Cool Destinations To Enjoy Pasteis de Nata Around The World

Over the past three months, I’ve collected travel stories from fellow travel writers to compile my first collaborative post on pasteis de nata around the world. You see the ever so delicious Portuguese custard tarts are a beloved travel treat and they can be found in really cool destinations in every corner of the world.

The stories will not only tell you where you can find your pasteis fix on your travels, but also share insights into the respective destination. As you know the Portuguese are an adventurous and travel-hungry folk who conquered many parts of this planet and brought their customs and food along with them. Some of these settlements still exist today and thrive off their cultural Portuguese roots. 

Beautiful new destinations and delicious pasteis de nata? Sounds like a win to me! Please grab some coffee or tea, choose a story and get inspired.

Pasteis de Nata in Asia

The Portuguese explorers made it till Asia and settled in a region in Southern China. Not far in nearby Japan, the Japanese have perfected their own version of the custard tart using local ingredients such as cheese.

Shanghai, China

By Kirsten, Kirsten Alana

It was in the 1500s that Portuguese explorers arrived in China. But it wasn’t until 2014 that I had my first ever Portuguese-style egg tart in the country. There are many places to procure one in China but Macau is perhaps the most well-known. My first glimpse of pastéis de nata came from a display window in Shanghai at a Lillian Bakery. The chain, which is reported to have more than 50 locations just in Shanghai, is known by some who write about food as the best place to procure a Portuguese-style egg tart. Lillian’s only opened in 2001 but has expanded rapidly. Their tart, with a flaky crust and a crème brûlée-like filling, differs from the Cantonese style which typically has a plain, more eggy filling and a crust that is similar to what is found on a fruit-filled American pie or a more dry shortbread-like crust. 

But all of this has been news to me since my visit to China. Back then, I was simply a wandering tourist who passed by Lillian’s and thought that what was in the window looked delectable. So I stopped in and procured three egg tarts by pointing to them. Each one was smaller than my palm and slightly warm. They were rapidly ensconced in a small waxed paper bag. Before I knew it, I was back out on the street and enjoying what tasted like heaven on my tongue straight from the bag, spewing crumbs as I walked. Not too sweet and not overpoweringly tasting of egg but rather a perfect balance of crunchy paper-thin crust and delicate custard, I was sold on pastéis de nata at first bite. This was before I later had pastéis de nata in Portugal, Wales, and here at home in Los Angeles. All were good! But Lillian’s was the best I have ever had.

Macau, China

By Doro, The Touristin

Most people fall in love with the traditional Portuguese custard cream pastry from the moment they try it. For many, that moment happens to be in Macau.

Why is Pastel de Nata so popular in South China? What has Portugal got to do with China? The first Portuguese ship arrived in Macau in 1513. Macau’s ideal position at the Pearl River Delta in South China successfully secured trade relations for the region up to the 19th century. At that time, the British colony of Hong Kong grew in importance. All in all, Macau was a colony of Portugal for 400 years until it came under Chinese sovereignty only as recently as 1999. 

Even though the region was a Portuguese colony, there were no hard feelings. Macau’s Chinese culture coexisted peacefully with the Portuguese. Today, you can expect to find a mix of architectural styles and traditions. Visit Buddhist temples with incense altars, sculptures, artworks, and vegetarian cafés. Turn a corner and you can check out Portuguese churches, e.g. a famous example is St Paul’s Cathedral, or to be more precise its façade. It stands in ruins to this day ever since a massive fire destroyed the church during a typhoon in 1835. The historic centre of Macao is Senado Square. You can be sure to be only one of many thinking to be standing in Portugal and not in China. The square paved in the mosaic style with black and white cobblestones is picturesque. The facades of the pastel-coloured four-storey period houses are romantic and add to the Mediterranean flair.

Nowhere in East Asia will pastéis de nata taste as sweet as in Macau. If you are in the historic centre around Senado Square, you may find several shops selling them. The traditional Portuguese delicacy is a favourite among locals and visitors alike.

