| Dining reviews and photos of Café Pastéis de Belém posted by real travelers and Lisbon locals.
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 | Lisbon Café Pastéis de Belém Reviews | 1 - 10 of 30 |  |
So, where does a girl who has a serious penchant for Portuguese custard tarts (pasteis de nata)? Why, to Antiga Confeitaria de Belem of course!
This pastelaria located in Belem dates back to 1837 and makes their tarts with a top secret centuries-old recipe. Apparently it sells over 10,000 tarts a day (with the record day being 55,000 sold!).
The tarts aren't the only attraction here. The cafe itself is a fabulous warren of rooms, covered with beautiful wall tiles.
If you are in a hurry, you can have a coffee at the counter, or alternatively find a table in one of the rooms and relax for a while.
We chose to relax for a while, and managed to secure a small table. The waiter laughed at my attempts to speak Portuguese and told me that English was fine.....guess they are used to tourists here!
We ordered the usual small black coffee and of course a custard tart each...it would have been wrong not to. Although very tasty, it wasn't the best tart of the trip, but definitely worth trying. Leave a Comment Theme: CoffeehousePrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: Rua de Belem, 84-92, BelemPhone: 21 363 7423Directions: You can catch no. 15 tram from Praca de Figueira or Praca do Comercio Nearest Train Station: BelemWebsite: http://www.pasteisdebelem.pt
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This is the only place to get the original "Pasteis de Belem" which are a small pastry, similar to the more well-known "Pasteis de Nata". There is not much use in trying to describe them as they are not like anything else I know. Just try them yourself.
It opened in 1837 and is still going strong today, with over 14000 "pasteis" produced every day, following a very closely-guarded recipe known only to three people in the whole world (or so they say).
The restaurant/café itself is huge, most people never explore it properly as there is a section in the back that is much larger than the one in the entrance (it can be closed in the low-season). You will obviously notice the famous "azulejo" tiles that cover the walls.
Service is not always very friendly, but if you get on the waiters good side you will find it is a very interesting experience. It might be difficult to find a table at times, specially in the weekends, but it is worth the wait. If you are in a hurry you can always buy them in a small box and eat them outside (the garden right in front has some nice benches in the shade.
Although it has become a tourist attraction, many locals still go there on a regular basis.
Pastel de Belém Leave a Comment
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I think everyone who has made tips on Belém does not fail to mention the incredible pastries at Café Pastéis de Belém. So yes, you've read about how great they are about 100 times by now! Just take everyone's word on it - eat the pasteis de belém - small, creamy pastries with cinnamon on top.
If you want a hearty meal, head next door - there is this cheap Middle Eastern restaurant that tends to attract more locals than tourists. Leave a Comment Theme: BakeryPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Rua de Belém 84-8Phone: +351 213 637 423Directions: to get to Belém take Tram 15 from Praça do Comércio in Lisboa
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Maybe you won’t distinguish one "pastel de Belem" from the common (and also good) "pastel de nata". But, the short brake to eat one pastel de Belem is mandatory. Why? For two reasons:
1- It’s good.
2- Because.
Am I joking? Of course… But can you tell me why everybody in Brussels must see the Manneken Pis? Or the mermaid in Copenhagen? Or…
Did you answer “because they’re unique”? Well, then your pastel de Belem (and the other 14000 they produce each day) is also unique.
And… damn… it is good. Leave a Comment Theme: Coffeehouse
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If you're in a bit of a hurry, it might be advisable to buy your pastries and sit in the garden across Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (or to sit by the river next to Padrao dos Descobrimentos). Not only it's nicer to sit there, but you'll probably manage to sink your teeth into the pastries a lot quicker, because the service at the Cafe is sometimes very slow (to say the least).
