Manteigaria, the famous Portuguese bakery specialising in pastéis de nata, is set to open a branch in Macao over the coming months, Macao News has confirmed. The brand prides itself on its artisanal pastéis de nata, made by hand with high-quality ingredients and no preservatives.
The new bakery will be operated by the Portugália group (which runs the Portugália restaurant in Taipa Village) and will be located on the peninsula, although the exact location has not yet been disclosed.
Established in 2014, Manteigaria currently has 11 branches in Portugal. It quickly became a favourite with locals and tourists, winning praise for the buttery, crunchy casings and velvety custard fillings of its tarts.
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“We have no shortage of Macao egg tarts, a great confection in their own right, but we were definitely lacking representation when it comes to the real pastel de nata,” Diogo Vieira from the Portugália group told Macao News.
He added that the opening of the Macao branch aims to bring the authentic item to locals and travellers alike, reassuring that “there will be no tweaks or even the slightest adaptation to the local palate. Mantegaria’s pastel de nata is prepared the artisanal way, just like Portuguese monks did centuries ago.”
Vieira said Manteigaria had plans to open a branch in the SAR before establishing its first overseas location in Paris last year, and that it decided to “speed things up” in Macao when it saw the popularity of its egg tarts among Asian tourists in the French capital. Though he did not confirm the date, Vieira said that Manteigaria will be opening in the “coming months.”
