A Portuguese town heavy on tourist attractions has a surprisingly vibrant food scene.
For a city with a population of about 50,000, Évora punches far above it’s weight class when it comes to food culture. There are a couple Michelin recognized restaurants, numerous fantastic places that offer traditional Portuguese cuisine, and local pastries that go far beyond the usual riffs on Pastel de Nata.
Most of these pastries fall into the category of convent sweets, little tarts and cakes that were invented in the local Convento de Santa Helena do Monte Calvário (Convent of St. Helena of the Mount Calvary) and Convento de Santa Clara. Both of these convents are still standing, although the main part of the Convento de Santa Helena is now offices for the diocese (a couple other buildings have been converted to hotels) and the Convento de Santa Clara is occasionally open for art exhibitions.