Lisbon’s Viral Pastel de Nata Is a Gift and a Curse
Portugal’s most popular pastry is delicious and historic, but it’s also become a symbol of overtourism and gentrification in the capital.
As Lisbon’s tourism booms, the classic pastry symbolizes everything going right and wrong for the overcrowded city. In Lisbon, you’re never far from a pastel de nata, the city’s iconic egg tart.
While Pastéis de Belém, the 1837 pastry shop that invented the modern version of the pastry, still draws streams of diners out to its the city’s western edge, the center has become crowded with places selling golden, palm-sized custard treats.
Beginning in the early 2010s — as Lisbon emerged as a heavyweight of global tourism and visitors poured into the city — new chain shops like Nata Lisboa, Manteigaria, and Fábrica da Nata collectively opened dozens of locations focused on pastéis de nata in the capital and across Portugal.
Today, you’ll find pastéis in hip cafes, restaurants, airport souvenir shops, Starbucks, and even Zara.
No direct quote available in the text.
Author's summary: Lisbon's iconic pastry faces challenges.
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