"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."
""There's nothing but pastel de nata shops around here," says Fernando Portelada, who has been working for 43 years at A Ginjinha, a shop in the central Largo São Domingos neighborhood dating back to 1840 that specializes in Portugal's traditional sour cherry liqueur. He points out that on Rua Augusta around the corner, there are eight pastel de nata shops crammed into a hundred-meter stretch. "It's overwhelming," he adds."
Pastéis de nata are ubiquitous across Lisbon, from the historic Pastéis de Belém to new chain shops and outlets in cafes, airports, and stores. Starting in the early 2010s, chains opened dozens of locations as international tourism surged. The proliferation of pastry shops coincided with soaring rents, hotel expansions, and foreign investment that pressured historic restaurants and neighborhood bakeries to close. Longtime local businesses report being overwhelmed by the concentration of pastel shops. The post-pandemic rebound in tourism intensified economic pressures and spurred public protests against unchecked gentrification.
Read at Eater
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]