Lord Stow’s bakery is a popular chain in Macau for pasteis de nata. The story of the business is equally interesting. 30 years ago, British pharmacist Andrew Stow moved to the area. When his profession was no longer needed, he tried to set up a whole foods store first – which unfortunately failed (the world was not ready yet). So instead, inspired by a visit to Portugal, created his own version of pasteis de natas with a less sweet custard. His second business, the Lord Stow bakery, was born and recently celebrated its 29th anniversary. Across 7 bakeries, 21.000 pasteis are produced daily. Stow also received a medal for special contributions to tourism, as his custard tarts attracted many visitors from all over the world.

Anywhere, Japan

By Cory & Greg, You Could Travel

Egg tarts are a popular dessert in Japan, and they are similar to the egg tarts found in other countries such as China and Portugal. They typically consist of a pastry crust filled with a custard made from eggs, milk, and sugar. The custard is often flavoured with vanilla, and the tarts are usually served chilled. They can be found at bakeries and pastry shops in Japan, and are also sometimes sold at convenience stores and supermarkets.

The Japanese have a long-held reputation for adapting and refining foreign products, and this can be seen in their take on the egg tart. While not traditionally a part of Japanese cuisine, the egg tart has become a popular treat, usually less sweet than the traditional Portuguese pastéis de nata. The creamy texture and perfect balance of sweetness make these tarts a delight for the senses and I, personally, like them even more than anywhere else in the world.

There are many shops where you can find an even more interesting take on pastéis de nata, a sort of mix between traditional egg tarts and cheese tarts. These are saltier with the added baked cheese content, popularised by the northern region of Hokkaido.

For a traditional pastéis de nata, you can now get authentic Portuguese egg tarts in Tomigaya at Nata de Cristiano’s.

Pasteis de Nata in Europe

Pastéis de nata have made their way into many cafés and special bakeries these days. Many countries in Europe sell them and you can find them e.g. in Vienna, the UK and even far out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Vienna, Austria

By Helena, Okusi

So here are the three main places for pastéis de nata in Vienna:

1. Lisboa Lounge – a Portuguese restaurant in Vienna’s cult 4. District (Wieden), is the largest of all three. It is situated near Vienna’s main market place Naschmarkt. Lisboa Lounge is owned by two guys from Lisbon. They make their own pastéis which are super delicious. I was lucky enough to get a recipe several years ago, when they used to own a tiny place Pessoa Lounge (named after the most famous Portuguese poet) just a few streets away. Their pastéis are freshly baked and normally sold out very quickly. The place is a small bistro and has great wines and typical Portuguese tapas. Nice atmosphere, music and events.

The custard tarts here cost 2.50€ each. Best to bring your own container, as they were a bit funny when I asked for a take-away of two.

2. Nata Lisboa – a small shop on a busy shopping street, Landstraßer Hauptstraße in 3. District. This is a chain tapas bar owned by a Portuguese from Madeira. The pastéis de nata are imported from Portugal half-baked and frozen and are reheated in the shop/café. They taste good but not as tasty as from Lisboa Lounge. They’ve done a good marketing job and have positioned themselves as the best known place for pastéis de nata in Vienna (although there are better ones in town).

3. Tudo bem – “all good”, Gutes aus Portugal. “Good stuff from Portugal” is on square Margaretenplatz in the 5. District. The place is owned by an older stylish Austrian couple who, after retiring, decided to bring a piece of Portugal to Vienna. The shop sells some other beautifully designed food, chocolates and sardines, and great wines from Portugal, and is definitely a danger to your wallet. The lady owner used to live in Portugal and is in love with this country.

This was the best pastel de nata by far, but it came with a twist – one could slightly taste some lemon peel which gave them a very refreshing and super interesting taste. The best is to come every Wednesday to Saturday around noon, when the shop opens, and have them while they are still hot from the oven. Definitely the best pastéis de nata I’ve had in Vienna, if you don’t argue about authenticity and the look of their top – not as high and not slightly burned as the original should be.

