One of the best things about Portugal: these Portuguese tarts.
And the best place to get them in Lisbon is definitely Pastéis de Belém.
Located a 25 minute crammed bus ride away from downtown Lisbon at Cais do Sodré, is this glorious bakery. There will always be a line up, and you will not understand until try one of their tarts. But don't be fooled! The line is only if you want to take something to-go.
You can choose from all their pastries...
(I couldn't really take that many pictures since it was soo crowded.)
...or walk through and find a table to sit down and eat.
The sitting area is a lot bigger than what you would expect. We walked by the kitchens and the tarts making area. Oh myyyyy.
We ended up sitting in a small room next to this baking area.
And then our food came :D
If you can't tell, I am super excited to eat (lol I look so exhausted and tired - also true though).
S ordered this sandwhich with ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce. She had a serious craving for veggies (you will understand this if you read my other posts from this trip). She said that the bread was actually flakey so it had a croissant texture to it which she loved!
I ordered a duck pâté puff pastry. It looked massive, but there was only a bit of the pâté spread at the bottom. It doesn't look that appealing, but it was soo good. My puff pastry was delicious, and the duck pâté was super flavourful.
I also ordered a salt cod cake, because apparently these little things are Portuguese delicacies. It was very interesting, but I think I waited too long to eat it. It was good but it would have definitely tasted a lot better warm.
And then the main dish of the afternoon...
These little beauties.
I'll be honest. I was skeptic about these. I've been told numerous times how good they are and how it's so much better than the ones we have here in Toronto, but I didn't really believe them. I thought they'd taste like the ones I could buy from the Chinese bakeries at home. To everyone I doubted, I apologize. They are actually so much better! The crust is flake-y and croissant-y, which I absolutely loved. The tart melted in my mouth and I was so sad that I was full - I wanted more!
So. Friggen. Good.
Do not miss the chance to visit Pastéis de Belém if you are ever in Lisbon. Trust me, the time spent getting here and waiting in line is so worth it.
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