When Eater published our guide to Lisbon in 2017, the city had already ascended the ranks of international food destinations. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, the Portuguese capital made its name as a vacation spot rich on culinary enjoyment and cheap on expenses. It rolled out financial incentives for digital nomads and eased rental laws to promote short-term rentals, all while promoting culinary attractions like the pastel de nata, the city’s famous egg tart, with the O Melhor Pastel de Nata (Best Pastel de Nata) competition. That reputation for affordable, carefree merriment infuses Eater’s list of the city’s best pastéis de nata and it permeates our intro to our big city guide:
“This is not a city to visit with an epic checklist, to eat across at a breakneck speed all while Instagramming furiously,” we wrote at the time. “This is a city to wander for hours before sipping a beer in the park. It’s the place to indulge a sweet tooth and dig into grilled meats paired with good, affordable wine. Take your time in Lisbon — and yes, always order another egg tart.”
Many of Lisbon’s visitors heard the last part of that message, but perhaps not the first. The pastel de nata went viral, bringing lines to Pastéis de Belém, the 19th-century bakery that invented the tart, and launching a fleet of shops focused entirely on pastéis, which influencers now routinely tour to uncover the best tart for their followers.
This week, Rafael Tonon, Eater’s longtime contributor in Portugal, took stock of the famous pastel de nata after a summer of protests in Lisbon over gentrification and overtourism, trends that have largely resulted from the same policies enacted in the early 2010s to promote Lisbon as a playground for outsiders. Pastéis de nata chains cluster in the most expensive neighborhoods and lines of tourists snake down blocks, while other local businesses (including restaurants and bakeries) get priced out. For some residents and business owners, the pastel has come to symbolize everything that went right — and eventually wrong — with Lisbon’s plan.
