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 and a flaky edge, with a cinnamon sprinkling on top. It’s unlike any pasteis de nata that you might have had before. And 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 didn’t feel touristy where we were sitting. 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
All the Portugal restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
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
Hi,
These days you can eat so called pasteis de nata in Portuguese patisseries all over the world, but nothing compares with the pasteis de Belem. They are the real McCoy. I don’t know what I like best: the crunchy pastry, the delicious, light cinammon flavoured custard…. they’re da best!
Luisa
Luisa – hurray! Lovely to meet another fan. They are simply the king of pasteis de nata at Belem!
Helen Yuet Ling
Oooooh I’ve just cooked 12, and they are sooooo good. Had the Belem ones and of course can’t beat that, but now that its been a year since then my taste buds have forgotten enough to love what I just cooked, great recipe at http://www.notquitenigella.com/2007/11/26/portuguese-custard-tarts/
tanya – thanks for the link! It would be too much of a temptation if I made these as they wouldn’t last long at all.
Helen Yuet Ling
Pastel de Belém (custard cream tart) and Pastel de Nata might look the same, but they are not equal. I’m not sure about how Pastel de Belém is done, but it comes from Pastel de Nata, which was the first to appear, just became Pastel de “Belém” because they started to be sold at Belém area and took “Belém” name with a different cooking and ingredients.
Pastel de Nata doesn’t use flour, the outside of Pastel de Nata must be very crunchy (warm or not) and it taste less sweet.
A suggestion for pairing, is using Moscatel wine, and of course, come cinnamon on top of Pastel de Nata, by morning it’s great for second breakfast with a “café” (short and very strong cup of coffee, different from “expresso”).
Specialised info @ http://www.fabricoproprio.net/fabrico-proprio/
warm regards
Bartolomeu
Bartolomeu – thanks for your input on this!