little confectionery. I like the flakey base of the custard!

This is technically for the small Manteigaria cafe along the street in this building. Stopped in…read moreand had a coffee with milk plus a pasteis - both of which were delicious. It was actually my favorite pasteis I've had so far. Ambiance was nice - I sat outside under an umbrella. I'd come back again.

Great spot inside the time out market to get your pastel fix! They make it fresh in the back and…read moreit's definitely a popular spot in the market. The pastel was great, not in my personal top 3 but a solid and convenient option nonetheless. The staff is great and it's a super slick and easy place to order and have a pastel.

Back again after 3 yrs and the place still wows!…read more Always freshly made and never frozen. Service quick and efficient. Free water for diners. Place still looks the same. Always buzzing with activity , open kitchen where you can see the tarts being baked and slowly coming out. Quality is still top notch. Nothing like it anywhere in the world. Portuguese must have for sure. Only 1.5 euro each. Can't beat that. Cheaper by the dozen of course. Lol. Will always repeat when in Lisbon

Memories from my first solo travel experience from 2022 brought me here!…read more Fábrica da Nata foi incrível! 29/07/2022 As tortinhas estavam simplesmente divinas. O atendimento foi excelente e tambem as bebidas estavam deliciosas I fell in love with their egg tarts were simply divine! If I could, I would have taken some more with me while exploring! Service was top notch and the ambiance was relaxing! Ahhh, I haven't found any stateside that measures up to them.

Don't come here if you're in a rush, because a) the line was loooooooooong and b) you'll miss out…read moreon savoring the pastries. We got a smattering of things to try, and they were all great. The egg tart is a specialty, and I liked that it wasn't super sweet. The travesseiros are ok, but that's a me thing (not a pastry thing). They speak some English there, and it was easy enough to point and order if we got stuck. It's also quite affordable. All our pastries and coffees were about 20 Euro. It's a small interior with outdoor seating if the weather is cooperating, and service was decent enough with so many people in line. It's one of those Sintra bucket list places you have to visit just to say you went, but it's also a pretty good stop to have on your itinerary.

This is the second location of the popular Piriquita. It's a little less busy than the OG and close…read moreby. It offered both sit in and takeaway. I got takeaway pastries from here. The staff was friendly, helpful to my English speaking self and offered many great suggestions! There is a credit card minimum- which allowed me to sample several pastries, all of which were amazing. Highly recommend both Piriquita locations!

Amorino Gelato on Augusta Street is a must stop for anyone with a sweet tooth, and the line out the…read moredoor tells you everything you need to know. Despite the crowd, the service moved surprisingly fast and the whole experience felt well organized. You pay based on cone size rather than by the scoop, which means you can load up on flavors without the guilt of counting portions. I went with pistachio, mango and blueberry cheesecake, and the combination worked beautifully. What really sets Amorino apart is the presentation, the staff shape the gelato into a stunning flower design that almost feels too pretty to eat. I also grabbed a Nutella crepe which was every bit as good as it sounds. Beyond the gelato there are plenty of options to explore including their famous macarons, so it is worth taking a moment to browse before you order. If you are walking through the Baixa area, this is an easy and very rewarding detour.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Leave it to me to find an Amorino on my first night in Lisboa. We were walking from Prãca de…read moreComercio and stumbled upon this gem. I frequent the one in the ROD so it was not a shock when I dragged my friends in. It's the exact playbook as the one in Houston. You get in line, place your order and then choose your flavours. I went with my good ole faithful waffle with two scoops (hazelnut chocolate and salted caramel) of gelato and topped it off with hazelnut drizzle. The total was about $6.40 which is way cheaper than it is in the states. It was just as delicious and very much worth it. It's easy to find in you're in the Baixa area of Lisboa. Just follow the path.

For breakfast, we ordered an apple strudel (Travesseiro da Casa Piriquita - Caixa), chocolate…read morestrudel (Travesseiros de Nutella - Caixa), and pastel da nata. The apple strudel was warm and the pastry was flaky. I don't know if it was apple with their secret filling, but it was delicious. Likewise with the Nutella strudel. The pastry was flaky with a warm Nutella filling. Their version of pastel da nata was good. The egg custard was not as good as the original one we had in Belém. The pastry was nice and flaky. Since this is a tourist area, they were the only one open early in the morning. They also have nice strong coffee!