Only a small batch is made each day and the pastéis de nata are normally exhibited in a shop window. If you don’t see them – do go inside and ask. They may be still cooling down in the back of the shop. 

Note: even though they have the word “nata” – cream – in their name, pastéis de nata are normally made with milk and egg yolks. You can also add double cream instead of milk to make it half-half (which I do). Milk obviously makes it cheaper, as well as the amount of egg yolks (which is lots). More egg yolks and cream does improve the taste, in my opinion.

Want to give it a try yourself? Here is Helena’s pastéis de nata recipe

Azores, Portugal

By Mitch & Colin, Very Tasty World

Ok, a little cheat here but you can find some amazing pastéis de nata far out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Having read Carolin’s post about the joys of pastéis de nata we were very keen to try them. So when we booked a trip to the Azores we hoped that we might get an opportunity for a sneaky taste. The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal but, as an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, are located far away from the mainland. We were surprised to discover that the Azores are a great place for foodies. Blessed with a warm climate and plenty of rain, the fields, lined with colourful hydrangeas, are full of corn. But the corn isn’t for people, it’s mainly for the cows! The islands have a thriving dairy industry – in fact around 50% of Portugal’s cheese comes from the Azores. We thought this would bode well for the custard.

We stayed in the main town of Ponta Delgada on the largest island of Sao Miguel, and next door to our hotel was a bakery, Padaria Gomes, which offered a huge selection of pastries. They were keen to point out that pastéis de nata are not typical Azorean food. But that was okay, we were going to try them anyway. And they didn’t disappoint. The pastry was light and flaky with multiple layers, and the custard, although a little bit sunken, was rich and silky. The custard was set nicely too, firm enough to hold its shape but with a lovely wobble.

The bakery took pride in the freshness of its pastries but had a section of the display cabinet offering the previous day’s unsold goods at cheap prices – three pastries for 1€! If you were lucky there was a Pastel de Nata in there, but more often than not, they had sold them all the day before. 

Wrocław, Poland

By Sonia & Wojtek, Happy Little Traveler

Pastéis de Nata… our number one true, sweet love. After having loads of them in Portugal and Spain in 2021/2022 we really missed them during our short stay in Poland. So you can imagine how happy we were when we accidentally stumbled upon them at one of Wroclaw’s food festivals

Mmm, heaven in our mouths again! The taste was perfect, and we were very surprised by it! Later we found out that the owner is Portuguese – what more could you want?

If you’ll be visiting Wrocław make sure to visit his booth, Obrigado, in the Market Hall. The full address is: Hala Targowa, Piaskowa 17 Street, booth number 109

Want to find out more about Wrocław? Check out Sonia & Wojtek’s excellent Wrocław Travel Guide and unlock everything what this incredible city has to offer.

London, United Kingdom

By Angela, Blonde Around The World

In Portugal, pastéis de nata are part of the country’s history. Besides being a delicacy of traditional pastry, they are part of the culture of the Portuguese people. Coffee is almost always complemented by a pastéis de nata. In fact, any excuse will do for a Portuguese person to eat this pastry.

Last time I was in London, while visiting Harrods, I passed by a stall that caught my attention. There were pastéis de nata on sale. I confess that I looked at it twice and wondered whether I should try it or not. Initially I was quite excited, it was almost like meeting an old friend in an unexpected place. The price was not inviting, in fact it was quite exorbitant, considering that we are talking about a small pastry that can be eaten in two bites, and eating pastéis outside of Portugal made me suspicious about the quality of the product.

I ordered one to try it out of mere curiosity and to kill homesickness.

The yellow cream was quite acceptable, and even had that velvety texture so characteristic of cream in Portugal. The crust was good and not greasy at all, and the puff pastry was not too crispy for what one expects from a traditional tart. Visually, they had that crumbly look that you expect from a traditional, non-industrially processed pastel de nata.

