Is there anything more quintessentially Portuguese than a Nata?
After listening to some fado and aweing at our amazing tile panels, you are practically granted Portuguese citizenship if you cap the trifecta off by eating a Pastel de Nata! It’s a big part of our identity and arguably everyone’s favorite sweet snack here.
“I don’t like Portuguese custard tarts” – doesn’t ring any bell? That’s because it ranks high up there along with “My favourite colour is yellow” and “That Canadian fellow was really rude” as sentences no one has ever said!
Check out our Top 5 Nata shops in Porto, and you’ll immediately understand why:
FÁBRICA DA NATA
Located along Rua de Santa Catarina, the city’s most popular shopping street, Fábrica da Nata is a place that takes its name quite literally. Once inside, you’ll realize most of the decor seems to have been taken straight out of a factory (Fábrica in Portuguese), and at a production rate of 1000 natas/day, you can see their workers really embrace the atmosphere! Needless to say, the custard tarts are absolutely delicious and always fresh since these are made all day long behind their front window. You can even watch them do it! Besides, at 1€ per unit you will have no problems in keeping them coming!
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MANTEIGARIA PORTO
Every time you see a local eating a Pastel de Nata, chances are a nice cup of coffee is seating nearby. It’s a classic combination, and Manteigaria has perfected this partnership by teaming up with the most famous coffee brand in Portugal. Located next to the Bolhão Market, Manteigaria is a modern space that opened in 2017 after its earlier success in Lisbon and an institution that takes pride in sticking to the traditional way of producing its delicacies. They use a special butter that is no longer produced in the country and as much human intervention in the cooking process as possible. Their passion for what they do is notorious, and the end result is one of the best coffees and probably the best nata (1€), side by side, just for you!
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VEGANA
Photo by: Raphael Alvim
Inaugurated last April, Vegana might still be a small and relatively unknown bakery located in the downtown, but it’s slowly building a reputation among local vegans and vegetarians. With a cozy and colourful space which accommodates only 16 people (seating) at a time, Vegana vows to fill a void in the city’s offerings: cruelty-free breakfast products. One of these items is precisely the innovative vegan nata (1,30€), a very rare version of the traditional product, made with soy cream, wheat flour, lemon and cinnamon.
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NATA LISBOA
The World Needs Nata – is this brand’s slogan, and we couldn’t agree more! Starting as a single establishment in the Portuguese capital, Nata Lisboa evolved into a huge franchise with over 20 shops spread around the country and 12 more in foreign territories. But the secret to such success couldn’t actually be any simpler: a damn good product (whose recipe is secret, as usual) and great standards! Although there are 3 different locations in Porto, we recommend visiting the one at Rua das Flores, where you can enjoy their signature delicacy for 1,10€. Tip: Sprinkle it with some cinnamon for that extra kick!
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LEITARIA DA QUINTA DO PAÇO
Photo by: Raphael Alvim
Finally, if you want to experience a different kind of nata, a visit to Leitaria da Quinta do Paço is in order. This franchise, with 4 different locations scattered across the city, is mostly famous for their extraordinary éclairs, so they took the usual custard tart recipe one step further and added a generous topping of their secret chantilly. The end result is a decadent dessert they called Nata LQP, a twisted (albeit delicious) version of the iconic pastry.
Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 47
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Hungry already? Which one would you pay a visit? Let us know!
Thanks for the recommendations – helped a lot to make a downselection. We were in Porto last weekend, and tried three of the shops. Our ranking: 1. Manteigaria, 2. Fabrica da Nata, 3. Nata Lisboa. By the way, Manteigaria also went down to 1€ per Nata.
Hi Johannes! Thank you for your feedback -we are super happy to hear that the information helped!!! As for Manteigaria we will make sure to update the information asap!
Do you know if the chantilly is vegetarian or is there gelantine inside?
Thanks in advance for the answer.
Best regards,
Anne
Hey Anne, sadly we don’t really know what the Chantilly is made out of but we know for sure that it’s not vegan/vegetarian friendly. I hope this helps !