This place was highly recommended by a friend. Located in the historic Sintra area, you would walk…read moreright past this place unless you knew to stop here, although the line of people waiting might be a sign. When you first get there go inside and pull a number. All of the people waiting outside when we were there had already gotten a number. We had high hopes for the pastries here based on the hype. Ordered a box full of a variety including travesseiro, pastel de nata, coconut tarts and a sintra nata tart. Pastries were good, but very sweet. I still prefer thenpastel de nata from Mantegeiria. The servers are very friendly and patient while you decide on your order.

This bakery has won awards for their pastel de natas and I can say that they fully deserve the…read morerecognition. They were so flakey and perfect and the staff was lovely!

Man, we tried so many different pastel de nata from so many bakeries on our trip to Portugal, I'm…read morestill catching up on all the review drafts I wrote notes into - I'd totally forgotten about this one, from the penultimate day of our trip. One of my sub-goals of that trip was trying basically as many pastel de nata as I possibly could, so seeing a place on our way up to the castle by foot (just after the free elevator), obviously I had to stop and try theirs. By this point I'd tried a whole bunch already, so I can say, out of all of them, the *crust* was really good, possibly among the best I'd had. Perfectly flaky, crispy, flavorful crust, inside of which was totally disappointing filling, a filling that was mostly sugary rather than eggy, and was quite drippy once you start eating it. I can't speak to any of their other pastries, though, we were just here to taste-test all the pastel de nata we could find. :D (If I were back in the area, I'd totally come back to try some of their other, more interesting things.)

SO good!! To be fair, it's hard for me to not fall in love with anywhere that specializes in…read morechocolate, but Bettina & Niccolo Corallo somehow takes their chocolate game to the next level. I swung by this gorgeous little coffee and chocolate cafe on a Thursday evening and decided to sample both temperature extremes with their small hot chocolate and small chocolate sorbet. The sorbet was outstanding and truly worth all the hype -- I genuinely don't understand how they could possibly create something so creamy and rich without any milk, but they somehow made it work. On the other end (and probably more season-appropriate), the hot chocolate was equally amazing. It was remarkably rich, and not overly sweet. It is really thick, though, and has a pretty high proportion of cacao, so it is a bit challenging to drink a large amount. I was glad I had opted for the small size, which was perfect for sipping as I snuggled into one of their shop's four seats to read for an hour or two. They also have a ton of specialty chocolates that I will have to check out during my next visit! They all seem delightful, but I was a bit chocolate-d out at that point. The shop was super cozy to hang in for a bit, and the staff is super friendly. There, unfortunately, isn't a ton of space or seating, and the shop is quite popular, so you definitely have to get lucky or be super strategic about when you swing by if you want to stay for a while.

In honor of my lucky 13th Yelp Elite badge (but who is counting?) I'd like to ring in the new year…read morewith one of the sweetest topics: chocolate. My friend J and I took a roadtrip once, and developed a not-so-unique tradition of buying chocolate in every city we visited and then having it as a treat after dinner every night in the Airbnbs we stayed in. As an homage to J, I continued to do this on all of my travels in the years following. During my stay in Lisbon, I happened to see a short queue outside this chocolate shop as I walked through the neighborhood, and then my eyes perked when I saw the sign declaring vegan hot chocolate. I stood in the very COVID-safe line (everyone was masked, and the chocolate shop had hand sanitizer set out front) for my chocolate. Reader: I went back three days in a row. This is some of the best chocolate I've ever had in my travels. The tiny vegan hot chocolate was the perfect size, and just sweet enough to feel like a treat but not too sweet. The staff was kind, and carefully pointed out which chocolate bars did not contain dairy once I informed them of my lactose intolerance. Some favorites: the ginger felt decadent, the hazelnut oh my gosh the hazelnut, with big hazelnut chunks and the smoothest chocolate ever. The Pimenta e flor de sal was epic as well. All of the chocolate is made fresh, and if you have the willpower not to eat it all on the spot, they will package everything in front of you, with perfect little stickers and bags to identify which chocolate is which. There was something special in texting J about the chocolate, and for him to ask if they ship, and for me to say no, that he would have to come to Lisbon to try this special place. Another tip: if you take your little cup of hot chocolate across the street, there is a nice lookout point and you can enjoy the chocolate on a bench in the plaza. Happy new year!