If you’ve ever traveled to Lisbon, you most likely tried pastéis de nata, and if you didn’t–why not? Make sure you put it on your list for your next visit 🙂

For years, me and my friends have debated which bakery makes the best custard tarts. While you can find these desserts in various bakeries as well as restaurants, and sometimes even newsstands, the two most famous bakeries considered to make the best pastéis de nata are Manteigaria, which, at the time of this writing, has three locations in Lisbon, as well as Pastéis de Belem in Belem, Portugal, which is about a twenty-minute tram ride from downtown Lisbon.

While you will find many people who have strong opinions about this, we have to admit that it is a tie. They are both excellent bakeries, and you can’t go wrong with either.

Recently, we paused our life in the country and took our mom to Lisbon, and stumbled onto a new bakery, Castro, and it was also very good. The only way we can determine which of the three bakeries make the best custard tarts is to try them back-to-back. Maybe next time.

-Isabel & Marilyn