Pasteis de Belém - Lisbon, Portugal (8.5/10)
Aug 15th, 2006 by admin
Since 1837, this famous bustling pastry shop and cafe in Belém, Lisbon, has been churning out its sensational speciality made from a secret recipe - Pasteis de Belém, a custard cream tart with a slightly burnt crust on top, sprinkled with cinnamon. It tastes best warm, but you’ll want to take some home with you (in nicely packaged tubes of multiple pasteis). It’s hard to find a table, so you have to be fast at spotting people leaving.
Although many tourists visiting Belém come here, it’s also a hangout for locals. We were seated next to an elderly gentleman engrossed in his newspaper, and it certainly did not feel touristy where we were. The interior is beautifully traditional, with startlingly blue tiles. Although the service is somewhat slow - it’s busy and the waiters are mostly elderly men - it’s definitely worth the wait. Once you’ve tasted one of these delights, you’ll never stop thinking about them…
10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average
Contact Details:
Pasteis de Belém
Rua de Belém 84-95
1300-085 Lisboa
www.pasteisdebelem.pt
Pasteis de Belem are truly magical mouthfulls.
I love this cafe. It’s great how the beautiful interior even extends to the toilets which are marbled and tiled too with mirrors everywhere!
I always recommend a visit to anyone going to Lisbon.
yes, portuguese tarts are great. they smoothness of the custard, plus the crunchyness of the pastry creates such a sensational experience.
i’ve only had the nandos ones, but when i go to portugal in june, i’ll definitely go to pasteis de belem.
Hi Sally
I was just thinking about these yesterday, then I got your comment! I could eat a few right now for breakfast. Please let me know what you think of Pasteis de Belem. I’m sure it’s as good as ever…
Helen Yuet Ling