Traveling abroad to a great food destination like Lisbon calls for more than just sampling their amazing wine bars and cafes. It’s also a prime opportunity to sink your teeth into some of the best desserts in all of Portugal. 

Portuguese cuisine has some traditional desserts shared by other great European food cultures. Then they also have some delicacies that are truly unique to Portuguese pastries.

There’s a lot to choose from, and it’s hard to know what places are offering the best of the best. So, I thought I’d give you a little primer on Portuguese desserts to make sure you don’t miss a mouthwatering bite on your next Lisbon food tour.

Pastel de Nata

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Pastel de nata are custard tarts you can find in just about any pastry shop in Lisbon. They’re a special type of tart made from laminated layers of pastry dough, filled with a creamy rich custard. The top is then lightly browned in a way that is reminiscent of a crème brulée without having an actual crisp shell. 

The best pastéis de nata have a custard made from a base of egg yolks, sugar, and whole milk. I prefer the ones with an essence of vanilla or infused with lemon zest. The added lilt in the custard is perfect for accentuating the flavors of a black coffee or a vanilla latte.

My favorite place for pastéis de nata is Pastéis de Belém. They use a recipe that can be traced back to Jerónimos Monastery. I love how the tart shell is perfectly crisp, and the custard is elegantly smooth. 

Pastel de Belém €€ – Rua de Belém 84-92, 1300-085 Lisbon, Portugal – Open daily 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Arroz Doce

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Arroz Doce is a high-end Portuguese rice pudding that’s often infused with other flavors like cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking this is the gloopy rice pudding your grandma used to make.

Portuguese arroz doce is made using short-grain rice, which gives it a creaminess not unlike a properly constructed risotto. It’s then given exceptional richness by being simmered in milk and incorporating egg yolks to give the rice pudding a custard-like quality.

Sometimes it’s topped with a sprinkle of sugar, or garnished with lemon zest, orange zest, or cinnamon. However, the topping can change with the season. You might see a lot of Arroz Doce being enhanced with citrus zest when lemons and oranges are in season. Then topped with cinnamon in the autumn or early winter.

My favorite place for Arroz Doce is Tasca da Esquina in Lisbon’s Campo de Ourique neighborhood. It’s a contemporary Portuguese restaurant, run by the famous chef Vítor Sobral.

Their arroz doce is elevated with restaurant technique and quality ingredients, while still holding true to its roots in traditional Portuguese cuisine. I adore the rich creaminess that comes from the integration of the egg-based custard and the starch of the short-grain rice. 

Tasca da Esquina €€€ – Praça da Figueira 18B, 1100-241 Lisbon, Portugal – Open for lunch Monday to Saturday from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM. Dinner is Monday to Saturday from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM. They are closed on Sundays. 

Lampreia de Ovos

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Lampreia de Ovos is a traditional Christmas dessert that’s frequently made by local convents throughout Lisbon. It harkens back to their traditional past, and all the lamprey eels caught in fishing nets. Yet it’s given a whimsical treatment to appease your sweet tooth during the holiday season.

Lampreia de Ovos made primarily from egg yolks and sugar, then shaped to look like an eel. The exterior of the pastry is decorated for the season, or at least to remind you of something other than the ugliness of a real-life lamprey.   

My favorite place for Lampreia de Ovos is Pastelaria Santo António in Lisbon’s Alfama district. They’re well-known for making a wide range of Portuguese sweets.

I loved the festively cute design of the pastry that matched the spirit of a Christmas treat. I enjoyed how the exterior pastry cracked to reveal the egg-rich custard inside. The interior was a perfect balance of richness and sweetness without being cloy. Sipping black coffee with it kept my palate awake and ready for the next creamy bite. 

Pastelaria Santo António €€ – Rua do Milagre de Santo António 10, 1100-351 Lisbon, Portugal – Open from Monday to Saturday from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.

Toucinho do Céu

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The term Toucinho do Céu translates into English as “Bacon from Heaven” which might get your mouth watering in anticipation of a smoky, pork treat. Yet it’s actually a densely rich custard cake with notes of almond.  

Most Portuguese pastry chefs infuse Toucinho do Céu’s custard with almonds. This gives it a slight graininess and nutty flavor that works well with the smoothness of the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Depending on the season, it’s garnished with cinnamon or lemon zest.

My Favorite place for Toucinho do Céu, in Lisbon is Pastelaria Alcôa in the Chiado district of Lisbon. They are a great place to enjoy a treat before touring the nearby Convento do Carmo.

The Toucinho do Céu at Pastelaria Alcôa is crafted with their hallmark attention to detail. I appreciated how the almond flavor really came through, giving the rich custard a graininess, without having a gritty mouth feel. I also think the cinnamon garnish fits perfectly with Toucinho do Céu’s nutty flavours.

Pastelaria Alcôa €€ – Rua Garrett 37, 1200-203 Lisbon, Portugal – Open every day from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Travesseiros

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Travesseiros are a traditional Portuguese pastry that can trace its roots back to the Sintra region. They’re pillow-shaped puff pastries filled with an ethereally light, sweet almond cream.

Travesseiros are made from flaky puff pastry dough and filled with a mixture of ground almonds, sugar, and eggs. When you bite into it the crispy, flakiness of the pastry shell gives way to a lightly sweet, creamy almond paste. It’s an ideal breakfast pastry that I like to have with a simple black, yet bold cup of coffee.

My favorite place for Travesseiro is Piriquita. I enjoy the thick volume of luscious filling in each Travesseiro, while the bottom remains crispy and flaky.

Piriquita Rua das Padarias 1/18, 2710-603 Sintra – Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM. 

Queijadas

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Queijadas are most famous from Sintra, but are not original from there. There are many types of Queijadas. However, they are deeply loved throughout Portugal, with a plethora of high-end options all over Lisboa.

They’re small, round tarts with a silky custard made from fresh cheese, sugar, and eggs. It sort of reminds you that cheese can also be brought to bear as a dessert food. They also have a little bit of a cupcake quality to them. Instead of being frosted, they’re usually topped with a light dusting of cinnamon, which gives them added warmth.

One of my favorite places for Queijadas in Lisbon is Pastelaria Versailles on Avenida da República. It has a Belle Époque ambiance that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the 19th century. It’s a perfect fit for the traditional way Pastelaria Versailles prepares Queijadas.

With each bite, I could taste the rich, creamy cheese which was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. The fresh cheese came through without making the Queijadas into a savory dish.  

Pastelaria Versailles €€ – Avenida da República 15A, 1050-185 Lisbon, Portugal – Open from Monday to Saturday from 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM and Sunday from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM.

Conclusion

Lisbon offers some amazing desserts you can find anywhere else in Europe. Understandably, you’d want to try them all. Some like the pastéis de nata are available every day, and you can make a fun game out of finding the place that makes the best. 

Others like the lampreia de ovos are typically available depending on the season. Yet even classical Lisbon desserts like the Toucinho do Céu might be topped or garnished with cinnamon in the winter, and citrus zest in the summer.



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