Likened to Europe’s San Francisco by Rick Steves, Lisbon is a colorful, hilly city full of tiled facades and castles with ocean viewpoints. The city’s true soul, though, often hides in its cafes and patisseries — where time slows as the aroma of almonds, cinnamon, and butter swirls in the air. After all, Rick Steves also called the iconic city one of the best foodie destinations. Among Portugal’s most famous pastries is the pastel de nata, a creamy egg custard tart with a caramelized top. You can find one of the oldest recipes for pastel de nata at a pastry shop that’s been making it for Lisbon locals and even the royal household since 1829: Confeitaria Nacional.
If you want a taste of these royal pastries, head to Praça da Figueira, a large square at the heart of old Lisbon where Confeitaria Nacional sits. Inside, you’ll find romantic interiors: marble countertops, mahogany accents, a mirrored ceiling, and a plaque bearing the name of the patisserie’s founder, Balthazar Castanheiro. When you sit down for a treat here (or take it out onto the square), you’re tasting a recipe that’s been honed to perfection for almost 200 years. As the oldest still-running patisserie in Lisbon, Confeitaria Nacional earned Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice award in 2024 and was even honored with a diploma from the President of the Republic, allowing it to serve the presidency. Luckily, the patisserie isn’t just reserved for elites, though guests may feel like nobles when they try one of its time-honored delicacies.
The pastries that made Confeitaria Nacional famous (and what to order)
Confeitaria Nacional was established by Balthazar Roiz Castanheiro in 1829 and has been run by his family ever since. There were a couple of crucial moments that cemented the patisserie’s place in Lisbon history. One came in 1850, when the shop was the first to bring bolo rei — a traditional Christmas cake filled with fruits and nuts — to Portugal, having bought the recipe from France. The cake has since become a Portuguese staple. Then, in 1873, the shop became the supplier of pastries for the Portuguese royal house. Eventually, this duty transitioned into supplying goods for the presidency, when Confeitaria Nacional was awarded a presidential diploma in 1940.
The patisserie has been using the same recipes since the 19th century for its mouth-watering pastries, and the truth is, there are a lot of them. You might not be able to sample them all, but you can get a selection by asking for a box of sortidos, then choosing a handful of pastries, which are weighed and priced together. A highlight is the pastel de nata, which Tripadvisor reviewer @DiDiGoingPlaces called the “best pastel de nata,” noting that “the crust was so flaky and the custard so flavorful [and] not overly sweet.” Another staple is the bolo de arroz, a light, fluffy rice flour cake, which @culinarybackstreets on Instagram called one of the “8 essential desserts in Lisbon.” Pair one of these treats with an espresso and savor it in the upstairs tea room.
How to visit Confeitaria Nacional like a local
