I already explained you how to pick a Port wine, unveiled the secret of Francesinha and even told you the best places to buy chocolate in Porto, but there’s more to our gastronomy than that. Today, I am going to introduce you to one of the most popular sweets of Porto.
I don’t usually write about Portuguese food and its background stories, so if you would like to learn more about it you should consider joining a Food tour in Porto! These are fun, engaging and informative experiences that will delight any foodies reading this article 🙂
Now, back to the topic. There is one particular sweet pastry that stands out among the crowd: the éclairs from Leitaria da Quinta do Paço.
Leitaria da Quinta do Paço opened in 1920 as a dairy shop, and in 1950 they decided to diversify their product portfolio and started making éclairs. Even though éclair is a tradicional French pastry, this one has a surprising twist: it is filled with artisanal whipped cream instead of the predictable egg custard.
At this point you might be thinking: that’s it, a simple éclair?
But these, my friends, are not just éclairs – these are the best éclairs you will ever taste, I can guarantee you!
With time, the éclairs from Leitaria da Quinta do Paço became very popular and so they introduced new toppings: dark chocolate, caramel, red berries, apple and cinnamon, lemon curd, coffee, passionfruit, crispy chocolate… creativity is indeed mandatory at this shop, that regularly introduces seasonal flavours. The most recent ones are an éclair filled with coffee ice cream and covered in hot chocolate, and a blueberry éclair!
My suggestion is for you to visit Leitaria da Quinta do Paço in the morning, picking an expresso with a miniature éclair (artisanal caramel and lemon curd are my favourites); if you prefer to make it an afternoon break, then pick an herbal tea and a regular-sized éclair. Bom apetite! 🙂
Where to find the éclairs of Leitaria da Quinta do Paço:
DOWNTOWN: Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, 47/51.
NORTE SHOPPING: Centro Comercial Norte Shopping, 1st floor.
BOM SUCESSO’S MARKET: Praça do Bom Sucesso, 74 -90.
MATOSINHOS: Rua Brito Capelo, 1288.