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I left New York for Lisbon (just for a week!) in pursuit of a sensory reset. Concrete was traded for cobblestones, hot tempers for warm hearts, and overpriced salad bowls for grilled mackerel seasoned with solely a sprinkle of salt.
In pursuit of the city’s tangible wonders, I uncovered many more revelations along the way: 1)Custard tarts buy five minutes of comfort. 2) Tinned fish can be a sit down meal. 3) Portuguese hospitality fills a hole in my chiseled-New-York-heart. 4) I found my greatest source of awe at the Edge of the World. One of my favorite artists puts the city’s magical conditions for self-discovery in perfect language when describing the inspiration behind his album, A Mermaid in Lisbon:
“…the inspiration for [A Mermaid in Lisbon] came the last time I was walking the streets of Lisbon. It’s my favourite place to wander it just generally feels like the streets are singing this wonderful melancholic sound for your walk, that pulls you into small winding roads, that make you feel like you’ll get lost and never return. Hence the mermaid title.”
Patrick Watson
The part about “melancholic sound” is spot on. There is a style of music from Lisbon called fado where beautifully mournful song longs for times gone by. Skip down to find a condensed “mermaid’s guide to Lisbon” aka the corners of the city that beckon you to get lost in its beauty. Meanwhile, here are some revelations of mine…
1) Custard tarts buy five minutes of comfort.
If there was a place where the mermaid’s song called most strongly, it was from within pastéis de nata shops.
Eating a fresh pastel de nata, or Portuguese custard tart, feels like eating a creamy crater of molten custard gold walled in by 5 layers of flaky crust. The custard’s top shows off a glistening layer of charred, or shall I say caramelized, bubbles. I was most enthralled to learn that they’re best enjoyed with a dusting of cinnamon on top (where else would you find mini packets of cinnamon at every bakery??).
Pastéis de Belem is credited with creating the original Portuguese custard tart recipe in 1837 and is the only place allowed to call it “Pastel de Belem” (every other maker must call it “pastel de nata”). The recipe is a secret and originates from the neighboring monastery, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, which certainly explains its purist approach — it’s not as sweet as modern adaptations and has a harmonious balance between custard and crust.
It wasn’t until my first bite of pastéis in the cloistered dining room of Belem did I realize how much comfort each tart brought. It suddenly transported me back to my favorite childhood dim sum finale — 蛋挞 (dan ta, the Cantonese version of Portuguese egg tarts). The dim sum take on egg tarts swaps a charred top for a glossy, unblemished custard center and a flaky pastry crust for a denser crimped crust…just as delicious, but in less of a “homemade secret” and more of a “pastry chef’ed” sort of way. Oh how I longed to be a little girl again sitting in a crowded tea parlor with no worries except for spinning the lazy susan for the next soup dumpling, chicken foot, or dan ta… Regardless of who makes it, custard tarts are a warm embrace of storied cultural transmission.
Eating one tart takes five minutes, if savored. And I had every intent of savoring those five minutes of comfort.
Alhough Pastéis de Belem makes the best tasting egg tarts in my opinion, it would be unfair to rank it alongside other pastelarias given its legacy as the original maker.
My own (highly debatable) ranking of Lisbon’s top pastel de nata places:
Pastelaria Santo António (ranks best for flaky crust and creamy custard, and bonus points for a spacious dining area with balcony views!)
Fábrica de Nata (the filling has a great egg profile and isn’t too sweet)
Manteigaria (too sweet for my preference, but the crust is redeeming)
Pastelaria Versailles (ranks last for its slightly goopy and inconsistent custard center, but the ambience is beautiful).
2) Tinned fish can be a sit down meal.
Give me a beautifully plated serving of quality tinned sardines infused with tomato sauce and pickles, a basket of doughy carcaça bread, some olives, and call me a happy girl. This is exactly what the cozy restaurant Miss Can offers, and I couldn’t have been more excited to try on the different tinned fish personas they sell… are you a picklelicious, tomarvelous, sofishticated, or spicy girl??
