A Lisbon pastry and coffee trail, from custard tarts to bica

The Lisbon coffee ritual

In Lisbon, coffee is usually short, strong and drunk standing at the counter. Ask for a bica and you'll get a small espresso-style coffee; a galão is a milky coffee served in a tall glass and a favourite at breakfast. Locals often stop several times a day, so neighbourhood pastelarias are busy from early morning until evening.

Prices at the counter are often lower than at a table, and the turnover is quick. It's a great way to slip into the daily life of a neighbourhood, especially in residential areas away from the main sights.

The famous custard tart

The pastel de nata is the star of Portuguese baking: a crisp, flaky shell filled with rich egg custard and caramelised on top in a very hot oven. Its origins are usually traced to monasteries, where egg yolks were left over from using whites to starch clothes. The Belém district is famous for its version, and the queues there are part of the experience.

Excellent tarts are made all over the city, though, and many people have strong opinions about their favourite. Eat them warm if you can, with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Beyond the nata

Portuguese pastry is rich in egg yolk, sugar and almond. Look for travesseiros, puff pastry pillows filled with almond cream, associated with nearby Sintra. Bolas de Berlim are doughnuts filled with custard, often sold on beaches in summer. Pão de Deus is a soft sweet bun with a coconut topping, perfect at breakfast.

Around Christmas, bakeries fill with bolo rei, a crown-shaped cake studded with candied fruit. In any season, ask what the house speciality is; many bakeries have recipes they're particularly proud of.

Putting together your trail

A good route starts with breakfast in a neighbourhood café, continues to Belém by tram or along the riverside, and ends in the hilly old districts in the afternoon. Walking between stops helps balance out the sugar, and Lisbon's hills will make sure of that.

Look out too for the regional sweets that reach Lisbon from the rest of the country. Bakeries often stock egg-based specialities from convent traditions further north, almond and fig sweets from the Algarve, and dense cakes from the Alentejo. Some shops specialise in a single treat and have perfected it over generations, while others offer a dazzling counter of choices. Don't be shy about pointing and asking; staff are generally happy to explain what's what. And if you need a break from sugar, most cafés also sell savoury snacks such as cod cakes or small meat pies to keep you going.

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