Overall, the product lived up to expectation and made me dispel the mistrust I had initially placed in that cream stall at Harrods.

The only negative point was the price, which I consider outrageous for such a small product. Perhaps because it is sold in such an exclusive place and the purchasing power is quite different from what we have in Portugal, they can practise these values.

Anyway, if you go to Harrods and want to try a quality custard tart that is quite faithful to what we eat in Portugal, be sure to eat one.

TIP: another top address for pastéis de nata in London is Café Nata in Old Compton Street. They do a classic version but also sell pastéis refined with chocolate chips, strawberries or apple pieces. Box of three for a £7.50. RESULTS! 

Plus you can also find the tarts at supermarket Lidl.

Coventry, United Kingdom

By Mitch & Colin – some dedicated pastéis de nata fans here!

Coventry is located in the UK Midlands around 28 km east of England’s second city, Birmingham. It has a rich and fascinating history. At one time the capital of England (briefly), it has thrived and declined over the centuries but these days it is a lively city which was recently the UK City of Culture. It has two universities and is home to a large number of undergraduates, many of them international students. With such a diverse population Coventry has many grocery stores selling products from all over the world, which are absolute treasure troves for foodies.

We didn’t go out seeking pastéis de nata, to be honest, we were just on a walk around Coventry’s canal basin when we discovered Gorety Portuguese mini store by the waterside. We have a habit of popping into local little shops to see what foodie goodies are on offer and this one was no exception. We made a beeline for the cake stand in the hope of finding a pastel or two but, despite a delicious-looking array of cakes and pastries, there were none to be found. So it goes. We thanked the staff, turned to leave and, just by the door, discovered we had walked past a cabinet filled with the little darlings. Result! We also learned that they were homemade. Even better! So we bought a couple at £1.20 each.

Boxed up, they easily survived being lugged around an art exhibition and a 2km walk home at the bottom of a rucksack. They were delicious – the pastry had a flaky shell and a solid base – no chance of a soggy bottom. They were filled to the brim and had a nice caramelisation on top. The custard is firmly set and yet soft with a good flavour. Best of all, we have found our very own local supply!

Want to explore Coventry further? Mitch & Colin’s Coventry Guide will take you around town!

Pasteis de Nata in Africa

The Portuguese custard tarts have even conquered Africa. Would you have expected to find them in São Tomé & Príncipe or South Africa?

São Tomé City, São Tomé & Príncipe

By Deah, Palm Tree Musings

Several years ago we visited the African island nation of São Tomé and Principe. As a former Portuguese colony, the local cuisine has developed a wonderful fusion of the best of Portuguese food, made with fresh and local ingredients. And of course there are some delightful Portuguese bakeries (pastelarias) on the island, several of which serve up warm, gooey pastéis de nata in the mornings, along with a rich, frothy galão. 

One of our favourite hangouts in São Tomé city was Café e Companhia, where locals, expats, and visitors rub shoulders and snack on delicious chocolates and tasty after-hours drinks. For a complete farm-to-table five course Portuguese meal experience, don’t miss a visit to Roça São João in the eastern side of the island. 

A former cocoa plantation, it has been restored by renowned chef João Carlos Silva, and now features cooking lessons, dance classes, woodworking and six eco-tourist friendly rooms to stay in. If you’re hopping around the world in search of the best Portuguese egg tarts, be sure to not skip São Tomé – and take a small boat over to Príncipe so you can stand in both hemispheres at once! 

Anywhere, South Africa

By Tandy, Tandy Sinclair

South Africa has a small Portuguese community that has seen three distinct waves of immigration. One pre-WWII mainly from Madeira, and the second post WWII from the mainland. Growing up in little Italy there were a handful of Portuguese families and many of them were the owners of the corner cafés and green grocers. Not once growing up did I see a pastéis de nata! 