3) Portuguese hospitality fills a hole in my chiseled-New-York-heart.
In addition to the insanely affordable Ubers (the usual trip around Lisbon averaged around 5-10 euros) which filled the gaping hole burned into my wallet by $30+ New York Ubers, I found a consistent radiance of warmth from all locals in Lisbon who never failed to make my family and I comfortable while traveling there. There was one instance on the way back to Lisbon from Cabo da Roca, where one of our Uber drivers generously went out of his way to drive us down to the Cascais coastline instead of the mapped highway route, even if the fare of the ride was fixed either way. The drive took an additional 20 minutes of his time, but he was so proud to show us the part of town we had run out of time in our stay to see. I don’t think I met anyone who was particularly rude or disingenuous, aside from the occassional tourist trapsters, and that made the whole trip so much more heart-warming.
4) I found my greatest source of awe at the Edge of the World.
I love to hike. Perhaps my inner Coloradan is to explain. But it’s more concretely because I find calm and gratitude from sources of awe — linking How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health here to explain this phenomenon.
The westernmost point of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca, once called the Edge of the World, is my greatest source of awe (in landscapes) to date.
You can visit to just gaze from atop the cliffs down to the nearly untouched beaches, but I was determined to hike from the cape’s peak to Praia da Ursa, a hidden beach with its own clear blue waters and stretch of soft sand. It go a bit rocky to the point where someone fashioned a rope to climb down one of the inclines, so I’m proud of my parents for trekking through the entire hike with me!
TLDR, here’s my “mermaid’s guide to Lisbon” so you can get lost in the city’s beauty too.
Favorite Pastel de Nata: Pastelaria de Santo Antonio(I went back 3 times in 1 week. They have equally delicious tuna sandwiches and gelado).
Favorite Coffee: The Folks(honestly I wasn’t a fan of coffee in Portugal since the milk is foamed differently and it always tasted too hot/bitter…that is until I came across The Folks where they have signature concoctions such as a homemade pistachio lattes and vanilla lime raf coffee).
Favorite Restaurants: I can’t choose just one!
Chef Jose Avillez’ Bairro do Avillez (there are 4 restaurants each with a unique theme… we loved trying small plates at Taberna but I’ve also heard wonderful things about Pizzaria).
Estamine (if you want a slice of local comfort, go enjoy a homecooked meal prepared by the delightful Joice and Luis who also sell art in the same space).
Miss Can (for a unique sit-down tinned fish tasting experience).
For fresh grilled fish: Visit any of the outdoor pop-ups (usually with huge Super Bock beer signage) along R. São Tome street in Alfama where you can try delicious fire-grilled sardines, mackerel, dorada, and more for only about 2 euros each. Try the raw octopus salad too!
grilled fish every night!
Favorite Drink Spot: Secret Garden(there’s a secret door on the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte overlook platform that leads to this botanical enclave perfect for ordering drinks to watch the sunset).
Favorite Gelado: Santini (fruit flavors in Portugal are elite. they’re creamier than sorbets and more refreshing than traditional ice cream)
Favorite Day Trips: Sintra (take the train from Rossio station in Lisbon to Sintra. Hike up to Pena Palace if you have the energy! Otherwise take a 20 euro Uber up to the top. You can buy timed entry tickets to the Palace in advance online, but be prepared to still wait in some very long lines. A stop by Sintra’s Casa Piriquita where you can try Travesseiro pastries is a MUST).
Sintra pastries fit for royalty
If you like hiking: Cabo da Roca (could be an extension of your Sintra trip, but it would be a very long day… we made it a separate day trip and Ubered there directly from Lisbon for 35 euros!)
Where I Stayed: Apartment in Alfama (I loved it…was in a secluded part of the historic Alfama district, right beneath Castelo de São Jorge. It’s also next to one of the city’s most beautiful terrace viewpoints, Miradouro de Santa Luzia).
Please never stop writing and sharing your experiences!!! Love the Dan ta and lazy Susan memories :)