After we finished exploring Coimbra for 3 days, it was time to head back to Lisbon for the last several days of our vacation. After a relatively quick and pleasant train ride on the Alfa Pendular train, we arrived at Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia railway station (Lisbon’s oldest), checking into the quite posh Editory Riverside, which is actually built from the old in-station hotel. Checking in, the friendly clerk at the front desk offered up quite a few recommendations for dining in Lisbon, and particularly, a recommendation for breakfast: going into the Baixa district and having a proper Pastel de Nata at Manteigaria.
If there’s one sweet treat that Portugal is known for, it is Pastéis de Nata, the small pastry tarts filled with fresh, egg-heavy custard. And they are ubiquitous, with my already having had a good dozen variants at various bakeries, hotel breakfast buffets, and train stations over our trip. And folks have very strong preferences. Several people told me that, in Lisbon, there is one preferred brand (Manteigaria, a local chain), and that it was best to get them at one of there their “Factory” locations, either in the Baixa, or up the hill in Chiado. So we went to their Baixa location for a breakfast on the early side, with an easy metro ride to Baixa-Chiado and a 5 minute walk. The interior of Manteigaria is pretty streamlined: this is a working production bakery that also serves Pastéis de Nata; The menu has an almost beautiful simplicity, simply that of Pastéis de Nata (in various quantities), espresso, hot chocolate, water, ginja, and port wine. That’s it.
So we grabbed a quick breakfast, with two Pastéis de Nata for each of us, and some espresso. I’ll have to say, these were sublimely good Pastéis de Nata. The biggest attraction was the freshness: these were fresh out of the oven and freshly filled, which really took these to the next level. The filling was a bit creamier and smoother than most places, a bit less sweet, and fairly strong vanilla and more subtle cinnamon notes. Add this to a perfectly flakey crust, and this was a great breakfast.
The other thing I really liked about the Baixa location of Manteigaria? It’s right on Rua Augusta in the center of Baixa, and if you are on the early side, you get great views looking down the cobbled streets of central Lisbon. Definitely a great morning spot.
So yes, even if you think to yourself “I’ve been in Portugal almost two weeks, and already had uncountably many Pastéis de Nata,” it is still worth a trek to one of the Manteigaria locations to experience these at their finest.
