“Crispy puff pastry and velvety cream” make the difference at Aloma, home of the best pastéis de nata in Lisbon
Opened in 1943, in the Lisbon neighborhood of Campo de Ourique, Pastelaria Aloma expanded to other locations in the capital, where there are currently four stores. To these there is a fifth address, in Vila Nova de Gaia, and another across the borders, in Madrid.
The name of the pastry was inspired by the film “Aloma of The South Seas”, released in 1941, which portrayed the story of a great passion set in Hawaii, with special filming effects and the eruption of a volcano. Who knows, it was also the inspiration to create a “Pastel de nata” that makes hearts melt. The Aloma pastry shop has won the Best Pastel de Nata in Lisbonnamely in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022 and, now, in 2024. An exquisite pastry shop was born and became an icon of the Campo de Ourique neighborhood, following the evolution of the neighborhood itself. A certain atmosphere contributes to its charisma, created by the combination of a retro style with a more current decor that preserves details from the past, such as the old sign with the name of the pastry shop and the wooden cabinets with showcases.
Aloma Pastry
The firm “Pastelaria Aloma, Lda.” was incorporated on January 1, 1949 and the initial lease contract was dated December 30, 1949. Its owners were the firm’s partners João António Barreto and Daniel Luís Serrano Barreto. As these are the oldest legal documents, the year of opening is considered to be 1949. From the end of 2009, João Castanheira, CEO of “Aloma Distribuição SA”, took over the management of the pastry shop, and acquired, in 2020, the shares which still belonged to the founding partners, remaining at the helm of the business to this day. With more than eight decades of history, it is famous for its pastéis de nata, the traditional Portuguese sweet that seems to win over everyone who tastes it.
Pastel de born from Pastelaria Aloma
Crispy and velvety
Already Aloma Pastry from Campo de Ourique (Rua Francisco Metrass, 67, Lisbon. Tel. 213963797), “the crispy puff pastry and the velvety cream, with the ideal sweetness point, have been the elements that differentiate the custard tarts from others”. “The recipe is the classic” and “the secret is in 100% artisanal manufacturing, exactly like the old days and always with lots of love”. “Each “Pastel de nata” is opened by hand and there are no industrial machines in the factory.” The thing is, João Castanheira emphasizes, “we don’t make custard tarts in series, which involves more time, more collaborators throughout the process, but, given the quality of the recipe, it’s worth maintaining this method”.
Aloma Pastry
Secret recipe
“Pastel de nata” has a rich and ancient history that dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. The best known begins at the Jerónimos Monastery, in Lisbon, where monks and nuns used egg yolks to starch their clothes. The leftover egg whites were used to make sweets. With the liberalization of convents and monasteries in the 19th century, the original and secret recipe for pastéis de nata was sold and, to this day, remains a secret.
Aloma Pastry
Innovate in tradition
Aloma’s CEO has always worked in the pharmacy sector. “The connection to this area is emotional because my great-grandfather founded a series of clusters of pastry shops in Lisbon, they were bakery counters like Panibel, for example”. When he acquired Aloma, it was “a small bakery, with four/five people, but we started working, innovating, growing and things went well”.
Today they are a group of 150 people who, in addition to Aloma, have the Glória confectionery, also distinguished with the Best Pastel de Nata Award in 2023, they have just opened the third Manolo Bakes store, a concept dedicated to specialty coffee and pastries , and have now entered into a partnership to start selling, in Aloma stores, the 48-hour slow fermentation Swiss bread brand, Pain Paillasse. João Castanheira believes that “it will make waves”.
At Aloma you can taste the pastel de nata, but also another award-winning cake, the Bolo Rei, as well as traditional cakes that also enjoy a good reputation, such as the Egg Tart and the Mil-feuille. In addition to Campo de Ourique, you will find Aloma in Jardim Constantino (Lisbon), El Corte Inglés Lisboa, El Corte Inglés Maia, Super Cor Expo (Lisbon) and El Corte Inglés Madrid.
João Castanheira, CEO of Aloma