The 'pasteis' (custard pastries) are probably one of the favorite desserts of the Portuguese. And no wonder: if you manage to eat two or three of them (I dare you to eat just one) while still warm and sprinkled with cinammon, you'll understand what I'm talking about! ;) Leave a Comment Theme: BakeryAddress: In Belem, just before Mosteiro dos JeronimosDirections: If you go from downtown or Cais do Sodre by bus or tram, just before arriving at Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, look to your right. There is a cafe with white letters over blue canvas. That's your place.
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The problem with some things is that people can hype them up so much that you can't but help thinking you're going to disappointed. That's why the Tarts of Belem were such a pleasant surprise, because they fully lived up to the hype and even surpassed it. You normally know you're onto a winner when the shop/restaurant is full of locals, and you have to fight your way through them to get hold of these tarts. But don't be put off, they are well worth it. Go for the full experience with Cinnamon and Sugar, and you may aswell take a box or two home with you. Trust me they are as nice cold as they are hot.
The tarts, they are the nicest you will taste anywhere. Leave a Comment Theme: BakeryPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: least expensiveDirections: On the main street. You can't miss it, just follow the locals.
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Always full of people this old bakery makes delicious pastries called "Pasteis de Belém" - iam! - but the rooms really worth a visit too! The history of the place runs in its walls! The waiters aren't always very nice (some are old and have difficulties in understanding foreign languages...) and you may need to wait for a wile, but if you have the time don't miss it.
The "stars" here are the small pastries called "Pasteis de Belém". They are made with cream and its recipe is a well kept secret! Better of when are still hot! Go well with tea, coffee, juices and almost every thing.
Tip: One is never enough! Leave a Comment Theme: DessertAddress: Rua de Belém, rigth of "Mosteiro dos Jerónimos"Directions: Tram 15 form "Praça do Comércio", stops in front of it.
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You have to try local food, especially sweets!
Lisboa is a city where eating is most definitely a pleasure. Slow meals, intense, full of flavors and conversation. Meals with good company, and full of pleasure. And Lisboa’s sweets carry in them multiple secrets, many of which were locked up for centuries in the silence of the convents. The convent-based sweets are of fundamental importance in Lisboa’s diet, as there were, in the middle of the last century, three dozen convents for women only in Lisboa. Pastéis de Belém To go to Lisboa and not eat Pastéis de Belém is a crime. There’s nothing that can be done, there’s no way to avoid it. The problem is eating just one, because they’re so good … you just want to keep eating them. Pastéis de Belém are a famous version of cream cakes, in which the base is filo dough and the filling is milk, cream, vanilla and … no one knows. It’s really like that: the recipe of Pastéis de Belém is the best-guarded secret of Portuguese confectionary. No one knows it exactly except those inside the Factory, a café in Belém, near the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, which has become a site of daily pilgrimage. The Pastéis de Belém have become a true icon of tourism: each day more than 10,000 pastéis are sold, accompanied with sugar and cinnamon, packed into packets along with the boxes of pastéis. Inside number 84 of the Rua de Belém, in a factory founded in 1837, you can see azulejo panels from the XVIIIth century, almost as famous as the sweet pastries sold there.
Pasteis.... :) Leave a Comment
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There is a lot to see in Belem, so at some point you will need nourishment. This Cafe has the famous lukewarm custard tart in a puff pastry shell. I had three, with a cup of strong coffee. The place is so popular with tourists that it feels fast-paced and hectic, but the inside is cute, with all the Art Nouveau fixtures still in use. In February, there was no line to get in. Leave a Comment Theme: DessertPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Rua de Belem, 88Directions: Close to St. Gerome, the Coaches, and the Tropical Garden
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I had read so much about this place, here on VT, in travel guides, etc that I just had to experience it myself. Well, I wasn't disappointed!!
Just walking in and smelling the pasteis, I knew I had done the right thing...
The place was full of people and the waiters kept walking past us with huge trays of pasteis. We sat down at a little table and were able to order quite quickly. The drinks came and so did the pasteis. The waiter told us to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the pasteis before eating them and... it was soooooo good, we had to order some more!
Pasteis, what else?? Leave a Comment
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