Confeitaria Nacional is not only one of the oldest pastelaria in Lisbon, it is actually one of the oldest in Europe! This bakery has been in business since 1829 and was once the official bakery of the Portuguese king at that time. Inside you’ll find, besides tourists, many Lisboetas who come here for a coffee and something sweet or even a meal.
Blissful sweetness
If you like sweet, then the shop window is the first attraction to lure you inside. The shop windows are full of sweets that are freshly baked. At Confeitaria Nacional they change the biscuits every 2-3 hours, not just because it’s the right thing to do but also because they run out fast and they have to top up.
Once inside, you can choose to sit downstairs to have a drink and to take one of their sweet specialties. Their pastéis de nata are very creamy and very tasty. If you want lunch, take the wooden stairs up, there are several rooms where you can sit down for lunch. It is beautiful inside, the old decor matches the look of an old bakery.
Confeitaria Nacional is the number 7 in our great Pastéis de Nata test.
Cookies
You should of course take some cookies or pastries with you. The cookies are not cheap but given the quality of the product, the price is more than worth it. For 2 boxes with almond biscuits and 1 box with biscuits of 400 grams (both boxes) I paid over 13 euros. Not that cheap indeed, but sometimes you have to indulge yourself, right.
The best Bolo de Rei
If you’re in Lisbon at Christmas time, then a visit to Confeitaria Nacional bakery is mandatory. They make the best Bolo de Rei (King’s Cake) in Portugal. This is a traditional Portuguese cake that is usually consumed around Christmas time, or rather between December 25 to January 6 (Epiphany). Confeitaria Nacional was the first bakery in Portugal to bake and sell the Bolo de Rei.
This pasteleria is along the walking route from Rossio to Praça de Comércio. And if you’re waiting for the bus to Castelo de São Jorge, you can pop in quickly.
Enjoying from the water
Confeitaria Nacional also has a boat to sail the Tagus river. Currently you can only rent it for parties, it is (unfortunately) not intended as a public tour boats. That would be a fantastic idea: to see Lisbon from the water with a combination of something tasty from the bakery and a good coffee. But who knows, maybe they’ll make that happen one day.
Where to find Confeitaria Nacional
Address: Praca da Figueira 18B, Baixa
Opening hours: 08:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the bakery in the citycenter, you have a small store at the Lisbon airport.