Even after the third wave, when the ex-colonial refugee Portuguese fled Mozambique and Angola, these small treats did not make an appearance. It is just in the past twenty years that they have become a ‘thing’. In my opinion, it was the start of the specialty bakeries that introduced the custard tarts to the South African landscape, rather than the Portuguese descendants who probably enjoyed them at home all the time. 

In our area there are many places to go and get these treats. There is a small bakery chain called Schoon which has them on the menu – pricey but worth it. And the Porra Grocer has them, authentic and well-priced. But the best ones are from our Fruit Lovers Market who bake them fresh every day, and the price point is perfect. However, these are so easy to make at home and I have a great recipe, tried and tested numerous times. 

Give Tandy’s pastéis de nata recipe a try!

Pasteis de Nata in North America

My pastéis de nata around the world guide will, of course, tell you all the cool spots in North America and where you can find these delicious custard tarts. Did you know there was a thriving Portuguese neighbourhood in New York?

New York, USA

By Claire, The Detour Effect

Everyone knows New York is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines, though we typically think of the obvious foodie destinations of Chinatown or Little Italy. Did you know Portuguese pastéis de nata can be found in New York City, and also just over the bay in Newark, New Jersey? 

Two out of every three residents of the Ironbound neighbourhood in Newark were not born in the United States, and since the early 20th century a large population of Portuguese immigrants have called the area their home. The Portuguese population grew further in the 1960s and again after the 1974 Carnation Revolution. According to the New York Times, “This Ironbound community is perhaps the largest concentration of mainland Portuguese in the United States”. 

Port wine and Super Bock are easily found on Ferry Street just a few blocks from Newark Penn Station, and to the delight of pastry enthusiasts, Pão Da Terra Bakery serves up traditional pastéis de nata amongst an overwhelming array of queques and pudins. Even azulejos tiles can be purchased a block away from the bakery at Portugalia Sales. 

Back in New York City, Joey Bats Café corners the market on pastéis de nata. There are two locations, one in Chelsea Market and one on the Lower East Side, with a third in the works for East Village. All three of their pastel de nata flavours blew me away, including the traditional, dark chocolate, and passion fruit. They even offer a vegan version of the pastel de nata, and some of those huge, buttery Pão de Leite croissants that are a departure from the French variety and so unique to Portugal. 

If you’re feeling homesick or home-away-from-homesick for Portugal, it’s not too hard to imagine yourself there if you close your eyes while taking a bite out of New York City.

Want to discover more Things to Do in New York with Claire? She’s got a detailed guide specifically for travel-inspired activities in the city that never sleeps.

FAQs about Pasteis de Nata around the World

I understand this is quite a lengthy post and you may have some quick questions about pasteis de nata around the world. You can, of course, always come back to any section of my post and read in more detail what you’d need for your trip. If you have questions or need help, please get in touch and I’m happy to assist. 

Are there Pasteis de Nata Cafés in Australia, North & South America?

I’m sure there are! If you happen to know a place in a cool destination, that is worth travelling to anyway, and would like to share your travel story, please get in touch with me. I’d love to hear it and add your story to my post.

Pasteis de Nata around the World? A bit random for a Travel Blog…

…yeah I know! But after I published my no-nonsense guide to pastel de nata cafes in Porto I had zillions of readers reaching out – partially with positive feedback and some complaining. One angry reader tweeted me that pasteis de nata are apparently only a thing in Lisbon and visitors should only consume them in Lisbon. Erm, I don’t think so. You can enjoy the tarts all over the world as they are a beloved travel treat. Who knows maybe my post will inspire you and even lead you to completely new corners of the world?!? Plus my readers seem to really enjoy the Porto guide, so I take it give the people the content that they want, right?

Thanks so much for reading. If you’ve enjoyed my pasteis de nata around the world post and would like to support my blog & research, you can do so via Buy Me a Coffee.

Till next time,

Carolin

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