Pastéis de Belém

The original home of the pastel de nata, the custard tart that has become Portugal's most exported food icon. The recipe dates to 1837 when monks from the adjacent Jerónimos Monastery began selling their custard tarts to survive after the dissolution of the religious orders. The secret recipe has been handed down in a single family since then.

The tarts here have a distinctive quality: the pastry is flakier, the custard richer and more set around the edges while still slightly molten in the centre, and the top bears caramelised spots from the extremely hot oven. Eat them warm, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar, at the table or standing up. Queues extend out the door on weekends; the counter is more efficient. At Rua de Belém 84-92, about five minutes walk from the Jerónimos Monastery.

eating out belem restaurant
A story
The recipe for the original pastéis de nata was created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery and sold to a local sugar refinery owner in 1837 when the religious orders were dissolved by the Portuguese government. The recipe has never been published and is known only to a small number of confeiteiros who work in the kitchen. The shop produces an estimated 20,000 tarts per day.