Manteigaria is considered to have the best natas (Portuguese egg tarts) in the city of Lisbon. Yes, Pasteis de Belem is the more heralded bakery for their natas, perhaps in all of Portugal, but they are located about 20-25 minutes outside of the city.

Manteigaria has only one thing on the menu: natas.

They have an open kitchen, so you can see employees constantly churning out freshly made natas throughout the day.

The place is also on the smaller side. There are several small counters where you can eat your nata and perhaps a cup of coffee or espresso, but this is not the type of place where you will be hanging around for hours at a time.

The nata has a nice crisp, golden, crunchy crust with burnt areas of custard. The custard gets little brown spots, or sometimes even black spots, due to the milk and/or cream that is the base of the custard. This is one of the main differences between the Portuguese egg tart, and the Chinese egg tart.

The Portuguese egg tarts are also served with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I tried them plain, powdered sugar only, cinnamon only, and powdered sugar and cinnamon, but my favorite way was plain with nothing added.

The nata has a crisp, crunchy crust with a rich, custardy filling. The nata at Manteigaria is not as sweet as some of the other places I tried, including Pasteis de Belem. For that reason, Manteigaria had my favorite Portuguese egg tarts in the Lisbon area.