After three days of tastings, the 12 finalists for the 15th edition of the O Melhor Pastel de Nata 2024 competition have finally been chosen, and the big winner will be announced on September 30th.
This year’s tastings contained 44 entries, where characteristics such as:
- Appearance
- Touch of the dough
- Flavor and consistency of the dough
- Filling
- Overall flavor
The members of the jury, which this year was made up of Cláudia Lima Carvalho (Time Out Lisboa journalist), Catarina Amado (Communications and Marketing Director of Edições do Gosto), Diogo Lopes (Pastry Chef Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon), Lara Figueiredo (Pastry Chef Penha Longa Resort), João Pedro Gomes (gastronomic researcher), Domingos Soares Franco (oenologist), Isabel Zibaia Rafael (author and blogger) and Joana Barrios (24 Kitchen presenter and author), tasted all the pastries blindly, unaware of the participating establishments, making this competition fairer.
According to jury president and gastronome Virgílio Nogueiro Gomes,
The Best Pastel de Nata tastings are increasingly demanding for the jury because it seems to us that there are more and better pastries. The excellence of some puff pastries and the creamy elegance of their fillings make judging difficult.”
The candidates for Best Pastel de Nata in 2024
Of the 44 venues that took part this year, these 12 finalists will go through to the grand final on September 30, three of which (marked with an *) will go through directly to the final because they finished in the top three places in 2023:
- Altis Belém Hotel & Spa
- Bread & Friends
- Casa do Padeiro
- Castro – Atelier de Pasteis de Nata
- Confeitaria Glória* (last year’s winner)
- Nat’elier
- O Pãozinho das Marias*
- Padaria da Né*
- Pão da Ribeira
- Pastelaria Aloma
- Pastelaria Batalha
- Pastelaria País dos Doces
Watch the grand final
If you want to know, first of all, who will be the big winner of The Best Pastel de Nata in 2024, you can watch the final with a (paid) ticket that includes access to the premises of the Cooking Congress (September 29 and 30) at Nirvana Studios in Oeiras, the biggest event for cooking professionals in Portugal, with presentations, talks and tastings with nationally and internationally renowned chefs.
Address: Estrada Militar de Valejas 66, Nirvana Studios, Studio 2 (Oeiras)
Times: September 29 and 30
Billboards: at site
Se gostas de pastéis de nata, é por aqui que tens de passar em Lisboa