A lovely little cake from a town south of Lisbon.
Azeitão, Portugal
Situated on the edge of the Arrábida Natural Park, Azeitão is a small town of about 20,000 people. But, what Azeitão lacks in size it makes up for in wine, cheese, and pastry.
A trip to Azeitão must include sampling the famous local cheese (Queijo de Azeitão) and tasting some of the wine from nearby vineyards like José Maria da Fonseca, Bacalhôa, and Quinta Do Piloto.
Then, there’s the town’s famous pastry, the Torta de Azeitão.
A thin layer of sponge cake is slathered with a lemony “egg jam” and then rolled and cut into tubes. The cake is topped with cinnamon. It’s a perfect afternoon snack, especially when paired with the local sweet Moscatel wine.
Where to get a Torta de Azeitão
If you’re in Lisbon and on a tight schedule, spending a whole day in Azeitão just for a pastry might seem crazy. Me? I’d def do it. But, if you need more convincing, Azeitão is also a top Portuguese wine producing region and home of the famous local cheese Queijo de Azeitão. So, we’re not going all this way just for pastry.
The nice thing about Azeitão is that it’s a small town and the places listed below are all within walking distance of eachother.
Pastelaria Regional Cego is an award winning bakery that serves all kinds of breads and pastries including an excellent Torta de Azeitão.
Cego means “Blind” in Portuguese. Manuel Rodrigues, who went blind when he was young, gave the Pastelaria that name in 1901 when he founded the bakery. This spot not only is where the Torta de Azeitão was invented, but they have the best as well!
Sabores e Encantos de Azeitão is an especially charming location because it is located in a former wash house (lavadouro público). The wash basin has even been turned into a fountain. The snack bar has plenty of pastries to choose from including the Torta de Azeitão. And, as a bonus, the wine is pretty darn good as well.
Forno da Vila is a small bakery in Azeitão with lots of sweets to choose from including the Torta de Azeitão. This is a real locals’ place with plenty of Portuguese charm.
Getting to Azeitão
The easiest way to get to Azeitão from Lisbon is, unfortunately, to drive. However, I never recommend driving in Lisbon. The streets are very narrow and confusing.
So, if you want to get a Torta de Azeitão in Azeitão itself, it’s probably better to take public transport, even though it takes longer. The best route, in my opinion is to take the ferry from Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré terminal to Cacilhas. From there, take the bus to Azeitão.
Alternatively, you could take an Uber or Bolt to Azeitão.
Or, just stop into a pastelaria in Lisbon and ask for a Torta de Azeitão. Lots of places have them, but it’s a lot more fun taking a trip to the town the pastry was named after!
About the Author
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Portugal including Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Batalha. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.
