This traditional bakery in Lisbon’s Belém is a must do when you love the Portuguese parties, as it serves you the best in town!

Truth be told, I am not a fan of very touristic sights. I prefer to discover the local spots and avoid the traveling crowds. But there is just no way you can visit Lisbon and not eat a delicious pastry at the famous Pasteis de Belém bakery. Because many of the Portuguese will agree with me this is an absolute favourite in Lisbon!

Why eat a ‘Pastel de Belém’ here, when you can get a ‘pastel de nata’ basically anywhere in Portugal? Well, for starters it is originally from the Belém neighbourhood, so when you eat it at this bakery, you can’t get it any more traditional. As the waiter told me, a pastel de nata is a (in his opinion bad) reproduction of the original Pastel de Belém. And I must confess, he is right. I have had them elsewhere, in Barcelona even, but when I took the first bite here I knew….. The original is obviously the best!
The baker offers many other sweet pastries, as Portugal apparently has a tradition of many typical sweets. But when you are here, I strongly recommend to try one of the little pasties de Belem. Delicious!

Don’t fear the crowds, the bakery is enormous and when you walk through it you will find that there’s many rooms and plenty of seats. Not much waiting is needed. The bakery, although such a touristic hot spot, maintains low prices so don’t worry and indulge yourself with more than just one pastel. Tip; avoid the queue at the take-away counter. Have a seat, drink a cup of coffee and eat some pastry, then order your take-away pastry at your waiter. Because honestly….you’ll want to take some home!

Pasteis de Belém
Rua de Belém 84, Lisbon